Soulless (Book #2 of Hunted)

Little Witch

I came to the front door and saw Keegan leaning casually on the outer door frame leisurely puffing on his cigarette. How many was that now? I was going to have to fumigate the house after he left. I handed Jamie off across the threshold like a sack of potatoes. He grinned at me as if he knew I had a hard time getting her up here. He cradled her like a child and she pressed her face into his chest. He carried her over to his car and gently slid her into the front passenger seat. I stared at him as he walked back to the door. A train of clouds moved across the sun and the gaps let light touch the ground. Keegan showed no reaction to the light, either the sun didn't affect him or he was very good at ignoring it and not collapsing in a fit of coughs and blood.

"You gonna let me back in?" he asked in a rather unconcerned voice. I considered him thoughtfully and crossed my arms over my chest. Phoebe suddenly popped up next to me with the sound of a firecracker. I glanced at her fleetingly. Her hair was combed and she was wearing a fitted blue t-shirt that sported a Happy Bunny in a straitjacket and a pair of neon pink skinny jeans. I hastily read the words "cute but psycho" underneath the Bunny's feet. Keegan smiled at Phoebe in a heart-stopping, charming way.

"Nice moves, little witch," he said and the way he said 'witch' almost sounded like a compliment. His eyes then came to me. He opened his mouth to speak but before he could get out whatever words he wanted to say I interrupted.

"How can you walk in the sun?" He closed his mouth and peered at me, a cunning smirk twitching at the edge of his lips.

"Well you see I take one foot and I put it in front of the other and there's something with muscles—"

"Not what I meant, smart ass," I snapped. He laughed out loud.

"Let me in and maybe I'll tell you," he said, taking the cigarette from his mouth and flicking it through the doorway. It singed past my arm and landed on the wood floor shedding ashes. It smoldered there for a moment before I stooped to pick it up. I wrinkled my nose at the smell and smashed the butt into the wooden shelf by the door.

"What about your girls? You just gonna leave them in your car to rot while you wander around my house?" I didn't give him time to answer before I continued, "And why do you want to be in here anyway?" I asked. He shrugged.

"You need me to tell you how to run things in your little rehab facility and I plan on getting at least a tiny taste of your blood before the day is over," he said as casually as asking about the weather. I shook my head.

"Not gonna happen, hot-stuff. We got it from here," I assured him, hoping I sounded confident. The right side of his mouth lifted in a crooked smile.

"Really? You think you can take care of this?" he asked and I could hear the condescension in his voice. He was underestimating me. I nodded vigorously. I would show him! His smile grew.

"How?"

His tone infuriated me. I glared at him and attempted furiously to hold his green-grey gaze. I couldn't help but notice that his eyes had darkened in color since he arrived.

"Well I, I would—we'll just..." I trailed off and tried to think. What would we do? Zane needed blood, way more than the entire city could supply and even if we did somehow pay off the blood debt we would still be left with a half broken hex that yanked Zane back and forth from mad arrogance and weeping remorse. I sighed deeply then stepped away from the door.

"Come in, Keegan," I said, sounding utterly defeated. He smiled sweetly and stepped inside. Phoebe squeaked like she thought inviting him in the house again was just asking for trouble. He reached inside his jacket for the pack of cigarettes and just as he flipped the lid I snatched the box out of his hands and threw them out the door.