Page 37 of Haunting Salem

Epilogue

Two days later...

Nolan tucked me into his side and sighed. Twenty-four hours after the attack at the Witch House, I was released from the hospital. Since then, I'd been laid up in the hotel room, recovering from my injuries. Yesterday I woke up feeling like I'd been run over by a Mac Truck. Today, I was stiff but better. I mean, I couldn't run a marathon or anything, but I did want to move around, even if it was only in our room.

Owen, Lucy, and Jack were already on the way to Savannah, and Nolan and I would be following them shortly. The studio, true to their word, paid for my hospital stay and ordered a car for us so we could drive in comfort. With the small bonus we received, Nolan had already set up a reservation for us at another hotel halfway between here and Savannah. He was optimistic. With how I felt, I was hedging my bets we'd be stopping sooner than later.

“You’re thinking again,” he murmured against my neck.

“You caught me.” I chortled. “When am I not thinking though?”

He hummed. “I can think of a few times you’re not.”

“Ew, pervert.”

He chuckled. “Well, at least you sound better. I swear to God, Simone, you took ten years off my life when I saw you go tumbling down those stairs. I thought we lost you.”

When you have death in your back pocket, you lose your fear of dying. "My back was being watched."

“Yeah, we caught that too. Do you know how incredibly scary those three are?” Nolan placed his hand on my hip and the warmth of his touch spread through me, easing some of the aches.

“Very,” I murmured. “I understand them better than anyone. They were only trying to protect me.”

“Well they did it very well,” he replied, tucking me closer to him. “The website and all the social media accounts are going crazy with comments and questions. There are already conspiracies being put together to discredit what happened out there on Halloween. This shit has gone viral. Are you ready to face the music?”

I glanced at the window of our room. The pale morning light barely seeped in from under the curtain. We had to leave soon. Early starts meant early nights. I had pain meds I could take if it became too much, but I'd rather stick with over the counter stuff than the crap doctors give out. Usually, it messed with my head and never touched the pain, so, what was the point? "Can I phone a friend?"

Nolan chuckled again. "You're too much." He turned my face to his and placed a kiss on my lips. "If we get up now, I can take you to that spot you went to the second day we were here."

God, it felt like weeks ago when I walked into the little coffee shop with Zane and ordered those tasty pastries. “You’ve got a deal. Help me get a shower?”

Desire flared in his dark-brown eyes. “I think I can do that.”

An hour later, we were clean, well fucked, aching, and ready to conquer the day. I threw on my thick coat, since the one the show provided for me had been destroyed in the incident, and grabbed my crutches. Because of where the sprain was, and the severity, I was forced to keep it up as much as I could. Hence why traveling by car would be interesting. I had to stop every so often to get out and move around. Plus, I had to put my leg up on the dash or spend the majority of the trip on the back seat—a non-starter for me.

“You good?” Nolan wheeled the luggage cart to the elevator.

“Yeah, hungry is all.” It was more than that though. I still had so many questions about this place. I felt like we were missing something important here. I couldn’t say why I thought as much, but I couldn’t shake the feeling no matter how much I tried.

“Well, food is the second item on our list of things to do this morning.” We stepped into the waiting elevator and proceeded to the lobby.

“Don’t you mean the third?” I cocked a brow and grinned.

“Oh, you know what, you’re right.” Nolan bent his head and pressed his lips to mine. “Can I tell you how happy I am to be leaving here? Since Halloween, I can’t shake the sensation of being followed.”

I guess I wasn’t the only one feeling stalked. “I hate leaving. I want to stay and learn everything, but you’re right. It’s almost as if we’re in the middle of an unseen war or something equally as important.”

Nolan nodded. “Will it always be like this?”

I hoped not. “Nah, I think Salem will always be the exception to the rule.”

The doors to the elevators opened and there standing at the front desk was Zane holding two bags and a drink holder. “Heard you two were leaving our fair town early. Thought you could use a little treat on the way out.”

I grinned. “How did you know? We were about to head to the coffee shop on the way out.”

“I have a nose for these things.” Zane winked at me. “Plus I have more herbs and phone numbers from all the women who want to keep in contact with you.” He stared at me for a moment. “You made an impact here, Simone. We’re better for your visit.”

Heat filled my cheeks. “Thanks, Sheriff. If you don’t mind, I’d like to come back and visit when I get the chance.”

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