a shuttered window as if she was staring out of it. He hadn’t seen her when he was standing in the living world. He quickly walked over to the young woman wearing what looked to be a floral sundress.
“What are you looking at?” he asked just to see if he could still interact with them.
“Watching for the postman,” she murmured, not even looking over at him.
Everything seemed to be normal so far. Winter turned back toward Fox to find the witch looking around the room, as if searching for a sign of him. He was still invisible to the witch. Crossing the room again, he moved around Fox, coming within an inch of brushing against him. The witch shivered and slowly reached out to where he had been a second ago.
“Was that you? It felt…cold for a second.”
Winter continued to stand behind Fox, staring at him. The same fear of betrayal ached in Winter’s chest. He hadn’t realized how much he wanted to trust Fox, wanted to believe in him, until he thought Fox had betrayed him. The witch was far more dangerous than Winter had first believed, and not because of any spells or magic he wielded. It was in his damn smile and light-hearted laugh. It was in Winter’s own fucking urge to protect him.
Goose bumps broke out across the man’s flesh as his eyes frantically searched the room for him. His heartbeat had grown fast enough that Winter could hear its muffled beat in his chest.
“Come on, Winter. This isn’t funny.” Fox closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. He held it for a couple of seconds and slowly released it again. “He’s not going to hurt me. Winter won’t hurt me,” he repeated to himself very softly.
Those words were a knife into Winter’s heart. He was at war with himself. If he ended Fox’s life now, this prophecy nonsense would be at an end, right? But he couldn’t. Fox trusted him. Believed in him. He told Fox that he didn’t kill innocent people, and after spending the past thirty-six hours with Fox, every instinct was screaming that the witch truly was innocent. Even with this new ghost development.
Winter allowed himself a shout of pure frustration since no one but the ghost by the window could hear him. Why couldn’t he have one clear and easy answer?
Well, there was one he could still get.
Moving so that he was in front of Fox but standing several feet away, he parted the veil again, returning to the world of the living. Fox jumped and swore loudly.
“Come with me,” Winter said before turning on heel and marching toward his office at the rear of the loft. He shoved open the door, revealing a large desk covered in computer monitors. Hurrying over to the far wall, he unlocked one of the heavy-duty metal cabinets. It was filled with a wide variety of guns, knives, and ammunition. It was just one of his weapon cases. This one happened to have what he was looking for close at hand.
“What the fuck! I swear I didn’t cast a spell,” Fox shouted. Winter glanced quickly over his shoulder to see Fox take a couple of frightened steps backward.
Winter grabbed a coil of rope and locked the cabinet again. He turned toward Fox and grabbed his elbow. “I believe you.”
“Then what’s the deal with the rope?” Fox demanded as Winter pulled him out of the office and to the stairs.
“I need to test something, and this is the only way I can be one hundred percent sure of my results.”
“Winter—”
“I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.”
The vampire ushered Fox into the guest bedroom he was using and directed him to sit on the bed, near the headboard. To his credit, Fox didn’t try to fight him. He used his words to attempt to sway Winter, but the vampire gritted his teeth and ignored him as best as he could. He wanted to trust Fox, but he couldn’t. Not yet. Fear and hope were warring in his brain, making his fingers shake as he tied Fox’s hands together and then to the headboard.
“Winter! You let me think you were different from Damon and the rest of those bastards!” Fox snarled, already pulling at his bindings the moment Winter released him.
Winter grabbed both of Fox’s shoulders, holding him still. He hated himself, seeing the sheen of unshed tears in olive-green eyes mixed with rage and fear. “I need you to trust me.”