Chapter 28
“There is nothing more exhilarating than surviving the impossible.”
Journals of Reaper J. T. Cross
With the woods now behind her, Alexys collapsed onto the steps of Opal’s porch and immediately peeled off her wet socks and shoes. Her feet were throbbing, she most certainly had blisters forming, and she needed a hot shower with the world’s strongest loofa.
After an entire day spent in the woods, Alexys wasn’t entirely convinced she’d not dreamed the whole thing. Silas Lockwood; Waylan; the whistling. But all those hours and still no closer to finding Elliot. She had been pushed to her limits, and the guilt that nagged at her only made it worse.
“Ow!” She grazed a small cut along her leg, likely from the brambles she’d trampled. “The outdoors can fuck right off,” she muttered to herself as she rubbed her aching feet. “So can all of West Virginia, for that matter.”
“What a horrible thing to say.”
Alexys froze.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and begged the voice to be a hallucination.
After everything she’d just experienced, surely she was owed a little good karma from the universe.
When she opened her eyes and looked out, she counted the cars parked in front of Opal’s house and frowned when she saw there were still only two.
Glaring over her shoulder, she asked, “And just how the hell did you get here?”
Nic Dyre smiled at her from Opal’s front door. “Good evening to you, too, Keane.”
She must have been losing her mind, because when she peered up at him, she couldn’t help but notice that he looked damn good.
Leaning against the doorway like some sort of Casanova, freshly showered with perfectly tousled, damp curls.
The absolute audacity of the man to look so put together when she knew for a fact she was in an absolute state.
His gray eyes traced over her, and Alexys wanted to recoil. She felt disgusting.
“Tough day at the office, huh?” He gave her an amused wink.
She stood up, feet bare and fists clenched, and stormed past him into the house. “Opal,” she called out. “Opal, there’s a stranger in your house, and I strongly recommend shooting first and asking questions later!”
“She’s not here.” Nic walked past her into the kitchen and sat down at the table. There was a cup of tea and a newspaper at his seat. He stretched out in the chair looking all too pleased with himself.
Like it was his damn house.
Unbelievable!
“Breaking and entering is a bad look, Dyre, even for you.”
“Is it?” He laced his fingers together and tucked his hands behind his head. “I think criminal behavior looks rather good on me.” He smirked. She opened her mouth to speak but her brain hadn’t caught up yet. Had he always been this attractive?
No.
She shook her head and crossed her arms. She was just getting used to seeing him in normal clothes, that’s all. Surprising, but not attractive, certainly not.
“Look,” he started, “don’t get your knickers in a twist. Opal knows I’m here, I’m not entirely barbaric. She’s gone out.”
Still feeling the stress and aggression from her long day spent running for her life, Alexys let out a groan and collapsed into the seat across from him.
“I need a drink,” she muttered.
“Tea?” Nic gestured to his cup.
“No, gross. I meant a proper drink.”
“Tea is a proper drink.”
Alexys ignored him in favor of searching the kitchen for something, anything.
“Aren’t you at least going to ask how I got here?”
“I already did,” she snapped. “I’ve lost interest.”
“Well, I’ll tell you anyway.”
Groaning, she said, “Please, I’m waiting with bated breath.”
Nic scoffed, but she knew he was never one to pass up an opportunity to talk.
“Well, shortly after you heartlessly abandoned me, ignored my advice and generous offer for help, stole my rental car—I could report you for that—I had plenty of time to consider things on my way here. And you know what?” Alexys could have thrown a fork at his pretty little head.
“I realized that I would have to be the bigger person.”
Alexys snorted. “Oh, that’s rich! The bigger person, huh?”
“I like to be thorough before leaping into action,” he carried on, choosing to ignore her interruption.
“Unlike some, I see.” He gave her a pointed look and shook his head disapprovingly.
Alexys felt her cheeks flush. “In the end, it took very little detective work, I’ll admit.
Turns out everyone knows everything about everybody in Mercyhill.
So, a strange woman in town asking about the Hollow Walker? Easy mark.”
She nodded absently and she continued to rummage through the cabinets. Did Opal not have any snacks in her house? She eyed a bag of raw chocolate chips but decided she wasn’t that desperate yet.
“Anyway, I would have arrived sooner but there was a road incident. Otherwise, I’d have caught you before you went skipping into the woods without any field experience, sufficient protection, or monster knowledge.
” He leaned back in his chair, and Alexys hoped the chair legs might snap from the precarious angle.
“Fortunately, I was able to get a lift from a very kind man, Tom, and arrived here last night. Opal was kind enough to offer her shower and spare bedroom to sleep while I waited for you to return from your reckless escapade. Took you a lot longer than I expected. I was, dare I say, starting to worry.”
Alexys frowned at him, her search for breakfast momentarily forgotten. “Did you say Tom?”
“Old Tom, to be exact.” Nic didn’t seem to notice the disbelief on her face as he prattled on, still leaned back precariously in his chair. “He was a kind man, very hospitable. Can’t say the same about his truck, though. It’s a miracle we even made it up to Opal’s house in one piece.”
Fury coursed through her veins. “I hate you.”
There was enough venom in her words to make Nic look completely taken aback. “I beg your pardon?”
“I hate you,” Alexys said again, carefully enunciating each word.
“I hate that you found Tom, and I hate that your trip was so fucking easy.” She slammed the cabinet shut and stalked toward him.
“I have spent the entire day looking for Elliot, lost in the woods, getting chased by evil Haints! I’m fairly certain I’ve met the devil himself, and I’ve been told no less than twice that I am going to die in a spectacularly horrible way. ”
Nic scrambled from his seat and began backing away from her, his hands raised in a placating gesture. “Now, now, no reason to be aggressive, Keane.”
“No reason?” She barked a humorless laugh. “I have every reason to be aggressive, Dyre.”
“The cheek! You’re the one who left me! I was going to help you!”
“Oh, is that what you were doing when you spoke to Elliot behind my back? When you crashed my evaluation and hijacked my Warden’s case?”
“That’s enough.” The sharp bark of Opal’s voice caught them both by surprise. “Sit down,” she demanded. “The both of you.”
The pair obeyed and, with no other choice, sat next to each other at the cramped kitchen table. Alexys glared at Nic, and he avoided looking at her. She was all too aware of how childish they looked, but she didn’t have the energy to care.
“Good to see you survived, child.” Opal grimaced, and Alexys knew it was her appearance. “I’ve brought dinner.” Opal dropped a takeout bag on the table. “Since I’ve now got three mouths to feed.”
“I’m so sorry, Opal,” Alexys said. “I would never want to impose—”
“Opal, sincere apologies for the inconvenience, we certainly will look to get out of your hair as soon as possible,” Nic interjected.
“I was in the woods all day,” Alexys added. She felt foolish for it the second she said it.
Opal’s gaze was withering. “And thank the Good Lord for that.” Alexys pressed her lips together to keep from saying anything else and scowled at the witch.
“Quit looking at me like you sucked on a lemon and eat your food.” Opal hobbled past her to pull out a pitcher of sweet tea from the fridge, delivering a firm smack to the back of Alexys’s head as she passed.
Alexys was starving. She did as she was told, albeit rubbing the back of her head and grumbling in the process.