Page 93 of Conjure

“Her mom will ground her for all of eternity if she finds out she broke into Wilfred’s house. Not to mention, the police will get involved. At least now, it looks like a suicide.”

“Really? Are you sure about that? He shot Camryn in the leg, and she crawled to the bedroom. Besides, you think her mom won’t notice that her daughter has a gunshot wound?”

Gwen levels her with a glare. “It was a graze. Besides, I think we have bigger problems to solve. Let’s just focus on finding out more information for now, okay?”

My eyes flit to Dominic’s broad back while he reads the spines. He’s wearing a backward black cap today, and tufts of dark hair peek out around his ears. Despite the burning throb in my calf, I still eye him up. Now that I know how he feels inside me, I can’t stop myself from checking out his ass in those dark jeans.

His muscles shift enticingly when he pulls out a book. I’m going to hell. Sex should be the last thing on my mind, but maybe the gunshot damaged my brain more than my leg.

His gaze drifts over his shoulder as if he can feel my eyes on him. I quickly look away and open the search engine on my laptop, but it’s too late. I’m hyperaware of his every breath, and when he walks past, his intoxicating scent drifts around me. I gulp, staring at the screen. He takes a seat on the chair beside mine and turns the first page.

“What are we looking for, exactly? Aron asks, typing away on his laptop.

“I don’t know,” Gwen replies, then looks at Dominic. “What book did you get?”

Dominic shows her the title. “Mythology throughout the ages.”

“The house was built in 1923,” Aron says, a look of concentration covering his eyes. “Mr. and Mrs. Kriger bought the house in 2000.”

Dominic’s leg brushes up against mine. I struggle to focus on my screen when my heart thuds this hard. Gwen turns another page and tucks a green lock of hair behind her ear. Silence settles while we do our research, interrupted only by the tapping of keyboards. Aron pops the lid on a soda can and takes a swig before he slowly lowers the bottle to the table and frowns. “Guys, I found something.”

I stop scrolling and look up from my screen. Dominic shifts beside me and stretches his arm out on the back of my chair.

“What did you find?” Gwen asks, curious.

“Mrs. Kriger and their three children went missing in the summer of 2002.”

“We know they went missing,” Dominic drawls.

Aron shoots him a glare. “But now we know the month.” He peers over at Lily. “Look for articles around that time. August of 2002.”

“Behave,” I whisper to Dominic, and he stiffens beside me. The darkening of his eyes tells me I’m in trouble, and for some disturbing reason, it thrills me.

He snakes his fingers underneath my hair and wraps them around my neck. My breath catches at the dominance in his touch, and I squeeze my thighs together beneath the table. But then he releases me and turns another page in the book.

His eyebrows knit together. “Check this.” He taps the page. “The Nebri’hak travels on the wind and consumes the souls of its victims through strong emotions.”

“Nebri’hak?” Aron asks, looking skeptical.

“It’s the name of a demonic spirit trapped on our plane.”

“Surely, we would know if there were demonic spirits amongst us,” Lily says.

Dominic turns the page. “Not necessarily. They’re unseen, for one. Displaced demons without a host. They need to feed to grow stronger. With every soul they consume, they become more powerful, harnessing it to stay in a human body longer.”

“Is that what they want? To possess a human?” I ask.

“We are their food source. Demons are born from evil. They exist with the sole purpose of inflicting pain and suffering,” Dominic replies, turning the page. “It says here that they sometimes fixate on certain souls, and this fixation can…”

“Can what?” I ask when he drifts off.

Dominic swallows and eases back. “It can last forever.” His eyes meet mine. “What did Brittany say? Everything that’s happened so far has been designed to bring you here?”

“Why here?” Gwen asks, pulling another book from the stack. “And why her?”

Aron sits back and drums his fingers on the desk in thought. “Maybe this backward little town and her house is itsnest.”

Dominic snorts, but Aron slams his laptop lid shut and swings his gaze between us. “Hear me out. This thing entered our plane, fuck knows when. They’re curious creatures, right? They like to cause chaos and destruction, and they’re attracted to strong emotions. Mr. Kriger was a greedy asshole who dabbled in the occult. Knowingly or unknowingly, he invited our demon here, and it has stuck around. There must be a reason for that. What’s so special about our little town and her house? Ourdemon is fixated on something orsomeone.”He looks at me pointedly.