Pecan Pies and Homicides by Ellery Adams

Author:Ellery Adams [Adams, Ellery]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery
ISBN: 9781101637524
Google: 1zN2YjVD7YEC
Amazon: 0425252418
Barnesnoble: 0425252418
Goodreads: 17938360
Publisher: Berkley
Published: 2014-01-07T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

To Hugh’s credit, he didn’t immediately jump to the wrong conclusion. Anger flared in his eyes and his jaw muscles tightened as he realized that the woman he loved was being held in another man’s arms. But then his gaze swept over her wet hair and limp body and his frown softened.

“Did she fall into the lake?” he demanded.

“More like waded in. She took her boots and socks off first.” Aiden jerked his head, indicating Hugh should move out of the way. “Listen man, I need to get her to the fire.”

Ella Mae reached out for Hugh. Her arm felt like jelly, but he caught her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before falling into step alongside Aiden.

“There’s a body in the lake,” Ella Mae whispered. “That’s why I went in.”

She didn’t see Hugh’s reaction but heard his sharp intake of breath. “I’ll take care of it. You focus on getting warm. And drink this.” Hugh pulled a water bottle out of his coat and wedged it into the snow-dusted ground near the campfire. Ella Mae noted that the bottle had no label. She’d had Hugh’s mystery water once before. Back in June, when her mouth and throat were coated with a film of soot and her strength had been completely sapped, he’d offered her a similar bottle. The water inside had tasted like nothing she’d ever known. It was cool and crisp and reminded her of spring rain. After finishing the bottle, the smoke-tinged air she’d inhaled became a distant memory and her flagging energy had been restored. At that moment, Ella Mae had believed that Hugh must be one of her kind, but she’d been mistaken.

“Close your eyes,” Aiden said as he set her on the ground and knelt down beside her. “I need to be quick about this. We can’t have your non-magical guy catching a glimpse of what I can do.”

Ella Mae nodded and Aiden slipped an arm around her shoulders and eased her toward the crackling flames. The heat on the back of her head was so intense that she was certain her hair must be on fire, but she didn’t smell anything burning.

Less than ten seconds went by before Aiden helped Ella Mae sit upright. She ran her hand over her hair. Every strand was dry and warm. She widened her eyes in wonder. “That’s amazing. Can you touch fire without being hurt?”

“I sure can. Made for an awesome party trick in college. I’d hold my finger over a candle longer than the other guys just to get free beer.” Grinning, he opened the water bottle and handed it to her. “Shoot, I could have jumped into the fireplace and sung all the verses of our fraternity song, but that might have raised a few eyebrows.”

Ella Mae took a long drink of Hugh’s water. Feeling was returning to her muscles, and the sensation was unpleasant. She winced. “I feel like I’m being poked by a thousand tiny needles.”

“Good.” Aiden smiled and pushed a knit hat over her head.

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