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River’s silhouette traveled up her body, his hand falling across hers, his other brushing along her cheek. She couldn’t feel his touch, but he was there, and that was what she needed.
“You couldn’t stay away from me, could you?” she murmured with a smile. “Now tell me, why are the animals like this now? Why are the trees moving?”
River glided down her body and back to the ground, his fingertip crawling across the dirt, shaping letters into words.
If you come to me tonight, you will only learn of more wicked things.
She dropped to her knees, tracing the letters. “Am I really marked then?”
Yes, my sweet nightmare. We both are.
Chapter Fifteen
“They always want answers, don’t they?”
Sadie sat in the porch swing, rocking back and forth, thinking of River’s words. How they were both marked. He had disappeared into the woods when she’d told him she needed space to think, his shadowy form blending in with the others. Tonight she would discover what the wicked things he talked about really meant.
The sound of a car engine drew Sadie from her thoughts, and she looked up to see Skyler’s police cruiser pulling up in front of the cabin. When he stepped out of the car, he wore his uniform and held a paper cup in his hand.
“Did you come all the way out here just to bring me a drink?” She forced a smile, pushing up from the chair.
“Just wanted to come and check on you since you haven’t been sounding like yourself.”
“It looks like you’re on shift now. You’re not supposed to be working?”
Skyler handed her the drink with a smile, the cup still warm. “I am, but you’re a civilian, and I’m checking in on you.” He glanced down at her fidgeting hands. “What happened?”
“Things that I’m sure only I can see.” Sadie gestured at the foliage around the cabin. “The trees have moved around and aren’t in the same places.”
Skyler took a step back, scanning the area, his expression remaining neutral. “The trees are in the same spots they were in before. I mean, I don’t know exactly where they belong, but nothing looks out of place.”
“Hold on.” Sadie set the cup on the porch, then walked to a nearby trunk that had shifted from the left side of the cabin to the right. She tapped the bark with her knuckles. “This one’s pine and swapped places with the cedar that’s now over there.”
Skyler followed her gaze to the other tree, then ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. “The one you’re beside is cedar and the pine is the opposite one.” He pursed his lips, seeming to mull something over. “Let me try something.” Taking her hand, he glided it around the trunk. “I still see it going around perfectly.”
“So do I.” Even though the pine tree was thinner... “It’s because I’m marked,” she whispered.
He arched a brow. “Marked for what?”
Sadie leaned her back against the trunk, folding her arms and peering up at the sky, listening to the quiet for a few seconds before speaking. “I went to Crow Moon today and had a tarot reading.”
Skyler groaned. “She was wanting your money.”
“I initially thought so too. But that wasn’t it. Kalina felt something inside me, and you could see it on her face. I know it’s true because things have become different around here.”
“What do you mean?”
“You won’t see it, but follow me.” Sadie led him down a grassy path, twigs snapping below her boots, until they came across the brown rabbit. It still lay on its side, its mouth parted, and its chest torn open. The heart continued to beat, and even though she couldn’t hear it, she knew what it would sound like. Thump, thump. Thump, thump.
“You’re seeing another sleeping animal here?” Skyler asked gently.
“A rabbit, only it’s different than before,” she breathed, lowering herself beside the bloody animal. “A heart is pounding outside its broken body, and its chest is still rising and falling.”
Skyler knelt beside her, running his fingers across the blood on the ground, yet when his hand came up, red didn’t stain his skin. “I don’t see or feel anything.” His gaze latched onto her, and she could see it, the unease, the worry. “I think it’s time for you to maybe leave these woods. Things you’re experiencing are sounding worse. Have you seen River again?”
Sadie stood, clenching her teeth. “You saw the dowsing rod spin, so don’t start looking at me as if you think I’m going crazy.”
“I don’t think you’re crazy, Sadie.”
