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I gasp. The hangman appears. He’s standing about twenty feet away. The trees move around him, swaying in the wind, but he stays still, not an inch of his cloak moving.

“Oh fuck. Levi, he’s right there.” I shove at his hand. “No! Leave me here and make a run for it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he snaps. He doesn’t look up, he just carefully works my arms out of the jacket. “Let’s go.”

The hangman’s fifteen feet away now. And suddenly ten…

I can’t see his body move but his leather gloves gleam and moonlight shines on his boots.

“Run!” I shout.

We plunge down the path, our breathing harsh and loud. Levi pulls ahead of me, his hand firm on mine. And suddenly, the hangman’s there ahead of us. He opens his arms to block the path, and I hear the sound of the crowd again and that strange chanting.

“Blue Billings.” Boynton’s voice echoes over the wood. “You have been found guilty and will be punished by the full force of the law. Jack Ketch is waiting.”

A path opens to our right and I tug Levi. “This way!” I scream.

He moves with me, and then we’re stumbling and falling forward. We hit a firm cool, surface that skims my palms. The road. We’ve somehow found it. I drag Levi up and pull him until we’re in the middle of the road. I look frantically back at the way we came. Nothing.

“Where is he?” Levi gasps, panting.

I shake my head. “I don’t know.”

And then I see him. He stands silent and still, a dark shadow in the middle of the path we left. He raises a hand to the cowl of his cloak in a horrible salute, and then he’s gone. I gaze intently at the spot where he vanished until dots swim in front of my eyes, but there’s only the trees and bushes moving gently in the breeze.

“We stay on the road from now on,” I say shakily.

Levi nods. “I know where we are now. This road runs down to the bay. I ran it a couple of days ago. Or was it yesterday?”

“Time flies when you’re having fun,” I say sourly.

He hugs me briefly and I fall into the warmth and safety of his body. Then we straighten, and limping, we move down the road. I look back once but there’s nothing there. Just a midnight road cast in moonlight and shadows.

CHAPTER 15

BLUE

Levi fits the key into the cottage door and pauses to press a kiss to the wood. “I love you,” he proclaims.

I limp behind him. “Replaced and so easily.”

“Blue, did you miss the fact that this door guards the way to a shower?”

“No. Nor did I miss my blisters.”

“Come on, Hopalong.”

“Oh, my pain is funny now? Is this what marriage really is?”

He holds out his hand and pulls me through the door and into the warmth of the cottage. It smells of furniture polish and safety.

“I’m so glad we’re here,” I groan, slumping against him. “That was not a pleasant journey. Nought out of ten. Do not recommend. Let’s never do it again.”

“Deal,” he says softly and pulls me into his arms. I open my mouth to gripe about more aches and pains, but he chooses that moment to kiss me. His lips are warm and full, and I fall into the kiss, feeling his strength surround me. I remember the moment he was lost to me—a stranger in his place—and pull him even closer as if my body can keep him safe and here with me. The kiss deepens and I feel his hands move, tugging at the hem of my T-shirt and pulling it up.

There’s the sudden scent of pipe smoke, I hear a throat clear, and Levi’s hands drop away.

“No,” I groan. “Not you, as well.”