Page 31 of Vampire's Hearth

“I believe there’s one in the office,” he said, standing.

Heat rose in my cheeks as I watched the perfection of his ass as he walked to the office. He reached above him on the wall, his abdominal muscles stretching and contracting to remove a framed artifact. I bit my lip, trying to ignore what the image did to my body.

“I hope this suffices,” he said, his voice soft, almost hesitant, as he placed the frame on the table before me, his gaze catching mine and holding it.

“This will do just fine,” I said with a laugh, pulling my eyes from his and looking over the map from the mid-eighteen hundreds. “The earth hasn’t changed.”

He crinkled his forehead.

“I’ve worked with worse,” I said.

He watched as I held the lineage above the map, my heart racing as the pendulum began to swing. With a sudden thud, it fell to the table, and we both jumped at the sound.

“That’s strange,” I murmured, leaning in closer. “It looks like it’s pointing to the middle of Kentucky, right where we are.”

Mac’s confusion mirrored my own. “How can that be?”

“Let’s try again,” I said, slipping off my ring and threading the pendulum chain. “Perhaps we need more power.”

I held my breath, my heart pounding. The pendulum swung in my hand, the black obsidian reflecting the surrounding light. If I weren’t working on something so crucial, the dancing rays would have been mesmerizing. I felt it pull toward the map again, falling with a solid thud.

“It’s still pointing here,” I said.

Mac raised an eyebrow. “You’re certain it’s pointing at this exact location?”

I shrugged. “It is hard to tell with the size of the map. Maybe it is the caves again. Is there any chance you have a map of the country or the state?”

“Yes, let me retrieve it.” Mac stood and headed back to the office. He returned holding a map of the area.

He pointed at the crutches next to me. “May I?”

My heart fluttered. I hoped he couldn’t see the effect his request was having on me. I nodded, the words refusing to form. He moved the crutches to rest on the arm of the sofa on the other side of me.

“Don’t laugh,” he said, placing another framed document in front of me before sitting at my side. His arm brushed mine,sending a wave of warmth through me. His eyes caught mine. Had it been intentional?

“How old do you think this map is?” I asked, tearing away from his gaze and stifling a chuckle.

He sighed. “We likely purchased it when we bought the house. My mother had a fondness for things like this. She always wanted to show people where they were and where they were going.”

“Well, it has what we need.” Holding the book above the map, I allowed the pendulum to swing again. I concentrated on finding the next puzzle piece, pushing the question of my feelings for Mac to the back of my mind. Once again, the pendulum dropped to the map, right over where Mac and I sat.

“Impossible.” I turned to him with my brows knit together. “Are there any blueprints for the house?”

Mac smiled. “Do you believe there’s something within these walls that could lead us to the Cure?”

“That’s what the pendulum suggests, and I trust my magic.” I’d never had this many issues dowsing in the past, and it made little sense. Were my feelings for him clouding the answers?

He shrugged, put his hands on his knees, and pushed himself to stand. “Very well. Let’s explore the office.” He reached around me and handed me my crutches.

This time, I joined Mac as he rose and walked back into the office. I folded the book under my arm and limped my way after him, annoyed by the length of time it took for me to reach the doorway.My damn ankle.Was Evangeline right?

I glanced around the room. Mac stood in front of one of the many shelves of books, moving them around. I finally forced out a question, my voice strained. “Evangeline mentioned vampire blood could heal my ankle. Is that true?”

Mac nodded but continued searching. “It can.”

“Then why didn’t you offer it to me?” I asked, my eyes narrowed.

Mac stopped in his tracks and turned to face me, his mouth pressed into a thin line, his head tilted. “I didn’t think you would be interested. You are, after all, a witch.”

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