Page 26 of Haunt Me, Maybe

What was that supposed to mean? Did Fenn know something I didn’t? Before I could interrogate him about it, our conversation was interrupted by shouting. An older man chased a murder of crows from a nearby section of corn. Separate from the maze, this patch was wilted and almost barren—its scarecrow doing nothing to deter the greedy birds from picking at the last of the kernels.

The man waving his arms had no effect either. He eventually gave up with a frustrated shake of his head and trudged back. His gaze landed on me and Fenn.

“Those damn crows have ruined this field,” he grumbled.

Said birds pecked at the ground, undeterred by their destructive behavior.

“At least they left the maze alone,” I offered. That probably had more to do with the magic, but he didn’t need to know that.

The man grunted but didn’t reply, only disappeared into the nearby stall selling more cider and donuts. So polite. I definitely wasn’t getting in his line. A cacophony of squawks and caws pulled my attention from the grumpy man and back to the flock wreaking havoc on innocent ears of corn. There were a lot more beaky little faces there than a moment ago.

Their feathers ruffled in belligerent waves; the ones in the back started with agitation before the others picked it up, ending with those closest to us. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, like little arrows pointing in the direction I should run.

One crow hopped closer, its head tilting as it tracked the way I slowly reached over to pick up Fenn. I felt more pressure, and sure enough, the entire group stared at me now. All those beady eyes…Goddess, it was creepy. Unnatural almost. There was an air of danger behind that many living things taking notice of you.

Another crow landed on the ground halfway between me and the field, its squawk like a screech of confirmation. The rest of the flock picked up the cry, and then it twisted into a haunting mess of rattles and clicks. I didn’t even know crows could make those sounds, and some deep instinct told me it wasn’t a good thing.

Wes reappeared by my side, his entire body visible and solid. His hand hooked on my elbow and pulled with an unrelenting grip. I stumbled to the side, tightening my hold on Fenn so I wouldn’t drop him.

“It’s time to go,” Wes ordered, voice low. The crows seemed to hear him anyway. “I don’t like the feel of those birds.”

Agreed, Fenn added with an unsettled croak. There’s something wicked linking their minds, like an oily residue that should not be attached to native wildlife.

We practically ran out of there, Fenn tucked protectively against my chest. Wes let go of my arm once we were back on the residential paths, but stayed close to me. My skin zinged everywhere he’d touched, like my nerves hadn’t realized that the danger had passed. Even my elbow gave an insistent throb.

It was just adrenaline that had me reacting that way, surely. It was the strange tone of the farm that had my magic stirring low and restless in my ribs. Illusions quivered at the edge of my vision, eager and untrained. I clamped down hard on them and forced myself to breathe evenly.

I gently set Fenn on the ground so I wouldn’t accidentally squeeze him and focused on the painful prick of my nails digging into my palms.

“Are you okay?” Wes asked, too casually. I guess I wasn’t as inconspicuous as I thought.

I nodded anyway and lied through my teeth. “Yeah. I’m processing being emotionally manipulated by corn.”

He huffed a laugh. “It definitely had opinions.”

“So did you,” I countered. “Loudly. And repeatedly.”

He shot me a look. “Because I was right.”

Laughter drifted through the air as we passed a group on their way to the farm, and normality pressed in around me. But Wes didn’t fade. He stayed. It felt like another major shift between us. Almost…intimate.

When the group passed, it went quiet once more, and the world narrowed to the sound of our steps. Well, mine…and Fenn’s little squishy hops. I was painfully aware of how close Wes was. He hadn’t gone back to floating over the road but continued to walk on the sidewalk directly next to me.

We weren’t touching. Not yet. However, cold air curled around my wrist in a familiar way.

“You don’t have to walk me back,” I said, but didn’t really mean it. The words kind of fell out of my mouth without permission. “What I meant was, Fenn is here and—hey! Where are you going now?”

Fenn, ever the one to do the exact opposite of what I said, hopped off the sidewalk and vanished into the tall grass. His dark skin allowed him to blend perfectly.

I need to hunt, his voice carried back, suspiciously smug. Behave. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.

There he went with that cryptic shit again. What did he know? The grass rustled a few times as he dug around, but eventually the sounds of the approaching night took over. Fiery streaks painted the sky, barely casting enough light to keep the streetlights off.

“You were saying?” Wes asked, a small smirk playing across his lips.

My cheeks burned, and I pushed forward before he had a chance to catch my blush.

“I can still walk back. The inn is like, right there. You don’t have to escort me.”