Chapter 17
Finn
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The moment the doorslammed behind him, Finn sucked in a breath as if he were drowning.He braced his hands on his knees, trying to force air into his lungs, but each inhale felt too shallow and each exhale too sharp.His heart wouldn't slow.He was going to fucking die of a heart attack.
His thoughts bounced all over the place, unable to settle on what was happening right now.His muscles spasmed, too tight, too hot, too full.
Straightening, he walked.He needed to put distance between himself and the house, between himself and the woman inside it who had turned his world inside out.
With each step, another wave hit.Tightness built up under his skin.He pulled at his shirt.He wanted to stay.He wanted to run.He wanted to fight to release the pressure.
But he couldn't.
Not with her here.
He dragged a hand over his face, trying to steady himself, but his thoughts came faster than he could process.The changes in his body attacked him.
What the fuck was wrong with him?
There was no one around to ask for advice.No one would help him handle Kallie.
A shadow shifted at the edge of his vision.Finn straightened instinctively, shoulders tensing.Moe stepped out from behind the store, wiping his hands on a rag, his expression as blank and calm as ever.He walked toward Finn with slow, even steps, as if nothing in the world had changed.
"Finn."Moe tilted his head."You look...off."
Finn let out a rough breath, trying to pull himself together."I'm fine."
Moe studied him with that empty, unblinking stare Everstill had carved into all of them."She's back."
The words hit Finn like a punch.His jaw tightened."Yeah."
Moe nodded once, as if confirming a weather report."Didn't expect that."
Finn's pulse spiked, surprised by how little Moe had to say about the matter.Last time Kallie came, Moe had pestered him for days.He was the only one who thought her appearance was tied to getting the veil to open for the rest of them.
For a while, he suspected Moe was changing like him and starting to feel and remember, but now he wasn't so sure.
Moe tilted his head."You gonna keep her here this time?"
