CHAPTER EIGHT
Haddie dropped a red Skittle on the pine-needle-strewn forest floor, moving slowly and deliberately, creating a trail of colorful breadcrumbs in her wake.
When her mother had mentioned that Templeton the rat was convinced to do things for food, Haddie had suddenly wondered if she could lure the thing in the woods with a sweet treat as well. Maybe this was a way to let it know Haddie wanted to be . . . friends? Was that what she wanted? No . . . not necessarily. She didn’t even understand this thing yet. She just wanted to know what it was. She wanted to understand the creature that had no weight. Curiosity burned brightly inside her, and the flame had only grown bigger since she’d arrived at Lilith House and spotted it. She’d stood at the window in their new attic home the night before and stared out into the dark forest and she swore she could feel the pull of the thing somehow, but different than she’d ever felt a pull before.
She reached inside her pocket where she had a large-sized package of Skittles Mommy had bought her at the gas station on the drive to Lilith House. Haddie had fallen asleep before she could eat them, and now she was glad for it. They were the perfect lure. Everyone liked Skittles.
A cloud went over the sun, darkening the forest, and an iciness traveled over Haddie’s skin. A shadow shifted in her peripheral vision. She was being watched.
Movement in the other direction caught her eye, something swinging from a tree. She turned quickly but there was nothing there. She let out an exhale.
Just the forest’s bad memory.
There and gone before she could fully understand it.
She stepped forward, dropping another Skittle on the ground, turning slightly so she could head back in the direction of her house. She had walked in a wide arc, moving nearer to her home, hoping that when she came out of the forest, she might turn around and see the thing that followed her.
A loud caw rose up, the fluttering of wings spooking Haddie and causing her to jump. Shadows seemed to move and shift all around her as though there was not just one thing tracking her, but a whole forest full of creatures she had no name for. Ones she couldn’t feel. She hurried forward, walking faster now, dropping Skittles haphazardly. She heard the crunch of pine needles behind her as the thing drew closer, and with her heartbeat thumping, Haddie began to run, abandoning the package of Skittles on a pile of dead leaves.
Scratchy laughter echoed through the forest and the footsteps picked up behind her. Haddie screamed, the shrill sound bouncing from tree to tree and disappearing into the patchy sky above.
Haddie slipped, falling to her knees and letting out a cry of pain and alarm as something sharp punctured her skin. She jumped to her feet and continued running as the scratchy howls of laughter grew higher in pitch. It was pursuing her. It would catch her and eat her alive!
Haddie burst out of the forest, her head turned back toward the thing chasing her, colliding heavily with . . . her mommy. Haddie sobbed, gripping her mother’s waist, turning her face into her stomach.
“Haddie, baby, what’s wrong? What happened?” She let go of her, sinking to her knees and smoothing back her hair, wiping away the tears coursing down her cheeks. Haddie glanced back at the forest behind her, a stream of sunlight filtering in and making the woods hazy and green. Magical. There was nothing there except trees and rocks and bushes of wild berries.
A bird exploded from the trees in a burst of flapping wings and rustling branches, its cry sudden and sharp. Just a normal, harmless bird. Haddie felt its lightness as it lifted into the sky.
She let out another shuddery sigh and stepped back, pointing down at her bloody knees. “I fell,” she said.
Her mother’s brow lowered. “Is that all? It sounded like . . . you sounded terrified.”
Haddie looked at her mother’s beautiful, concerned face and lied to her. “I was afraid you wouldn’t hear me.”
“Oh, honey.” She smoothed away another piece of hair and then stood. “Let’s make a pact that you never go so far that I wouldn’t hear you if you called for me, okay?”
Haddie nodded.
“Now, let’s get those knees washed and bandaged, and scrub that stain out of your dress.” She stood, taking Haddie’s hand and leading her toward the house.
Haddie didn’t glance behind her toward the forest. The thing had already moved far away. She couldn’t feel its weight, but she could sense its retreat.
CHAPTER NINE
Camden stood at the window, a cup of coffee in one hand, watching as the sun rose over Farrow. He heard a door open down the hall and footsteps approaching. Georgia came up next to him, laying her head on the side of his shoulder. “Morning,” she said, her voice groggy.
He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “Morning. How’d you sleep?”
“Okay. Thank you for staying.”
“Anytime. You know that.”
She yawned. “It’s too damn early to get up.”
His lips tipped. “You know me, Georgie.”
He heard her smile and turned his head to meet her eyes. “I do. Better than anyone. Always up with the sun.” She gazed up at him and he saw the hunger in her eyes. He took a sip of coffee, turning back to the glow of dawn on the distant horizon.
He knew this wasn’t a good idea, but he couldn’t seem to say no to her. How could he?
She cleared her throat. “So, what’d the sheriff say when you met with him yesterday?”
Camden paused, thinking of the meeting he’d had with his boss, picturing the subject of that meeting. The woman who’d just moved into Lilith House, the one who kept popping into his mind though he didn’t invite the thoughts. Why had he told her all those stories? He still wasn’t sure. He wondered what she thought of him, wondered if he seemed awkward to her. He had limited practice interacting with people. Still, even now, he was never sure he got it quite right. “He wants me to keep tabs on Scarlett Lattimore and report back. They’re suspicious.”
“Yeah. Well, I’m pissed. Who is she anyway?” Georgia stepped away, crossing her arms over her chest.
He glanced at her to see her eyes had hardened, her mouth turned into that familiar pout. “Just some woman who plans to turn the house into a business.”
“A business?” she spat. “We’ve waited thirteen years for this, Cam. We earned it. There’s no way some bitch is going to take what’s rightly ours.”
His muscles tensed. “She already has, Georgia. Unknowingly. Like I told you and Mason, we’re going to have to modify—”
“Oh, bullshit.”
He turned to her. “We’ll talk about this later, okay? With Mason. I have to go home and get ready for work.”
Her expression registered hurt. She reached out to him. “Okay. We’ll talk about it later. I just—”
“I know, Georgie. I know.” He sighed. “She has a daughter. She’s only seven.”
Georgia blinked. “A daughter?” She chewed at her lip a moment, finally shaking her head. “It doesn’t matter. Changes nothing.”
“Her mother told me she’s seen horns in the woods.” He’d mentioned it to the sheriff. He shouldn’t have. He regretted it now. It’d made a spark of interest light in the sheriff’s eyes and a heavy feeling of guilt settle in Camden’s stomach. He didn’t know what that might mean to the man, but he hadn’t liked the expression on his face.