Page 59 of Speak No Claim

After I grabbed it, he started walking toward the door. “I’m going to let the doctor in.”

I didn’t back down. “You’re lying to me by not telling me what is going on. You know that, right? My mother would be devastated if I called her and told her what was happening to me. You know that too, right? I can bring this whole plan down with one phone call to her.”

He faced me. “If you were going to make that call, you would’ve already.”

“Don’t threaten me, Tío.”

“It’s not a threat, mi niña.”

“You don’t⁠—”

“You haven’t made that call because deep down you know you’re the only one who holds the truth.”

“To what?”

“To your future. You’re just hoping someone’s going to prove you wrong about it.”

“You’re not making any sense.”

The doorbell rang again.

“You want to call your mom and tell her, I’ll hand you my phone, but she doesn’t have any answers for you. No more than I do.”

“Then who does? How about you guide me in that direction?”

“You already know the answer to that too.”

“Yeah, well, the Devereauxs aren’t telling me shit either.”

“You have all the answers, Hennessy.”

He walked toward the door again. Over his shoulder, he added, “You just haven’t realized it yet.”

Two things happened the following morning when I woke up. One, all the stuff I threw in his face about my food, snacks, and drink was in the kitchen, perfectly placed in the huge pantry and enormous fridge as if they’d been there this entire time.

The second was far more alarming…

* * *

All the proof I had on my cell phone was gone.

Chapter

Eighteen

Onyx: You cannot change what you refuse to confront.

I followed Hennessy again that morning of All Hallows’ Eve. She didn’t know I was behind her. For the past month, in my free time, I stalked her through the woods, to and from school, even on campus and wherever else she thought she was alone.

I don’t know what happened, maybe I was lonely or maybe I just wanted to test fate, but Belladonna’s poison had infected my blood without one fucking kiss. It was actually insulting how easy this girl stirred through my vein’s.

Day after day, I thought of nothing but her. She put a spell on me and I didn’t put up a fight for one second of it. Instead, I leaned into, seeing where it would take ahold.

During that time, I learned everything there was about her. What made her smile, laugh, cry… how much she loved to dance to her Peruvian music under the night sky. The way she fed all the birds every day, making the crows shit all over our estates. The songs she listened to, the same ones she hummed out loud.

The mythological, folklore books she read, the magazines she’d skim. She was quite the researcher. I studied the rituals she repeated every day. She loved talking to Mother Nature and would often have conversations with her outside by herself. The birds loved her as much as the wild animals did. She fed raccoons, squirrels, and deer. I swear, I saw her trying to make friends with the wolves, coyotes, and bears.

The girl had no fear.