Free wicked witches 08.6 - a witch in time by Amanda M. Lee Page A

all of the time. I would be lying if I said it didn’t worry me.”
    “I worry about you the same way.”
    “I know you do,” Landon said, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of my mouth. “That’s why I don’t press you on this stuff. We both chose our lives. We both chose to share our lives. Things aren’t going to change. We have to do the best we can with the lives we’ve chosen to live. That’s how it is for us.”
    “I’ve never heard you this … calm … when talking about stuff like this.”
    “That’s because I can’t help myself when you’re in danger,” Landon explained. “I’m always going to go out of my way to save you. I’m going to get angry when I think you’re doing something stupid. That doesn’t mean I don’t love you. It doesn’t mean I’m unhappy.”
    “Are you happy?”
    “Oh, I love it when we have deep conversations in a fantasy world. Have I ever told you that?”
    “That wasn’t an answer,” I prodded. “If you’re unhappy … .”
    “Don’t finish that sentence, Bay,” Landon warned. “I’m very happy. If I wasn’t happy, we wouldn’t be together. I’m not thrilled when you and your cousins run off into danger without thinking about the consequences, but I wouldn’t trade you for anything.”
    “That’s a really nice thing to say.”
    “Yes, well, I’m the best guy in the world,” Landon said, wrinkling his nose as I rolled my eyes. “Besides, Bay, how would I find another woman who magically smells and tastes like bacon from time to time? You’re a keeper.”
    “Ha, ha,” I intoned, giving his back one more solid rub before pushing myself up on my knees and scanning the area. “I don’t recognize this place.”
    “You don’t?” Landon cocked a challenging eyebrow. “Look again.”
    I frowned. “Do you know where we are?”
    “Yup.” Instead of telling me, Landon wrapped his arm around my waist while I scanned the unfamiliar terrain. I glanced down to find his head resting against my chest, his eyes pressed shut. He looked exhausted.
    “Do you need a nap?”
    “Bay, if I could find a way to crawl into bed with you and wait this out, I would,” Landon replied. “That’s not a possibility, though, so I’m just taking comfort in you for a few minutes before the next memory bonks us over the head.”
    “Or back,” I said, earning a grin when he lifted his face.
    “Or back,” Landon conceded. “I love you dearly, woman, but you can’t land on me again. You’re tiny, but that hurt.”
    “You can land on me next time.”
    “I would rather not kill you.”
    “I don’t think we can die here,” I said, pursing my lips. I still couldn’t figure out where we were and it drove me crazy thinking Landon knew Hemlock Cove locations better than I did. “We’re not really here. Our minds are, but our bodies are still in the hospital. We’ll be okay.”
    “I know we’ll be okay,” Landon said. “That doesn’t mean this doesn’t hurt. I don’t want to risk dying and testing your theory. Let’s try to stay out of imminent peril if we can help it.”
    “Okay,” I said, running my fingers through his hair as he hugged me. “Landon?”
    “Hmm?”
    “You have to tell me where we are because otherwise I’ll have a nervous breakdown,” I said. “Seriously, I have no idea where we are. How can you recognize this place? It looks like a bunch of trees.”
    “I’ve searched the property behind The Overlook for you a time or two,” Landon answered. “This is the spot below the incline that leads to the bluff. I recognize it, but there are more trees in this period.”
    I jerked my head to the side, exhaling heavily when I realized he was right. “Oh, of course! I didn’t recognize the slope with that forested area. That was gone long before we popped into existence.”
    “If you haven’t noticed, we’re moving in chronological order,” Landon supplied. “We saw Aunt Tillie as a small child first … then as a teenager …