Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 47894 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 192(@250wpm)___ 160(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47894 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 192(@250wpm)___ 160(@300wpm)
He squinted at me like I was nuts. “There’s probably someone on the porch, and they bumped them when they were walking around.”
That was my presumption as well. “Yes,” I concurred without budging.
He gave me another assessing look, but then went to the window to the right of the door—a window that had appeared sometime in early fall. I had always wanted one so I could see out toward the road, as well as to see the entirety of the porch that had widened over the years. There had always been the tiny peephole you had to open to see out of, protected with small, ancient wrought-iron bars, always letting in hot air in the summer and cold in winter. Lorne had agreed with me that a window would be a good addition and was poised to begin construction when the cottage had manifested exactly what I imagined. It was there the following morning, the double-hung window, with lovely moss-green curtains with hooks on the side to tuck them into during the day.
“That’s weird.”
“What’s weird?” I asked, joining him to gaze out at an empty porch.
“There’s no wind, but we both heard the chimes.”
“Yes,” I stated, stepping closer, his arm instinctively slipping around me.
“We should go outside, don’t you think?”
“I…no,” I murmured. “Get another cup of tea while I think about something.”
“Don’t do that,” he said, letting go of me. “You promised not to do that anymore. You have to tell me what you’re thinking the second it flits through your mind, not ruminate first. I need to know.”
I nodded. “You’re right. Remind me what you saw when you went for your walk the other day?”
“When I went for my—oh, the foxes. And it wasn’t a walk. I thought I heard someone calling me from the woods.”
This was new information that took the wind out of me. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Why is your voice all––”
“Repeat what you said,” I demanded.
“I thought I heard somebody calling. I was sure of it.”
I smacked him in the arm. Hard.
“The hell?”
“You heard a voice calling your name?” I nearly shouted.
“Didn’t I just say that?”
“Lorne!”
“Why’re you yelling?”
“And you made the decision to go out looking for whatever was calling you?”
“I walked a little way into the woods, yeah.”
“No.” I was adamant, taking hold of his left hand with both of mine. “Never, ever, go into the woods if you hear someone calling.”
“What if I hear someone crying, like a woman or a child?” he teased me, and if his tone wasn’t a dead giveaway, the cocky grin was.
“Are you kidding?” I turned to leave him, but he stepped in front of me and gently took hold of my arms.
“Wait—”
“You’re baiting me, and I don’t appreciate it.”
“I was playing with you. It’s not the same.”
“It’s not funny, and you shouldn’t be glib.”
“Oh, c’mon, it’s—”
“Don’t go into the woods alone. Ever.”
He stepped in closer so I had to lift my head to hold his gaze. “Won’t Corvus protect me?”
“Corvus doesn’t go on forever,” I reminded him. “Eventually you’ll step off our land and into the forest.”
“And how far would I have to walk to do that? How stupid do you think I am?”
“I don’t think you’re stupid at all. I think you’re astounding, always have, but without fail, your first instinct is to help, and in the dark woods, not everything is safe.”
His brows furrowed. “You’re serious.”
“The trees try to warn us, but not everyone can hear them. You have to be vigilant because there’re things that want to take you away.”
“Say what you mean.”
“Be careful. That’s all I’m asking.”
“This is like when you warned Amanda’s boys not to stray off the path when they’re walking on Corvus, don’t whistle after dark, and never follow the lights. Because what they think are fireflies might not be.”
“That’s right.”
“Sometimes, in the woods, I swear I hear whispering.”
“That’s the trees.”
“So that’s not my imagination playing tricks on me?”
“Absolutely not.”
“You’re freaking me out now.”
“I’m not trying to. But the reality is, testing those boundaries between the seen and unseen world, when you hear voices carried on the wind, is foolish.”
He exhaled sharply. “Okay.”
“Just remember, what other people think are ridiculous superstitions are memories for some of us.”
“Yes,” he murmured, cupping my chin in his right hand, smiling down at me. “I’ll be more careful.”
“Thank you,” I replied. “Now, you saw foxes in the family graveyard when you were following the voice. Do I have that right?”
“Yeah. There were two, no, three. They were there, but then when I got closer, they were gone. And I know they’re probably afraid of me, but—”
“They live on Corvus, where nothing is hunted, so they could fear other things, a larger predator, but not you. Not humans. They don’t associate people with harm.”
“Then why would they run?”
“I don’t think they did.”
He huffed out a breath. “But, Xan, they must have. They were there one second and gone the next.”