The Necromancer's Seduction by Mimi Sebastian

when I remembered the date with Steve.
    Unfortunately, Kara remembered too. “Oh, wait. You have a date with professor boy?”
    “Dates . . . I remember those.”
    I turned at the sound of Matilda’s voice. Ewan followed her into the room, scrutinizing
     me. He went to stand next to the window, folded his arms in front of him, and leaned
     against the wall. Why did I suddenly feel as if I was harboring a dirty secret? I
     looked at Kara, and her eyes formed big “oops” circles.
    Kara quickly recovered and diverted the topic from my less than stellar dating life.
     “Don’t let Matilda fool you. She has plenty of men trailing after her.”
    Before I’d met Matilda, my mind had conjured a stereotype image of some earthy type
     with long, flowing skirts, but Maltilda was anything but. Her deep blue dress molded
     an hour glass figure. She had a black and white movie quality, a classic blonde straight
     out of a Sam Spade thriller.
    She sat next to Kara and gave me a warm smile. “Being sought after by men is one thing.
     Finding one worthy of my attention is another. Something you should consider, Kara.”
    I put my fist to my mouth to keep it from falling open. I’d never heard anyone talk
     to Kara like, well, a mother. Kara narrowed her eyes but didn’t shoot back with a
     smart-ass retort.
    “Anyway, Ewan doesn’t want to hear our woman talk,” she said.
    “Oh, no, please. I’m finding it extremely interesting.” His tone carried a tinge of
     humor, the type employed to cover a sharper edge. I refrained from lifting my head,
     but felt his eyes penetrating me.
    “I’m glad you’re helping us, although I’m not entirely convinced bringing our Adam
     back as some upgraded zombie is the best strategy,” Matilda said, leveling the skepticism
     in her gaze at Ewan. He took it in, out of respect, but kept his shoulders straight.
    “Then why are you going along with it?” I asked.
    She took her time moving her gaze from Ewan to me. “I don’t really have an alternative
     to offer Malthus, so for now we go with Plan A.”
    “I’m not exactly comfortable with it either,” I admitted.
    “Well, we do what we have to sometimes. Your grandmother had a formidable spirit.
     She would agree with your decision.”
    She stood and reached over to pat my hand, and the silver and gold charms dangling
     from her bracelet jingled. Witchy charms, no doubt, though she’d never reveal which
     ones carried elemental potency or which served as distractions. I was partial to the
     silver sand dollar.
    She stopped in front of a shelf and pulled out a worn black composition notebook I
     swear only moments before was a thick book wearing a red sleeve. “This was Adam’s
     notebook,” she said. “You and Kara can look through it and see if you find something
     to help you. When you’re done, return the book to this shelf.”
    “What about returning the notebook to Adam, you know, after . . .” I said.
    Matilda gazed out the window, the setting sun casting part of her face in shadow.
     “The Adam who owned this book is dead. What you are bringing back will not be the
     Adam we knew.”
    She turned back to me with tired eyes, almost filled with regret. “When you set certain
     events in motion, you must be prepared for the consequences.” She stretched her hand
     out to pass the book to Kara then pulled her hand back. “I don’t have to remind you
     to stay away from certain spells.”
    “You just did.” Kara snatched the book from Matilda’s hand. Matilda turned and left
     the room with a loud sniff.
    Kara cocked an eyebrow at me and opened the notebook. “Matilda is all right, but she
     has her Malthus moments. Maybe it’s a requirement for the supernatural leader job.”
    Ewan chuckled, filling the space next to me on the couch. His thigh brushed mine,
     sizzling my skin through the thin fabric of my dress. The couch offered plenty of
     empty space, but he sat against me as if it barely fit the two of