Page 100 of A Wolfe in the Woods

A reminder that I’d felt more like myself here, back home in Everwick, than I had in the decade since I’d left.

A reminder of what fresh forest air smelled like. How good the wind felt tangling in my hair, sweeping in from the sea cliffs. A reminder of gentle peace. Of slow mornings and good food and flirting over bottles of elvish wine by firelight. Of feeling someone else’s heart beat against my heated skin, the press of their solid body grounding me.

His blue eyes shone in knowing, as if he could read every thought, like I’d whispered them across his flesh.

I might’ve been falling a little in love with Jonathan Wolfe, and it felt as easy as breathing. It should’ve scared me, how swiftly it had happened. But there was no denying this sense of…inevitability. Of powerfulknowingthat seemed to echo through both of us, like it had been written, bound in magic, long ago.

“When will I see you next?” I asked.

“This weekend,” he answered immediately. No hesitation. And that made me grin. “I can come to Graymore this time,” he said easily. “Aside from the usual long list of projects, I’ve got something bigger I’ve been meaning to tackle. Can’t do it alone,so might be perfect timing to bring on a small crew to get it all done quicker.”

“You’re sure you can get away?” I asked. My gaze flitted to the desk full of paperwork, and my smile died when I remembered the Polaris Equity logo. Another strange thing I needed to puzzle out this week. Clearing my throat, I added, “If anything changes, let me know. I don’t mind the drive.”

Especially if it got me out of Graymore.

He kissed me, slow and sweet, and I let out a contented sigh.

Against his lips, I murmured, “And who knows, maybe the next time I see you, you’ll have a fresh new website and some branding designs I can show you.”

He chuckled, pulling back, swiping his tongue across his bottom lip. “Given the state of your inbox, Red, I doubt you’ll have time for that.”

It would give me something to look forward to though. I’d forgotten the spark of inspiration, and now that I’d found it again, it felt addictive. I wanted to chase it down and see where it led.

I didn’t tell him this though. I’d show him instead, this weekend.

Leaning forward, I pressed my lips to his shoulder, feeling the tick of a clock like it was my own heartbeat. “I…need to find my pants. And then I need to go pack up.”

A soberness had returned to us both at the words. But we were both trying to fend off the sudden gloominess.

He nodded and asked, “You’ll stay for breakfast, yeah? May would just hex your car if you tried to leave before then.”

“Wouldn’t put it past her,” I replied softly. “Yeah, I’ll stay.”

“Blanche?”

I lifted my gaze, the gentle burn of his sapphire gaze steady.

“We’ll figure it out,” he told me. “I promise.”

CHAPTER 27

BLANCHETTE

Skoll Plaza looked different that morning.

The sky above the glass-and-steel canyon was brighter than usual, the smog having thinned to a pale veil instead of its normal dark haze. Sunlight struck the upper floors and fractured across the plaza in sharp reflections, turning windows into sheets of gold.

I felt it in my step.

For the first time in a long while, I wasn’t walking into work braced for impact. My shoulders weren’t hunched. My breath wasn’t shallow. I wasn’t sneezing. The familiar weight I’d learned to carry like an anchor had gotten lighter.

Everwick had done that.

Then came the thoughts of Juniper Hollow. Jonathan. The cabin. The smell of rain-soaked wood and firelight. The sound of my own laughter—reallaughter, not the thin, polite kind I was forced to use here. I’d forgotten how hope felt.

I crossed the plaza doors and stepped into the lobby…and that was when I saw Bernie.

He was near the security desk, cardigan folded over one arm, his messenger bag slung crookedly over his shoulder. He looked smaller somehow. Bernie had always been compact, but now heseemed…folded inward. Like someone had reached inside him and turned the volume down ten notches.