The stale air already smells of him—citrus, leather, and all things forbidden. It feels wrong to be in here without his knowledge and to inhale his scent deep into my lungs, but like an addict, I can’t help myself.
Just one more breath?—
“Camryn.” Mom’s voice drifts through the floorboards beneath my feet.
Torn from my thoughts, I leave Dominic’s room and hurry downstairs, cursing my own weakness where my stepbrother is concerned.
Mom exits the living room with a sweeping brush in her hand, cheeks flushed and covered in dust. She holds the brush out and smiles. “Let’s clean this place up.”
I wake with a start, trapped in the hazy remnants of a nightmare. Sweat clings to my forehead, and I swipe damp strands of hair from my brow before glancing at the window, where the shutters rattle on the outside.
The wind whistling through the old house adds to the creepy sensation slithering over my skin. It is still dark outside.
I look at the alarm clock and breathe in deeply. It has only just passed four in the morning.
After lying down and turning on my side, I pull the quilt to my chin. Dread twists my stomach and sweat beads on my neck. There’s something in the corner of the room, beside the door. Something is watching me, something that chills me to the bone. Something evil.
Shadows thicken and swirl like mist on a forest floor, and my nostrils fill with the scent of sulfur as the taste of ash fills my mouth. Outside, the wind picks up, slamming the shutters against the window in time with the erratic beat of my heart.
As I lift my head off the pillow, I see what looks like a hooded man coated in shadows and cruel intent. But I can’t make out his face—only the outline of him.
A gasp flees my lips before I shoot upright in bed, fumbling to switch on the lamp on my bedside table. Light floods the room, almost instantly chasing away the shadows and the scent of sulfur.
I clutch the quilt to my chest as I stare at the empty corner and the closed door.
My gown hangs from a hook.
A gown that looks like a man in the dark.
It was just my imagination.
Relieved, I flop back down and run my hand over my face, feeling stupid. I’m on edge and easily spooked. I turn back over on my side, snuggling deeper into my pillow as I glance back at the door. Now that my mind isn’t playing tricks on me, I can see the gown clearly in the darkness.
My eyes drift shut and I inhale deeply, relaxing every muscle. If I fall back asleep now, I can get a few more hours of rest.
TWO
CAMRYN
Dustswirls along the streak of sunshine streaming through the open kitchen window. According to the app on my phone, it’s an unusually hot summer’s day, but the chill in the house remains.
As a warm breeze drifts over my skin, I bite into my jelly toast.
Freshly showered and dressed in a white T-shirt and black jean shorts, Dominic has his AirPods in his ears and studiously ignores us all while playing with his Zippo. The guy doesn’t smoke, but he carries that damn thing everywhere because it used to belong to his dad.
Seated beside him, Mom glances his way before reaching for her coffee cup and bringing it to her lips. She takes a sip and clears her throat. “Dominic will drive you to school today.”
I swallow down the piece of dry toast in my mouth. “Great.”
When I look at him, those hard, dark eyes swing in my direction. Dominic clenches his jaw, then looks past me like I don’t exist, as though I’m unworthy of his attention. He flicks the Zippo and strikes the wheel.
My chest tightens when a flame jumps to life, and I suck in a breath, hating how his dismissal hurts.
I finish my toast in silence, enjoying the breeze from the open window and the birdsong outside. Such a novelty.
Before we moved here, we lived in the city, amongst the misty sewers, pizza smells, and the sound of honking cars and angry taxi drivers. I’m not used to this peaceful silence.
Mom discusses installing the surveillance cameras we brought from the previous house. I’m only half-listening. “We’re in the middle of nowhere. I doubt anyone will break in.”
