Confined (A Tethered Novel, Book 3) (31 page)

“Because, I asked her to take over the store for me until I
could get some sort of business management degree or whatever it is I’ll need
to know what the heck I’m doing,” I said.

“And what does that have to do with her Hoodoo stuff?”
Callie asked.

“It ain’t none of your business what I wanna do with my
Hoodoo there,” Twila answered for me as she stepped back out of the kitchen.
She held a wooden spoon in her hand and was shaking it at Callie as she spoke.

Callie’s face turned a crimson color. “I’m sorry. I guess I
just don’t understand why you need to continue with it all… I mean, with Kyra
taking Addison’s place in the group, there really isn’t a need. Is there?”

My mouth slacked. Had Callie really just said that? And to
Twila
of all people?

“Maybe I like doin’ my mojo and gettin’ my Hoodoo on,” Twila
said with more attitude than I ever thought would come out of her. “So what if
I’m doin’ it in the back of that bookstore? As long as I don’t burn the place
down, I don’t see why I can’t. Besides, your people weren’t the only ones I
cooked stuff up for. There’s lots a people in this town with problems they see
fit to pay and make go away.”

Unable to help myself, I broke out in a fit of laughter. It
must have been contagious, because soon I wasn’t the only one.

As much as I had feared Twila and the entire family of Van
Rooyens before, now I couldn’t imagine my life without them. Even Kyra. She’d
turned out to be a good friend, and I was happy she and Kace had found each
other. She’d been the one to find him the night the tether was broken—the night
my nut job for a biological father was killed—and since then, they’d been
inseparable. Curious, I’d asked her one night how she’d known where to find
him; she’d looked up to the sky with a smile and muttered two words—the
Spirits.

Theo came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
Even though he knew I didn’t have feelings for Kace anymore, he still came off
as being territorial with me when Kace was in the room. I acted as though it
bothered me and like he needed to chill out, but truth be told, I actually
enjoyed that trait of Theo’s. There was something in the way he always strived
to protect me, to let everyone know I was his, that tugged at the stings of my
heart.

“After we get all of this moving crap done, are you coming
back to my place or staying at yours?” Theo asked. His lips brushed against my
ear as he spoke.

Shivers of warmth slid through me, and this time they
weren’t from my magick.

“If you let me heal your leg so we can have some
fun
,”
I whispered in a husky tone.

Apparently, once you become part Conjurer, it never goes
away. I was stuck with Theo’s Hoodoo magick inside of me, something I was fine
with.

“Oh, I like the sound of that,” Theo growled. His tongue
darted out and flicked at my earlobe. “I might just have to let you try.”

“Really?” I asked. I pulled away from him enough to look in
his eyes. “You were always so resistant before.”

“Maybe I just don’t want to wait around anymore for this to
heal on its own,” he said as he squeezed me tighter. “After all, weren’t you
the one who said you didn’t want to do anything with me until I was all healed
up for fear of hurting me?”

I trailed my index finger along the tattoos of his bicep.
“That I did.”

His warm lips brushed along the side of my neck. “Then heal
away, because I can’t hold out any longer.”

Someone clearing her throat from behind us made me jump. “I
thought I told you two there wouldn’t be any of that hanky panky in here.”

“Sorry, Gran,” Theo said. “I think we were just leaving.”

“We were?” I asked, turning to glance at Theo over my
shoulder.

“Oh yes, we were.” He grinned like a fool, and I felt my
entire body pulsate with desire.

Theo held out a hand to me. Slipping my hand in his, we
exited the doors of Fisherman’s Brew.

“See ya later, Avery,” Adam shouted after us.

“Bye,” I replied, focusing on the feel of Theo’s hand in
mine.

His thumb caressed the top of my hand, and he flashed me a
smile that made me blush. This man was hotter than hell and he was all mine.

I’d come to Soul Harbor not only to decide what I wanted to
do with a house I’d randomly inherited, but also to figure out what I wanted to
do with my life. Turned out, life figured out what it wanted to do with me when
I wasn’t looking. Although I’d only been in Soul Harbor for the length of one
summer, I’d already managed to learn a valuable lesson: Sometimes the things in
life that seem to confine us most are often the ones that save us.

The
End

I can’t express how thankful I am to be living this dream of
mine. As always I’d like to thank my family for their endless supply of
support—my mom, sister, husband, and kids. I love you guys!

A special thank you to H. Danielle Crabtree for taking on
another editing project of mine; I am amazed by your talent and knack for
editing. Stephanie Parent for agreeing to proofread for me with expert eyes and
speedy precision; Julie of J. T. Formatting for making this novel look as
gorgeous as the others; and to Stephanie Nelson of Once Upon A Time Covers for
creating the stunning cover of this novel.

Thanks to Alyssa Rose Ivy for the reassurance I needed while
writing this novel as well as our talks of powers and magick. Theo would not
have had the awesome power to take someone’s breath if it hadn’t been for you!

And, as always, I thank
you
readers, from the bottom
of my heart!

Jennifer Snyder lives in North Carolina were she spends most
of her time writing new adult and young adult fiction, reading, and struggling
to stay on top of housework. She is a tea lover with an obsession for Post-it
notes and smooth writing pens. Jennifer lives with her husband and two
children, who endure listening to songs that spur inspiration on repeat and
tolerate her love for all paranormal, teenage-targeted TV shows.

Find
out more about her latest novel

by
visiting her blog:

http://jennifersnydersblog.blogspot.com

ALSO
BY JENNIFER SNYDER:

PARANORMAL
READS

Marked
(Marked Duology Book 1)

Changed
(Marked Duology Book 2)

Catalyst
(A Tethered Novel, Book 1)

Conjure
(A Tethered Novel, Book 2)

The
Reaper Novellas:

Touch

Choice