Free Hexed (The Gwen Sparks Series Book 4) by Stephanie Nelson Page B

right,” Dorian urged, taking a step toward me. I didn’t know if he was waiting for all my other memories to surface, but I couldn’t concentrate on them when he watched me like a science experiment.
    I shrugged and threw my hands out in front of me. “That’s it, that’s all I remember.”
    A hint of a smile ghosted across Dorian’s mouth before it disappeared. “That’s good.”
    I found myself smiling, that little bubble of hope growing tenfold with the resurfacing of the memory. In my mind, I could picture Ms. Willow greeting me as I came into the bakery and announcing that it was the store’s grand opening. Then the scene faded into black and static noise spiraled through my head.
    “Isn’t that Jillian?” Fiona asked.
    I was still staring at the storefront and spun around when I noticed Fiona faced the street. She pointed to a young woman with short blonde hair. She stood on the other side of the road, her arms outstretched and her head tilted back as through relishing in the warmth of the sun.
    “Who’s Jillian?” Dorian questioned. I half smiled because that was exactly what I had been thinking.
    “Gwen hired her to help Penny out with the shop,” Fiona explained. “She’s a vampire.”
    I looked back at the girl, taking in the fact that the sun was high in the sky and she stood beneath it without fear. “Vampires and sunlight is a bad thing, right?” I asked.
    “Should be,” Fiona said. “But that man with the hole in his chest, the one Micah told us about, he was a vampire. They said he walked in the sun as well.”
    “It’s the energy being off balance,” Dorian added. “It has to be. Micah mentioned that no one could die, which would explain why Jillian isn’t a pile of ash right now.”
    I tipped my head up to stare at Dorian. “Is this because of me, of what you did?”
    His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “Maybe, I don’t know.”
    Just then, the young woman’s head snapped back down. A big smile stretched her cheeks wide, and as her eyes opened, they connected with the three of us. I shrieked and jumped back when she appeared in front of me. One minute she was across the street, and the next she was a foot away from me. Dorian’s arm came around my shoulders to steady my jumpy feet.
    “Whoa, didn’t mean to scare you,” Jillian laughed. “Isn’t this amazing? I’m walking in the sun! After changing, I didn’t think I would ever see it again.” She beamed, her eyes going up to stare at the sky. “It’s strange to miss something I used to take for granted. When I was human I never thought about daylight, but now that I have had five years of darkness, I miss it.”
    “Jillian,” Fiona started, getting the young woman’s focus back on us. Jillian’s eyes landed on our faces again. “How did you hear about being able to walk in the sun?”
    “Oh, every vampire knows. The news started to spread after Linus tried killing his boyfriend. He expected the sun to carry away his ashes, but as the moon fell and the run rose, nothing happened. Linus had been watching from the safety of his home and, after determining that his boyfriend wasn’t burning, he stepped outside. It’s a miracle!”
    “So vampires have like a phone tree or something?” I immediately felt stupid after asking that question. Jillian’s smile didn’t falter. She was smiling so much that it was sort of creepy, all white teeth and gums.
    “This is the biggest thing that has ever happened to vampires,” Jillian explained. “I’ve only been one for five years, but can you imagine living hundreds of years in utter darkness? This is the first time we’ve been able to walk in the sun since we were turned. That sort of news spreads.”
    “Aren’t you guys worried, though?” I asked. “What happens if it’s only temporary and you’re caught in daylight when it wears off?” As I watched Jillian’s excited features, I worried that something would shift and all this bizarreness would