Dead End: Midnight Hollow by Penn Cassidy (best e reader for epub txt) 📕

his way to their side of the gate. He tipped his hat at me just as Ichabod pulled out a vial. He smashed it on the ground, and they were gone by the time the smoke cleared.

“City hall is like two blocks away, he could’ve walked…” Michael muttered.

“Let’s head inside and sit by the fireplace for a spell.” Auntie Pip ushered us inside, and it took a lot of energy to stand on my own two feet. Luckily, I had Michael to support me, as he let me lean on him the whole time.

Jessica was asleep in my hand, and I felt like a mother hen checking her pulse every few seconds, but she’d scared the crap out of me tonight. The living room fireplace was roaring by the time we walked in, the room toasty and leaving me comfortable as I plopped onto the couch with a blanket thrown over my feet. Jessica peeked her eyes open with a yawn, her tusks snapping shut as she glazed up at me with adoration.

“I thought you were visiting family. I didn’t know, Jessica, but if I had, I would’ve rescued you in a heartbeat. I almost thought you were getting sick of me and needed a break from all my drama, that’s why I never questioned it.” I bit my lip, telling myself not to cry because she was here and safe.

“No worries, Tobs. I’m happy to be back, and I actually love the drama. It’s been fun watching you try and act like you don’t love your boyfriends. Most entertaining, if I do say so myself.” She sounded smug, and I just shook my head.

“I find it funny they haven’t figured out you can read their minds yet. Even I noticed right away. I can sometimes feel you right here, and we’re connected even more since I came back. Being your familiar already gives us a bond, but it’s stronger now.” She pointed her little spider leg at her head. “They should have felt it the moment they woke up from the crash.” Yawning again, she stood up and crawled up my neck to hide behind my hair.

It went so silent, you could hear a fart in a thunderstorm, and I was glancing around the whole room, staring at anything I could latch onto, anything but them.

“Boyfriends huh?” Jason teased, playing with my hair. He tugged to get me to look at him, but I just couldn’t. I wanted to melt into the wood flooring and stay there.

“Read minds?” Freddy asked. “Well shit.” He started pacing by the fireplace and chuckled under his breath a few times.

“I want to experiment with that later,” Michael whispered in my ear, and I was really glad the aunties weren’t paying us any attention, because my breathing picked up as the possibilities ran through my mind.

Fe and Pip kept glancing up the staircase with worried expressions and whispering to each other as they gestured wildly with their hands at one another.

“How much is too much mind reading?” Norman asked with a small grin as he rubbed his chin, staring me down with darkening green eyes.

“I-It’s only here and there… I can’t control it,” I stuttered, then jumped in my comfy cushion as a loud knock echoed through the house. I was almost glad for the distraction.

“Okay, somebody better tell me what the hell that is once and for all before I lose my mind. I’m sick of the knocking and not knowing!” Maddie demanded, stomping over to the aunties as they glanced at each other before nodding.

“It’s time, I suppose. We’ve held off this long, but watching you grow into your powers and who you've become lets me know you’ll make the right choice.” Auntie Pip nodded her head in determination and started climbing the stairs.

“Follow us, dears.” Auntie Fe lifted her skirts, flashing some ankle and raced up after her sister, oddly spry for a lady of her age.

I didn’t say anything for a minute, as I was bone tired, but I knew whatever was making that loud, annoying knocking sound was most likely an integral part of this future of mine that kept shifting all over the charts.

“Carry me?” I pleaded with a pout up at Freddy and was rewarded with a lopsided grin as he bent down and wrapped an arm under my legs and upper back before straightening up.

“Silly girl. I’ll always carry you,” he mumbled into my hair, sniffing me as he effortlessly carried me up the stairs, the guys and Maddie hot on our heels.

Once we reached the landing, Freddy was huffing teasingly, as if he was out of breath, and chuckled when I smacked his bicep. Then I couldn’t help stroking the strong muscle, because hello, it was a bicep to be worshipped.

My aunties were standing at the end of the hall of the second floor, between the closet door and Freddy's room, wringing their hands nervously.

“Okay, good, this is good. Gather around, because it’s time to make a decision,” Auntie Fe said, waving her hands so we kept stepping closer.

“Decide what?” Jason had his head tilted to the side and whipped his gaze behind the aunties when another loud knock sounded, shaking the house with a small tremble.

“If you want to stay or go,” Auntie Pip reluctantly admitted and sighed as she turned around, muttering a spell under her breath. “Idcirco praecipio tibi ut aperta.”

At first, nothing happened. I looked at the aunties, about to ask, when the hallway looked like it was suddenly expanding on a deep inhale and the walls shuddered back into place. I stared in shock as a red door appeared in front of Auntie Pip. The arched wooden doorway was moving as if someone was pushing in the other side.

“Open it,” Auntie Fe said, stepping back and waiting for one of us to gather the courage to open a door that was breathing.

“Fuck it.” Norman shrugged as he stepped forward and grasped the knob, but once it blew open, he moved