AllFreeNovel
Share Us
ZARA
Axil hops up and trots to the front door. I grab his leash from a hook and then stand at the door. Why is this so difficult? There aren’t any monsters waiting on the front porch. It’s the middle of the night.
Is this the best night to assert my freedom? Probably not, but that feeling in my gut is blazing, insisting now is the time. I doubt anyone is out right now, anyway.
Axil leans into my leg, and he makes a little woofing sound. I swear he’s telling me to open up the door. Why do I feel close to tears all of a sudden?
“Okay. You’re right. I have to stop being a coward. Let’s go.” I hook the leash to Axil’s collar and open the door with my heart pounding in my chest. It’s cool, but there’s a hint of humidity in the air that means I don’t need a jacket.
I grab a set of keys off a hook by the door and stuff them in the pocket of my, well, Ruby’s, sweatshirt. My fingers shake as I make sure the door locks behind me, but Axil doesn’t move from my side.
“You’re such a good boy,” I murmur and let my fingertips rest on the scruff of his neck.
I let Axil take the lead when he doesn’t pull me into the woods. The sky is a brilliant tapestry of stars that I can see, even with the occasional porch light chasing off the darkness. Ruby doesn’t live too far from the main street of Wild Haven, and that’s exactly where Axil is taking us.
The businesses are all closed for the night. There are still booths set up from the festival earlier in the night, and garbage cans nearly overflow with cups and empty food containers. There’s the scent of spilled drinks slightly souring the air, but the impression I have is that a good time was had tonight. It’s nothing like the parties the Duke used to hold. Cleaning up after those events always made my skin crawl. Even if I didn’t know specifically that something had happened, I could feel the residue of bad energy.
Axil pulls me back and forth, sniffing everything. I inhale and close my eyes. The air smells different here. Not just because of the salty ocean so close, but magic doesn’t hang thick in the breeze.
“What are you doing out so late?”
My eyes snap open at the man’s voice, and my stomach launches up into my throat. Axil tugs at the leash, his tail wagging at Rhys as he approaches me.
“Oh, it’s you.” I heave a sigh of relief and my shoulders sag, even as my stomach does a little flip. Rhys makes my skin tingle, my body naturally drawn to him as though we’re meant to stand near one another. His inky hair is messy and falling into his eyes. He runs a hand through it, sweeping it back off his forehead, while those unusual eyes study me.
“Are you out here alone?” There’s no condescension in his tone, only concern.
I nod toward the dog. “I’ve got Axil.”
Rhys smiles down at the animal and Axil returns his greeting with a lick. “I’m not sure if he’d protect you or roll over for belly rubs.”
We’re in the middle of the cobblestone street. The wind is mild, but a breeze makes the long ribbons around a Maypole flutter.
“Ruby said I couldn’t stay holed up in her house forever.”
Rhys nods and then shakes his head. “She’s not wrong, but maybe a walk at four in the morning isn’t the best idea.”
“You’re out for a walk,” I point out the obvious.
“That’s true.” Rhys makes a weary sound, taking a few steps to sit on a wooden bench that circles a large tree. He leans his head back, resting it against the bark, and his eyelids droop. Without thinking, I move to his side, taking my own seat. Axil lays down at my feet, groaning like an old man.
“I hear ya, buddy,” Rhys says. The smell of wood smoke drifts off Rhys, covering the usual heady spicy scent that I already have memorized. I take a closer look at him.
“Are you okay? Ruby told me what happened to your friend Archer tonight.”
Rhys angles his head toward me, still resting it against the tree. “And you still went out for a walk?”
I shrug. “It felt like the right time.”
Rhys searches my face, but he doesn’t comment on my nighttime stroll again. “Tonight was… fucked up.”
He closes his eyes, and for a second, I think he’s gone to sleep. When he opens them, I’m caught off guard by what I see. There’s so much pain, anger, and vulnerability staring back at me. My breath catches in my chest, because I feel like I’m seeing something so private, and I don’t know what to do with it. It’s as if Rhys is exposing his darkest secrets and I’m the lucky one who gets to see them.
“Archer’s fine. All healed up. We just burned down my father’s house.”
My mouth drops open and I search for a suitable response to that. Thankfully, I don’t have to.
“I told you about what Lena learned our father did to our mom. He’s a piece of shit who deserves the worst things life can possibly give to him.”
