Chapter 17
SEVENTEEN
Dreaming tasted of soil and empty kisses.
I tossed and turned throughout the night before finally giving up and pulling out my phone.
The rabbit hole Wilson lost himself in months ago had his footprints trampled all over it.
I read the articles he’d sent me until sunlight inched underneath the curtains.
Nothing good came from wishing things had unfolded differently. And yet my mind played a constant game of what-if.
What if I’d believed him in the beginning?
What if I hadn’t crafted opposition when Rae offered me a possibility?
What if I’d emailed her weeks ago before whatever this was had gotten this strong?
I allowed my mind to imagine a brighter past where the ranch had been safe and I’d met Rae under different circumstances. I imagined a world where someone had raised me to feel worth knowing, and Rae would have slowed down in Alpine long enough to know me.
The vision blew away, dandelion seeds floating across state lines as I washed up for the morning.
I’d covered the mirror with a blanket, using my phone’s camera to ensure I looked presentable.
The smell of bacon and eggs tempted me out of the room.
I checked Wilson’s room downstairs; my knock pushed open the unlocked door.
His bed was made and backpack laid unpacked on the floor.
The sound of dishes and cups clanking promised better odds of finding my brother.
Wilson was at one of the circular wooden tables, sitting with Nico, December, and Jonah.
I scanned the room, noting the handful of other patrons.
Noting the missing woman that I’d kissed the night before.
I closed my eyes for a second, trying to shrug off the pathetic sound of my voice asking her the silliest what-if of all.
“Morning.” Wilson pushed aside his plate and cup of orange juice as I grabbed an empty chair from an abandoned table. Everyone shifted to make room.
“How did you sleep?” December’s gaze dragged over my red-rimmed eyes and chapped lips.
“Like a baby.”
They waited for more. I waited, too, because maybe we’d find what we were looking for together.
Before any of us could offer a solution to the disheartening search, someone placed a plate in front of me. It held stacked pancakes, eggs, bacon, and a peeled orange. Rae grabbed a chair, sliding it between December and me.
“Morning, everyone,” she greeted with enough energy for the entire table and maybe our neighbors. Her gaze was on her phone, fingers busy typing away. I stared at her for a second before looking back at the plate in front of me.
“How are we looking?” Nico downed the rest of his coffee, sticking one foot out from under the table. “You got the list for me?”
“Daylan’s sent over everything he’s got digitized.
And the rest, he’s faxing over to the library later today.
” Rae’s eyes were brighter than yesterday.
Brighter than last night. She’d braided her hair in two, pinning it up off her neck.
Her roots were reverting to her tighter curls, the silk press becoming a thing of the past. I wondered what her on-the-road haircare routine looked like.
Maintaining silk presses couldn’t be easy with all the running around.
Maybe they were just something she did during events—why the hell did I care?
Why was I about to offer to help with a wash-and-go?
And give her my favorite oils for her edges?
And imagining my fingers detangling those dark strands and feeling the soft curls against my skin?
I picked up my fork and knife, slicing into my waffles.
As the team talked about gathering supplies from some list they were waiting on, I tried to fuel my body.
And tried not to recall that Rae tasted sweeter than the syrup on my plate.
She’d been warmer than the mug of tea Wilson nudged in my direction.
“Do you need anything?” he asked in a voice too low for anyone but me to hear.
Soft eighties rock music flowed into the dining room from the kitchen.
The few tourists dressed in hiking gear and a local couple I’d seen manning the theater booth on weekends occupied the other tables.
No one questioned our arrival last night.
But that didn’t stop the stares from the workers at the inn.
Or the whispers from the local orange farmer who’d made a delivery this morning and saw my truck in the parking lot.
No local just up and booked a room at the inn unless they were a couple celebrating an anniversary or someone fighting with their significant other.
“I’ll let you know when I figure it out,” I murmured around an orange slice.
Wilson’s gaze flickered to my neck. He picked at his eggs in silence.
“Should we talk about the demon in the room?” I whispered.
He laughed under his breath, no amusement in sight. “Hell of a way to start actually talking.”
