“How is that man still alive?” I hiss quietly into the phone.
“I have no idea. We should all be so lucky to live to be a hundred and eighty-five.”
I burst into laughter. “Oh my God. Shut up. He’s not that old.”
“No,” Austin concedes. “Of course he’s not. He’s not a day over one-fifty.”
That sends me into another fit of giggles. “Really, though, how is he still kicking?” Austin’s quiet for so long, I think maybe the call has disconnected. “Austin?”
“I’m here.” He lets out a small noise. “Just happy to hear you laughing again.”
Sitting at Daisy’s and talking to Austin makes me feel likemeagain. Like maybe all the pieces of Luca Damien stole from me aren’t actually gone, just hidden beneath the surface in a place he couldn’t touch. Like my subconscious knew it needed to put them there for safekeeping until I got out and was free again. Until it was safe for those little pieces to come back to the surface.
“Well,” Austin says, catching my attention. “I’m gonna let you go and finish up my shift, but I’m happy you got out of the house. Tell my ma I said hey, and I’ll see you tonight when I get home, okay?”
I smile. “Sounds good. See you later.”
I hang up the phone and finish my food in silence. I missed this.
Being home.
Chapter 10
Luca
Thecouchisn’tanyless comfortable than it usually is. The house is quiet. That’s not why I can’t sleep. At least, I don’t think it is.
It’s probably more that my brain is going a hundred miles an hour and won’t give me a single second of rest. I got out. I was supposed to be free. Austin came and saved me. So why, when the night gets quiet and I’m alone with my thoughts, do I feel like I’m still waiting for Damien to steal it all away from me?
I tug the blanket up tighter around my face, snuggling deeper into the cushions. This sucks. I toss the blankets off me, feeling like there’s an itch under my skin. I can’t get comfortable to save my life. I roll to my other side, but then my face is too close to the back ofthe couch, and Ifeelmy breath blowing back in my face.
Fuck this.
I sit up with a huff, untangling my legs from the blanket, and toss it over the back of the couch. I need some fresh air, and I need it now. I slip my shoes on, then quietly open the front door so I don’t wake Austin up.
I take a step onto the porch and breathe in the cool night. I can see my breath in the air, so I step back into the house. I’m gonna need a jacket or something. I didn’t pack one. To be fair, I barely even remember packing anything.
Austin’s got a coat hanging on a hook beside the door, so I grab it and slip my arms into it before stepping back outside.
It’s dark out here, but thankfully, it’s a full moon, and the canopy of stars overhead provides some natural light. It’s easy to forget how much light pollution affects your view of the stars when you’re not used to seeing them.
It’s nice, even if it is a little cold. I step off the porch and start walking through the grass toward the tree line. I haven’t explored the property much, but I guess now’s as good a time as any. Especially if I’m just going to toss and turn all night long instead of actually sleeping.
When I make it to the edge of the trees, I hesitate. I used to walk through the woods all the time, but I haven’t in years, and it wouldn’t be great to get turned around in the middle of the night when no one knows where I am.
It’s bright enough to see at least a little, though, and I already slayed one dragon today by getting out of the house and going to the diner, so surely I can do this too.
I step into the woods. Huh. Not as scary as I thought it would be. The leaves crunch under my feet as I make my way deeper in. Theitch under my skin is lessening, my soul calming. Yes, this is exactly what I needed.
I’m deep enough into the woods that I can no longer see Austin’s house. I love this. There’s a big oak tree ahead, so I make my way over to it and sit down, resting my back against it, and close my eyes.
God, I missed home so much. I breathe in the scent of dirt and dead leaves, letting it calm my body and remind me of who I am.
My eyes fly open when I hear something rustling to my left. I squint in the direction of the sound. It was probably just the wind, so I close my eyes again, resting my head against the rough bark of the tree.
But when I hear another snap, closer this time, my heart thumps hard in my chest, and I sit up, scanning the trees in the dark. There’s a flash of something and another snap. My heart rate picks up, my throat going dry. “Hello?” I shout. “Is anyone there?”
There’s no response, but behind one of the bigger trees, I catch a shadow. My stomach drops. “Damien?” No. It can’t be. There’s no way he knows where I am, and even if he did, how would he have found me in the woods?
