Page 39 of Curses & Cold Brew
I folded my arms with a huff. “Whatever you’re going to say, I’ve probably told myself the same thing a million times over.”
Jordyn chuckled. “Are you sure? It may be exactly what you need to hear.”
“Ugh, fine, tell me.”
“I think you should go back to Ramona’s,” Jordyn said.
I nearly spat out my lukewarm latte. “Are you crazy?”
“If Esme is willing to go after a full-grown werewolf, then she’ll have no qualms with attacking you.”
“I agree,” Harlow chimed in. “It may be awkward, but Ramona clearly wants to protect you.”
“So she kissed you? So what?” Jordyn admonished.
“I can’t believe you, the one who made me promise no demons, is saying this,” I shot back.
“Things have changed,” Jordyn countered. “I mean, sure, she’s a terrifying hell dweller whose sole purpose on this plane is to entice unsuspecting people into giving her their souls, but who doesn’t have baggage? You are still safer with her until this vampire is found.”
“I’m safe here at home with you guys.”
“No, you’re not,” Jordyn chided. “All we know about this vampire is that she used to live in Maple Hollow and she has it out for Ramona. We don’t know how powerful she is or what access she was granted to one of these centuries-old buildings. Our warding spells are like flypaper. She’d have to step right into one of them for it to work, and we have no clue how long they’d hold. Vampires are tricky, and our kind of magic doesn’t always work on them. You know that.”
Ichabod meowed as if in agreement.
Just like him to take her side.
My shoulders drooped, and I let out a soft grunt of acknowledgment.
“Ramona’s house is all shiny and new, which means it was builtafterEsme was banished,” Jordyn continued. “Esme has never been welcomed across the threshold, and I stand to bet that Ramona would slit Esme’s throat before she let her anywhere near you. You’ll be safe with her.”
“I don’t know,” I protested. “Agnes is a pretty powerful vampire, and Harlow nearly killed her with a rogue chai latte last year.”
“It was a cappuccino,” Harlow corrected with a glare.
“Still! I’ll just dash some cinnamon at her! We have tons downstairs.”
“Nutmeg!” Harlow threw her hands up. “And can we just move on from that? Agnes had the allergy in life and it followed her into her transformation as a vampire—I looked it up. So, who knows if crop-dusting Esme with a spice cabinet will even work?”
Jordyn gave Harlow a pat on the knee before turning back to me. “Listen, if you’re adamant about staying here, we can figure it out.” She looked exhausted just thinking of what that would entail. “I will call the coven and we’ll take shifts all night patrolling for vamps on the prowl and recasting?—”
“Don’t call the coven,” I cut in. “The last thing I need is getting my parents involved in this. And there will be more than hell to pay if the coven finds out that I made a deal with Ramona. We can’t do that.”
It was hard enough keeping the sigil and the true impact of my deal with Ramona from Jordyn; my parents would be so disappointed. I knew the secrets would come out eventually, just like Jordyn’s had last year, but for now, the coven was safer not being involved. If Esme was as dangerous as Ramona insisted, there really was only one solution.
“I don’t see any other way to keep you safe,” Jordyn added more gently. “And I realize how hypocritical this is. I didn’t wantyou anywhere near the demon. But what else can we do? Go stay with Ramona, we’ll help hunt down this vampire, and then we can go back to life as usual.”
I mindlessly stroked the sigil on my collarbone. The truth was, I didn’t want to go back to life as usual. I wanted there to be a time when Ramona didn’t need a sigil to want to kiss me, a time when she wanted me to be hers without making a deal.
Goddess, help me.
Going back to Ramona’s house for protection felt like putting my feet directly to the fire. I didn’t know if I could see her again without my heart breaking into a thousand pieces. I wanted us to be . . .morethan a deal. And that thought just might kill me.
20
RAMONA
Istormed through the twilight streets, unsure of which way to turn. All I knew was that Esme was hiding somewhere in plain sight. That fucking bitch. She seemed to be around every corner and a mile ahead of me at the same time.
