Page 31 of Cursed Sight
A few minutes later, with his elbows on his desk, he ran his hands over his face. Unable to concentrate with the need to see her, he gave in and scooted his chair back as he tapped into Serena once more. Recognizing the space around her, he grabbed his keys on the way out.
“Grabbing a bite,” he called to a coworker without bothering to hear their reply.
What felt like an eternity later, Ethan worked his way down the block toward Amanda Jo’s Delectable Treats. He was already considering buying the double-fudge-and-peanut-butter cupcake he knew would be in the display to ease his guilt for running out of the office.
With his gaze on the door, he watched as his sister, sister-in-law, and Serena stepped out. “Cake testing,” he muttered with a shake of his head. He forgot Brandy had mentioned wanting to use Amanda Jo for the wedding.
Lost in their conversation, the women were unaware of his approach. Ethan opened his mouth to call out, but no words came out as he stumbled. His eyes narrowed at the figure that appeared a few feet behind Brandy.
“Volark?” he mumbled and shook his head, hoping to clear his obvious hallucination. The confusion clouding his vision disappeared when he watched the demon’s large mouth open farther.
His legs propelled him forward. “Watch out!”
The three women turned toward him, their heads tipping to the side with confusion. “Ethan?” they asked in unison.
“Watch out!” he screamed again, this time lifting his hand to point behind them.
Ethan had no plan. His telekinetic powers were unreliable, and there was no way he could go up against Volark. Both Brandy and Serena could—and had—but they all thought they had rid the world of him.
He was a few feet from them when the women turned to face the danger. Volark looked at him, and Ethan could swear he sneered before he disappeared into thin air.
“What is wrong with you?” Brandy snapped, one hand over her chest and the other on her belly.
Andrea ignored his arrival and tended to Brandy. Serena looked on with concern before grabbing him by the arm—a shock of awareness traveling along his skin at the contact—and pulling him away.
“What the hell was that all about? What are you even doing here?” she asked, her hold loosening but the warmth of her hand continuing to penetrate his skin.
Ethan’s eyes darted toward his sister as Andrea helped her back into the shop. “Shit, shit, shit…” he muttered and scrubbed his sweaty face. Inadvertently knocking Serena’s hand free, his body jerked at the loss of her touch.
“E?” Serena asked.
Tipping his head back, he watched the moving clouds in the sky, then peered at the spot he had seen Volark. “I must be losing my mind,” he said.
“Tell me what you saw.”
“Volark.” He winced after the name left his mouth, and he stared at the ground. It sounded completely crazy even to him.
“Volark? He’s dead. Brandy and I saw to it. There’s no way—”
“I know!” he snapped.
Surprise and hurt flashed in Serena’s eyes, causing him to run a hand over his mouth.
“I’m sorry. Look, I know it sounds crazy, but I swear to you… Either I’ve lost my damn mind, or Volark really isn’t dead.”
“What do you mean Volark’s not dead?” Brandy asked from behind him.
“Who’s Volark?” Andrea asked.
“He’s the demon I told you wanted my powers and we killed a few months ago. Killed, remember?” The latter she told to Ethan and Serena.
“Yes, I freaking know this, Bran! But I swear on my life, he was standing behind you guys and then poof. He was gone when you turned.”
Serena stepped between them before Brandy could reply. “This kind of stress isn’t good for you or the baby. Ethan and I will get to the bottom of this and let you and Ryan know what’s going on. Okay? Thank you for inviting me to join you two. I had a lot of fun, and the cheesecake is a great choice. Andrea, it was a pleasure.”
Brandy hugged Serena and shot Ethan a glare over her shoulder. It would have scared him more if not for the amusing way Serena’s arms hung loosely at her sides before she finally returned the embrace.
“Keep me posted,” Brandy said before walking away with Andrea.
