Nick turned away as she reached him, leading her back through the trees. She was only thankful he wasn’t looking at her face.
‘Did you come to find me?’ she asked, forcing her voice to be calm. ‘Thank you.’
He huffed out something so close to a growl it might as well have been. He shook his head, like he was chasing away an irritant. ‘Well someone had to. Clearly.’
Behind her, in the trees, Alex thought she might have heard laughter. Or birdsong. It was hard to tell which. And it was so hard to shake the sensation of being watched as Nick led her out of the wild woods and back to the looming bulk of the house.
Like her dreams…her nightmares…running through the woods, trying to escape, always ending up back at this house.
CHAPTER 13
NICK
When Fionnuala phoned and said Alex had left on foot for Wildewood Hall earlier, he’d felt that stab of alarm like a splinter in his heart. Deep and painful. A warning. Same as the day when Theo died. And Alex had been wandering through the woods, as blithe as anything, for God knew how long before he found her.
Anything could have happened. She didn’t even know the first thing about keeping herself safe. She didn’t even know that she needed to keep herself safe.
Especially in the woods.
How could Nick tell her without sounding, just as he feared, like a madman? And maybe he was. How would he know? That was what everyone thought. Those who didn’t think he was a murderer as well. He knew there was gossip. There was always gossip. That was the way of Kilfayne.
What had they said to her? Which of the various tall tales and scandalous rumours had they spun for her? Because they loved a bit of scandal, especially when it revolved around Wildewood Hall and those who lived there.
He stamped his way back to the house, aware that he was still carrying an axe, like something out of a horror movie, and thatAlex had screamed when he bore down on her through the trees. The look of sheer terror had brought him back to himself.
He hadn’t expected that.
He hadn’t expected that seeing her afraid of him would be…so awful.
And then she’d pulled herself together.
‘This is my land,’ she’d said and, God help them both, the woods had heard her. He knew that much. He’d felt the trees all around them and the earth beneath them react. He’d felt the words run right through him like arrows.
This is my land.
It was all he could do to find a reply. The wrong one, of course. He never should have mentioned Theo.
He’d found Theo here. In this place. In the clearing. In the stone circle.
And for a moment he’d been terrified he was going to find her lying there too.
Not standing there, arguing with him. He was convinced he was far too late, that he had failed. Because he failed in everything he did.
Three hours she had been missing. Three whole hours. She didn’t even realise it.
She’d seen the hare and followed it. She had wandered through the wild wood. He didn’t even stray from the path if he could avoid it. He certainly didn’t let anyone else do it. Not anyone he cared about. He had warned Theo, time and again. Sally had, of course, but then Sally always did whatever Sally wanted. And Sally knew this place. She knew every inch of it. Every leaf. Every blade of glass.
But Alex? Alex didn’t have a clue.
Anything could have happened. Didn’t she realise that?
Maybe she did now. She’d realised something of the danger in the woods, just before they left. He’d seen that much and triedto ignore it, to give her the dignity she needed. It was the least he could do.
‘Nick,’ she called as he opened the back door and held it open for her. She was more herself again now. ‘I should have called. You’re right. I don’t know the area, but I – I didn’t think I needed to. But I promise, I didn’t damage the woods. I wouldn’t. They’re beautiful.’
For a moment he was lost for words. Damage the woods? As if she could.
But then he remembered what he’d said about the area being protected. She’d misunderstood. It was probably just as well.
