Something Wanton (Mystics & Mayhem) by AJ Myers Read Free Book Online Page A

about it.
    I lifted an eyebrow at him when he finally found me sitting in the empty bathtub, and then went back to staring at the wall—you know, for a change of scenery.  Sighing, he came to sit on the edge of the tub.  After studying me for a few minutes, he reached out to touch my cheek.
    “ You about done moping?” he asked when I turned to look at him. 
    I glared at him in answer and jerked my head away.  Moping.  I wasn’t moping , I was mourning my passing.  Uh, there is a difference, you know?
    “Guess not,” he muttered, pushing my legs over so he could climb into the tub with me.  When I didn’t protest, he pulled my feet into his lap and started rubbing my instep through my sock.  “Shea called.  I have good news and bad news.  Which do you want first?”
    “The bad, ” I muttered tonelessly, not really caring either way.
    “All right,” he said , switching to my other foot.  “Shea’s going to be out of town for a while.  She’s leaving today.”
    “What do you mean she’s ‘leaving’?” I asked with a shrug.  “Looks to me like she’s already gone.”
    Tyler gave me a warning look that said very clearly that I was starting to try his patience before explaining.  “The Council is meeting to decide a very important matter.  If she’s not there when they vote, it could be disastrous.”
    “ Figures,” I muttered, throwing my hands up in a gesture of contempt.  “I’m having the life emergency of all time, and she’s running off to vote on how many toads should go into a potion or something.  Now why do you suppose I’m not surprised?”
    The way he looked at me was just creepy.  I saw something in his eyes, something that looked entirely too much like fear for my peace of mind, before he said, very matter-of-factly, “I doubt Shea has ever used a toad in a potion , Em.”
    “ Whatever,” I grumbled.
    “Enough!” he snapped, giving me a hard look.  “That’s enough , Ember!  Do you really think she would leave if she had any other choice?”
    My totally unfazed expression had him muttering something not quite gentlemanly under his breath.  Seriously, I couldn’t understand why Grams ’ exodus from Moonlight was such a big deal.  Hell, she had already left me.  What did it really matter if she was in town or not?
    “ I really don’t care, Tyler,” I told him in a dead-sounding voice, sliding down a little further in the tub and crossing my arms over my chest.  “So she’s gone.  Big deal.”
    “ Ember,” Tyler said in a warning tone.
    “What’s the good news?” I interrupted before he could start on another ‘You’re not quite dead, so stop acting like it’ pep talk.
    “Nathan’s coming home.”
    If he was expecting tears of joy—not that I could accommodate—he was in for a disappointment. 
    “Em?” Tyler said when I just stared at him in horror.  “Hey.  You okay, beautiful?  I thought you’d be happy.”
    “Happy?” I repeated, my voice trembling.  “The last time he was here, I tried to kill him, Tyler!  I tried to kill the man I love more than my own life!  And you’re bringing him back for round two?”
    “That wasn’t you, Em,” he said softly. 
    “Really?” I snapped.  “Funny, she sure as hell looked like me.”
    For a long time, he just sat there and studied me.  After a few seconds, I wanted to shrink and crawl down the drain, never to be seen again.  I wondered what he was thinking as he looked at me.  Was he seeing that video in his head?  Was he watching me snarl as I tried to claw my way toward Nathan? 
    Was he finally starting to see that that had been me, after all?
    “It’s all right to be afraid, beautiful,” he said softly just at the very moment when I was about to jump up and run.
    “I’m not—” I began, but he cut me off with a shake of his head.
    “Sell your crap to someone who buys it, Em,” he said gently.  “And just for the record, that’s not me.  I see your fear every