Page 14 of Harvest Maze

Something wasn’t right.

The knowledge twisted my gut. The force I used to clench my molars threatened to make them crack. I should be in there. If it was a bug, I would kill it. If it was a bad dream, I would wrap her in my arms and hush all her fears.

There wasn’t an actual threat, though.

I was here. Which meant she was safe.

She just didn’t know it yet.

A soft vibration shivered in my pocket. There were only a handful of people who had this number, since it was a burner phone. I was annoyed at work for calling when my focus needed to be on my girl.

But a second later, I was glad I checked.

Because it was her who was calling.

“Hello?” I rasped, staring up at her bedroom window.

“Hi, hello! Um, Demyan? I’m so sorry to wake you. But um, something’s wrong over here. And I, uh, can you come over?” Ivry spoke quickly, stumbling and mixing up her words.

“What’s wrong?” I asked before I processed the second part of her words. “Yes, I’m coming.”

“Thank you!” she breathed.

My chest squeezed tight.

Such an odd feeling. Different, foreign, and so fucking wonderful.

I did that. I made her feel relief.

Creeping through the shadows to my back door, I made a show of turning on my kitchen light as well as the back patio exterior bulb. The flutter of her curtains told me she was watching. I crossed the yard, still connected to the phone call, but Ivry was silent on the other end.

“I’m here,” I stated.

She gasped. “Oh, right! I should probably let you in.”

Thumping and bumbling sounded through the phone. Lights burst on in a domino effect from inside.

And then my beauty was there, unlocking the back door.

Leaning against the doorframe, I gazed at her, wondering how I ended up this lucky.

“Thank you for coming,” she whispered and set her phone down on the counter.

“What happened?”

Her pointer finger began to scratch alongside her thumbnail. “I thought someone was, uh, inside.”

She’d sensed me.

Keeping the truth from my face, I cocked my head. “What makes you say that?”

Ivry shrugged and popped up to sit on the counter. Those pretty, bare legs swung back and forth. Do kelu! What would they feel like wrapped around me? I needed to know.

“I woke up,” Ivry explained, “but thought I was still dreaming. I heard someone breathing. Then I heard the stairs creak. And the backdoor shut. Only by the time I heard that, I realized I wasn’t actually asleep.”

My stomach tightened.

Was this emotion guilt? Probably, since it was my fault she was panicking in the middle of the night.