Oracle: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Series (A Diana Hawthorne Supernatural Mystery Book 1) Carissa Andrews (nonfiction book recommendations TXT) đ
- Author: Carissa Andrews
Book online «Oracle: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Series (A Diana Hawthorne Supernatural Mystery Book 1) Carissa Andrews (nonfiction book recommendations TXT) đ». Author Carissa Andrews
âI donât know what kinda man you think I am, Diana, but I donât make a habit of knocking people out when I donât have to,â he says snorting.
âIs that so?â I say, crinkling my face, and shaking my head. Cobwebs and tendrils from passing out threaten to consume whatâs left of my consciousness.
âJust because I didnât knock you out doesnât mean I wasnât going to take advantage of the situation. There was information I needed, so I set ya on the chair and waited for you to come around,â he says, reaching for the front door.
âSmooth. So youâre a âtake advantageâ kinda guy,â I mutter.
âLady, seriously, you ainât got the first clue about the kinda guy I am. Seems like you canât get a single fix on me at allâwhich is a bit questionable as a proclaimed psychic donât you think?â he growls.
Clearly, I touched a nerve.
âYou know what, letâs get moving. The sooner weâre there, the sooner I can identify the property, and the sooner Esther can be found,â I say.
And the sooner I can get the hell away from you and never have to see your sorry, perfect ass again.
3
MAYBE IT WAS STUPID to assume we were heading down to the police station. But thatâs exactly what I did. What a moron. I blame it on post-ability blackout or something.
Weâve left the safety of the city I know and loveâonly to enter a wooded area with winding dirt roads.
âWhere in the hell are you taking me?â I ask when I reclaim my bearings.
Blake sighs deeply and shoots me a sideways glance.
âWhat? Itâs a reasonable question,â I say, not even trying to mask my alarm.
âWeâre heading back to my place, Diana,â he says, keeping his eyes on the road.
My fingertips fly to my forehead and I scratch at my eyebrow. The lump on my forehead itches.
Dammit, my abilities have certainly picked a fine time to go on hiatus. Neverânot once have I ever been caught off guard quite so many times. Especially not in one day and sure as hell not by the same damn person. How do normal people do it?
âWhy exactly are we going there?â I say, squinting my eyes at him.
âI have all of my specialized equipment back there. If you think weâre gonna get the details we need outta the Helena PD, youâve sorrily overestimated the intelligence of their detectives. Why do you think I was brought in?â Blake says, a hint of amusement playing at his tone.
He clearly enjoys making me uneasyâŠas well as flashing his high regard for his own intelligence.
Narcissistic ass.
âYou know, you coulda been upfront to begin with,â I say, my eyes flitting to the passing trees beyond the confines of his Range Rover.
âI coulda,â he says, nodding in agreement. âBut then again, you never asked.â
âUgh,â I groan.
Taking a deep breath, I lean back, pressing hard into the headrest of the seat. More than anything, I want to find the little girl, make sure sheâs safe, and slide back to my ordinary, everlasting life. Not to mention, get away from this guy.
I take back everything I said about wanting more of a challenge than ordinary people and their mundane requests. Iâd take all of it over this, any day.
Could my abilities be on the fritz now? Or worseâŠslipping away after the ritual last month, too?
Would that really be so bad? I mean, after all these years, it might actually be a blessing.
I sit up straighter in my seat, suddenly curious.
âWhat are you doinâ?â Blake asks, his eyes flitting to me.
âWhatâs it to you?â I say, casting a glance of indignation.
Oddly enough, he chuckles, âFair enough. Weâre almost there. You know, in case youâre curious.â
âWell, yippee skippy. If we were gonna take much longer I woulda said there was no point in looking for the girl,â I say, far snippier than I originally intend.
Still sitting upright, I close my eyes and focus on Esther.
Can I sense her if I try?
Instantly, flashes inundate my mindâmoments of calm before the oncoming storm. She sits alone in a room, playing with a puppy; her insides are coiling with guilt and worry, knowing exactly how much trouble she could be inâbut still trying to believe it will be okay. The sensations are oddâa juxtaposition of her innocence, and something much more malevolent lingering to the outskirts of her awareness. The man on the other side of the wall has horrible intentions, but she doesnât have the frame of reference for any of it.
Shuddering, I wrap my arms around myself.
Blake pulls the car up to a small Tudor home, partially hidden by the large oaks in his front yard. Light cascades from the oversized windows, illuminating the dormant grass, and guiding the way to the front door.
I reach for the car handle, but Blake hits the locks and grabs my left hand, pulling me up short. His hand is warmâbordering on hotâand it makes me shiver in the chill of the cold night.
âDo me a favor. Let me do the talking, okay? Youâre here to guide us to which house we need to get into,â he says, his eyes suddenly serious. Any previous hints of mischievousness fading away.
âNo promises.â
Iâm not sure who the hellâs inside heâs so afraid Iâm gonna talk to, but I hope itâs a wife or something. Iâd love to watch him squirm after the hell heâs put me through today.
I tug my hand from his and exit the Rover. Without a glance back, I walk confidently up the stone steps to the entrance and wait for him to unlock the massive front door.
My strength is returning, and the crisp night air and moonlight continues to do me some good.
Blake walks up a few moments behind and simply pushes open the doorâno keys required.
âYou may enter,â he says, smirking.
âRight,â I mutter, ushering myself past the arm heâs swung outwardâoffering me inside.
âAiden, weâre here,â Blake calls out, his voice bouncing around the small, empty entryway.
I
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