Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 120230 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120230 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
“Oh God, you’re freezing! So am I. Do I even have feet?”
Giggling, the two of us stumbled into the warmth of the kitchen, startling Aaron. “What the hell were you doing out there!” Hand cupping the back of Grace’s head, he pressed a sweet kiss to her nose. “I can see Lu sneaking out to take photos, but you’re meant to be a good influence, Gracie.”
“Since when?” Grace teased and kissed his jaw.
Cheeks creasing, Aaron just shook his head. “You two should take the chance to have a quick shower. You know how the pressure gets. I did it first thing before I came down, and from how quiet the pipes are, I don’t think anyone’s using the water just now. Vansi and Phoenix are in the living room with Kaea, helping him get settled.”
“Did Ash and Darcie come out at all?” I asked, wondering if they’d slept through the entire kerfuffle.
But Aaron nodded. “Ash stuck his head out of the bedroom when I first ran up to get Phoenix. He told us to grab him if we needed him, but otherwise he’d stay with Darcie. She’s not feeling the greatest.”
“We’re dropping like flies,” I muttered under my breath. “I think Grace is right—this house is cursed.”
Aaron put his hands on his hips. “Don’t even hint at such a thing around my grandmother. She’ll be flying down to drag me out of here before you can say boo.”
“I notice that you didn’t disagree with me about the whole cursed thing.”
“Hard to disagree at this point.” He nuzzled his chin into Grace’s soft curls when she cuddled to his side. “I was thinking blueberry ripple pancakes. Along with eggs and bacon. How does that sound?”
“It sounds like I wish you two lived next door so I could mooch food off you daily.” I wasn’t entirely joking; while I was a passable cook, I hardly ever took the time to put together a proper meal. “Burnt toast is a good day for me. Otherwise, it’s grabbing a quick coffee on the way to a shoot.”
“I’ve told him that I’ll become his food stalker if he ever divorces me,” Grace said with utmost solemnity. “Of course, I’m never letting him go in the first place.” An enthusiastic kiss on the lips. “No one is touching my gorgeous love.”
Aaron’s cheeks heated, his old shyness still there, beneath the adult confidence. “Shoo, go use the hot water before it runs out.”
“You two are adorable,” I said, not teasing them about their goo-goo eyes, because honestly, with how this week was going, I could do with light and joyous—and their delight in each other was infectious.
* * *
—
Aaron had been right to tell us to hurry up. The water pressure was incredible, the heat stellar. I allowed myself the luxury of just standing under it for a few seconds, letting the thin needles massage my scalp.
The aim was to forget, to float.
But that nibbling sensation in the back of my brain, it wouldn’t go away. I kept on thinking about Kaea and how he was the only one who was sick when—as Grace had argued—we’d all eaten the same food. Because Kaea wouldn’t have made a mistake about anything he’d eaten on the trail. I wasn’t budging on that.
It was possible that he’d been bitten by an insect or that he’d picked up a stomach virus on our last stop—a no-frills café designed to fuel long-haul truckers. But . . . it just didn’t feel right. Especially when it had occurred to me that Kaea was the only one who’d openly questioned Darcie’s apparent fall.
“So what, Luna?” I muttered as I shampooed my hair. “Now you think Phoenix poisoned Kaea so that he’d stop asking questions?” Put that way, it sounded dramatic and on the edge of lunacy, but that didn’t eliminate the bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.
If I had my way, we’d get the hell off this accursed estate, but driving out into the strengthening storm would be a nightmare, one with no end in sight with that massive slip blocking the road. Far more sensible to wait it out.
However, since Grace had managed to get a signal that morning, I decided I’d go up to the tower early tomorrow. Just in case. If nothing else, we could call emergency services and get advice about Kaea, let them know that he was in the area and that we were cut off.
The water began to cool down as I was rinsing out the shampoo so I quickly soaped my body and had just managed to wash it all off when the water switched to freezing without warning.
Yelping, I jumped out, then reached in to shut off the shower.
Which was now scalding. “Ugh.” Old house, old pipes.
After drying myself off, I looked in the mirror, which wasn’t totally steamed up, likely due to the relatively short time I’d spent under the water, and I began to wonder if the edges of my reflection were blurry because of the steam or because of the minuscule crystals eating away at my eyes. I was a photographer by trade, but I did art on the computer now and then, and my latest project was a single crystalline eye. Flawless. Exquisite. And blind.