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laughed too. “I miss you,” I sighed.
    “It’s weird not having you around,” he told me, which I took to mean he missed me too. “Well, I just wanted to call and heckle you. Tell Ethan I said hey.”
    “Ethan’s out of town,” I said with a heavy sigh.
    “Oh. What’s he doing?”
    “Helping his dad on a hunt. He should be home soon, I hope,” I explained.
    “You’re home alone?” he asked, unable to keep the older brother concern from his voice.
    “Not completely. I have Romeo and the horses.”
    “And Hunter, right?” Harrison urged.
    I wrinkled my nose, knowing he wouldn’t like my response. “Nope. Ethan took him with. Hunter is good to have on a hunt.”
    “Annie, that’s stupid!” Harrison scolded. “You’re alone in a new town—and a new house—without anyone to watch out for you.”
    “I can watch out for myself, thank you very much,” I shot back. “I’m a witch, remember? I can hold my own.”
    “Yeah, ‘cuz that went so well for you last year,” he said.
    “I’ll be fine,” I said shortly, my temper rising. “I’ll be extra careful, ok?”
    “Ok. Talk to ya later, then.”
    “Bye, Harry. Love you,” I added. I set my phone down and finished my spaghetti in silence. I cleaned the kitchen, did laundry, fed the horses, and locked up the barn. I checked to make sure all the doors were locked before making a bag of microwave popcorn and setting in bed. I flipped through channels and wasted time looking at funny pictures of cats on the internet.
    Around nine-thirty, Ethan called.
    “Hello,” I said into the phone, smiling.
    “Hey, Annie,” he replied enduringly. “We killed the demon.”
    My smile grew. “So you can come home now?”
    He laughed softly. “Yeah. You should have seen Hunter. He tore it to pieces!”
    “I bet he enjoyed it,” I said, feeling proud of my Guardian.
    “He did,” Ethan assured me. “I had a hard time convincing everyone he was just a regular dog. I ended up saying he was part Timber Wolf,” he chuckled.
    “I miss him,” I sighed. “And I miss you, of course. But I think I miss Hunter more,” I joked.
    “I think he misses you,” Ethan said ruefully. “He seems kinda sad and distant when he’s not killing.”
    “My poor baby,” I said in a sad voice.
    “He’s no baby,” Ethan reminded me.
    I let out a deep breath and shut my laptop. “I know. So are you guys on your way home?”
    “No. I’m tired; we’ll leave in the morning.”
    “Are you really that tired?” I urged.
    “When I think about the nine hour drive, yes, I am,” he admitted. “Is everything alright at home?”
    “Yes,” I said quickly. “I’ve had some weird, creepy dreams, but everything is ok.” I felt like I was lying, though, I had thought that was really the truth. I shook my head and put on a smile. “It’s kinda freaky here alone and I’m lonely. I need friends.”
    “You’ll make friends,” Ethan assured me like he always did.
    “Easy for you to say,” I muttered. Ethan had already befriended a couple guys he saw regularly at the gym. “But you’re right; it’ll take time.”
    “I’m always right,” he joked. I heard the sound of a door slamming shut followed by boisterous male voices. “It’s customary to go out for drinks after a hunt,” he explained to me quickly. “I’ll call you in the morning. Love you, Annie.”
    “Love you too. Tell Hunter I love him, please.”
    “Will do,” Ethan said and hung up the phone.
    Excited to wake up tomorrow and know that Ethan and Hunter were on their way home, I wasn’t tired anymore.    I played The Sims until I couldn’t keep my eyes open. It didn’t take me long to drift to sleep once I tucked myself under the fluffy, blue comforter.
    When the mattress sunk down and a warm hand caressed my cheek, stirring me from sleep, I smiled. I took in a breath, ready to murmur his name when logical thoughts hit me. With a gasp I shot up, my right hand forming a fist and slicing through