I followed the route Roman had given me straight into the forest. The sun was just starting to fade, bleeding gold into violent pink, but the trees swallowed the light before it could reach me. Branches clawed at the sky, their silhouettes jagged and skeletal, while the underbrush whispered with every step I took. The deeper I went, the more the air thickened—damp earth, pine resin, and the faint metallic tang of dusk.
The glamour hummed against my skin, a reminder that I was hidden, untouchable. Still, the forest felt darker, creepier, alive in ways that made me feel like a small child. I should have brought Lady Goldy with me, but she’d been spending most of her time with Junie. Without her, every rustle sounded sharper, every shadow stretched longer.
Then, a hand shot out of the shadows and grabbed me. Before I could scream, I was pressed against a chest I knew too well—taut, familiar, steady.
Roman’s scent—cedar and musk—wrapped around me, calming the panic before it could take root.
“You scared me,” I whispered, breath uneven.
His hand slid slowly down my back, sending a shiver through me, before he abruptly let go and stepped away.
“I’m sorry.”
The apology seemed to be for the touch rather than the scare.
I tilted my head, studying him. “You look like you.”
And wow, he looked amazing. Tight jeans, a blue tee that clung to muscle and made his gray eyes burn brighter in the fading light.
Roman grinned as his eyes swept over me. “You see me as I am because I want you to.”
“Oh. So, what do I look like to you?”
His jaw flexed, and the word came out like a groan. “Trouble.”
I smirked. “That good, huh?”
“Too good.” He turned abruptly, striding ahead as if distance were the only defense he had left.
I sighed, then fell into step behind him.
“Um . . . so what are we actually doing tonight? You didn’t really say in your note.”
“There has to be some reason your quest brought you to Wyoming. So we’re going to hit as many places in town as we can. See how many men I can read. Maybe one of them will be a match. I wanted you there too in case he can immediately unlock your heart.”
I stifled a giggle. Did he even hear how ridiculous he sounded?
“Uh, yeah. Good plan,” I said, keeping my voice as neutral as possible—the best I could do without outright mocking him. “And if this doesn’t work?”
He threw his hands up. “Hell, I don’t know.”
“Roman,” I whispered.
The intimacy in my tone made him stop and turn, though he still wouldn’t meet my eyes.
“Are you okay? I thought you’d be happier, considering all the drama on the show with Laila and Carter, Olivia and Todd, and Diego and Fiona.”
Oh, those couples had issues. I’d somehow become everyone’s relationship counselor, and I knew more than I ever wanted to know—like about some of Fiona and Diego’s escapades at dig sites. Let’s just say, if fossils could talk, they’d blush.
Of course, Laila had some deep concerns about Carter. The guy had dated a pair of sisters, after all. Not at the same time, but still.
Then there was Olivia and Todd. Most of their problems stemmed from personality differences. Olivia liked herspace, and Todd would follow her around like a puppy if she’d let him.
“I know the last episode was better received. And hey, looks like I get to be this season’s villain after all. That’s good, right?”
“Why would you think I want that?” he growled.
“I didn’t say you did. I just thought you’d be happy your show won’t get canceled now.”
