the devil. Wade excused himself and headed to the kitchen. I guessed that he was packing his cooler of bagged blood that Paige had dropped off. And probably drinking one in the process.
I handed Hailey the keys. “It’s all yours.” Sucking in a deep breath, I took one last look around and let go of the house. I’d brought my baby home to this house. But it was just a chapter closing as another began. It felt right.
Hailey took the keys. “Thanks. I’m so excited about this move and so ready to start over.” She paused and studied me for a moment, then her gaze drifted to my inner wrist. “So, uh, are you a witch?”
I choked and coughed, then laughed. Her bold question shocked me. “I am. I figured you might know about us since your BFF is Kendra.”
“Yeah.” She paused again and scanned the living room like she was looking for something. “Kendra says that houses can absorb magic.”
Ha! If only she knew. “You don’t need to worry about this one. My in-laws didn’t like that I was a witch, so I suppressed my magic while living here. At the time I wanted to live a normal human life.” No more normal for me. I was happy about that. “Now I know who and what I’m meant to be.”
I felt Hailey’s relief as if it were my own. I understood. She didn’t need to move into a house that might mess with her.
While Hailey watched, wide-eyed, I conjured a pen and a notepad, then wrote down my phone number and handed it to her. “If you need anything or have questions or even just need to talk, call me.” I considered telling her about the fanged ones across the street, but I thought it was better not to. It was possible the sale was still so new she could back out.
Besides, Jaxon had said they don’t mix with humans outside his club or the small group of trusted humans who knew about them. It was how they had gone unnoticed by the hunters for so long.
Once Hailey left, I saw my son and uncle off. They had an eight-hour drive to Shipton, which was why we were leaving just after dark rather than early in the morning. Wade would be awake and able to drive. Once the sun came up, the poor man would be out, and he’d have to go in the back of the trailer if they didn’t make it to my house first. Newbie vamps were weak in the sunlight and slept most of the day. Jax said after a hundred or so years, Wade would be able to stay up more during the day.
About ten minutes after they drove off, Luci turned to us. “I bid you farewell and safe travels.” Then he dematerialized just as our cab pulled up.
Drew, Sam, Olivia, and I were taking the train home. While it sounded fun, I was still suspicious of the gift Luci gave us.
Why had I agreed to take the darn train?
Chapter Fifteen
Holy crap on a cracker. This train was glorious. We boarded a car with a green carpet. “If I take my shoes off and sink my feet into this carpet, I’m telling you, you won’t be able to see my toes,” Olivia whispered.
“I know,” I squeaked. “This is luxury like I didn’t know even existed!” I’d thought trains were all worn-out velvet and smelled stale. But then again, I’d never been on a train, so what did I know?
As we walked down the narrow pathway, the porter showed us two rooms. “These are our two luxury suites. Please, press the button on the phone if you need anything at all.” He bowed his head and Drew held out his hand. As they shook, I caught the slightest flash of green exchange hands.
“Was that a twenty?” I asked as we all crowded into the first room.
“Yeah. We’re in their best suites and they obviously think we’re some richy-riches.” Drew chuckled. “Might as well tip extravagantly.”
We oohed and aahed over the room. It was small, but every bit of material in the room was either incredibly soft or overwhelmingly silky. The sofa and armchair were made of the highest quality and on the other side of the room, a double bed was piled high with pillows.
“Oh, skylights,” Olivia crooned. “Come on, let’s go see if the other room has skylights.” She jumped up and down a couple of times.
“If not, I call dibs on this