Page 11 of Spelled By Truth and Tresses

The buzzing continued. I huffed, then glanced at my phone again. This time it was Jax.

It’s a beautiful spot.

Wide-eyed I looked around. Phantom claws scraped down my spine. “Jax?” I shouted.

It was quiet, unnaturally so. No bird song greeted my ears as I strained to hear something. Anything. However, I could make out each distinct thump of my heart.

A twig snapped much too close to me. I ran, adrenaline pumped through my veins, pushing me to run faster. I looked behind me. Nothing was following me, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of being followed.

My breath sawed in and out of my lungs as I sprinted. A flash of a masked figure darted into my peripheral vision, then disappeared just as quickly.

I scanned the forest on both sides of the path, but the next thing I knew, my boot got caught on a stray root growing through the stones making up the path.

My vision went white for a split second before the pain in my knee registered.

Blood seeped into the tear in my jeans as I limped toward a break in the trees, then looked behind me. Thankfully, nothing but an empty path and woods greeted me. As I worked on regulating my breathing, my vision cleared fully, revealing my surroundings. The eerie sensation of DeJa’Vu skittered over me like rats clawing within the walls of my mind.

“There’s no way,” I whispered.

The air at my back shifted, and I whirled around. A scream tore through my throat as a masked man slapped his hand over my mouth. He turned me away from him, keeping his hand in place, and sealed our bodies together.

“You know, the first sign of insanity is talking to yourself.” The familiar scent of sandalwood and pine filled my airways. “Luckily for you, pet, I like the unhinged ones.”

“You dick!” I yelled. “Why didn’t you just come out and say hello like a fucking normal person?”

He put his hands up in the air. “What would be the fun in that?”

I ground my teeth. I jabbed a finger into his hard chest. “You scared the shit out of me.”

He smirked. “You’re cute when you’re mad. Has anyone told you that?”

Rage bubbled in the pit of my stomach. “It’s not funny!” He grinned. “No,” I seethed. “Stop smiling.”

“My sincerest apologies,” he said, the words thickly lined with sarcasm. His gaze tracked over the woods surrounding the dying meadow we stood in, then unceremoniously peeled the mask from his face and dropped it. “Have you been here before?”

His eyes took shape as the sun got higher in the sky. He appeared almost feline. But I couldn’t decide if I found that trait attractive or terrifying. “Uh… no.” My eyes darted toward my shoes. “Maybe,” I muttered.

My breath hitched as the warmth from his knuckle seeped into my chin as he raised it, and I was forced to meet his gaze. “You’re a terrible liar, Zellie. We’ll have to work on that.”

“You said that I was in your dreams. Well, were you in my dream last night?” I asked as if that was a perfectly normal topic of conversation and I didn’t sound insane.

He lifted a dark brown eyebrow. “No.”

Disappointment welled beneath my ribs. “Oh.”

“You were in mine, though.”

My jaw dropped a little. “What?”

“Yeah. Perhaps we were in each other's.” He said nonchalantly.

“You were right. I think there’s something to it.” Was it some cosmic connection? But why was it with Jax and what did the tower have to do with it?

My dad had said that he always felt a draw to Mother. I truly do not understand how he pursued a relationship with that vile woman, but fate clearly enjoys fucking with people’s happiness. Dad explained that somehow, he knew before she came into his life that she was the one. I never understood it, but perhaps seeing Jax in my dreams was no different.

“Was that a smile?”

“Almost.” I teased. “But I’d never smile at a phantom.”

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