Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 84072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
He bowed. “Thank you, and what was your name again?”
“Oh, I’m sorry!” I moved to Sarah’s side. “I’m working here part-time while I do some research in town.”
It wasn’t a total lie, and the last thing I needed was more people thinking I was crazy for arriving with a mom who I now can’t locate.
“What kind of research?”
“Nosy much?” Sarah threw a pencil at him.
“What?” He held up his hands. “I’m curious by nature.”
“It’s okay.” I touched Sarah’s arm. “Locals tend to not trust newbies.” I turned to Malcom. “And for your information, I’m studying the haunted Wells mansion; it’s kind of like a project for college.”
“Ugh, place gives me the creeps.” Sarah shuddered, but Malcom said nothing, just stared at me a bit longer, and then shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal.
Maybe it wasn’t?
“Did you need something other than getting in your morning flirting?” Sarah changed the subject. “We were just training.”
“Can I watch?” he asked and pulled out a chair. “I swear I won’t say a word, and I won’t stare at Sarah’s ass—much—and I’ll read a book on feminism.”
I shook my head. “Does he realize he just contradicted himself?”
“He’s a straight-A student, so I think he does it on purpose.” Sarah pointed to one of the worn brown leather armchairs. “Go over there, and if you hide my signed Midnight Sun copy again, I’m going to murder you in your sleep.”
“Would your hands be around my neck? Or would you be straddling me? Holding a pillow?”
“Ignore him.” Sarah waved him off. “All right, so the register…”
Malcom went and sat while she talked, and true to his word, he started reading, completely ignoring us as if we weren’t even there.
“Hey,” I whispered. “Is that the boy your mom doesn’t like?”
Her shoulders slumped forward. “Yeah.”
I elbowed her. “Well, not that it matters since I’m only a little bit older than you, but I approve.”
Her eyes lit up. “Really?”
“There’s arrogance that truly believes no one can compare, and there’s arrogance that puts on a front just to see the girl he likes smile and shove him into oncoming traffic. He’s the latter.”
Her smile was huge. “I like him as much as I hate him.”
“Love, what a complicated thing.”
“Oh, I don’t…” She bit down on her bottom lip. “Just don’t tell my mom.”
“Pinky swear.” I winked and held out my hand.
“Pinky swear.” She laughed, wrapped her pinky around mine, and then quickly withdrew her hand. “Okay, now back to training.”
She didn’t see my smile fall at the mention of her mom.
Just like nobody heard my heart break the minute, I lost mine to this small town.
It reminded me of how lonely I really was—and it made me think of one guy who could take it all away.
Chapter Twelve
Benjamin
I sensed her before I saw her.
I knew I would.
And for the first time in years, rather than write down every damn thing in my journal like I always did—I took voice notes on my phone: about how I felt, about the bindings on my wrists, about the roses, and then this afternoon about the way the stairs stopped creaking as I walked down them.
The house knew, and I wondered if Luna would notice that the dust was gone, replaced with a glossy sheen on every single windowsill.
That the stairs looked repaired despite their age.
That the entire house seemed to pull itself back to life, that rather than pretending to be dying a slow, cursed death—it had regenerated as it sensed the power inside it.
As it hoped that this would be the time.
Even though I knew it wouldn’t be.
It never would.
She was near the gate; I could sense her rapid heartbeat, could hear her soft intake of breath like she was just seeing the mansion for the first time when I knew it did that to everyone, almost like they knew it was different, almost holy, but their human brains couldn’t explain how or why just that it was.
I walked to the massive door, passing the library as the house almost exhaled in relief.
Because she was here.
She was home.
Too bad her home would soon be her grave.
I tugged on the collar of my black dress shirt as a bead of sweat ran down my back into my black trousers. Who the hell had turned the heat up?
I was just about to yell at that idiot Jasper when the doorbell rang.
“I’ve got it.” I’d meant for my words to be loud; instead, they came out in a harsh, foreboding whisper as I reached for the doorknob and opened the door wide.
I’d prepared myself for this moment when I would see her again and have to pretend to hate her with every fiber of my being, but my fucking heart wasn’t listening to my head as it pounded out of my chest at the sight of her.