Haunted Legacy: The Windhaven Witches Series Carissa Andrews (short novels to read txt) 📖

Somehow, I need to find a way to keep him safe—and for us to stay together.

Bending down, I grab my clothing from the floor. I tug on my panties and slide my bra back on. Twisting around, I kneel on the edge of the bed, and reach out for Wade. I place my right hand on his jawline as I bend in and plant a soft kiss on his lips.

He sighs into me, his breath warm and sweet against my lips. As I pull back, a dreamy smile paints his face in a way I haven’t seen in so long. Even in all of this mess, it lifts my spirits.

“Well, Mr. Hoffman, we should get dressed and do some digging. I don’t know about you, but I need for this haunting stuff to end and I could use your help. Are you up for it?” I ask, tugging on my jeans and zipping them back up.

“With you, I am up for just about anything,” Wade says, smirking.

Color creeps into my cheeks and I shake my head, chuckling under my breath. “Not what I was getting at, but that, too…”

Wade beams at me as I pull my shirt on. When he’s watched me get completely dressed, he begrudgingly gets out of bed to do the same. I sit on the edge of the bed, watching the way his muscles move as he slides back into his clothing, one piece at a time.

I wish I could see into the future. I wish I could know without a shadow of a doubt whether or not being together is the right move or the wrong one. Suddenly, a thought pops into my head. I chew on my lower lip, surprised it hadn’t come to me before. I might not be psychic, but I know a couple of people who are. Some, in fact, who are extremely powerful.

It might be wise to reach out to Dominic and Diana to see if they can pick up on anything. It would at least give me some peace of mind…or help me put an end to things indefinitely.

“Do you want a bite to eat before we go into full-on research mode?” Wade asks, walking around the bed and wrapping his arms around me.

I lean into him and close my eyes. “That would be lovely. I’m starving, actually.”

“As you wish,” Wade says, with a hint of a grin in his tone. He takes my hand, leading me over to his tiny kitchen area. “Have a seat, my lady. I will whip you up something to eat. With plenty of coffee, of course.”

I sit on the bar stool and lean against the breakfast bar. Wade sets to work, grabbing pans and shoving a tiny coffeemaker carafe under the faucet to fill up.

“Bacon and eggs okay? It’s kinda all I have at the moment,” Wade says, sheepishly.

“That would be great. Do you want me to help?” I say, grinning back. I’m really more of a Pop-Tarts and Red Bull kinda gal, but I’d never turn down an actual cooked breakfast, either. I learned that pretty quick with Mom.

“Of course not. Sit, relax for a moment. I can handle this,” he says, shooing me with his hands and darting back and forth in the tiny kitchen space. He gets the coffeemaker going, grabs eggs and bacon, and soon the room smells more like a diner than a guy’s apartment. Which, I have to admit, is a not-so-subtle change for the better.

“So, I was thinking this morning…” Wade says, handing me a cup of coffee. “Well, at least before the phone call, that is.”

I take the mug, immediately pulling it to my nose. It smells like heaven. “Thank you,” I whisper.

“I was thinking, with all of the haunting stuff going on at the manor, maybe you should…” he straightens his shoulders and puffs up his chest a bit. “I’d like for you to stay here with me,” he says, his tone light as he taps the edge of the counter with his fingertips.

It’s really a question hidden in a request.

I hold my breath, surprised by the sentiment.

“I mean, if you don’t want to…” he says, his eyebrows tugging in.

“No, I’m just a little surprised,” I counter, shaking my head. “But that makes a lot of sense, actually.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” He grins, turning back to the bacon and flipping it over.

“Wade, do you think there’s a way to help Abigail cross over? She’s been dead for so long, I’m worried that maybe…” My eyes fall to the mug of coffee. “Maybe her time has come and gone. Is that why she’s still stuck here? Is that why she’s so angry?”

Wade slides the eggs and bacon onto plates and walks around the counter with one in each hand. Handing me one and taking the seat beside me, he shakes his head. “I don’t have a good answer for you on that one. I wish I did. It’s something I can definitely bring up with my dad.”

I smile weakly. His dad and I aren’t on the best of terms and I doubt he’ll offer much in the way of help.

“But are you absolutely certain it’s Abigail causing all of these problems?” Wade asks, picking up his fork and staring at it.

“At this point, I don’t know much of anything. But I remember when all of this first started, she came at me like I was meant to help her somehow.”

He takes a bite of his eggs but shakes his head. “I just keep going back around to…if she’s been in the manor so long, why would she start getting violent about things now? You’ve worked together as a team. Why couldn’t she just ask you again for what she really wants? Something about it doesn’t make any sense.”

“So, if it’s not Abigail, what do you think is going on?” I ask, picking up my slice of bacon