Page 29 of Bones

She’sempty.

Feeling balance and fullness—or a lack thereof—was the only magicks I used, and that wasn’t by choice. I didn’t channel it. It was innate, as natural as breathing.

I ignored the compulsion as I situated her in my hold. If she was upright with her legs wrapped around me, I could’ve held her with one arm while keeping the other free to clear the stretching branches. But I wasn’t stupid enough to risk that level of closeness. Not when the faded nothing that was my soul already slammed against my rib cage like they were prison bars, screaming at me to tell her again that she’s mine.

I did the smart thing and cradled her in both arms—and that still pushed it.

“I meant it about the pocketknife,” I said when she remained tense.

She let out a soft noise that almost sounded like a laugh, and her body loosened.

It took a while since I wasn’t going full speed, but I went a helluva lot faster with her in my arms than we could’ve with her walking. Unsurprisingly, she didn’t speak the entire trek.

Did she fall asleep?

The overgrowth started to thin until the tree line came into view, and I had my answer.

She was awake. I knew because her entire body went so tight, she began to tremble.

“Hey, hey, it’s fine. I’ll wait here. Use my phone. Take my truck. Whatever you need.” I tried to lower her to the ground, but she clutched my shirt and scrambled closer.

I didn’t get it, but I still liked it.

She kept her tight grip on me as I walked us from the woods to the acreage at the back of my property. Not wanting her to fear I would force her inside, I kept my distance from the cabin and stayed along the perimeter until we were near the long driveway. It was the right choice because each step I took to follow it toward my cabin seemed to make her tenser.

“It’ll be okay,” I said. I wasn’t sure who I was trying to reassure—her or me. I couldn’t hold her hostage, but everything in my body said not to let her go.

When my truck came into view, I set her on her feet. I figured she’d race past me to it, but she didn’t. She dodged behind me, clutching at my shirt like she worried a moose, a bear, and Bigfoot would team up to attack at any moment.

“Go ahead,” I prompted.

She didn’t move.

I continued walking, and she shuffled after me while keeping her hold. When I reached my truck, I grabbed my cell from inside and offered it behind me.

She didn’t take it.

Turning around, I saw her for the first time in the light and was hit by a damn Mack truck—right in my chest, gut, and dick.

Sweaty and disheveled, she was still the most beautiful anything—woman, angel, demon—I’d ever seen. Wild golden hair surrounded a gorgeous but injured face. Her full lips were swollen and split, matching the bruises and scrapes on her cheek.

It took everything to keep my voice even. “Christ, how bad did I hurt you when I tackled you?”

Her already big brown eyes got huge as she frantically shook her head. Using her index and middle finger, she mimed them running and falling.

“All that was from falling?”

She pointed at the trees and mimed hitting them.

Her hand motions gave me an idea, and I did a few basic signs as I asked, “Do you use sign language?”

Another headshake.

Damn.

I handed her the phone, and she took it but didn’t use it. Her wide eyes stayed locked on me.

I’d never seen her before. I had no reason to think it. But something was off when I studied her. It wasn’t fake.

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