Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 89572 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89572 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
I don’t need to ask what she found in Baxter’s files. Whose name she discovered. The nervous edge in her silence tells me enough. She must’ve found my sister’s name and made the connection. Whether she’ll dare to say it out loud to me—that’s another matter.
Is she feeling guilty? If I let her stew, maybe she’ll leave town before the curse captures her.
Why does the thought of never seeing her again bother me so much?
She shifts her bag higher on her shoulder. The chain the iron key’s hanging from glints at her throat, unleashing something feral and protective inside me.
“Find what you wanted?” My question sounds more like an accusation than genuine interest.
Her chin lifts but her bottom lip trembles. “I’m not sure yet.”
Yeah, something she learned knocked the nosy reporter right out of her this morning. If her investigation wasn’t so personal, I might feel bad about that.
We walk side by side down the stone steps of the library. Now’s the time to chase her off. Help her pack her bags, gas up her car, and send her away.
Instead, I shove my hands deeper in my pockets. “Baxter’s archives will bury you alive if you let them.”
She tilts her head, side-eyeing me. “I’ve survived worse than some dusty stacks of newspapers.”
Before I can press her for more, footsteps thud behind us on the sidewalk.
“Wait—sorry!” a voice calls out.
A kid—no, a guy, but barely—jogs over to us. College sweatshirt. Backpack. Camera slung diagonally across his chest. Breathless from running with an overexcited, parasocial grin on his face like he’s about to meet his favorite porn star.
Ignoring me, he aims his excited puppy energy straight at Emery.
“You’re Curious Crow, right? The girl from Curious Crow? Emily.”
“Emery,” she corrects. “Yes, that’s me.”
“I knew it!” The guy beams. “I recognized you from your episode on the Raven’s Point ghost. I grew up near there and you…you really nailed it. I’m actually a film major at Cornell. Really like your editing style.”
Emery’s cheeks flush pink. “Wow, uh, thanks. My best friend edits all my pieces. She, uh, graduated from Cornell too, actually.”
He shifts closer, rubbing his shoulder up against Emery’s while he fumbles for his phone. “Can we take a photo?” He heaves in a deep breath, drops the fanboy act and slips into something closer to frat boy on the prowl. I’m not sure which one I dislike more.
Emery stiffens and shifts away a fraction of an inch, but the guy just moves in closer.
“Or…are you busy?” he asks. “Can I take you out for coffee?”
My blood runs cold. Absolutely the fuck not happening.
The little shithead’s still running his mouth. “…if you’re not busy tonight. I can pick you up—”
“No.” The word rips out of my throat. I angle myself closer to Emery, pushing him back.
He blinks up at me. “Uh, sorry, bro.”
“I’m not your bro.” My voice drops to a level I only use when breaking up fights at the Tipsy Pumpkin on Saturday nights. “And she’s not interested.”
Emery lets out a small, shocked squeak behind me. “Declan.”
The guy fiddles with his camera strap. “I didn’t realize you were…”
“I’m not,” Emery says, stepping past me.
“Listen to your gut and keep moving,” I say to the kid, ignoring the indignation rolling off of Emery.
He backs up so fast, he nearly falls off the curb. “Right. Yeah. Sorry, Emily. Big fan. So stoked I got to meet you.”
He waves and vanishes into the fog with all the grace of someone surprised to be alive at the end of a horror movie.
Emery steps around me, brows lifted to her hairline. “What was that?”
I clamp my jaw shut. There isn’t one thing that would come out of my mouth that wouldn’t sound off-the-rails insane right now.
“Declan?” she demands.
“He got too far up in your personal space,” I mutter. “Plus, he didn’t even know your name.”
Her eyes soften. “He was harmless.”
“He was annoying.”
A smile ghosts over her lips. “It’s important to me to always be kind to my fans.” She blushes and glances down. “I mean, it’s rare that I run into anyone in the wild who recognizes me, but when it happens, I like to make it a positive experience for them. Even if they’re annoying.”
Such a vibrant, articulate woman. With a stunning figure. I can only imagine the sort of weirdos she attracts. I admire her for wanting to be kind even if I could tell the kid made her uncomfortable. Still seems reckless.
“Besides.” Her lashes flutter and her lips curve. “He was way too young for me. I didn’t want to date film bros when I was in college. I’m definitely not into them now.”
A burn starts low in my chest. Want, relief, or some other feeling I don’t want to examine too closely.
“You’re way out of his league anyway,” I grumble.
“Is that right?” she teases.