fine-looking man. If you don’t want to hit that, I will.”
“Husband, Leslie. You have a husband.”
“Do I? Because I don’t remember getting married.”
“I was a bridesmaid at your wedding,” I go on. “And it’s not that I don’t want to, it’s more that the opportunity hasn’t arisen.”
“Make it arise tonight,” she says, wigging her eyebrows again. “Though taking things slow is a good idea too. Sex can complicate things.”
“Yeah, for sure.” Things are already more than a little complicated too. Not really so much between Ethan and me, but with my life in general. I survey the woods, looking for Bob, and then go to the parking lot to talk to Ethan. He’s off the phone now and he pushes off the Jeep when I draw near.
“I’m done with my lesson,” I tell him. “Would you like to formally be introduced to Mystery?”
“I would very much like that,” he replies, lips curving into a half-smile. He comes with me to the back pasture to get Mystery, and I introduce him to Leslie on the way. We bring Mystery into the barn and Ethan helps me brush him.
“Do you want to get dinner again?” Ethan asks, running a brush over Mystery’s neck. “We can go to that sushi place you wanted to go to yesterday.”
I look over Mystery, eyes meeting Ethan’s. “We do need to eat, though I’ll have to change first. The place isn’t fancy, but I need to not show up in grass-stained breeches.”
“Too bad, because your ass looks really damn good in them.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” I give my hips a little shake and laugh. Once Mystery’s tail is combed out and braided, I put him in his stall.
“Cold?” Ethan asks when he sees goosebumps break out on my arms.
“I left my sweater hanging on the fence of the arena.”
“I’ll get it for you,” Ethan offers.
“Thanks,” I tell him and go down the barn aisle, heading to my tack locker so I can get Mystery a treat. I’m almost there when that creeped-out feeling washes over me. I whirl around and see the blonde-haired ghost walking out of the barn.
“Hey,” I say quietly, and the ghost turns, looking right at me. He can hear me, and if he can hear me, then he can answer my questions. “Wait.” I turn on my heel and follow him out of the barn, going through a side door that leads to the path taking you to the trails. “Hey!” I call again. “Who are you?”
Feelings that aren’t my own push down on me, making me so dizzy vomit rises in my throat. Sharp, intense pain radiates from the center of my forehead, and something moves in the bushes just yards from me. I get a glimpse of it right before the pain intensifies even more, and my eyes fall shut as I double over from pain. When I straighten up and open my eyes, darkness surrounds me. I’m in the forest again, my heart is racing, and I can barely catch my breath.
But I can’t stop. I can’t give up. If I give up, then she wins. All I have to do is make it to the barn and I’ll be safe. I stumble forward, feet catching on fallen leaves and broken branches. The world spins, and pain webs through me again. Red-hot knives are dragged down my wrists, and warm blood drips down my arms.
I open my mouth to scream, and no sound comes out. I’m shivering, so cold everything hurts…until it doesn’t anymore.
And I know this is it. This is the moment I die.
“Anora!”
My eyes flutter open to see Ethan sinking down onto his knees next to me.
“Anora,” he says again, scooping me up. I gasp for air, feeling like I just popped up after being forced under cold water.
I’m not bleeding to death on the cold forest floor. I’m not bleeding at all…or in the forest. I’m only a few yards from the barn, and golden evening sunlight pours over the pasture.
What the fuck? Did I pass out? I close my eyes and recall everything so vividly it was like a dream.
Yet I’m awake.
Or, rather, I was awake.
“What the hell happened?” Ethan stops me before I sit up, looking into my eyes as if he’s worried I hit my head—again—and am concussed. Hell, maybe I am? The wound is healed from when I fell off Mystery, but maybe it did more internal damage than I thought.
“I don’t know.” I rub my forehead. “The blonde teenage ghost boy was