Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Anora and the Telescope

The next few days are a strange mixture of boring high school stuff, ridiculous Roundtable rumors that I completely ignore, and a heightened sense of anticipation that something is wrong. I can’t find my coin in spite of combing through most of the campus, even places I didn’t visit the first day. But searching for it isn’t easy considering the number of people who seem to be keeping an eye on me.

At first, I thought it was “new girl” interest, but it’s more than that. Thane seems to show up whenever I’m looking for the coin, but he doesn’t approach. I catch him staring in class and at lunch, and he’s been outside Emerson Hall every day after school while I wait for Mom to pick me up. Natalie keeps watching me in trig as if she’s ready to report any perceived infraction to her father. And Shy is everywhere. Even as I’m trying to actively avoid him. The worst part? He’s friendly. As if he doesn’t feel the weird tension between us. Which maybe he doesn’t. Maybe he hasn’t dreamed about me. But I’ve dreamed about him.

The one I had in detention was almost tame in comparison to last night’s. Shy, or rather the man who feels like Shy, stood at the center of a lake with me, our bodies bared to the night and skin-to-skin as he kissed me, connected with me, and as our palms touched, a silver and gold thread twined together, wrapping around us, warm and electric, driving the desire between us. When I woke, the dream clung to me as if I had been singed by its hold.

Now, it’s past midnight and I’m too afraid to sleep, my body wired. So I’m looking at stars through my telescope and remembering when Poppa and I used to do this together.

It’s slightly cloudy tonight, so I decide to take my telescope outside to see if the view is any better. I’m hoping the fresh air might help keep me awake for a little while longer so that when I finally do sleep, I’ll be too tired to dream.

But the minute I step outside, I feel someone watching me. I search the trees and see nothing but the ever-present ravens, and while they make me uneasy, it’s nothing compared to how I feel about the dogs snoring near my back porch right now. They’d showed up outside our house a few days ago. I thought that maybe they lingered because this had been their home before we arrived. Mom wasn’t enthused about their presence and accused me of feeding them. She tried calling the animal shelter to come collect them, but when they showed up, the dogs were nowhere to be found.

They’re back now, and while I try to ignore them, they creep me out like everything else in this town and just make the sense that something is wrong even more pronounced. On the plus side, they’re friendly, and if something is hunting me, I’m betting they’d bark their heads off.

Moving to the front lawn to avoid waking them, I set up my telescope, but the view of the stars isn’t much better out here. I touch the coin on my neck and whisper to my poppa that I miss him every day. It’s like a wound that won’t heal.

“You know there’s a curfew, right?” a low voice whispers, and I squeak and spin around to find Shy leaning against a tree.

“What are you doing here?” I ask.

Shy grins and I feel it down to my toes. “Breaking curfew.”

A raven caws from above and then there’s a rustle of wings as it takes off. Shy watches it for a moment, then turns back to me. “How come you’re up so late?”

I’m grateful it’s dark so he doesn’t see my skin flush. “Couldn’t sleep,” I mumble.

He looks at me speculatively for a second, then rubs his chest. “No, that’s not it.”

My hackles go up. “Why are you asking me questions when you’re the one at my house after midnight? What are you doing here?”

He scrubs a hand through his hair, the color almost silver in the dark. “Honestly, I don’t really know. I just…wanted to see you. I thought maybe…I don’t know. I wanted to see you.”

His admission stuns me for a moment, and as I stare, I’m once again wrapped in the heat of my dreams. I’m not sure what to say but I still open my mouth to speak when a growl erupts from behind me.

The dogs.

I turn toward the sound, and the whole pack has come around the side of the house, snarling. At first, I think they are targeting me, but then they bolt past toward Shy. I pivot to warn him, but he’s nowhere to be found. I scan my surroundings, but he’s literally disappeared. Though the dogs bark at the base of the tree he had been standing beneath.

“Knock it off,” I hiss at them, and they whine but finally quiet down.

I glance through the trees one more time, feeling even more uneasy than before. There is no way Shy could have escaped that quickly, right?

At least, I hope.

Shaking my head, I pack up my telescope and head back inside, the dogs trotting behind me as if I’m going to invite them in. I can’t decide if I’m pissed off or grateful they interrupted my conversation with Shy. All I know is that Shy showing up here, past curfew, and disappearing just as quickly leaves me with more questions than ever.