Page 73 of A Curse On Black Lake
I shrug.
“If it’s him, I wanted to know because I’ve always felt like I’m a good judge of character, and I can’t fathom the possibility that my cousin, myblood,has been killing women for years, and I had no idea. It’s too much for me to swallow.” It would make sense though, Wyatt would know how to get onto my land undetected and avoid law enforcement since heislaw enforcement.
“So what does that mean then?” she asks.
“It either means he got lucky, and I didn’t catch him doing anything. Or it isn’t him.”
“What’s your gut telling you?” she asks.
I huff a laugh. “My gut is in knots at the moment.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispers.
“Not your fault, darlin’.”
“You are though…” she trails off.
“Are what?”
“You’re a good judge of character. I mean, you like me.”
The corner of my mouth tips up. “Yeah, little witch, I do like you.”
She smiles shyly, and despite the circumstances, it makes me feel lighter. I like that she knows I like her.
“Okay, well, I’ll let you get settled in. Tomorrow I’ll hook up the trailer, and we’ll have to make a couple trips to get the animals.”
Eliana nods and sits on the edge of the bed. Her shoulders sink, and her face looks a little haggard. She’s hanging on by a thread. Everything is coming at her at once. I want to help, but I’m not sure how.
“I know this is a lot.”
She toys with her hair and sniffs, discreetly wiping her cheeks, as if I’m not watching her every move, and every breath she takes.
“I … um, I’ve never been away from home,” she says.
“Good thing we’re close,” I say, trying to encourage her.
“I have a bad feeling, Killian,” she rasps, and rubs her chest.
“What do you mean? Are the Spirits telling you something?” I ask her.
She licks her chapped lips and won’t look at me. My stomach drops, and I don’t know how this could get worse, but I know better. It canalwaysget worse.
“I didn’t want to tell you, but maybe you should know,” she says.
I sit down next to her, our shoulders and thighs touching. “I want you to tell me everything, regardless of how you think I’ll respond to it. Your safety is at stake, and that means I need every detail.”
She gawks at me as if she’s surprised I care.
I care more about her than I would admit, but the way she makes my heart thrash in my chest, a constant picture of herrolls around in my mind even when she’s not around me. I go to sleep thinking about her and wake up thinking about her. It’s becoming an obsession I have no explanation for, and I haven’t bothered looking for one. There is no doubt I care, and it’s not because I was raised to protect those who cannot protect themselves. I care about her more than I’ve ever cared for another woman. It terrifies me.
Eliana shakes her head. “Never mind, it can wait,” she says.
I start to ask her to tell me, but I don’t want to push her harder than she’s already been pushed today. “Okay, well, I’m here if you need me,” I say, and close her bedroom door behind me.
I’m here if you need me.What the hell is that? I’ve never said that to anyone in my life. I’m usually a ‘tell me right now’ command it kind of guy. But with her, I’m starting to think I’m a dog on a leash and she’s the one holding it.
At least the alibi is believable.
