Starlight Web (Moonshadow Bay #1) - Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,5
me. “That’s why you have a key to my house, too. For the same reason.” As she headed down the sidewalk to her car, it occurred to me that I was really, truly, starting over. For the first time in eighteen years, I was embarking on a new stage in my life.
I walked out on the porch, watching the snow fall. It drifted down, the flakes larger, like thick wisps of cotton candy. There was a softness to the night, and all around the neighborhood, lights twinkled on the windows around the houses.
I glanced over at the house next door, only to see a “Sold” sign on the front lawn. When I was little, the Hart family had lived there, and I’d played with Sallie Hart, though we weren’t best friends. Now, it looked like her parents were off to greener pastures.
Slowly descending the steps, I walked out toward the front of the yard. The streetlights cast a muted glow in the winter night, and I closed my eyes as I crossed my arms, jamming my hands deep beneath my armpits to keep warm. My breath hung in the air, vaporous—like a miniature cloud. It was cold, but I just wanted to let the peace that came with the snowfall encompass me.
“Hello…” The voice came from over my shoulder, but when I jerked around, I couldn’t see anybody there. It was a woman’s voice, clear and familiar though, and I was sure that I had heard it. I glanced around, suddenly realizing I was going to be alone in the house. While Ellison hadn’t been much comfort, at least he’d been a warm body.
“Can you hear me?” The voice echoed again, this time from the other side. I whirled around, but still, there was no one in sight.
Holding my breath, I turned and ran back up the sidewalk and took the steps two at a time. Once inside, I slammed the door behind me. I didn’t have the energy to deal with ghosts tonight, and since there hadn’t been any stranger lurking in the bushes, that’s all I could assume the woman’s voice had been. There were certainly enough of them hanging around.
Shaking, I locked the door. Tomorrow I would dig out my mother’s herbs and make a protection charm, but for tonight, I decided to sleep on the sofa. In the kitchen, I found the biggest, meanest-looking knife my mother had owned. Clutching the hilt, I returned to the living room. I placed the knife on the coffee table within easy reach and then, exhausted, I curled up under the afghan on the sofa and promptly fell into a dreamless sleep.
Chapter Two
Morning brought with it a clearer head and a calmer nature. I woke to a rapping on the door and trudged over, rubbing my eyes. Not only had I forgotten to take off my makeup, I had also forgotten to undress, so my jeans and shirt were wrinkled, and I felt a strong need for a shower. I still smelled like soot and lighter fluid.
I opened the door to find Ari standing there. She squeed when she saw me.
“You’re here! I’m so glad!” She planted a kiss on my cheek as she stood back. “You look like a rough morning feels after a hard night,” she said. Ari was always blunt, and I could count on her to be straight with me. She blew on her hands. “Let me in—it’s cold out here.”
Suddenly aware that I was blocking the door, I quickly moved aside. “I’m sorry—I didn’t mean…oh, never mind. You woke me up and I’m pre-caffeine, pre-food, pre-brushing my teeth.”
Ari giggled—she could always find the humor in just about everything—and walked me back to the living room. “You need a shower. You smell like a campfire. What happened? Did you stop to make s’mores on the way up here?”
I snorted. “No. I decided to torch Ellison’s wedding tux, my wedding dress, and the key to his convertible. Which, I might add, may have a bad case of—” My cell phone rang at that moment and I glanced at it. Sure enough, it was Ellison. “Oh joy. He must have found the convertible,” I said, letting the call go to voice mail.
“January, what did you do to his car?” Ari’s eyes twinkled. “I know you. You didn’t just leave quietly.”
I grinned. “I may have opened the window. And a hose may have found its way into said open window, and the water may have gotten turned on.” I