The Whispering Dead (Gravekeeper #1) - Darcy Coates Page 0,75

were probably in a house, waiting for dawn. She passed the florist and followed the lane leading to her cottage. Mason’s car had disappeared from the base of her driveway. She let herself relax a little. He, at least, had made it back.

If they’re not waiting at the cottage, I’ll recharge the phone and call them. Then I’ll have the hottest shower of my life and sleep for an eternity. She blew out a breath, and the wind snatched away the cloud of mist. It was the wrong choice to let Mason take Daisy. I’d give almost anything to have some company tonight.

She’d reached the part of the lane that passed near the creek, and Keira watched it tumble behind its bordering vegetation. The starlight-tinted water was almost hypnotic. Something small tugged at the back of her awareness, and Keira slowed to a halt. Exhaustion had made her lower her guard as she neared home, and it took her a moment to realize what had unnerved her.

I’m not alone.

She turned and dropped in the same motion. A fist arced toward her. It carried a wickedly sharp blade. She dodged, and instead of plunging into her, the knife scraped her shoulder.

Keira retaliated with a jab into her assailant’s torso. Her fist hit him squarely in his chest, forcing him back, but robbed her of her balance. Her ankle, already weakened, turned, and she collapsed into the dirt.

But she knew who her attacker was. In the instant her fist had connected with him, the familiar sense of dread flowed through her, leaving her feeling both tainted and repulsed.

Gavin Kelsey straightened, one hand massaging where he’d been hit, his drenched blond hair falling nearly to his curling lips. Their scuffle in the general store had left bruises on his neck, she was pleased to see.

Pain sparked from the cut on her arm. She raised a hand to the mark. It was bleeding freely. Apply pressure, her subconscious said. Stop the flow.

“I knew it.” His words were almost manic in their triumph. There was something wild about him. It was as though he was buzzing from anticipation. “I knew it would be you.”

She needed to find a way to disarm him. She couldn’t hurt him enough that he would go to the police, but she needed to make sure he left her alone for good.

Keira tried to lift her injured arm. It still moved, but it hurt like hell. Her twisted ankle would slow any retreat. And Gavin undoubtedly knew where she lived if he’d been waiting in her driveway.

Her options were abruptly narrowed as Gavin leaped at her. The knife was directed toward her chest. Keira slammed her open hand against his forearm, breaking his hold on the switchblade, and the metal glittered as it flew out of his grip.

She couldn’t stop his momentum, though. He was on her, pinning her to the ground, his rasping, wet breaths loud in her ears. His hands scrabbled toward her throat. She grabbed them to force them away and nearly screamed.

Touching other parts of him had given her a warning, but this was the first time she’d had contact with his hands. And that, she learned, was where the stain truly resided.

Her vision flashed to black, then stark white. She was in a landscape covered in snow. In the far distance, Blighty’s town lights sparkled through the frost.

A river wove through the landscape, its surface crusted over with ice. A stone bridge interrupted the snow-dampened scene. It arced across the river, a gentle slope leading toward the forest on the other side.

Gavin Kelsey strode toward the bridge, his fists thrust into his jacket pockets and his shoulders hunched. He looked younger, Keira thought, but not by much. The fuzzy mustache was missing. He kicked at clumps of snow as he followed the near-buried path through the covered fields.

The bridge was already occupied. An older man leaned over the stones, staring down at the ice as he drew deeply from a cigarette. His eyelids were puffy and his nose red, and a brown paper bag at his feet contained an unidentifiable bottle.

“Hey, runt,” the man grunted as Gavin stepped onto the bridge. “Does your father know you’re out here?”

“None of your business,” Gavin retorted. His scowl deepened, though, and his eyes fixed on the forest ahead. “None of his either.”

The man chuckled and stubbed his cigarette out on the stone near his elbow. “Last I heard, you were going to be in trouble if you were caught