“It’ll be a couple of days,” Nico was saying. “For me to gather all the ingredients for the personal wards. And after that, maybe it should just be a few of us that go back to the property to test it out.”
“Right,” Rae frowned down at her phone. “I think I remember them having a few of these things at Rainwood’s.”
“I don’t want you to go back until this is all figured out,” I whispered.
“You’re not going back either,” Wilson retorted.
“Only one of us can stay.”
Wilson’s jaw clenched as he ducked his gaze down to his plate. “We’ll figure it out.”
“Even one room will burn through the rest of the hunting fee in less than a week.”
He roughly wiped a napkin across his mouth. “I’ll figure something out.”
“What happened to ‘we’?”
Wilson sighed. “Fine, what do you have in mind?”
The innkeeper, James, stopped by, halting all conversation. “How’s everyone’s food?”
“Great,” December assured with a big smile. “I think every meal I’ve had since coming into town has been five stars. Compliments to the chef.”
James smiled widely. “That’s all thanks to my husband, Oli. He studied in Paris.”
“You’re very lucky,” December said.
“I am,” he agreed and lingered at the table, mouth parted as if he wasn’t sure what he wanted to say next. “I don’t know if we have all introduced ourselves. The Daniels I know”—he offered us a friendly wave—“but the rest of you must be new in town.”
“Friends,” Rae spoke up. She leaned back in her chair; her arm stretched across the back of mine. “Of the siblings.”
“Just in town for the festivities?” James fished. I could practically see the grapevine growing. Wilson snuck me a smile.
December rested her chin in her hand, leaning in. “What festivities?”
“What festivities? Wait right here.” James spun around, thrilled as he hurried to the other side of the room.
“We’re supposed to be keeping a low profile,” Rae said with a furrowed brow. “I thought we went over this?”
December shrugged, poking her lower lip out with a hint of remorse. “Sorry. I thought it’d be polite to ask. He seemed so excited.”
“I think eating and keeping you all’s mouths shut would draw more attention,” Wilson chimed in. “Especially now that we’re not staying at the ranch.”
Rae sighed but looked at me for the final say-so.
It was the first time our gazes connected today.
Her eyes remained a thick storm; I couldn’t see past the couple of feet ahead of me.
We’d agreed to this stalemate, but not knowing where I was going hadn’t settled well on my stomach for years, and it wouldn’t start now.
“Do whatever.” I set down my fork, took a last sip of orange juice, and got up from the table. “I’m going to finish getting ready for the day and check on Frog and Kat.”
Thankfully, the inn had a stable free of charge for guests.
My excuse came just in time. James was back with a flyer for the upcoming town meeting and the costume party the Rainwoods had been talking about.
I wove through the tables, leaving behind the warmth of the dining room for the cooler hall. Oli manned the grand mahogany front desk, iconography of animals and mystic creatures carved into the wood. He greeted me with a cheery, “Good morning, Octavia.”
“Morning…” I tried to smile, the attempt dropping as soon as I reached the staircase. Each step groaned under my weight. An echoing groan followed mine, someone else right on my tail.
“Octavia.” Rae gripped the railing like she was having trouble maintaining her balance.
I stopped at the top of the stairs, and she paused a couple of steps below me.
“What’s wrong?” I held my arms close to my sides, praying sweat hadn’t stained my sleeves.
“I…I need to speak with you and Wilson whenever you are free. Maybe sometime this afternoon? Talk about next steps.” She tilted her head up to meet my gaze, exposing her delicate neck. An image flashed across my mind, one of me pressing my mouth to her drumming pulse right underneath her jaw.
I nodded numbly. “One o’clock works?”
“One’s perfect.”
“Good.” I lingered, waiting for whatever words were still hanging between us. “Well…is that all?”
“That’s all.” She stepped down one step, ready to return to the dining room.
There was a lump in my throat; I had no success in swallowing it. I didn’t know what I wanted to say. Or for her to say to me. So, I escaped to my room down the hall in silence, shutting the door behind me and pressing my forehead against the wood.
Think, think.
What was the average time of exorcising a demon? Were there success statistics for stuff like this? Had I done something to deserve this…?
