Page 99 of Possess Me! (I Want You To)

Prudence was silent.

I paused, tipping my face toward a wayward patch of sunlight as I waited for him to reply. Sometimes it took him a while. It was patience that won my battles against him.

With an aggrieved sigh, he dropped my hand.

But I reached for it again, latching on, refusing to let him go. His palm scratched against mine, cold and familiar.

“You owe me an explanation, Pru,” I said the words, gently, letting the blow fall soft as a pillow fight rather than the challenge it was. I had things I suspected about him. Things that fell into line with what Violet had told me, and my experiences with him thus far, but I was waiting for the right opportunity to voice them.

Baby steps, and all that.

“We’re hiking through the woods, in the middle of nowhere because you’re being hunted,” I reminded him, still gentle. “I deserve to know why.”

“Ghosts are rare.”

“So you’ve said.” I gave his hand a squeeze, but didn’t speak again. Instead I listened to the birds flitting from branch to branch overhead, and tried to ignore the thundering of my heartbeat against my ribs.

I had my own secrets.

But at least we weren’t in danger because of mine.

Wasn’t like Hunter was going to pop out between the trees with jazz hands, and try to steal my non-existent wallet.

Prudence still wasn’t talking, so I threw him a bone. Maybe he wasn’t ready yet. We continued walking, and I inhaled the scent of sap and fresh rain with a happy sigh. Yeah. This wasn’t so bad, actually.

“I used to come hiking up here all the time with my kid siblings.”

Prudence’s gaze snapped to mine. He thought he was slick, but there was no hiding the genuine interest sparking in his eyes. I supposed that was fair, I hadn’t really talked to him about my family much. I’d been giving him scraps, really.

Whiiiiich I realized was probably the problem.

Shit.

No wonder he wasn’t opening up, when I wasn’t either.

A catch-22.

My palms were a bit sweaty, and I tried to separate from Prudence’s grip, but this time—it was his turn to hold me tight, as he arched a brow, and waited. We were more similar than either of us was ready to admit. The pit in my stomach was slowly but surely becoming a cavern. I ignored it as I huffed out a little laugh and I lost the battle with my grin.

Later there would be time for secrets.

I needed to build up the courage first.

“I’ve never hiked all the way home before, but…I know the way.” In theory, anyway. It’d be really fucking embarrassing if I got us lost. I doubted I would though. I had these woods memorized like the back of my hand.

Walking through them felt like riding a bike.

Something you don’t forget, even if sometimes…you maybe want to.

I had good memories here, sure. Laughter. S’mores. Stars. Sunshine. But being here also reminded me what it was like to go hungry, or cold. To lack what others had. To have your needs unmet, despite the sacrifices your mother made every fucking day.

I blew out a ragged breath.

“Where are we heading?” Prudence asked, and I shrugged, squinting as we crested a little hill and the trees parted enough I could see the solitary mountain in front of us. There was only one more peak to cross, then it was all downhill to the valley.

“Eastgrove is in that valley over there.” I gestured at it. The two or so days it would take to get there felt like a lifetime away. Normally I’d be quicker, but I felt like I’d been joy-riding a cheese grater. So…

“How old?” Prudence asked, and I was so surprised by his question I didn’t think before answering.

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