16. The Ferrier

Chapter 16

The Ferrier

R est did not find me that day or the next, nor—to my eternal surprise—did Miss Fil'Owen. I'd guessed her to be someone plagued by insatiable curiosity if she'd done enough poking around to discover how to hail a reaper. Though I waited for the sound of footsteps outside my door, none ever came.

My shadows kept my curiosity piqued with whispered updates. They told me which room she'd selected, when she appeared to rest, and when she awoke, opening the door for only a moment before retreating back inside. I suspected she'd seen my shadows and been afraid to proceed, though she'd shown not an ounce of fear since we'd made it to The Between. In fact, she'd shown little fear toward me at all, only when she'd mistaken me for Death.

She was a strange one.

I didn't miss the way her markings resembled my shadows almost as if she were marked for me and not for Death. The notion was absurd. More likely, Death or Fate had foreseen this moment and marked her specifically to toy with me. No other explanation made sense. What could the king of the Afterworld want with a human woman?

As dusk fell, I gave up my fruitless attempts at sleep and stalked to the other wing of the manor. I'd not intended to visit her but soon found myself standing before the door to the room she'd chosen. The shadows I'd assigned to her reported no recent movement. It would seem she was content to remain within, which was fine—great, actually. And yet, my hand raised to knock, hovering mid-air as I warred with myself.

She was not my problem. Except she was.

"This is ridiculous," I muttered and knocked.

My brows rose as a muffled curse sounded from inside.

"Don't come in!" she called.

Soft footsteps approached. I leaned forward as though drawn to her proximity through the wood. There was another person in my prison. I was at once intrigued and repulsed by the idea. She halted on the other side of the door but made no move to open it.

"Are we to converse through walls for the length of your stay?" I joked and immediately regretted the playfulness in my tone.

"I'm—I'm indecent."

I jumped away from the door like it had caught flame. My entire body thrummed to life, awakened in a way it had not been in over a century.

Indecent , indeed . The very word was indecent. It conjured to mind lacy underthings and glimpses of forbidden skin.

Apparently, I'd been alone far too long.

I cleared my throat and recovered some of my composure. "I am leaving. I'll be back before dawn. Don't get into trouble."

I turned without waiting for a response, but the sound of her shaky exhale found my ears nonetheless.