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PROLOGUE
CALLIOPE
Everything is blue.Pale moonlight casts a glow on our bare skin and turns our surroundings into an ethereal dreamscape, decorating the mound of earth and the weathered headstones, but this is no dream. It’s all real. It all happened.
Maybe it’s the adrenaline surging through my blood that’s making me hyperaware of every little sensation. The faint scent of damp leaves, the sting of my blistered hands, the cold ground under my back, and his warm body on top of mine. It’s exhilarating.
Soil clings to our bodies as he pounds into me, helping me forget the smell of blood and how it painted the shower floor in crimson streams. Helping me forget everything. The years of fear and loneliness fade to nothing, wiped into irrelevance by his touch.
There’s no more worry about the future or what may happen. No remorse for what we’ve done. I’d do it again, and I know he would too. Everything we’ve been through until now was worth it. He’s worth it.
Getting railed on a freshly filled grave in the dead of night is just a bonus.
CHAPTER 1
CALLIOPE
NINE MONTHS EARLIER
This isthe perfect way to end up on a crime documentary, meeting a stranger at a cabin in the woods. It’s not the first time the thought has occurred to me on the long drive down here.
Sunwood, Kentucky—population eighteen thousand—looks similar to the other small towns I’ve driven through. Bigger than some but not large enough to be a city. If there’s more than one high school in town, I’d be surprised. It’s not what I’m used to or how I grew up, but if there’s one thing I am, it’s adaptable.
A few restaurants and stores give way to rows of houses. Lawns stretch out between them, pushing them farther apart until the fields take over. Not being accustomed to rural areas, I’m worried I may miss my turn, but Old Church Road is clearly marked. Two signs stand at the corner, one bright green that bears the street name, and one hardly legible under rust which readsDead End.
About a half mile down the road, the forest creeps up to the shoulders, broken only by an occasional driveway. With no streetlights in sight, I’m glad I showed up in the daylight. Theroad is paved, but barely wide enough for two vehicles to pass each other, and it has more twists than a crazy straw.
Two small mailboxes mark the edge of a gravel driveway, one bearing my new address. The trees thin out on either side as I drive down it, then open to a clearing. A moment later, the cabin comes into view on my left, and it looks exactly like the pictures. It fits right in among the forest with its dark green roof and wooden siding. To my right, a bit farther along and across the gravel drive sits a modern farmhouse.
A blue pickup truck is parked in front of the cabin, and a woman leans against it, giving me a wave as I step out of my car. “Hi, glad you found the place okay. I’m Silver.”
“Calli, nice to meet you.”
“It’s a shared driveway with the neighbor,” Silver announces when she notices me staring that direction.
It’s not the house or driveway I’m looking at but the area behind it. “Are those tombstones?” I ask, squinting against the sun.
“Ah, yeah. There used to be a church here that burned down years ago. The graveyard was part of it.” She flashes a sheepish smile in my direction. This is probably why I had no competition to rent this place.
The ground is soft under my feet as I follow her to the door. The scent of fresh cut grass hangs in the thick air, with only the slightest breeze to accompany it. The inside of the cabin is cozy and I’m happy to see a fireplace. The generous living room tapers down to a dining area that’s more of an alcove. A doorway to the left leads to a small kitchen with dark wooden cabinets and black appliances.
“The last tenants left some furniture. If you want the place, you can keep it, or I can have it removed. Up to you,” Silver explains while I explore.
Considering I’m moving with almost nothing, it’s definitely a bonus. The grayish green couch and loveseat look and smell clean. They also left a small dining table with chairs, and a coffee table. The only furniture I’ll need to get right away is a bed.
“What do you think?” she asks, leaning against the kitchen doorway.
A cabin in the woods, not visible from the road which dead ends at a graveyard. With only one neighbor in sight but still a good distance away.
I wanted a peaceful place to start over and get away from everything. “It’s perfect.”
Once I’ve signed the lease and paid the rent, we walk back outside. “If you have any problems or questions, you have my number. You can also find me at Lucky’s Diner and Donuts most days. My mom owns the place.”
My mom is in a white cardboard cylinder tucked between a couple of boxes in my backseat.
Our heads turn when a black pickup truck pulls into the shared driveway. The driver raises a hand to wave when they pass my cabin, and we both reciprocate, but the passenger doesn’t look our direction.
“Do you know the neighbors?”
