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The only question in Romy’s mind?
Was it a man?
Or beast?
Or both?
CHAPTER8
summon the healers
Romy enjoyed her walk with Dane along Frenchmen, so much so she decided to invite him back to the Delacroix Manor. She was still riding the high of great conversation—not to mention her little interlude—and wasn’t ready for it to end.
Dane had wandered down the alley with their snow cones, approaching with an odd look on his face. He’d reached into her hair to remove a bougainvillea petal, then turned his head to the side in curious inspection. Romy didn’t know if he was pleased or puzzled, but the swell in his pants suggested he suspected… something. She’d half expected him to make a move—which she would have respectfully declined—but he hadn’t said a word. A perfect gentleman.
Romy wondered if she’d ever feel the same passion for Dane as she inexplicably did for Silvan and Bastian. Even thinking about her strange attraction made her feel silly. She’d seen them once, yet both had assaulted her senses, dominating her thoughts, her body, and perhaps even her heart.
Now,thatwas silly. Love at first sight with not one buttwoforbidden men? Still, she couldn’t deny the overwhelming compulsion to trace the sinewed muscles of Silvan’s chest or spend the night in Bastian’s bed.
Her sister’s giggle reminded Romy to suppress yet another fantasy and return to the Monopoly game Thora had challenged them to. Her grandmother’s description of her was on the mark. Since the night of the High Council, Romy had been perpetuallylost in a daydream.
“That’ll be six hundred bucks.” Thora’s chest puffed with pride as she squinted at the remainder of Dane’s cashflow, a single one-hundred dollar bill. “And bankruptcy for you.”
“You’re cheating. Gotta be.” With a playful flick of his wrist, Dane flung the paper money in her direction. He shook his head. “Witches.”
“Nuh-uh. Scout’s honor. Ask Romy. Daddy taught…” Thora paused to take a deep breath. “Daddy taught us to treat every property like it was as important as Boardwalk. By themselves, the streets are weak, but combined, they can win a game.”
He frowned. “Good thing I like mops because you just wiped the floor with me.”
“Wowww… that was…” Romy scrunched her nose at his dad joke.
“Terrible?” Dane finished.
“So… totally… terrible.”
“Mypunny-guycharm’s wearin’ you down, baby.”
With a hand cupped over her mouth, Thora leaned over to her sister and whispered loud enough for Dane to hear, “So will my nieces and nephews be more or less dorky than their dad?”
Before Romy could respond, Thora clutched her chest in panic. Her face was arrested in horror as she clawed at her throat, not breathing.
“Thora? Are you okay?” Romy watched the young girl’s lips change from rosy pink to blue. Her chest heaved, but she couldn’t speak. Something was terribly wrong. “Thora!”
The young girl bobbled back and forth. Had it not been for Dane’s quick thinking, she would have face-planted onto the hardwood floor.
“I’ve got her. I’ve got her.” He guided her to the couch.
“Thora?” Cassia called from upstairs. Unsurprisingly, she’d sensed her daughter’s distress. “Romy, what’s going on?”
“Mom! Dad! Come now!”
Less than five seconds later, her parents had joined them downstairs. Cyril was on the phone with the coven doctor while Cassia tended to Thora.
“She’s burning up, Andromeda.” Cassia pressed a palm to Thora’s forehead. “Get me some cool towels.”
“We don’t know how it started,” Cyril said into his phone. “They were playing a game… and what happened, Ro?”
Romy couldn’t think. This had to be a bad dream. “She… she couldn’t breathe. Grabbed her chest and almost passed out.”
