Page 175

"You're sure?"

I breathe. I listen. The wolf searches. Nothing.

"It's gone."

She releases a breath. A real one. Like she's been holding it since the day Sayer appeared. Sayer steps onto the porch.

"So what happens now?"

The question is simple. The answer isn't. I look at Carys. Then at him.

"We rebuild."

The words surprise me. Not because they're wrong. Because they're exactly right. The cottage needs repairs. The investigation needs closure. The town needs answers. But most importantly…

We need a future. Inside, Carys begins making lists. Of course she does. Repairs. Insurance. Documents. School. Medical records. Everything. I watch her from the kitchen doorway.

"You have a list for the list?"

She doesn't look up.

"Actually, yes."

Sayer looks at me.

"Is this normal?"

"No."

She glances up.

"Excuse me?"

"It's not normal."

He grins.

"But it's yours."

That shuts her down. I enjoy it. A little. The next hour passes strangely peacefully. No alarms. No attacks. No impossible voices from the walls. Just paperwork. Conversation. The occasional argument about whether a person who has been missing 15 years needs three different forms of identification.

Apparently, according to Carys, the answer is yes. Eventually, I step outside again. The moon hangs above the trees. Full. Bright. The same moon that watched everything begin. The same moon that watched everything end.

I stand there for a moment. Not guarding. Not waiting. Just existing. Then I hear the door open.

Carys.

"You disappeared."

"I came outside."

"Without telling anyone."

I smile slightly.

"You're right."

She steps beside me.