Page 28 of Violet

I glance out the front door, but there’s no one around. No one in front of the bushes, or peeking out from behind one of the parked cars.

“Did you see someone out there?” April June asks when she joins me. Her voice is tense, and it almost sounds like maybe she and I are on the same page.

“Do you feel like we’re being watched?” I ask.

Did they track me down? Is this it?

Am I going to die without ever seeing Nole again? Or getting to know Liam? Or having lunch with Cash? Not that I planned to do any of those things—aside from seeing Nole at work—since I’m supposed to be staying away from them.

I’m just not ready to die. I want to turn twenty-one and order drinks without a fake ID. I want to grow old. Make memories. Live my life the way Violet told me to.

“It’s probably the weather and your old bones,” April June says. Which makes absolutely no sense. I think my facial expression shows it, because she adds, “Your old bones feel when rain is coming, but you’re just mistaking it for being watched.”

I look up at the white, fluffy clouds and then back at April June, whose eyes quickly dart to the bushes and back again.

“It’s these clouds. Sometimes they make you feel paranoid,” she mutters, before turning around and heading back toward the stairs, a flock of dildos following her. “Have a good day at work, Violet.”

I almost shout after her, begging to take me with her. But what would be the point of having dildos carry me back upstairs if they found me? I’m better off going out there. If they attack, I could always turn into a bird shifter or try to fight them off as Liam.

I take my time maneuvering my walker out the door. A woman walking a pig off-leash strolls past, followed by a middle-aged man in a business suit, but neither stops to look around. I keep expecting them to attack, but no one jumps out from behind the bushes or one of the parked cars.

Was April June right? Was it something to do with the rain and the clouds? Or is it just my mind playing tricks?

When I first went on the run, I used to feel like this constantly. Paranoid. Scared. Ready for it all to be over at a moment’s notice. I shouldn’t be surprised it’s happening again. Especially after the day I had yesterday.

So if it is all in my head, all I have to do is keep up my disguise. If I stick to my role of old town librarian, I’ll be safe.

Chapter 13

Violet

The feeling of being watched goes away as I slowly shuffle to work, and other worries take its place. I think back to last night and how adamantly Violet rejected Bert. I’ve always known I wouldn’t be able to keep her forever, but it was in that moment that I realized how little time we truly have.

I’ll miss her so much once she’s gone. Miss my life here in Silver Springs. Miss the way things are.

Since I won’t be able to shift into her anymore, I won’t have any choice but to skip town. I have my bag packed and waiting for me in the hall closet: a ticking time bomb, a reminder that I’ll be leaving Silver Springs, and my job at Spell Library, behind.

I can’t imagine never working with Nole again. Seeing him has been something I’ve looked forward to everyday for almost a year. And if leaving wasn’t hard enough already, I had to meet Liam... and Cash. My fated mates.

I’ve been trying not to think about it too much over the last day, but the truth is, I want to get to know them. I want to go to lunch with Cash and find out what Liam wanted to talk about last night. More than anything, I just want to see them again.

But what would be the point? I’m leaving anyway, and the more time I spend with them, the more I’ll get attached. And the more likely I am to accidentally shift and risk them finding me.

The best thing to do would be to keep my distance from the guys. Let them find Violet’s body when the day comes. They won’t even realize I skipped town—except maybe Liam and Bert, but they’ll be out looking for an old lady named Birdie.

My heart hurts when I enter Spell Library. The main floor is silent—Nole doesn’t start his shift for another half hour, assuming he’s on time today—and there’s no sign of Stacks. I slowly make my way to the front desk, lost in thought, and let out a yelp when I nearly run over the bear shifter with my walker.

“Nole?” I scream as my front wheels crash against his side. For a split second, my heart stops, and I find I can’t breathe.

“What? Huh? Oh, hi, Violet!” He sits up, rubbing sleep from his eyes, and my heart restarts again. It pounds wildly against my ribcage, and my old legs turn into jelly. Because for a split second, I’d thought they found me, and they’d decided to go through the bear shifter to get to me. And in that split second, I’d wanted to destroy them and then die right along with him.

“Did you spend the night here?” I sag against my walker in relief.

Nole shakes his head. “I didn’t want to be late, so I ended up getting here early. I must have dozed off while Stacks and I were playing catch.”

At the sound of his name, the library cat comes charging across the carpeted floor. He crashes head-first into Nole’s leg, plants his front paws on the bear shifter’s knee, and drops a light-blue rubber bone on his lap.

“Good boy, Stacks!” Nole scratches the cat roughly behind both ears. Then, he chucks the chew toy toward the Romance section. “Fetch!”