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My bedroom was the second door on the right, across the hallway from the most used guestroom. Nothing had changed since I left besides the sheets on occasion.
The smell of my childhood hit me hard in the chest, almost knocking me down memory lane. I rolled my suitcase over into the corner of my room, sliding my fingers against the chest of drawers, the corsages from homecoming, and yearbooks stacked on my desk.
I plucked my senior yearbook from the top of the stack when an icy chill brushed against my skin. I dropped the yearbook to the floor, glancing over my shoulder at the empty room.
I wasn’t one to believe in ghosts, and I was certainly no paranormal expert, but I’d never felt a chill so forceful in this house before. Shrugging my shoulders, I picked the yearbook up and sat it back on top.
I spent the next hour unloading my clothes, avoiding Jacob's persistent calls, and eventually hopping into the shower. The bathroom mirror was foggy when I got out, so I slid my palm against it.
The woman looking back at me looked the same. Ebony-colored hair. Blue eyes. Too-pale-to-live-in-the-south skin. But I felt different. I was moving on to a different chapter of my life.
The biggest chapter.
My career.
My future.
I tightened my towel around my chest and stepped out into my bedroom. The smell of Miranda’s cooking had wafted up the stairs and underneath my door apparently.
My stomach grumbled, reminding me that it was dinner time.
Grabbing the clothes lying on my bed, I dropped my towel and began to dress. My phone vibrated against my pillow, Jacob’s name in large print on the screen.
I’d eventually have to stop this madness for good.
Tugging on my dress, I went to grab my cell when my windows burst open, bringing in dead leaves from the woods outside and the humid wind.
I gasped, dropping my cell phone to the floor and I hurried over to shut it. The same chill as before worked its way down my spine.
I stiffened, turning to see an empty room and my cell phone ringing again.
“Josie!” Mother called from the other side. “Dinner is ready, honey.”
“I—I’ll be right there,” I said over a parched tongue.
The room was empty, but strangely enough, I didn’t feel alone.
Leaving my phone on my bed, I walked toward my door and opened it, leaving the chill inside of it.
I’d been so happy when I arrived home.
I just wish I would have known what waited for me there.
Chapter Three
Kellan
Luther’s hurried footsteps crunched against the rocks of the gravel driveway behind me. “Mr. Stone. How can I get in touch with you? We don’t have your number—”
I spun on my heel, halting Luther in his tracks.
Mr. Bogart stood in the doorway of his home, hands shoved into his pants, an all-consuming look of gloom etched into his features. The hunched shoulders and the permanent curve of his frown turned the knife wedged into my stomach.
Luther stood between us, but it didn’t stop the invisible string that connected the two of us. I understood his heartache. It was the only reason I agreed to look for Josephine.
Because Deidamia needed to be stopped.
Her powers were rooted in the deepest and rawest evil in existence. There weren’t many who could stop her or wanted to risk their lives to do it. She’d bound me to this fate. My molars ground together as I locked my jaws tightly.
