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As Eben, he’d always helped steady her, had been a good friend. Even after he’d found out she was taking the essence of villagers in Salem, he’d kept her secret. But what he’d really wanted was for her to stop, so she’d threatened to take his parents’ lives if he didn’t let her be. She knew why he’d become determined—with villagers being accused more often, he feared for Ada. But Harlow had a hold on things and was ensuring her sister was protected. Or that was what Harlow believed.
Sadie folded her arms. “How did the trees look when you arrived? Anything out of the ordinary?”
“No,” he said slowly, knowing something was different in her demeanor. “Same as when I saw them last. Has something changed?”
As she spoke, a shadow drifted inside along the floorboards, a hint of honey and sandalwood brushing her senses. River. Relief washed over her that he was there, and even though he moved in front of them, Skyler didn’t seem to notice.
“Nothing’s changed,” Sadie finally said, lying. Yet she needed to dig. She wasn’t truly angry with Eben—it was Ada. “I know your beliefs on ghosts, but what about witches?” She bit the inside of her cheek, drawing a speck of blood. “Specifically, Salem.”
“Are you going to give me a history lesson now?” He arched a brow, the corners of his lips curling up.
“No, just your feelings on the witches.” She remembered when Eben first discovered she could cast spells, how he hadn’t held any fear, only interest. How once, when his shoulder was throbbing from working the fields, she’d healed him quicker.
“As in do I believe the accused witches of Salem were real? No, I don’t believe they held magic.”
“Not the accused specifically.” She sighed, sinking down on the futon. “But do you believe there are witches who can cast spells for good and evil?”
“Well,” he drawled, lowering himself beside her, “I think some people may have better intuition than others. But if you’re asking if I believe someone can cast real spells while fiddling around with a cauldron and go for rides on broomsticks, then I think you know my answer.”
“No witch rides on a broomstick.” Sadie rolled her eyes. Yet it would’ve made things much easier to escape her father in Salem if she could have. She watched as River’s shadow crept along the fur rug, halting, seeming to listen more intently as she continued, “What about reincarnation? Do you believe that people can be born again and again?”
Skyler leaned against the back of the futon. “No. I would hope not, anyway. One life, or at least one good life, is enough for me. Why are you asking about this anyway? Did you discuss more things with Kalina at the shop? I honestly think she just wants your money.”
Sadie squinted, her gaze locked on his, wishing she could read his thoughts. “This has nothing to do with Kalina, but never mind.”
Skyler lifted the book from the coffee table that she’d purchased from Crow Moon, and he flipped through the pages. There were so many questions she could ask, yet a part of her didn’t want him to remember their past, to remember what kind of monster she’d been toward him when all he’d done was try to help her. But that fear drove Harlow into what she’d become. And she couldn’t stop asking questions now, not when her unborn child needed to be saved.
Taking the book from his lap, she set it back on the table. “What are your thoughts on murderers, Skyler? Do you believe in redemption?” It wasn’t an unusual thing for her to question—she’d always asked scenarios about films and true crime before.
He peered up at the ceiling, mulling it over for a moment before his eyes returned to hers. “Well, Sadie, I believe in right and wrong and a thin gray streak that slashes straight down the middle. But if you’re asking me if a murderer should get another chance in this life, it would depend on the circumstance. What they did.”
In this life… In this life, she hadn’t hurt anyone, only collected dead insects and animal skulls—she’d never even hunted before. River glided closer, drifting along the futon beside her. “That’s fair,” she started. “Let’s say reincarnation did exist, though. What if this person had done monstrous things in a past life, was a witch, had once been good but then used her spells to reap the essence of innocent lives. Then came a spell cast by a different witch who somehow put the other under a hex which killed her. Only, she didn’t truly leave this world and was spelled to be born over and over. And in each new life, this witch never did anything too terribly wrong again. Could she be redeemed?”
“Is this something you’ve been seeing in the woods?” Skyler ran a hand across his jaw, watching her closely. But there wasn’t a hint of recognition that sparked in his eyes at her words.
“No, just a scenario I’ve been thinking about.” She shrugged.
“I know what we’re doing here.” A wide grin spread across Skyler’s face. “This is part of the screenplay you’re working on, right?”
“You saw right through me.” Sadie forced a smile. “I’m seeing where to take the story.”
As Skyler opened his mouth to say something, his phone beeped, and he glanced at it with a sigh. “I better get to work.” He stood from the futon, stretching his arms. “I think maybe you shouldn’t ask Charlie any of these questions, though.”
“And why not?” Her gaze slid to his, wondering if he’d been hiding secrets all along.
“You know why. She’ll worry like hell.” He paused. “So nothing’s gotten worse here?”
“Just the same unsettling silence, but I haven’t seen any more animals on the ground.” Only the spirits within the trees that would destroy anyone who laid eyes on theirs.
“That’s interesting,” Skyler said. “Maybe what you’re experiencing is fading then.”
No, it’s only getting worse, especially when the veil drops. “We’ll find out. But I’ll see you tonight.”
“I’ll see you later then.”
After walking him to the door, she remained looking out the window, watching Skyler back his car out through the trees as if there wasn’t a barrier trapping her inside the woods at all. If she didn’t know better, she would’ve thought he was a witch himself. But she honestly believed Skyler didn’t know he was Eben.
She turned to find River beside her on the floor. “You don’t think Skyler knows either, do you? If you do, slide out through the front door.”
