Read Online 2 Hungry, Hungry Hoodoo by Liz Schulte - Free Book Online Page A

no sooner raise a finger against you than you would against your cousin.”
    I nodded.
    He studied me for a long moment. “I can bring you back, Selene, but is that what you want?”
    I bit my lip. I didn’t know what I wanted anymore. “How do you have my memories?”
    “You gave them to me. You were the changeling, and I was the key.”
    “You said I had a plan. What was it?”
    “To win the prince and take the throne.”
    “How?”
    “You have to kill him.”
    I nearly choked. “What’s your plan?” I said between coughs.
    “If you have become too attached to kill him, then I will do it for you. I’ll finish what you started. Pull our race from the gutters.”
    I shook my head. “I can’t let that happen.”
    He sneered. “Why am I not surprised? When I saw you with him at the coronation, looking at him so adoringly…” The knuckles on his fists turned white and he stood up so fast I jumped. “I have to go.”
    “Jaron…” He closed his eyes at the sound of his name, distracting me from whatever I was going to say. The fine lines at the corners begged to be traced, such a contrast to Cheney’s flawless skin. The clenched muscles in his arms began to relax.
    “Say my name again.” The low rumble of his voice sent chills down my spine.
    I bit my lip, and my heart fluttered. “Jaron.”
    He grimaced and opened his eyes, all emotion gone. “Tomorrow, same time and place.” He walked out without looking back.
    I closed my eyes and leaned my head back on the couch.
    “So?” Sy asked, appearing in the doorway with Kat looking over his shoulder.
    “I’m more confused than ever.” I looked over at them. “Is it possible I was in love with both of them?”
    Sy thought about it for a moment. “Anything is possible, but I honestly never bought the idea you were in love with Cheney, no matter how much you paraded around with him. He stood for everything you were against your whole life. Jaron? Well, he was the perfect fit with the Selene I knew then.”
     

 

     
    Nothing was better for getting my mind off of everything than hanging out with my friends and pretending everything was normal. Katrina had somehow managed to get everyone to the castle again, and she swore she didn’t tell them a thing about what was going on. She said Devin hadn’t been sleeping. Her dreams had been strange and filled with blood, so all the girls had been on edge. We were in one of the more comfortable, less formal rooms in the castle, lounging around. I listened to them gab and tried not to think about why I hadn’t heard anything from Femi, Baker, Olivia, or Holden. The wait was murder.
    “Oh my gosh, Selene, you haven’t told us about the vampires,” Katrina said, clasping her hands in front of her. “Are they more Fright Night or Vampire Diaries ? Not that it really matters. They’re all hot.”
    “Neither, really. They seem like normal people. That probably makes them more dangerous because you forget they are dangerous.” I stifled a yawn. I was exhausted. I spent the entire morning working on silently casting the transporting spell—a bit of elf magic that I couldn’t seem to master. Swordplay came back to me easily, but the spells made me want to pull out my hair, go figure.
    “Forget the vampires. You haven’t told us why we’re here.” Jessica gave me a pointed look.
    I was too tired to think of a lie. “Someone burned down my studio and kidnapped Michael—but there haven’t been any ransom demands yet. I know people who are looking into it.”
    “What?” Devin moved to sit on the ottoman in front of me. “Are you okay, sweetie? You have to be going out of your mind.”
    “You felt off to me the moment you walked in the room. I thought you were just tired,” Leslie said.
    “I am tired. And worried.” I rolled my neck. “But the people looking for him are really good at stuff like this. Now, I really don’t want to think about it tonight.”
    Devin and Leslie gave me sympathetic