Haunted Legacy: The Windhaven Witches Series by Carissa Andrews (story reading .txt) 📗

me can’t even blame him. I didn’t know I was a necromancer for most of my life, but one thing’s for sure, I’m not even sure I want to be one. It’s done nothing but cause problems.

“Look, if you want help figuring out what it is”—Wade reaches across the table—“I want to help. I know I can’t cast them out or cross them over, but I can at least try to guide you with the stuff I do know.”

“I’m a big girl, Wade. I can handle it on my own,” I say, shaking my head.

His face tightens and he says, “I’m perfectly aware of how strong you are. That’s not what I was implying at all.”

“I know. It’s just…” I swallow hard. “It’s hard enough having to work with you on this presentation.”

Wade snorts. “Is it actually that bad to work with me?”

“You know what I mean,” I retort.

“Do I?” he says.

“Wade I don’t like this any more than you do. None of this is my choice. I’m just—”

“Not your choice? Autumn, this is all your choice,” Wade says, slamming a hand down on the table. “It’s certainly not mine. I want to be with you. There’s nowhere on this whole fuckin’ planet I’d rather be. Don’t you get that? I love you…”

My breath hitches and I blink back the emotions threatening to consume me.

“I—” I stutter, unable to form words.

“I don’t know what your deal is or why you keep pushing me away. But I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to help you get to the bottom of this. Whatever is going on in your goddamn house could be really bad. Maybe it hasn’t attacked you yet, but it could. I’ll be damned if I let that happen. We’ll figure it out together,” he spits. His jaw clenches tight and his nostrils flare, but he doesn’t back down.

I know better than to fight this. As much as I want to protest, I know it will only make him dig his heels in deeper. “Fine. You can help me, but that’s all. Nothing else has changed. I can’t risk—”

“You can’t risk? This is all about your risk, is it? Autumn, I’m willing to risk everything to be with you. My whole life, I’ve wandered from place to place, searching for the one thing that would bind me to this human form. Because honestly, so far, things have kinda sucked. All I was looking for was that one reason to stay. Did you know that when my grandpa passed, I planned to end my own life?”

His silver eyes bore into mine and my heart stops.

“What?” I sputter.

He swallows hard and nods absently. “I had nothing left. No parents, no friends. And when Grandpa was gone, no family at all. They were all on the other side. Why would I want to stay when I could ascend early? I could begin fulfilling my true purpose and have all the powers that come with it.”

“But you only get one life to live. And it could have changed. You have so many years ahead of you. You could travel and see the world. You could have met…”

“And I did,” he says, cutting me off. “I met the one woman who has made all this torment worth it. She was my one reason to stay.”

His words linger between us—heavy, potent things that could crumble realities and break down barriers. My gaze falls to the table as I contemplate their meaning.

Inhaling sharply, my eyelashes flutter. “Does that mean…? You wouldn’t—”

Wade’s face is suddenly the epitome of calm. “No option is off the table.”

Chapter 7

The Thread of Life

I look up, meeting Wade’s expectant gaze. “You can’t be serious?”

“It’s not ideal, obviously. But I’m not ruling it out, either. Granted, I do have a few more cards up my sleeves as I try to get into some good graces,” Wade says, grinning and clearly trying to lighten the mood.

“No, you can’t do that,” I say, shaking my head. “You think you can drop that kind of a bomb on me and then change the subject? Nope. No, sir.”

Wade’s expression is thoughtful as he says, “Autumn, you and I view life very differently. I love that about you. But for someone like me, it’s just a pit stop on the way to my full-time gig. I know what’s waiting for me on the other side of this. Most people—you included—don’t. That’s why it seems so scary.”

My stomach churns and I feel utterly sick. Even if he’s right—even if this life means little to him because he knows what the rest of eternity looks like, I can’t imagine a time when he’d consider just…opting out.

“Yeah, but you should want to protect this chance. Don’t you think? Not waste it?”

“It’s a lot easier to put things into perspective when you know one lifetime is all you get.” He flashes me a quick smile and leans back. “I mean, I know most people believe that, or at least worry about it, but they’re so disillusioned. They don’t think in terms of a whole lifetime anyway. They just see what’s happening right now. When things go wrong, they think it’s the end of everything.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like, when they can’t afford something, or they lose a job…”

“Or a girl,” I add, shooting him a pointed glance.

He ignores me and continues. “But for me… I don’t care about all the stupid stuff—money or jobs…” He catches my eye and holds it for a beat. “…Or rules.”

I narrow my gaze, but I can’t think of anything to say to that. There’s a certain amount of sense hidden in those words and I could feel them taking seed in the back of my mind, if I’m not careful.

“Sometimes rules keep us safe,” I say breathlessly.

“Not when they don’t make sense,” he responds. “That’s when I make my own rules.”

“And on that note…” My gaze floats to my laptop and I tap the top of it with my fingertips. “We should really get this assignment