Page 54 of Something Cryptid This Way Comes
Dread lying heavy in my stomach, I pick it up. The smoky floral scent and strand of white hair confirm what the car revealed.
Our “creature” is Agnes Peabody.
Shock, anger, and confusion lap over me. Rooted to the spot, I glance from the mask to the dogs to my house at the other end of the street.
Hades rubs his head over my hand. I pet the soft hairs there, and squat down, giving both dogs rubs. “Good job, boys.”
The repetition of petting them grounds me. I suck in a breath that does nothing to ease the roiling in my gut. “How do I break this to Bram? He’ll be crushed.”
I push to my feet. My steps are slow on the walk back. I feel like I’ve been run over and punched in the gut.
The house is quiet. I lock up, step out of my shoes, leave the mask next to the bowl with our keys, then lead the dogs upstairs.
Though the light on my side of the bed is still on, Bram’s light is off and he’s asleep. He looks so peaceful, I hate to disturb him. There’s nothing he can do this late at night anyway.
After stripping off thehoodie and sweats, I climb into bed. The dogs settle on the floor. I turn off the light, though I doubt I’ll sleep anytime soon. My gaze on Bram, I cuddle closer.
Breaking the news to him won’t be easy. I hate to see him hurting, and I know this will cut him deep.
CHAPTER 16
BRAM
The scent of coffee rouses me from sleep. I open my eyes to Trevor’s sunlit room. Snuggled in the blankets, I’m warm and content and could stay here all day, if Trevor was with me. But the spot beside me is empty.
His voice drifts from the hall, talking to the dogs, then his footsteps get closer. He enters the room carrying a tray with two mugs, a plate with two bagels, and a bowl of strawberries. “Morning.”
“Hi, I was just wondering where you were.”
In his gray tee, sweats, and with his messy hair, he looks like he just rolled out of bed and could easily be persuaded to roll right back in. “I was up early, so I let the dogs out, fed them, then made us this.”
“I can’t think of the last time I had breakfast in bed.”
He sets the tray on the bed. Shadows darken the area under his eyes, but he smiles. “The coffee on the left is yours.”
I take the mug. “This is really nice. Thank you.”
After setting his mug on the nightstand, he sits beside me then hauls the tray between us. The bagels are toasted and slathered with cream cheese.
Coffee first, then a bite of the bagel, then a strawberry. I scoot the tray a few inches forward so I can lean against Trevor as we eat. “We should start more mornings like this.”
He sips his coffee, glancing at me, then the dogs, and lifts his bagel. “Was Charlie okay last night?”
“That’s right, you weren’t back when we hung up. Yeah, just stressed and needed to vent.” I feed him a strawberry before grabbing another for myself. “I talked to him until he got home. Then it was like I’d hit a wall, just exhausted. So he told me to go to sleep. I blame the Smashed Scarecrow shots.”
“Those were strong.” He eats another bite of bagel.
I lay my hand on his thigh. “You look like you didn’t sleep well.”
He shakes his head. “Not great.”
“If you’re tired, you can supervise at the carriage house, and I’ll do the heavy lifting.” Sipping my coffee, I rub soothing circles on his thigh. He’s quieter than usual today, and looking past the shadows that distracted me, there’s tension in the way he holds himself. “Are you okay?”
His lips tighten and the muscle in his jaw jumps. “There’s something we need to talk about. But we should finish eating first.”
“Why?” I set my coffee on my nightstand.
“Because it’s better to have something in your system.”