Did Rae seem a bit off?
My thoughts swarmed, reaching for answers that may never solidify. I needed to know everything. And I would learn as much as I could before the team left us in case something like this happened again.
Next time I’d be able to defend myself.
A knock on my door made me yank my head back. The abrupt vibration sent an icy chill across my skin. Maybe it was Rae? Maybe she’d come back to smooth out the jagged edge we’d left out on. An embarrassing glow of hope blossomed inside my chest. I took a deep breath and opened the door.
An empty hall greeted me, bits of morning light spilling onto the hardwood floor, thanks to the parted curtains. The stairs creaked. Oli cleared them, glancing down the hall at me standing like a weirdo in my entryway.
“All good?” he asked, brow worried at how anxiety pulled my mouth down.
“Did you…did you see anyone out here?” I peeked my head out further, looking at both sides of my door as if someone might have been hiding in the corner without my knowledge.
He frowned but looked around to be sure. “Nope. Just me.”
“I thought I heard someone knock on the door.” No, I knew. And if Rae had taught me anything, it was that trusting your gut would always be the right play.
Oli shrugged and looked around once more. “Maybe it was a ghost.”
His smile vanished as soon as he saw my immediate frown.
He cleared his throat and asked, “Are you okay? Can I get you anything?”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out when something moved behind Oli. His shadow stretched against the floral wallpaper, arms extending while his body remained still.
“Octavia?” Oli’s voice dipped, uncomfortable by my wide eyes and stony silence.
The shadow crept across the wall behind him, its shape unstable, morphing into something larger and sharper. I reached for my neck, protecting the bruise that pulsed as if warning me of impending doom.
“You need to get Rae for me,” I told him, trying to keep my voice calm, though my body trembled too much to avoid the sound of shaking.
“I’m sorry?” Oli frowned and didn’t move from his place atop the staircase.
The mirror hanging on the wall revealed a glimpse of the shadow creature.
Much like the demon near the elm tree, this thing didn’t have a full form.
It was a black cloud that almost looked humanoid.
A slab of clay, unmolded, barely touched, but somehow finished. Somehow strong.
The part that should have been a head turned to me. In the space where its eyes should have been, a sunken hole provided a piercing stare.
“You didn’t think it was going to be that easy, did you?” it taunted, its laugh deep, shaking the floor and walls. “That I’d be done with you if you left?”
“Octavia?” Oli asked. “I’m sorry, is Rae one of the people downstairs with your brother? You may have to point them out to me.”
He moved as if he were going to start back down the stairs, but the shadow cleared the distance more quickly.
“Wait a second!” I called a breath too late.
The shadow shoved Oli. He tumbled down the staircase, hitting his head against the banister on the way.
“For every day you stay away,” it said, “I’ll do this or much worse to anyone who gets within spitting distance of you.
Can you avoid a whole town of friendly neighbors, Octavia?
Do you want to be the reason for so many accidents?
We already know you can’t stand having the others on your conscience. ”
It looked down the stairs and laughed. My tongue throbbed, blood sharp as it trickled down my throat. I pushed away from the doorframe, propelling myself into the same space as the demon once more.
A group of people had gathered around Oli at the bottom of the staircase. His husband held on to his head, resting it in his lap while someone else hurried to grab the landline and call for help.
“It’s fine,” Oli slurred. “I’m just…I think I tripped…”
Rae, Wilson, December, Jonah, and Nico were in the small group of people gathered around Oli. When they looked up to find me at the top of the stairs, a dark cloud of concern marred their expressions.
“Every. Day,” the shadow whispered; a faint memory of fingers around my neck made me flinch.
Rae started up the stairs, skipping two at a time.
“Until you come home to me,” it promised and released me as soon as Rae grabbed my shoulders.
“What happened?” she whispered, scanning my body for new bruises.
“I have to go back.” I barely registered her touch on my skin. Or the concerned voices below. I was underwater, and everyone above the surface had yet to dive in.
“What are you—”
“As soon as possible,” I said, not for a second entertaining another option. “I have to go back to the ranch.”