The wind surged without warning, tearing down the road in a violent rush that sent dust spiraling into the air.Loose shutters rattled.The old courthouse groaned.The men in town stopped what they were doing and watched.
The force blew into Finn, almost knocking him back.His breath hitched, his pulse hammering as the seam deepened, twisting into a vortex of light and shadow.He took a step forward, then another, drawn to the opening.
The air split in half.
A figure tumbled out of the distortion, hitting the pavement hard enough that Finn flinched.She landed on her hands and knees, hair whipping wildly around her face.The wind died as abruptly as it had risen, leaving a ringing silence in its wake.Finn's heart slammed against his ribs as he stared at her.
A woman.The realization hit him hard, leaving him unsteady.
She pushed herself upright, breasts rising and falling in quick, uneven breaths.When she lifted her head and her gaze found his, something in him ignited, rising from a quiet spark to a fierce rush that left him fully aware of the woman she was now.He knew her instantly.The shape of her face, the way her mouth trembled when she was overwhelmed, the fierce determination in her eyes, even through the fear of traveling through the veil.His breath left in a single exhale.He didn't remember deciding to move, but suddenly he was walking toward her, boots striking the asphalt, unable to stop himself.
"Finn," she whispered, voice shaking, and the sound of his name on her lips nearly brought him to his knees.
She scrambled to her feet, stumbling once before catching herself, and reached for him with a desperation that mirrored the storm within him.He caught her without hesitation, his hands closing around her arms, steadying her, drawing her in.She pressed her forehead to his chest, her breath shuddering against him, her fingers curling into his shirt as if afraid he might disappear if she let go.
The moment her body touched him, he refused to let go.She was real and warm in his arms.He cupped the back of her head, holding her close as something sharp pierced him.He closed his eyes, holding her as if he'd been waiting for this his whole fucking life.
Kallie stayed pressed against him, curling her fingers tightly into his shirt, gasping for breath.Finn held her without hesitation, letting the reality of her returning sink into him.She was no longer a little girl.
The warmth of her body, the trembling in her hands, the way she fit against him, he shuddered.She wasn't the girl he'd pushed through the veil.She was older now.
Her body was lean and strong with soft curves in all the right places that pressed against him.He felt every bit of her, fitting against his body as if she was made to complete him.
When she finally pulled back, he kept his hands on her arms, steadying her as she regained her balance.Her eyes were bright, wide, and wild.He couldn't stop looking at her, trying to remember what the young girl had looked like, but failing because the Kallie standing in front of him was a beautiful woman.The soft jaw.The high cheekbones.The full mouth.The way her hair fell in loose waves past her shoulders.She was breathtaking in a way that scared the hell out of him.
He didn't have time to process it.
Behind him, the men were starting to talk about their visitor.
Finn stiffened instinctively, turning slightly to see Boone standing in the street, the mower abandoned, his gaze fixed on Kallie.The other men followed one by one, with Vaughn stepping out of the restaurant, Mace straightening from his usual slouch, and Nolan and Wade drifting toward the street as if pulled by an invisible force.
They had one focus.
Their blank expressions were the same hollow calm they wore every day, but the intensity of all of them coming toward Kallie made Finn's pulse spike.They were content to do their job each day, but now, with Kallie standing in the middle of the road, they were distracted and paying attention.
He stepped in front of her.
His body moved before his mind caught up, positioning him between her and the men, shoulders squared, stance widening to make his intent clear.Kallie lightly touched his back, confused, but he didn't move.
He couldn't.
She had no idea what these men were capable of.In her world, they were not good men.He was not a good man.
But he'd die protecting her.
The men drifted closer.Boone's gaze flicked between Finn and Kallie, then back again, as if trying to recall a memory that wouldn't come.Vaughn tilted his head slightly, studying her with a curiosity that was too intimate for comfort.Even Copper, who rarely left the restaurant, stepped into the street.
He'd gone out of his way to count the days, remember Kallie coming to Everstill, and hold on to the desire to find her again in his lifetime.Maybe he should've paid more attention to the others.Maybe the other men were also recognizing that something wasn't right.He didn't know what they remembered.But he knew one thing with absolute certainty.Kallie was back, and he wasn't letting anyone near her.
"Finn?"she whispered behind him.
He didn't look back."Stay close."
Her fingers curled into the back of his shirt again, and the small, instinctive gesture sent a rush of heat through him.
"She's back," Boone said.
Finn's muscles tensed."Yeah."
