Ink & Dagger (Sins of Eden #1)

16. Chapter XVI

Chapter XVI

Emily

“ H ere, let me help,” Charlie said, holding the passenger door open and extending her hand as I clumsily tried to get out of the seat.

“I’ve got it, girl. You don’t have to baby me,” I chided.

I hid my wince as I stood, but her quick glance at my necklace and the eyebrow raise that she gave me let me know that she was calling my bluff.

She backed away, rolling her eyes before grabbing our stuff from the trunk. Strenuous movement still hurt, mostly at my ribs, since I’d refused the mortal medications that the doctor prescribed me, but I was doing quite well considering - well - I’d fucking died twice.

My body healed quicker than the doctors could understand. Charlie, too, could get injured and depending on the severity, be perfectly fine within a matter of hours. I’d done enough research to know that wasn’t normal, even for Witches. Just another thing that I added to my ever growing “unknown” list.

After just two weeks in the hospital the doctors didn’t have any medical reason to keep me, but that didn’t help the pain that I’d get when I used too much energy or tried to exert my muscles too much. I just needed a few days of rest and then I’d be good as new.

Charlie sighed watching me hobble up the front steps and unlocked the front door as she waited patiently for me to cross the threshold.

Home sweet home, I thought with a sigh.

“Hey, Em. Grams told me to ask if you’d come stay at the coven house for a bit,” she said sheepishly.

There was that uncomfortableness again. Something about the coven seemed to make her uneasy these last few years and I was getting really fucking annoyed that she wasn’t letting me in.

“There’s a mandatory meeting tomorrow night if you wanna come. Grams said that she’s worried about you,” she told me, closing the front door and locking it behind us.

“When did you talk to her? Does Agatha know what happened?” I balked.

The way she nervously scratched at the back of her neck and avoided eye contact with me gave me my answer.

“Fuck, Charlie. She didn’t need to know,” I scolded.

“Listen, she’s still on me about getting you to join. She worries about you. You know how she is,” she said with a shrug.

“And I’ve told you, Char. I’m not interested. It’s not up for discussion.”

The long sigh from her seemed almost defeated, but I couldn’t be sure. If it weren’t for the way her shoulders seemed to loosen at my answer, like she was forced to ask, but didn’t want to, I would have believed that she was upset.

I didn’t have any proof, but shady shit had been going on over there for a while. Charlie refused to talk about it, but every time I saw her after a meeting it seemed like she was recovering from a magic drop.

She’d told me that she’d pulled away from the coven, staying later hours at work and only showing up for big meetings, but more often than not, the meetings were becoming mandatory to attend.

I loved Agatha for taking me in and raising me when she didn’t have to, but something had always felt off about her and it made me uneasy. She was power hungry and determined to make her coven the strongest in the country, only letting in the most powerful Witches, and controlling what they could and couldn’t do with their magic. My tarot cards gave me warnings to steer clear, but no reason as to why.

It was fucking maddening.

“Are you staying there or coming back after?” I asked.

She never said anything, but I could tell she didn’t like me seeing her after a meeting.

“I won’t be long, I promise. I’m honestly thinking about -,” she furrowed her eyebrows as she paused and growled softly under her breath before shaking her head. “I’ll just -, I’ll be back home after, okay?” She said, before snatching up my things and taking off for the stairs.

I let out a long sigh and sank deeper into my chair. I needed to figure out what the Hell was going on over there and soon. If trouble was brewing, then I needed to get in front of it so that I could figure out how to get Charlie out.

Other than Ghost, Charlie was the only thing in the world that mattered to me and I’d burn it all to the ground if anything ever happened to her. That’s not true. A voice quietly whispered in my head as I pictured rich amber eyes and hands that set my entire body on fire.

Fuck off, I thought to myself as I tried to disperse those thoughts. I was just a glorified supernatural contractor to him, there was nothing between us other than feral lust and panty melting sexual tension.

Pulling out my phone, I clicked on the last text from the Demon and debated sending him a message to let him know that I was home. I still didn’t even know his fucking name.

Shit, would he even care that I was home? It had been two weeks since I last spoke to him, other than the few texts between us while I was in the hospital when he’d admitted that he’d seen the state of my shop.

He’d called my phone relentlessly while I was comatose, but I was sure he was just eager to figure out where his brother was and wanted to know when I could get started on that. Not that I blamed him.

I would tear the world apart with my bare hands if Charlie went missing, so I understood, but I convinced myself that I was reading into things rather than thinking there was more to it.

Hey, Brimstone. I’m home.

I won’t be going back to work for a while, but I wanted to let you know.

Give me a call sometime and we can talk more about your brother.

I blew out a breath and went to set my phone down when it vibrated in my hand with an incoming call.

Fuck.

“Hello?” I answered shakily.

Mother, Maiden, and Crone. Get it together bitch, seriously.

“I’ve missed you, Sweet Witch,” his deep voice purred through the phone.

A shiver coursed down my spine and words disappeared as I tried to figure out what to say in response, but before I could gather my thoughts, he started speaking again.

“I need to see you,” he breathed.

Did I want to see him? I mean, yes, but not like this.

Double fuck.

“I, um, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m not really up for visitors right now,” I confessed.

“I won’t stay long, I just – like I said, I need to see you and I wanted to talk about recent developments. Can I please come over?”

It sounded like please wasn’t typically in his vocabulary, so I knew that it had probably taken a lot to ask instead of demand.

“Okay, fine. I’ll text you my address. Just, no questions when you get here, okay?”

“No promises, Sweet Witch. I’ll see you soon,” he told me before hanging up.

What the fuck did I just get myself into?

My pussy clenched and goosebumps raised along my skin as I recalled the last time I was with him.

“Charlie?” I called out, carefully standing from the chair. “Charlie, where are you?”

“Damn it, Witch. What the Hell are you doing?” She scolded as she flew down the stairs and tried to get me to sit back down.

“We’ve got company on the way and well… I haven’t had a shower in weeks. Would you mind helping me up the stairs so I can get cleaned up? I don’t want him to see me like this.” I grimaced, gesturing to myself.

The smile that crossed her face as she slowly walked with me to the stairs made me roll my eyes.

“It’s not like that okay? I just stink,” I told her.

“Sure, girl. Keep telling yourself that and maybe next time you’ll actually believe it,” she laughed.

That was the fucking plan, Witch.

“Do you want me to stay? Are you comfortable being here alone with him after what happened? I mean, if he’s gonna be here for a bit, then now might be a good time for me to head out and go get our babies.”

If Ghost had heard her call him that he probably would have hissed at her for the insult. Damn, I missed that sassy little guy.

“He won’t be here for very long, I’m sure he’s just coming by to get started on looking for his brother. You go ahead and head out and I’ll see you when you get back.”

The look on her face said she didn’t believe me. Hell, I wasn’t sure I believed myself anymore.

“Hey, will you pick up some dinner on your way home?” I asked as she helped me into my room.

“You got it. Pizza good?” She asked.

I grinned at her. “Always.”

“Alright, Bitch, I’ll be back in a few. Keep your phone on and let me know if you need anything at all,” she implored.

I could tell she felt uneasy leaving me alone, but I was a big girl. I’d be fine and although I knew that my Demon was dangerous, something about him made me feel safe.

Fuck Emily, not your demon.

I needed to ask his damn name so that I actually knew what to call him, I thought as I mentally chided myself.