Sam took the keys. I climbed in the back seat beside Owen and stared out the window in a bit of a stupor. We made it to my house quickly, and by then I was beyond bone weary and didn’t even notice Drew had followed us in his squad car until he put his hand on the small of my back.
I was too tired to jump in surprise. “I think I used too much magic,” I whispered.
The next thing I knew, I was up in Drew’s arms with my arms around his neck. Even exhausted, I couldn’t help but feel a thrill of excitement. He was carrying me inside. Who does that anymore?
Was there anything hotter, ever, anywhere?
No. There was not.
Drew got me inside and set me gently on the sofa as Wallie ran in. “What’s wrong?” he cried. “Is she hurt?”
“No, Wal, I’m okay. Just exhausted. I used too much magic; I think.”
Drew pulled a blanket off of the chair and wrapped it around me. “Are you sure nothing hurts?”
“I’m fine.” I smiled up at him. “Thank you.”
He sat at my feet. “Carmen is gone,” he told Wallie. Alfred hovered in the doorway, and I could’ve sworn he was relieved when he heard the news.
“Where?” Wallie asked.
“The skeletons took her,” Olivia said brightly, then giggled.
Wallie gaped at us. “The what now?”
“It’s a long story,” Drew said. “If Ava is sure she’s okay, I’m going to go home and let you lot fill him in.”
I caught his hand as he got up. “Thank you,” I whispered.
He touched his forehead where a hat would be, as if he’d forgotten he wasn’t wearing one. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze before letting it go. “Yes, ma’am.”
A bit of a western or maybe southern accent slipped out and holy shit. He got about ten times hotter. Did he grow up in the south? Visions of him riding a horse in a cowboy hat flitted through my head and I wanted everyone to go home so I could spend some time upstairs.
Alone.
“I’ll walk you out,” I said.
Drew said goodbye to the rest of the crowd, and I stepped out onto the porch with him. “Thanks again,” I whispered.
When he took my hand, my energy recuperated quickly. Drew stepped close. “You were pretty amazing tonight,” he said. “You’re untrained?”
I nodded. “I just wanted you all to be safe.”
As he leaned closer, I stared at his lips. Was he going to kiss me?
Just before his lips met mine, the porch light flickered. I looked at the door in surprise to see Alfred peeking through the curtain.
“I should go,” Drew said, chuckling. “I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”
“Sure, yeah.”
I watched him walk down my porch steps and sighed. What a man.
Chapter Twenty
I slept like the dead, which was saying a lot after what we went through last night. Olivia and Sam went home, and Owen settled into my Aunt Winnie’s old bedroom, which he’d chosen as his. I didn’t mind. He was cool.
Someone yelled up the stairs as I brushed my teeth. “Hey!”
I didn’t recognize the voice. Rushing out of my room in my nightgown, I looked downstairs in confusion.
“Yeah?” I asked through my mouth full of toothpaste.
“We quit!” the construction foreman yelled back. “I don’t know what kind of Halloween bullshit you’ve got going on, but we saw the man dressed up like a zombie in your upstairs window. And enough is enough. We’ll send our bill; you’re not stiffing us on this after playing all these practical jokes on us.”
I gaped at him as he threw up his arms and walked away. Hurrying back to the bathroom, I rinsed out my mouth and got to my front window in time to see the men throw their last few tools in the back of one of the trucks, then they all peeled the hell out of there.
“Shit.”
“I can help,” Owen said. “I know how to do construction with magic. I can show you. I need a place to stay on a more permanent basis since the lighthouse was so damaged. And you need training.”
I turned to see him leaning against my door frame. “I haven’t decided to stay.”
“Oh, come on. After what we went through together here, me, you, those cops, and that crazy woman? You’re going to walk away from this?”
Chuckling, I looked down at my torn-up yard. The big bulky construction trucks had done a number on it. I thought about the front living room that was still pretty much torn up, and the fact that only one bathroom worked in the house.
Unless I could find a construction crew that specialized in magical houses, how else would I get it fixed?
“Ava,” Owen said softly. “I’ve never in my life seen anyone animate that many corpses. It just made you tired. It would’ve killed me to try. I’ve also never met a necromancer that can heal. Your line is supposed to be extinct.”
I sank down onto the bed. “You know rumor has it I’m a seventh-generation necromancer to the Howe family.”
“Ah.” Owen stuffed his hands in his pockets and watched me. “Then that answers that. The Howe bloodline is extraordinarily strong. Your powers will only grow stronger. Especially now that you opened them up like you did last night.”
Frowning, I lifted my gaze to his. “I guess I'm hanging around for a while, aren’t I?”
“You need to let me train you.” He sat beside me. “And Wallie will need it as well.”
“Yeah, I suppose that’s true. Okay, Owen, looks like we’re roommates.”
He grinned. “Great. Let’s go make a list of what we need to fix this house.”
We got busy doing that, and I checked in with the bookstore. Clint was happy to take me on a more permanent basis, thankfully.
Two days later, I walked out of the downstairs bathroom, covered in plaster, my hair in a big, messy, slightly greasy bun. Owen and I had made serious progress in there today.
I grabbed a carton of ice cream and spoon and ate straight out of the container as I leaned against the kitchen cabinets.
“Come in,” I called when someone rang the doorbell. “Ah, shit.” I dropped a blob of chocolate ice cream on my white shirt. I wasn’t expecting anyone, but it was almost definitely Olivia. She loved to pop in. I wiped off my shirt, then threw the rag in the sink, turning to find Drew standing in the kitchen.
Super.
Damn it.
I squeaked and ran into the laundry room. After a quick glamour to make me look like a normal human, not too fancy, but definitely not covered in plaster and ice cream, I walked back out.
He burst out laughing. “You know I saw you before, right?”
“No, you didn’t, so there.” I gestured toward the table. “Have a seat. What can I do for you?”
“I came to update you. Nobody can find hide nor hair of Carmen.”
We figured that much. But I nodded anyway. “That’s good, I guess. I hate that it resulted in her death, but she had to be stopped.”
“I agree, though I rather would’ve put her in jail. The other thing was that some citizens complained about seeing the skeletons.” The corners of his lips twitch.
I gaped at him. “No.” I hadn’t even thought about that.