“Ronan?"
He turned to look at me, and for a minute I lost myself in those deep, soulful eyes. Every one of my walls came crumbling down, leaving my heart unguarded, totally exposed. I opened my mouth to say the words, the right ones, the ones that would make him stay.
The ones I’d been trying to say for months.
But before I could find them, the air around us shifted, and a raven landed on the ledge outside Sophie’s bedroom. Clouds slithered back in front of the moon, bathing us in a darkness so deep and black and all-consuming, it felt like we’d never see the sun again.
Every hair on my neck stood on end.
Ronan’s body tensed. “What the hell?”
I took a deep breath, trying to figure out where the bad mojo was coming from.
The night had gone still and silent.
Ronan and I locked eyes for a split second… and then I felt it.
Something in the house was wrong.
Dead wrong.
Twelve
Gray
I pushed through the front door first, with Ronan right on my heels.
Nothing looked out of place, but I felt it immediately—the heaviness in the air. It was too quiet; even the fridge had stopped buzzing.
A deep sense of dread settled over me, squeezing my lungs until it hurt to breathe.
“Stay here,” Ronan whispered. He edged past me and headed down the hallway that led to our bedrooms.
Ignoring his directive, I followed close behind.
My bedroom door was open—nothing amiss in there. Same with the bathroom and the small spare room Sophie used as an art studio.
At the very end of the hall, Sophie’s bedroom door was closed.
“Sophie?” I called out softly.
No response.
Ronan turned toward me, pressing a finger to his lips to shush me.
She's at work, that's all. She went to the coven meeting like she’d planned, and now she's at Illuminae with her sparkly tattoos and rainbow hair, right where she’s supposed to be.
I closed my eyes and pictured her behind the bar at the fae club, head bopping to the otherworldly beats as she lined up glasses and poured fruity, metallic-colored drinks for the club’s flamboyant clientele.
She’s at work, she's at work, she's at work…
Ronan reached for the doorknob. As soon as his fingers wrapped around the metal, a bolt of icy fear shot down my spine. Goosebumps tightened my scalp.
“Sophie?” I called over Ronan’s shoulder. My voice trembled as he turned the knob and pushed open the door. “You home?”
The lights were off, but her curtains were pulled back, the bedroom dimly illuminated by a streetlight. Both of her windows were open, screens and all.
I stepped inside behind Ronan, rubbing the chill from my arms. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the weak light.
