Howl (Witches & Warlocks Book 4) Read Free

next to my shiny new car and kills the ignition. “You gonna be OK?” he asks.
    I nod and smile even though I’m not really sure if I believe it. That space between Noah’s eyes softens, it’s the look he gets when he’s reading all the things I’m not saying. “But really, Zoe. Are you gonna be OK?”
    “I’m feeling a little numb is all. That was harder than I thought.”
    Noah nods. “I can’t imagine.” Now he’s the one not saying everything he’s thinking. I know he wants to ask how I’m feeling about the little bomb Mr. Howard dropped.
    “I don’t know what it means that Becca’s parents know I’m adopted,” I say before he can ask. “Maybe my parents told them when I was little and there’s nothing behind it. You know, just like two sets of parents keeping each other in the loop about their kids. Or, maybe Becca told them I was adopted and there’s all kinds of something behind it.” I sigh. “It’s just getting really tiresome not knowing who to trust. And now, maybe, I can’t even trust the people who raised me. The only people in my life I thought were outside of all this supernatural stuff…” I sigh again, really not ready to think too much about this.
    “You can trust me,” Noah says, hope all over his handsome face.
    I just smile in return, not ready to admit that when I say I don’t know who I can trust, he’s kind of included in that statement. He walks me to my door, pulls me in for a long kiss, and then watches as I put my keys in the lock and let myself in.
    It’s kind of funny. Just last week, Noah and I lived together. And now we don’t. But if my life isn’t the prime example that a lot can happen in just the blink of an eye, I don’t know what is. I mean, last week, Becca was dead and Luke was alive and I thought Barnabe Withers was on my team.
    I shudder a little. I think I finally understand that hunted look everyone gets when they say his name.
    When we got word that we’d be getting a stipend from the witches to support ourselves, Noah sat me down and suggested that we get separate apartments. At first I thought it was because he didn’t love me as much as he said he did and needed some space. You know, for the extra girls he was going to bring home. But when he explained his reasons, I couldn’t help but smile.
    He told me that since we didn’t actually get to do the whole dating and falling in love thing the right way, he wants to do it now. Give me a chance to learn who I am when I’m on my own, since, because of Becca, I’ve never really had a chance to just be me being me in my own space. Give us a chance to build this relationship the right way, with two strong people coming together, their own needs and personalities intact. It’s sweet, really, when you think about it.
    Of course, on my worst nights, I stay up too late worrying that he had an ulterior motive for not wanting to live with me. It’s pretty safe to say I have trust issues. But, after a lifetime of lies, I think it’s kind of clear why I might not just hand my heart over to the first person who asks for it.
    I stand just inside my front door and realize there’s nothing about coming home that actually feels like coming home. All my old stuff reminded me of either Becca or Luke and all the uncertainty and death that came with them. So, using a big hunk of this month’s stipend, I bought all new stuff. I’ve got a plush couch and great art and awesome lamps. The place looks amazing. It just doesn’t look like home. It will soon though, as soon as I finish decorating and put my mark on the place.
    I also got a kitten. Mr. Twinklebottom, or Twinks for short. I named him one night in a fit of laughter as he half ran, half pranced around the living room, chasing a little ball of magic I traced along the floors and walls. His little tushy wiggled when he ran, just a tiny little ball of kitten fur. Twinks is mewing at my feet now, and I swoop him up and hold him close.
    “I can trust