Page 153 of A Curse On Black Lake
“They’re telling us to leavenow,” she says as we hustle down the small hill.
We hop in the truck and the headlights come on, and we jump out of our skin, as a man dressed in a suit from many decades ago, crosses the small street and looks at us as blood stains his chin and neck, soaking into his shirt. I glance down at his hand, and he’s carrying a bouquet of the Monitio Flos De Letum.
“Drive, don’t pay attention, just drive,” she says.
I force myself to put the truck into gear and put the pedal to the metal, maneuvering out of the cemetery, headed straight for home.
“Are we going to talk about that?” I ask her.
“There’s nothing to talk about. What you saw was what they wanted you to see,” she says.
“But he was carrying —”
“I know. I don’t get it. There’s probably nothing to get,” she says quickly, though I think I hear an edge of fear in her voice.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“What for?” I ask.
“Bringing me. It was … It was really nice to have someone with me this time,” she says.
“I’m sorry the ghosts came out. I wish you had more time.”
“None of us has enough time, and what we do with the little we have is more important now than ever,” she says in a faraway voice. I glance at Eliana, her features sharply outlined by the bright moon, as she looks out her window.
When we get home, she heads upstairs, and a few minutes later I hear the shower running. Not sure what to make of tonight, I go down to check on the animals, and put the goats in one of the stalls for the night.
After that, I walk the perimeter of the house, and call for Tiny, since I know Eliana likes to have him around. When we get inside, I check every door and window twice, and leave a couple of lights on downstairs. I set a bowl of water out for Tiny, and he curls up on the rug in the living room, dismissing me.
My eyes get heavier with every stair I climb. It’s been a long day, and I almost fell asleep in the shower. When my head hits the pillow, and I’m nearly asleep until my bedroom door opens. I pop up, and Eliana stands there, shifting on her feet.
“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” I ask her, wide awake.
“Can I sleep in here?” she asks.
“Yeah, of course.” I pull back the covers for her.
She goes to the other side of the bed and crawls in. Drawing the blanket over both of us, and we lay there without touching. I have to fight myself tooth and nail not to pull her into my chest and never let her go. Eliana quiets the madness in my mind. She is the cure to the sulky bastard I’ve been for a long time. I lift my hand to reach for her then fist it, dropping it on the bed between us. I don’t want to push her, so I close my eyes and get comfortable, then she shifts around in bed until she’s tucked into my side with an arm thrown across my ribs, and I fall asleep with a smile on my face.
Chapter forty-eight
Killian
Wakinguptopee,I trudge into the bathroom trying to be as quiet as I can. When I finish doing my business, I flip the light off before opening the door. Still half-asleep, I trudge back to bed and slip under the covers, reaching for Eliana.
She’s not there.
My heart seizes, and I touch her side of the bed. It’s ice cold. It’s not half-warm as if she woke up to run to the bathroom.
“Eliana?” I call, getting back out of bed.
“Eliana?” I call again, looking in the hall bathroom, and her room.
That’s odd.
My heart struggles to beat as panic builds, searing the ventricles, as I look around the house. Hurrying down the stairs, she’s not in the kitchen, and I realize Tiny isn’t in the house.
Why did she go outside?
