The Book of Lost Souls by Michelle Muto

broom mistaking it for some strange Beezlepup thing like a possessed hair ball or something. Wasn’t a pretty sight.”
    “Yeech!” Shayde said.
    Midnight let out a high-pitched me-owww . The tree limb shook harder as though trying to dislodge him. Devlin stood underneath, barking excitedly.
    “Devlin!” Ivy called out in warning. “Midnight is not a squeaky toy!” She broke out into a run across the park. “ Devlin!”
    He shot her a fleeting look. Why did anything and everyone belonging to the demon species have to be so difficult?  
    “Stop that right now Devlin!” Ivy demanded. She picked up a fallen leaf and held it in front of her. It swirled and shifted, changing into a replica of a fuzzy grey squirrel. Ivy squeezed it, and the toy squeaked. Instantly, Devlin whirled around, running at her full tilt, Midnight completely forgotten.
    “Midnight makes the same noise as a squeaky toy when Devlin catches him,” Ivy explained. “Ever since the guinea pig incident he’s had a thing for stuff that squeaks.”
    Shayde watched Midnight hurry down the tree and take refuge under a bush. “Can’t say I haven’t been tempted to chase Midnight a few times myself. And the squeaky toy from a leaf thing? Cute. Nice to see you’re back to doing normal witchcraft. Anyway, what are you going to do? If Nick really is telling the truth...”
    “The only thing I can do. Go on another date with him,” Ivy said with a sigh.  
    Shayde raised an eyebrow. “And if Nick’s on the level, why do you sound so gloomy about it? He’s really hot. Sorry, bad demon pun.”
    “Because he’s not who I want,” Ivy replied, recalling Nick’s words from last night. “But right now, until I get some answers, he might be exactly who I need.”  
    The only problem was that Ivy wasn’t sure which question she wanted the answer to first—who had the third book, or why it bothered her that she kept thinking about Nick, and if he really liked her or just wanted the book.  

CHAPTER 13

    By the time Ivy returned to Forever View, it was just after eleven and she was in a dour mood. Since Bane hadn’t actually been part of the conspiracy to turn Spike into a human, he didn’t have to show up for the cemetery work, and since Gareth had lost the most—his pet—he didn’t have to, either. This left just the girls to work off another day of punishment.  
    Shayde’s interest in any development in her so-called relationship with Nick had started to get on Ivy’s nerves. She’d spent the last twenty minutes going on about Nick being so much better than Dean.
    “If you have such a thing for Nick, why don’t you go out with him?” Ivy finally asked Shayde.
    “Because I don’t have a thing for him. What I do have a thing for is seeing my best friend happy. He’s smart and cute. And he has a wicked crush on you.”
    “Besides you, who says?” Ivy retorted. “I think Dean kinda likes me.”
    “I’d give a bucket of Mr. Nash’s blood to see him dump Tara,” Raven said with a snort. “Of course, there’d have to be more than a bucket left. He’d pretty much bled-out before the medical examiner got there. Pity. We only got a couple of glasses each.”
    Ivy grimaced. “I didn’t need to visualize that twice, thanks. Anyway, if Nick really liked me that much before the books, why’d he wait until after I’d found them to be so incessant? Okay, yeah. He asked me out twice. Ever since the books came into play, he’s not taking no for an answer. Usually, he’d be on to the next girl by now.”
    Raven grinned. “Guys. It’s the testosterone. He can’t stand to see you with Dean, especially if he senses he’s got an edge. And that only makes it worse. Demons love a challenge.”  
    “And you’re certainly a challenge,” Shayde mumbled.
    “I heard that,” Ivy said.
    “Well, don’t you think it’s a bit unfair that you won’t give him a chance because his father and yours were friends?” Shayde asked.
    Ivy shot her