Page 29

A heavy sigh pulled from my lungs, and I pushed myself off the floor. Thinking about Mark would only pull me into a place I couldn’t afford to stay.

Biting my bottom lip, I glanced around the small living room. Everything here felt unfamiliar. The space was stuck in the sixteenth century, brick walls, a thatched roof, and a low ceiling that made the place feel like it was hunched in on itself. Nothing hung on the walls. Two dark oak armchairs faced the fire, and a heavy chest sat like an afterthought in the far corner.

Arianna’s interior design skills were no match for my mother’s. She had decided on every piece of our home before my dad, and I couldn't even have a word. Everything she picked out. from the paint on the walls to the furniture, held so much love. Arianna’s home felt so cold in contrast. It was so different from what I was used to.

Did they even have running water?

Leaving the blanket on one of the seats, I crept into the narrow hallway. I noted the doors that lined the walls. They were simple wooden doors, nothing of grandeur. She didn’t even have pictures mounted to the wall. At the end, there was another door, more similar to the entrance at the front. It was slightly bigger than the others, but the only sign it led outside was the crease of light that crept under its frame. Curiosity pulled at me as I stepped forward, opening it. The blue haze of day blared into the doorway with the mix of biting wind. Right outside, the stoop led to a stone path to the back. I walked out into the bite of winter, letting my wonder guide the way.

Everything looked strange… but somehow familiar. The wind was light but sharp—it prickled goosebumps along my arms even through the wool. Even the air was crisp and unnaturally clean inside the dome, at least. Overhead, thick gray clouds blanketed the sky, smothering any trace of sun. No snow fell. The silence pressed down into the body; it felt uncanny.

A faint shimmer hung in the air, like dust catching glitter. It was most likely the protective spell they’d mentioned. I wondered if people outside could see us through it, or if they just couldn't enter. More questions for Arianna I’d have to ask.

Circling the yard, I pivoted toward the front of the cottage to check if Valentina and Arianna were back. It wasn’t fruitful. When I wandered up the path to the entrance, the clearing in front was empty. Defeat and a bit of loneliness almost pulled me back inside when a chilling chuckle echoed around me. It wasn’t like a regular laugh.

The sound broke the silence around me again. I couldn’t tell what direction it came from. As it entered my ears, it bounced around my skull. My gaze drifted, scanning for anything that stood out.

There was nothing for acres.

Yet it sounded so close—then far away at the same time.

Another set of horrifying yelps and wicked laughter rang through my ears, and my whole body turned in the snow back toward the direction I’d come from. As if it knew I had turned its way, a deep yelp split the air, and my feet began moving toward it. Each demonic echo rippled through me like a call I was willing to answer.

The crunch of my boots felt like a betrayal of my better senses. I didn’t have the capacity to listen to it. My focus buzzed around the edges, leaving my vision blurred as I trudged through the empty yard.

The haze of the snow shifted from white to black for the briefest second. When my sight cleared again, I spotted a second building, a small brick shed. It was built from the same stone as the house, with a narrow path leading straight to its door. One moment there had been nothing there, and in the next, it had appeared out of thin air.

My heart pounded against my chest at the sudden wholeness of it, but even my fear couldn’t compel me to stop. The call was too strong, and that laughter too wild to ignore. Whatever it was, it wanted my attention.

Wanted me to notice it.

Because if it didn’t… why would it choose me of all people to join in its quiet amusement?

The shed had no windows, at least none I could see. Its roof was covered in the same thick thatched hay as the main cottage. A single door stood in the center with no visible locks. As I stepped closer, stopping only a foot from the entrance, the laughter suddenly fell silent. Something moved inside.

The sound rummaged through the shed, footsteps pacing slowly back and forth.

Curiosity tugged at my fingers, urging me to reach for the silver knob and open the mysterious room. Could I trust it? Or would I end up burned for my curiosity? It was just a shed. There shouldn’t have been anything suspicious about it, nothing worth this kind of pull. Yet part of me knew the call that led me here meant something.

“Anyone in there?” I called once. I wanted to give it the chance to name itself. Even though I was the guest here, I would try to protect it as best I could while Arianna and Valentina were gone.

No answer came.

I gave in to the urge and stepped forward, reaching for the door, only to find I couldn’t open it.

The moment my fingers touched the knob, it turned blistering hot, glowing orange as if it had just been pulled from a fire. Yanking my hand back, I nearly seared off my fingerprints. That was enough for me. The place was clearly off-limits. Arianna probably didn’t want anyone knowing what was inside, and I had no intention of giving myself third-degree burns.

“Fuck,” I hissed as I held my injured hand. “What the fuck was that?” I asked myself as I looked down at the still glowing knob.

Just as I turned to leave, the door creaked open.

Slowly.

All on its own.

A narrow gap appeared.

Part of me wanted to peek inside.