The dagger slipped from my grip, landing with a muffled thump in the grass. I swept my hands across his chest, molding my fingers over his shoulder blades. He made a delicious sound in the back of his throat that I matched with one of my own.
I’m kissing my demon-hunting partner!There were strict rules against this. No romantic entanglements. It was literally an entire chapter in the Spellwork training manual. Forbidden with a capital “F.”
Caden rolled me beneath him. His fingers delved into my hair, loosening my ponytail. Grass and leaves clung to my clothes. The weight of his body pressed me deeper into the weeds. I didn’t care. All that mattered was the way he lingered over my mouth, making my heart pound as his tongue swept over mine.
Screw the books!
He slowed the kiss and pulled back, inhaling a ragged breath. Our gazes held for a heart-fluttering moment. A smile tugged his lips as he plucked a leaf from my hair then dragged the delicate edge along my jaw.
“You’re a mess, Graves.”
“It’s your fault. Like most things.”
He brushed a soft kiss over my forehead. “Guilty as charged.”
A man’s throat cleared.
A dog growled.
I went still as Caden’s head dropped into the curve of my shoulder with a heavy sigh. He cursed under his breath.
Caden rolled off me and blocked Oscar’s view while I sat up and wiped the grass from my hair and the front of my shirt. My cheeks flushed hot with embarrassment.Getting caught making out by your ghost mentor is the worst!
Oscar’s judgment was palpable. Loki didn’t look pleased either. The dog lifted his snout into the air and eyed Caden with a killing glare. Good thing he was all ghostly growl and no bite.
“Caden, may I have a word with you in private?” Oscar crossed his arms over his tweed jacket.
Caden nodded, reaching back to offer me a hand to help me climb to my feet. He brushed a determined leaf from my shoulder. “Why don’t you wait out here for a moment, Graves? Pack up our stuff. No more training for today.”
“Are you sure?” It didn’t seem fair for Caden to face Oscar’s wrath all on his own. It took two to tango, and I was definitely a guilty party.
“I’m sure.”
Oscar cleared his throat deeply again and gestured toward the manor. “Elle, you may join us shortly in the library. I’ve uncovered some information regarding our case that I would like to share with the group.” He narrowed his gaze on Caden. “Follow me, young man.”
The three of them made their way toward the manor, Caden trudging through the underbrush, Oscar floating over top of it, and Loki taking up the rear like a disgruntled pooch who hadn’t been fed dinner. Before he disappeared through the back door, Caden gave me an encouraging smile over his shoulder.
He could pretend all he wanted, but we were definitely in trouble. I tried to recall the last time I’d heard of a member of the Spellwork Organization being punished for rule breaking. Had it been sixty days in a haunted crypt with nothing but a can opener and a trunk full of nonperishable items? The ghosts I could take, but the canned beans? I gagged. There was a reason I’d never last long in a zombie apocalypse, and it wasn’t because I was afraid of killing zombies.
I checked the time on my phone. I’d give them ten minutes then go inside and learn my fate.
Chapter 17
“Ihope you know what you’re doing,” Oscar hissed on the other side of the door.
I slowed to a stop outside the library. Neither of them had heard me coming down the hall, and it seemed they were still in conversation.
“Everything will be fine, Oscar. Just keep up your end of the deal.”
“I have limits, Caden, and you’re treading very close to one of them. I will not stand by and—”
“I said it will be fine.”
A cold feeling washed down my back. This wasn’t the one-sided scolding I’d imagined; something else was going on. I moved closer to the door, hoping to get some more information. When a board creaked beneath my shoe, I winced, cursing the old house for giving me away.
Seconds later, Caden opened the door.
“Hey, is everything okay?” I asked, peering past his shoulder at Oscar.
