A Discovery of Secrets and Fate (Chronicles of the Stone Veil #2) - Sawyer Bennett Page 0,9

he’s closer to me than ever.

For a moment, I think it’s just emotions surfacing and perhaps part of me rebelling against wanting to cut him from my life. But then, with utter clarity, I suddenly realize he is close by.

I can feel him.

Whipping toward my door, I expect to see him standing there, but it’s firmly closed. I pivot back to my window where the blinds are shut, narrowing my eyes.

Surely not.

Casting my room in darkness by flipping off the overhead light, I creep over to the window. Gently, I put my fingers between the thin plastic slats and pull them up barely an inch so I can peek out.

At the end of my driveway stands a lone figure too heavily shadowed to see his face with any detail. But I can tell based on the height, build, and gnawing intuition in my gut that it’s Carrick.

He stands with his legs spread slightly, and he holds his hands up with palms facing my house. It’s the exact same stance he had tonight facing the elevators. Although I can’t see his face at all, I know he’s murmuring words that would sound like gibberish to me.

And suddenly it hits me what he was doing at the elevators. Back in his condo, I was still too deep in the throes of grief and anguish to really give it much thought, but the foreign words I now remember not understanding and the way he held his hands up, I realize he was casting some sort of protective spell on the elevators. I can only assume he was afraid the evil Fallon could potentially come after me.

Now here he is, standing before my home, and I know he’s doing the same thing. Casting some sort of protective measure over this house so his precious little prophecy breaker won’t get hurt and be of no use to him down the road.

I should have known this would happen. It was too easy tonight when he just let me walk out of his condo, especially since he had the power to make me stay if he wanted.

Carrick clearly has powerful magic.

A servant of the gods is what he called himself. They must have gifted him, making their lackey special enough to carry out their biddings.

And they’ve promised him further reward for helping me.

My hackles rise as I understand Carrick thinks I’m his to control. I’m sure he thinks he can force me to help with this prophecy.

The figure at the end of my driveway drops his hands, then turns slightly my way. His head tips back a bit, which would mean he was looking at the second floor of my home. My window is the only one visible to the street.

Carrick stares at me for what seems like forever. I don’t make a move to drop the one-inch space of blinds, feeling that would be like letting him win. Instead, I keep my eyes pinned on him until he casually turns and starts walking down the street, eventually melting into the darkness.

I release the blind. Not bothering with pajamas, I flop onto my bed and kick off my tennis shoes. Curling onto my side, I draw my knees up and hug my pillow tight.

I’m scared.

I’m sick at heart.

I’m alone.

But despite all of that, the one thing I will not do is be forced to participate in any of this. It’s time for me to disappear for a bit in the hope this will all blow over.

CHAPTER 3

Finley

It’s surprising to me how quickly my plan went into effect. I barely slept last night, but the good side to that was I did a lot of thinking.

And now, less than twenty-four hours after I left Carrick’s condo, I’m officially in hiding.

It started first with a candid but “with boundaries” talk with my roommates early this morning. I told them that something bad had happened, I couldn’t tell them what it was, and Carrick Byrne was someone I felt the need to cut from my life. Incredibly careful with my wording, I told them while he was not a danger to me in any way, I felt the need to maybe get away from the house in case he wanted to seek me out.

Of course, they were all alarmed. There were a million questions I couldn’t answer, causing frustration for all.

Rainey was still thinking there was something romantic between Carrick and me, and that this was a broken-heart issue. I assured her it was not, and she said even if