Tethered 02 - Conjure by Jennifer Snyder Page B

while I watched him continue with whatever chant he was performing, his eyes closed, as though he were in some form of trance.
    We remained this way for what seemed like forever.
    “Time,” Theo said in a low voice.
    I stood without speaking and grabbed my towel. Barely pat-drying myself off, I wrapped the towel around myself and stepped out of the tub. I waited for Theo to speak, to let me know what we were supposed to do next and if his cleansing bath had worked.
    He didn’t speak and I couldn’t tell. The warmth was still there, buzzing beneath my skin from his nearness.
    “Well?” I prompted, folding my arms over my chest again and flashing him a snarky look that I was sure he didn’t like.
    “Well, what?”
    “Aren’t you going to get out?” I demanded. “Did it work?”
    “I need a towel first and I don’t know yet.”
    “You don’t know?” I snapped. How could he not know? Wasn’t this his forte—Hoodoo?
    “Exactly,” he said. “I have to test it first.”
    I walked to the linen closet and pulled him out a towel, realizing I’d grabbed the only available one hanging. “And how do you do that?”
    “I use a spell against you.”
     

 

    Alarm jolted through my veins. He was going to use a spell against me? I thought of the two he’d already attempted to use and winced. “What type of spell?”
    Theo took the towel from me and began to dry off. “One that was meant for me to use on you tonight anyway.”
    My mouth shot open. “You were supposed to use something on me tonight? What? Who told you to?”
    He wrapped his towel around his waist and reached underneath for his boxer briefs. They fell to the floor, creating a wet slapping noise that echoed through the room. “I was. It’s another Hotfoot spell. And my grandmother.”
    “Well, someone really enjoys the hell out of using that spell, don’t they?” I asked, placing my hands on my hips and scrunching my face up in thought.
    I glanced at Theo again, ready to ask him once more who was doing all of this to me, but my mouth clamped shut when I saw him. He was attempting to pull on his jeans while still remaining covered by the towel he wore around his waist. It wasn’t working out well for him. I caught a glimpse of a never before seen area on him and felt my face flush through twenty shades of red.
    “Not necessarily,” he said, dropping the towel now that his pants were on. He buttoned the top button and zipped them while staring right at me. “Maybe they want you gone, but don’t want to be too rough about it.”
    “Maybe,” I said, unsure about the reason he’d given, but glad he didn’t seem to notice the glimpse I’d gotten of his unmentionable area. “Are they the same person who sent the Boo Hag after me?”
    That spell/creature seemed a little rough to me.
    “I can’t say.” Theo’s eyes left mine then and dipped to view the length of me, leaving a hot trail behind in their journey. He bent down and scooped up his tank top, but didn’t put it on, then slipped his feet back into his sandals. “Get dressed. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
    I swallowed hard. “Fine.”
    He turned and walked out of the room then, closing the door behind him. I took in a deep breath and tightened the towel around me before I bent over to retrieve my dirty clothes and head to my room. The sound of my cell phone ringing from someplace in my room made my heart lurch all the way to my throat. I knew who was calling without having to see the screen to be sure—Kace. He’d told me he’d call at some point to check in on me. He’d also said if I didn’t answer, he’d be right over to make sure I was okay.
    That was the last thing I needed right now—for him to come over and see Theo in my house practically naked.
    I bolted from the bathroom, trying to figure out what ring my phone was now on—three or four—and stepped smack in the middle of the Hotfoot spell Theo had said he’d be using on me at some point. The reddish-brown