AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She studies the bracelet for a few seconds. Her full lips pulled up in the barest hint of a smirk. She drops her hand to her side, wordlessly lowering her eyes from mine.
“You still don’t believe me?” I ask after a long stretch of awkward silence.
“It’s just…,” she shrugs hesitantly. “It’s hard. All my life, I’ve tried really hard to live by logic. I believe in science and the things that I can see. It has to make sense, you know? So, I can’t wrap my head around ghosts, shamans, or witches…. Or the fact that a man that I’ve worked with for years has been controlling me with sorcery, making me do unspeakable things like murder, and…,” she trails off and shakes her head. “It just doesn’t make sense that my life depends on a bracelet.”
“I understand how hard it is to believe all of this, Abigail,” I say, holding her gaze so she will understand the depth of my words and the graveness of the situation she’s in. “But maybe it’s the truth? Maybe there’s magic, and we are all living testimonies? Maybe your life does depend on that bracelet? Can’t you just accept that one percent probability that I’m speaking the truth?”
She seems to search my eyes for a few seconds before letting out a defeated sigh. “Do I have to humor Hex when he talks to me about Cassandra, too?” she asks, her lips curved in wry amusement.
I can’t help a burst of laughter at the tortured expression on her face. “Maybe that too,” I reply with a small shrug.
She laughs and shakes her head. “I’m sorry, I can’t. Ghosts are a real stretch for me.”
“Will you keep the bracelet on?” I ask a bit more amiable this time after another stretch of silence.
She lowers her eyes to her wrist as if to contemplate her response while studying the deep blue beads. She looks up with a tentative smile.
“I guess I’ll keep it on,” she says with a shrug. “Since it’s so pretty.”
Her smile widens a little more such that her golden brown and green orbs seem to glint beautifully with genuine mirth.
I suddenly can’t take my eyes off her. She must catch the longing in my gaze because her smile seems to freeze, and her eyes cloud over with an intense desire that mirrors mine. Time seems to stand still, where we silently acknowledge the brimming attraction between us.
I clear my throat quietly, effectively shattering the moment. “Yeah, it’s pretty. Th…the bracelet,” I stammer, lowering my eyes from hers. I can’t let her see how much she affects me.
“Thank you…I guess,” Abigail replies, pursing her lips with a small smile. It’s the first time I’ve seen her acting bashful, and I must admit, it’s becoming.
“Abigail?” After a short bit of awkward silence, I call, and she arches her brow in response. I sit up straighter in my chair, looking earnestly into her eyes. “I know it’s hard to wrap your head around everything that’s happened in the past few days, especially as I brought you here in a less conventional manner, but I need you to understand that I mean no harm. Anderson is a bad man, and I can’t let you go back to him. From what I gather, he’s searching everywhere for you. It can’t be good. You need to remain here at the clubhouse. It’s the only way I can protect you.”
Abigail sighs softly and leans back against the headrest. “You’re talking about protecting me when I don’t see the danger,” she says with another sigh. “It’s weird, it doesn’t feel like it, but you’re practically a stranger. And you’re asking me to trust you with my life?”
“Yes, Abigail,” I reply quietly, hoping she sees that I mean no harm. “Two months. Just give me two months to take care of things.”
“That’s asking for a lot,” Abigail says, briefly closing her eyes. “What about my work…? My sister.” She sits up jerkily, her eyes growing large with realization.
“My God! Laura! I can’t….”
“Hey, don’t worry about that,” I say, placing my hand over hers to calm her down. “I sent a couple of my men to check in on her. She’s fine. She’s doing great.”
“Thank goodness,” Abigail says, letting out a relieved sigh. She looks at our joint hands on the bed, and her face colors lightly. “I… I don’t see how I can help you, though. To me, Mr. Anderson is a tolerable boss…maybe not so great, but not so bad either. And even if what you say about the hex is true, I don’t think I want to know. I don’t want any part in your revenge if that’s what it is.”
“I understand,” I say, giving her hand a little squeeze of reassurance before withdrawing mine. “I’ll find another way to make Anderson pay. I just need you to stop fighting me.”
She raises a perfectly arched brow at me. “Does that bother you?”
“Yeah,” I reply with a shrug.
“Then, I can’t promise I’ll stop,” she says, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
I laugh, despite the indescribable tightening in my chest. How does she do that? How does she make me fucking infuriated and excited at the same time?
This woman is trouble…and I’ve yet to decide if that’s a good or bad thing.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
Abby
The brownish-red hardwood floor creaks noisily beneath my feet as I walk through the long hallway. I’ve not really gotten a good look at Pocus’s home since I was brought here. It’s a big old house, but it definitely has its charm. The lamps on the wall in the hallway give the house a kind of movie scene feel. I love the low-to-high ceilings and the low-hanging chandelier. Despite its huge size, it definitely feels like home. I suddenly feel my stomach twist with something akin to nostalgia. This is a home that houses many people, and I’ve never had that. People. I’ve been alone for a long time. My only family, Laura, has been in a mental hospital for as long as I can remember. I love my sister, but sometimes I wish we had more time together than apart.
