Read Online Impulse: Southern Arcana, Book 5 by Moira Rogers - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Moira Rogers
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the edge. Not only pressing, but smothering. So well-meaning, but Sera couldn’t help the way it made her feel smaller.
In that heartbeat, Sera wanted to run away.
The moment broke. Mackenzie rose to her feet and kissed Cody’s head. “I gotta run. I’ll see you at home in a couple hours, okay?”
He nodded. “Can we have pizza tonight?”
“How about homemade pizza?”
“Pepperoni?” he asked hopefully.
“The kind we slice ourselves,” Jackson promised. “C’mon, kiddo. Mom’s got to go.”
Cody slid his arms around Mackenzie’s waist in a quick squeeze. “Bye.”
It was a sweet moment. Two parents and their child, negotiating over pizza. No sign that one cast spells and the other two should have been enemies in the supernatural world.
And now Sera had to go back to Julio’s apartment with his grown-up dishes and his warm, quiet safety and pretend she wasn’t imagining a life there with him and an adorable baby wolf with Julio’s dark eyes.
The institution looked more like a wilderness retreat than a hospital or temple. Julio sat on a stone bench outside a side door at one end of the sprawling building and toyed with a yellow poplar leaf while he waited for Sera.
But she wasn’t the first person to push through the exit. Callum appeared, his usual suit jacket discarded in favor of a crisp button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. He veered toward Julio, an almost foreign smile on his lips. “Sera told me you were here. It was nice of you to bring her.”
He talked about it the same way Sera did, as if he’d done her a favor. “She shouldn’t be alone right now.”
“These visits can be hard on her.” The empath leaned one shoulder against the wall and tilted his head toward the building. “But Kelly’s been having a good week, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Is there something else going on?”
Callum didn’t run with anyone in Alec’s inner circle, so there was no reason he should have heard. “Josh showed up the other night. I guess he doesn’t like the ex part of ex-husband.”
“I see.” A crack appeared in Callum’s civilized demeanor, a vicious, predatory gleam in his eyes. “I assume someone is taking care of the situation?”
Another reminder that the empath before him was different from Julio’s sister or Kat. A realist. “I’d have ripped the bastard’s head off already—if I could have. I sent Anna after him to make sure he goes home. If not…” Julio shrugged.
Callum’s lips tightened. “The situation is more complicated than you might realize. But there’s not much I can say about—”
An enraged female shriek cut through the air and ended on a howl. Callum whirled and lunged for the door, but Julio caught it first, yanking it open with an alarming creak.
Sera stood at the other end of the hall, both hands extended toward a snarling coyote. “I’m fine. I’m fine, there’s no one—”
Another howl rose over her words, and the coyote turned and bared her teeth at Julio, her paws scratching over the hardwood floor as she prepared herself to pounce.
Fighting with Sera’s mother wasn’t an option, so he froze and backed against the wall. “What’s wrong with her?”
Sera looked too stricken to reply, her expression caught between guilt and misery. It was Callum who strode forward, one hand outstretched. “Kelly, be calm.”
The coyote shuddered and slumped to the floor all at once, like a marionette whose strings had been cut. Sera scrambled to her knees, smoothing her mother’s ruffled fur as frantic words fell from her lips in an incoherent jumble. Julio only caught a few. Mostly I’m sorry and I’m safe .
Callum lowered his hand. “Sera, you have to let us tend to her. She won’t calm down while you’re here, you know that.”
Sera flinched under the blunt words, but eased away and rose carefully. She didn’t meet Julio’s eyes as she walked toward him, moving like every step hurt. “Take care of
In that heartbeat, Sera wanted to run away.
The moment broke. Mackenzie rose to her feet and kissed Cody’s head. “I gotta run. I’ll see you at home in a couple hours, okay?”
He nodded. “Can we have pizza tonight?”
“How about homemade pizza?”
“Pepperoni?” he asked hopefully.
“The kind we slice ourselves,” Jackson promised. “C’mon, kiddo. Mom’s got to go.”
Cody slid his arms around Mackenzie’s waist in a quick squeeze. “Bye.”
It was a sweet moment. Two parents and their child, negotiating over pizza. No sign that one cast spells and the other two should have been enemies in the supernatural world.
And now Sera had to go back to Julio’s apartment with his grown-up dishes and his warm, quiet safety and pretend she wasn’t imagining a life there with him and an adorable baby wolf with Julio’s dark eyes.
The institution looked more like a wilderness retreat than a hospital or temple. Julio sat on a stone bench outside a side door at one end of the sprawling building and toyed with a yellow poplar leaf while he waited for Sera.
But she wasn’t the first person to push through the exit. Callum appeared, his usual suit jacket discarded in favor of a crisp button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. He veered toward Julio, an almost foreign smile on his lips. “Sera told me you were here. It was nice of you to bring her.”
He talked about it the same way Sera did, as if he’d done her a favor. “She shouldn’t be alone right now.”
“These visits can be hard on her.” The empath leaned one shoulder against the wall and tilted his head toward the building. “But Kelly’s been having a good week, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Is there something else going on?”
Callum didn’t run with anyone in Alec’s inner circle, so there was no reason he should have heard. “Josh showed up the other night. I guess he doesn’t like the ex part of ex-husband.”
“I see.” A crack appeared in Callum’s civilized demeanor, a vicious, predatory gleam in his eyes. “I assume someone is taking care of the situation?”
Another reminder that the empath before him was different from Julio’s sister or Kat. A realist. “I’d have ripped the bastard’s head off already—if I could have. I sent Anna after him to make sure he goes home. If not…” Julio shrugged.
Callum’s lips tightened. “The situation is more complicated than you might realize. But there’s not much I can say about—”
An enraged female shriek cut through the air and ended on a howl. Callum whirled and lunged for the door, but Julio caught it first, yanking it open with an alarming creak.
Sera stood at the other end of the hall, both hands extended toward a snarling coyote. “I’m fine. I’m fine, there’s no one—”
Another howl rose over her words, and the coyote turned and bared her teeth at Julio, her paws scratching over the hardwood floor as she prepared herself to pounce.
Fighting with Sera’s mother wasn’t an option, so he froze and backed against the wall. “What’s wrong with her?”
Sera looked too stricken to reply, her expression caught between guilt and misery. It was Callum who strode forward, one hand outstretched. “Kelly, be calm.”
The coyote shuddered and slumped to the floor all at once, like a marionette whose strings had been cut. Sera scrambled to her knees, smoothing her mother’s ruffled fur as frantic words fell from her lips in an incoherent jumble. Julio only caught a few. Mostly I’m sorry and I’m safe .
Callum lowered his hand. “Sera, you have to let us tend to her. She won’t calm down while you’re here, you know that.”
Sera flinched under the blunt words, but eased away and rose carefully. She didn’t meet Julio’s eyes as she walked toward him, moving like every step hurt. “Take care of
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