Whispered Darkness by Jessica Sorensen Page 0,44

take any chances. I pull the wagon over to the hose and spray it down. Then I sneak inside, strip my clothes off, and turn on the shower. Before I climb in, I send Kingsley a text, recommending that he do the same thing. He tells me he definitely will. He also asks if it’s okay if he calls me later, after he gets done with the party, even though it’ll be late, and just so we can talk. I reply, and might I add with a smile on my face, of course. Then I set the phone down on the counter and step inside the shower.

I scrub my skin until it’s raw and wash my hair. Then I get out, dry off, wrap a towel around me, before picking up my dirty clothes to go put them in the washing machine, not bothering to get dressed since no one is home.

After I’m done with that, I go to my room with the plan of getting dressed, then trying to find Star’s number while attempting to figure out what language that book is written in. However, when I step through my bedroom doorway, every plan I had goes peace out as I spot Foster sitting on my bed, fanning through the pages of the book.

“What’re you doing in here?” I ask, clutching the towel against my body with one hand and my phone in the other.

He glances up at me with his dark eyes. “Interesting read. I didn’t know you spoke Shadow Tongue, though.”

Shadow Tongue? What in the world?

His lips curl into a smirk. “Or maybe you don’t, by the look on your face.”

“I...” I wish I had something clever to say, but I’m in shock.

He climbs off the bed and steps toward me, but pauses when I step back.

“You’re afraid of me?” he questions. “Why?”

“I...” I dither, unsure what to do. Pretend I’m clueless about what he is or declare truth and demand answers. And besides, it’s not like I haven’t made it clear to him how I feel about him now. Still... It’s different knowing he may not be human. May not even be Foster. “I know what you are.”

“What I am?” He eyes me over. “Are you okay? You sound crazy right now.”

I gape at him. “I sound crazy? You’re the one that snuck into my room and are talking about some language called Shadow Tongue.”

“I took a mythology class,” he states. “Junior year when I registered late and couldn’t get into another class. I learned about it in there.”

He’s right about taking the class. I remember it was weird because mythology definitely didn’t seem like Foster’s thing. Then again, who is Foster even? Is this him? Or is this some sort of body snatcher thing?

“I’m pretty sure they didn’t cover Shadow Tongue language in that class,” I say, measuring his reaction.

His lips thin into a straight line. “Are you accusing me of lying?”

“Aren’t you a liar?” I challenge, feeling like he’s toying with me.

He studies me with his shadowy eyes, and I find myself wondering when his eyes got so dark. “You know I’d never lie to you.” He steps toward me again.

I step back. “No, I know you’ve been lying to me.”

He sinks his teeth into his bottom lip, assessing me with his head angled to the side. “Har, we’ve know each other forever—”

“Have we?” I cut him off

I can practically see the wheels working inside his head. Then, in the blink of an eye, he’s right in front of me, so close that the warmth of his breath dusts across my cheeks.

“You may be afraid of me right now,” he whispers as he brushes his fingers across the locket dangling from my neck. “But you’re mine. You have been since the day in the woods.” Then he leans in, to kiss me maybe?

I prepare to fight him, despite this horrible feeling that I’ll lose. But then sirens pierce through the air, and his attention snaps in the direction of my open bedroom window where I realize he must have entered the house. He cocks his head then drags his attention back to me. “I have to go. Don’t worry, though. I’ll be back for you.”

My lips part in a protest, but he’s already swinging around me and walking out of the room. Only when I hear the front door open and shut do I let out a breath.

So much of what he said floods my thoughts as I rush over to the window. The