CAMRYN
Dominic stalksdeeper into the room. “You skipped class for…this?”
Rocking back on her heels with an apologetic look on her face, Gwen clears her throat. “We better get going. See you tomorrow, Camryn.”
Thunder rumbles in the distance as they leave in a somber line. Dominic keeps his eyes on me, deliberately unnerving me. The moment the front door shuts, he walks up to the table and grabs the doll. “What the hell is this?”
“It’s nothing,” I reply. “Why are you home early anyway?”
“I bought a beat-up truck.”
“A truck? Why?”
He shakes his head. “Don’t change the subject, and don’t lie to me. What the hell is it?”
“I found it in the attic.”
“You found a creepy doll in the attic?”
My throat jumps and I look past him to the kitchen entryway, unable to meet his gaze. “We needed something that belonged to one of the family members who lived in this house before us.”
Dominic’s eyes flick to the table as if he only just remembered the reason for his anger, and a look of confusion crosses his features. “Why were you doing this?”
“I told you…” I try to steady my voice, when another flash of lightning streaks across the sky through the window. “Weird things are happening in this house.”
His jaw clenches once, then twice. He puts his hands on his hips and trains his eyes on me. The anger from earlier is gone, replaced by something softer, something I haven’t seen before. I’m not sure how it makes me feel, and when he looks at me, my heart thuds hard against my ribs. I struggle to swallow.
It’s a swift, visceral reaction that’s not entirely welcome, yet, at the same time, intriguing. I move closer, pulled forward by some magnetic force, much like the storm clouds overhead.
“What weird things?” he asks.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“You’re probably right.”
“Then why ask?” I stop in front of him, staring at the broad expanse of his chest inside that T-shirt. His minty breath fans my nose as he stares down at me, but I don’t look up.
“What happened the other day? Why did you lock me out?”
“I don’t know what happened,” I answer truthfully.
My eyes drift past his collarbones, tanned neck, and scruffy jaw. His lips thin and he works a muscle in his cheek, but it’s his dark eyes that hook me.
“I’m seeing things,” I finally admit on a breath.
“You’re seeing things?” He grabs hold of my wrist and brings my arm up. It has healed with no sight of the insect bite. “This?”
I nod, keeping my gaze averted. “There’s something in my room at night, too.”
Outside, the storm clouds darken as if Dominic commands the weather. “What’s in your room?”
“I don’t know.” I fall silent as thunder claps against the window. “Bruno sat by my bed and growled at the corner, almost as if trying to protect me against something…unseen.”
Dominic watches me while the rain comes down heavier outside. The earthy scent is rich in the air despite the closed window. When he shifts closer, it dawns on me that it’s him. His damp clothes smell of the forest, with its secrets and whispers.
“So why the spirit board? What were you trying to do?”
“I wanted answers,” I murmur.
