Page 67

Leo leaned toward the window.

Nate glanced at him. “You’re quiet.”

“I’m appreciating the final moments before you start destroying things again.”

“Right, of course.”

Nate parked the truck, and Leo went through the door before he could open it, then stopped short when the tether caught him.

Ugh.

That.

Nate got out and stretched, lifting both arms above his head until his shirt pulled tight across his stomach.

Leo watched, waiting for the hem to lift a little higher.

Then Nate lowered his arms, and Leo realized he’d been staring. Annoyed with himself, he turned toward the house.

Why would he stare at Nate’s stomach?

“Come on,” Nate said, collecting the dented tea tin from the dashboard.

“You don’t need to summon me. I have no choice.”

“Just trying to be polite.”

“That’s a first.”

Ignoring Leo’s comment, Nate carried Bartholomew under one arm and headed toward the porch. Leo followed at the farthest distance the damnable tether allowed.

The front door stuck.

Nate leaned his shoulder into it.

The door scraped open, and the familiar smell of dust, old wood, and cold plaster met them in the foyer.

Leo stepped inside.

The house settled around him.

It wasn’t granting him freedom yet, but the structure seemed to recognize him. Leo felt it as a strange sort of pressure. The manor reaching through the tether as if examining the strange thing he had brought home with him.

Nate set the tea tin on the entry table.

“Anything?”

“Your mother said it could take a day.”

“Yes, so?”

Leo moved toward the stairs until the tether drew tight. “I’m still attached to you, if that’s what you mean.”

Nate nodded. “Let me know if it changes.”

“I’m sure you’ll notice when I put several walls between us.”

Nate carried the seal into the sitting room. Leo was forced after him.