Division, Book 3, Excerpt
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We scrounged up handfuls of protection spells scribbled onto lined pieces of loose paper, including herbal fusions, charmed amulets, and lists of ancient talismans, if only we could get our hands on them. None of it mattered. Not one was specific to our circumstances and I wasn’t up for hiding dragon’s blood or devil’s dung in my bra forever. Especially since devil’s dung’s smell was described as ‘revolting’ and ‘akin to sulphur’.
“You’re doing whatever it takes, that’s what you’re doing,” Donovan said when I told him as much. “Don’t chick out on me now. I don’t care if it’s stinky, sticky, or slimy. If it works, it’s worth it to smell like you’re dead than to actually be dead.”
“Then why aren’t you doing it?”
I challenged. “You could be the one dying and taking me down with you. I should
be worried you’re gonna wreck your car or piss off a redneck in some ditch-pig
watering hole. We’re assuming I’m the instigator here, when you’re more of a
liability than I am.”
Donovan blinked. “Ditch-pig
watering hole?”
“My theory is solid, and you
know it. At every turn, I’m in as much danger because of you, as you are
because of me, so whatever stinky herb or protection spell you’re gonna Guinea
pig me with, double it, ‘cuz you’re doing it too.”
“Guinea pig you with?”
“Stop that!” I was beyond
irritated. Clearly, since I made the watering hole comment, Donovan was too.
“Fine. You’re right. So, what’s
your solution?”
“Isn’t that the whole point of
us doing all this?” Kim said with her own flare of annoyance.
“You’re looking for protection
from death.” He looked to Kim with a sharp glare and then back at me with the
same attitude. “Since you don’t trust me to ensure your safety, then I’m going
to have to seriously crimp my watering hole lifestyle.”
“’Bout time,” Kim said and
earned a smile from me.
“Meaning?”
A hint of excitement danced
across the connection and leaked into his eyes when he said, “Camp out?”
Caine tossed the book in his
hand down. “You’re such an insect.”
I wasn’t even sure I heard
right.
Kim attempted to stifle her
laugh and lost. “Who calls someone an insect?” I shot her a ‘please don’t add
to this’ glare, but Donovan joined in and Kim couldn’t contain herself.
“I knew you were an
opportunist,” Caine said with a laugh that held no humour, “but this is weak.”
“She needs a safety net, which
means I need to be safe. And since she,” Donovan pointed to me then drew out
his next words, “thinks I live some wild and crazy lifestyle, apparently, I
need to be leashed before I kill her.”
“I didn’t mean it like that and
you know it.”
“Well, it goes both ways,” Donovan
said. “You work around a bunch of drunk assholes hyped up on college pride and
eight-balls. Not to mention my psychopath of a sister. So, there’s no way
you’re going to work. And the only way you can confirm I’m being safe without
strapping a baby monitor to my ass, and vice versa, is to be around each other.
What better place then here, where we’re protected?”
Read DISCOVERY & DECEPTION if you need to catch up on what they’re trying to protect themselves from.
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