can get to the barn, then they can’t kill me.
“W-who is trying to kill you?” I ask, hating how weak my voice sounds. Whoever was trying to kill did kill if I’m talking to a ghost. I won’t bring that up just yet. Not all spirits are aware they are dead.
Swallowing my fear, I click my tongue, calling for Hunter to follow, and stop by the pond. It used to be bigger, I can tell by the erosion of the soil around it. I step onto the dock, looking down at the water. Boards creak under my feet, and there’s no freaking way I’m walking all the way out. If something doesn’t reach up and grab me from the water, then I’ll crash through the rotting boards and get stuck, coming out covered with leeches and an antibiotic-resistant infection.
Something crashes through the woods behind us, and Hunter growls, fur standing on end. Heart in my throat, I turn and my eyes widen in terror. Hunter moves in front of me, fangs barred. A dark gray wolf slowly descends down the hill, yellow eyes trained on me.
I suck in air but forget how to breathe. The wolf has a strip of missing fur on its face in the exact same spot where Mystery’s hoof hit the dog-creature in the woods. It’s the same one, isn’t it?
I need to do something. Yell, scream, pick up a rock and throw it at the thing. Yet I’m rooted to the spot, too terrified to move. Hunter lets out a menacing growl, lowering his stance and getting ready to pounce. I blink, inhale, and tell myself I need to sprint forward and stab the thing before it hurts Hunter.
Before I can, something splashes in the water, and I turn to see a man emerging from the reeds right by the dog. I take a quick step forward, more terrified right now than I have ever been before. Water drips from the man, and dirt covers his face. His skin is tinged brown with decay, and there’s something wrong with his eyes.
Paralyzed with fear, I stand motionless as the old man reaches out and puts his hands on either side of my head. A high-pitched screech rings in my ears and it’s like I’m suddenly shoved under deep water and the pressure is going to crush me to death.
And then instincts take over. I raise the dagger and shove it into the man’s chest.
“Ignis,” I say as the word pops into my head. The dagger grows hot in my hands and I can feel power pulsing through me. “Ignis!” I repeat and twist the dagger. Flames erupt from inside the man, and black smoke pours from his mouth. I throw my arms up to shield myself from the heat, stepping back dangerously close to the edge of the dock. Dizziness crashes down on me and my vision blacks out. The dagger slips through my fingers and clanks on the dock. The world around me fades, and I stumble backwards into the icy water.
Chapter Thirteen
My mind wakes up before I open my eyes. My head throbs, I’m really uncomfortable, and I can’t move. Hunter must be lying on me. I blink open my eyes and see I’m wrong.
Hunter isn’t on me.
I’m not in my bed.
I’m not even in my own house.
Blankets are tightly wrapped around me, and I’m lying on a couch that’s been scooted up close to a fireplace. Logs crackle and pop beneath the flames. I’m close enough that the heat should be too much, but a chill has set so deep into my bones I don’t think I’ll ever get warm. Inhaling, I try to sit up. The headache intensifies, and the room spins.
I haven’t been this hungover since—
“Anora?”
Startled, I push up way too fast. The blanket falls from my shoulders, and I think I might throw up. Ethan is sitting in a chair next to the couch, holding my dagger.
“Careful,” he tells me and gets up, right as I realize I’ve been stripped down to my bra and underwear.
“What the fuck is going on?” I get to my feet, pulling the blanket back around me. Hunter, who’s lying on the floor near the fireplace, gets up and puts himself between Ethan and myself. Ethan flicks his eyes from Hunter to me.
“You don’t remember?”
“There’s so much I don’t remember.” I wrap the blanket around myself and go to take a step back but bump into the couch. My head is still spinning, and I