rest on his belt. “We could walk around the block if you need more time.”
“I’m good,” I tell him. “If we can figure out how to get demon bounty hunters from coming after me, I want to give it my all. And maybe there’s a spell I can do to make them all burst into flames at the same time or something.”
“That would be pretty sweet.”
“Right?” I smile and look at the front door. “I don’t think Sam likes me very much.”
“She doesn’t like anyone very much,” Ethan replies. “Don’t take it personally.”
“I thought it was because she had a crush on you.”
Ethan wrinkles his nose. “She’s my sister.”
“Yeah, but only legally.”
“Okay, she’s like my step-sister.”
I raise my eyebrows. “You’ve obviously never read any step-sibling romance novels.”
“That’s a thing?”
“Oh, a huge thing, and there are some really hot step-brother romances.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” he chuckles and shuffles back, hands dropping from my waist. “And you’re more Sam’s type. Not me. The whole not having a vagina thing is a deal breaker for her.”
“Oh, cool.”
“Ready?”
“Yeah. Let’s go figure out how to kill those assholes before they kill me.”
Chapter Seventeen
“Anyone else need a break?” Ethan closes the book he’s looking through and leans back, rubbing his eyes. We’ve been seated around the table for hours, going through old hunter journals in hopes someone came up against the Pricolici before and can give us more insight on what we’re dealing with. David left a while ago, going to follow the only lead we have so far.
This must be business as usual for Ethan and his family, but I find this all fascinating. The journal I have reads more like a diary, and learning about all the different types of demons is both fascinating and scary. I don’t have the luxury of turning a blind eye anymore. Demons are real, and they’re out there.
“I do,” Sam sighs. “All this reading is giving me a headache. And I’ve gotten nowhere.”
“Same,” Julia puts her book down as well. “Might as well stop for lunch.” She turns to me. “Is soup and sandwiches okay? It’s nothing fancy, but we don’t really do fancy much around here.”
“Trust me, if you saw the charcuterie board we put together last night, you’d know I’m not fancy,” I say with a half smile, looking at Ethan. “And I love both soup and sandwiches. Want any help putting things together?”
“Sure, that’d be nice.” Julia smiles.
“I’m going to take a shower.” Ethan gets up. “Since I didn’t get to it last night.”
“You do stink,” I say without missing a beat.
“Not as bad as you did when I pulled you out of that pond.”
“Touché.” I laugh and get up from the table, following Julia to the kitchen. Like the living room, the decor in here is rustic farmhouse, with no shortage of Rae Dun dishes. I’m impressed, really, at how quickly this place got decorated. I’ve been in my house for years and still haven’t so much as hung a painting in my bedroom. They’ve been here, what, a few weeks and this place looks like it’s been lived in for a good year at least.
“Do you want turkey or ham?” Julia asks as I go to the sink to wash my hands.
“Either is fine with me. I’ll have whatever everyone else is having.”
“Turkey then.” Julia pulls out what we need for sandwiches from the fridge and goes into a pantry. It’s completely full and well organized, with pretty wicker baskets complete with labels. I catch a glimpse of one that says “kid snacks”, which is a little weird, right?
“I know Ethan said you guys do this on a daily basis, but thanks for helping me,” I tell Julia as I start putting sandwiches together.
“Of course,” she says, glancing away from the stove
“Let me know when lunch is ready.” Sam pushes her chair in a little too harshly and rolls her eyes when she passes me. “And I don’t need you to use magic to heat up my soup, thank you very much.”
“I’m sorry,” Julia says, and I wave my hand in the air.
“It’s fine.”
“It’s not, she’s being rude. She’s my sister, so I’ll be the first to call her out as being a bitch, but I promise she’s not always like this. Being a hunter is isolating, not that it’s any excuse for her behavior, but overall, we try not to take a personal interest in anyone we’re helping in case things don’t work out and—oh shit.” She looks at me,