Page 16 of Synodic

Rowen’s large, muscular frame peeled from out of the forest shadows. He holstered his drawn blade and moved until he was completely within my view.

“What are you doing here?” I demanded angrily, waving my arm as if I owned this stump and everything around it. Losing my balance, I nearly rolled off the tree in an unbecoming flail of limbs, but miraculously caught myself at the last second.

“Are you drunk?” Rowen asked, almost amused.

My blood seethed. How dare he!

His mere appearance seemed to mock me as if my will to keep him away was only paper-thin and not the stronghold I’d envisioned. Not to mention the added slight of his near spot-on observation. Whether or not getting drunk had been my intention all along was privileged information, he didn’t need to know that.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business, but no, not entirely,” I said indignantly, holding onto the sides of the stump like my life depended on it. There was no way I was letting Rowen see me fall.

Unconvinced by my performance, he stalked towards me with a primal confidence that had my insides twisting. His steely green gaze pinned me in place, and I clutched the edged bark even harder as my breath quickened. I expected him to step right up to me, tilt my chin to his face and inspect me at close range, but he deliberately stopped a few feet away, keeping a calculated distance.

Wearing his usual trousers, dark linen shirt, and holstered weapon, he looked exactly as I remembered him. Beautiful yet dangerous, just like hemlock—the philosopher’s bane, and now mine as well.

Rowen was lovely to look at and admire from a distance, but get too close, inhale him once, or stare too deeply into his eyes, and he could be deadly. How fitting that he and his eyes should match such a plant both in color and character.

“That’s where you’re wrong. As I’ve told you before, I make it a point to know the happenings in these woods. So? What. Happened?” he pressed with the annunciation of every word.

“I’m not sure…” I said, wishing I knew the answer myself. My mind and body felt out of control like a Tilt-A-Whirl, and my feet were killing me.

Determined to fix at least one thing about my horrible situation, I attempted to break open the clasps at my ankles. Rowen made no move to assist me as I struggled and cursed the tiny buckles that ensnared my feet. I wouldn’t have accepted his help even if he offered, but still!

Sensing my frustration, the slightest smirk lifted his lips. He was enjoying watching me flounder spectacularly. “You don’t know?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest in a languid movement that suggested he had all night.

I finally managed to release my feet from their stilettoed hells with a relieved groan. The victory, however, was short-lived. “That’s right. I don’t know!” I said, exasperated. He was angering me with how calm and collected he was, whereas my whole world was slipping from my grasp, and it felt like I was losing my mind. “Any other helpful questions?”

“Do you intentionally wander about clueless and half-naked with such little regard for your safety, or does it just come naturally?” he asked pointedly.

Not appreciating his tone in the slightest, I did the only thing within my control. I chucked my high heel right at his arrogant head. It landed somewhere with a thud, about three trees away from where he stood.

His green eyes widened in surprise and a full smile broke out across his face. “Were you aiming for me? I should hope you are drunk with how off your aim is. Really, Copeland, it didn’t even come close.”

How infuriating!I knew my shot was better than that, but right now I had about as much aim as someone who’d downed an entire bottle of scotch.

“I only had a couple of drinks,” I confessed crossly. “But it seems that I’m having some sort of negative reaction.” I couldn’t think of any other reason why my body would react this way.

“So it would seem,” Rowen said, pulling his dark eyebrows together, forming a crease on his flawless face. He still made no attempt to come closer to me but the muscles in his jaw hammered in contemplation. “Has this ever happened before?”

“If it had, do you think I would be repeating the experience?” I asked as the strap of my dress slipped past my shoulder. I tried righting it, but the thin piece of fabric didn’t seem to want to stay up. “The worst part is I’m not even sleeping. I’m awake, or at least I think I am. I’m hallucinating in a very public place with hundreds of people around, yet you’re the only one I’m actively trying to avoid.”

Rowen’s face flashed with shock and he opened his mouth, but before I could hear his reply, I was back in Prism with its flickering lights and pounding music.

Barefoot and probably looking blackout drunk or drugged, I knew I wasn’t safe.

I wondered if Harlan or Natalie were looking for me yet. I checked my phone but there wasn’t a single missed call or text.

Where were they?

I attempted to stand and find them but a dizzy spell took over and pressed me back down with a firm hand. I fumbled for Harlan’s number again, but still no answer. When I went to try Natalie, my phone disastrously powered down in my hand.

This night couldn’t get any worse.

I closed my eyes in frustration and opened them to Rowen’s face. He was no longer amused or calm and his nostrils flared angrily. “You just disappeared for a moment. That isn’t normal. Where are you?”

“I…I’m out…at a…party.”

“Are you alone?”

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