Page 43 of Hollowed

“Thereis a bookstore here,” he said. “Ineed to speak with the owner.”

Therewas only one bookstore in theHollow, andIcould not imagine theHeadlessHorsemanever speaking with the owner.Evenmost of the townspeople avoided speaking with the owner beyond placing orders for the books they needed.Theowner,Priscilla, was a powerful water witch who many people found abrasive as she always spoke her mind, a trait not well-received in theHollow.IthoughtPriscillawas a pleasant woman, and she was very close withHenry.Ihad spoken with her on several occasions, picking up books forHenry,Ciara, or for myself.We’dnever spoken at length, at least not on anything important.Nevertheless,Icouldn’t fathom what she would have that would interest theHorseman.

Mybrows furrowed. “Whydo you need to speak withPriscilla?”

Hearched one of his brows, surprise clear. “YouknowPriscilla?”

“Iam a resident ofSleepyHollow, andIdo read,”Isaid dryly.SleepyHollowwas a small town, and althoughImay have been sheltered,Iwas not a complete recluse. “Ihave been to the bookstore before.Whatdo you need to speak to her about?”

“Getdressed and you can see for yourself.”Henodded down at the mossy green dress in my hands.Ashe headed to the door to give me some privacy, he paused and glanced over his shoulder. “Thatcolor looks nice on you,Katrina.”

Myeyes widened at the compliment, but beforeIcould respond, he slipped out of the room and pulled the door closed softly behind him.Scrambling,Ipulled the gray dressIhad slept in over my head and tugged on the green one, letting it settle over my body.Itwas a good color on me, thoughIhad not been expectingAlexanderto tell me that, especially not after the obvious regret he felt for losing control over his magic around me.

Iwas both proud of and sad at how easy it was to shove down my embarrassment over the rejection, but now was certainly not the time to moon over theHorseman—no matter how distractingly attractive he was, or how closely he watched me.

Rollingmy shoulders and taking a deep breath,Ismoothed my hands over the fabric, calming my nerves as much asIwas calming the wrinkles.Myfeet remained rooted to the floor asIstared at the door, knowingIshould leave the room but unable to take a step forward all the same.

Asoft knock pulled my focus back into the room, and the door pushed open.TheHorseman’sbroad shoulders filled the doorway, and his brows raised as he looked at me. “Areyou ready to leave?”

Ifelt heat rise in my cheeks asInodded. “Yes,Iapologize for taking so long.”

Hefrowned. “Youdid not take long.Thereis no need to apologize.”

“Let’sgo,”Isaid, smoothing my hands over my stomach again before wringing them together.

Theroom was stifling and felt ever smaller byAlexander’spresence.

Heheld his arm out, inviting me to leave the room first. “Itake it you know where we are going?”

Inodded, reviewing the path in my head.Heran into the back of me asIstopped short.Thetouch made me jump slightly, but his gloved hands reached down, grabbing my waist to steady me. “Myapologies.Iwas just thinking, should we ask for directions to keep up our appearances?”

Hishands flexed on my hips, lingering for a moment before they dropped. “Youdo not have to keep apologizing.Youhave done nothing that warrants it.”

Mymouth opened to apologize once more, butIclosed it, biting my lip asInodded.

“Andyes,Ithink asking for directions is a good idea.”

Somehow,Iheld myself together enough until we had asked the innkeeper for directions.Steppingup to the bookshop entrance,Iclenched my fists at my side.Icould do this.Icould proveIwas more than a naïve child, ruled by her trauma and afraid of everything.Iwould help save my town.

Enteringthe shop, the small bell to the side of the doorframe swung back and forth, no doubt signaling an alertIcouldn’t hear.Shelveslined the walls in every direction, and a pair of plush velvet chairs sat on either side of a round wooden table near the front bay window.Smallershelves jutted out of the middle of the room, creating a labyrinth of books.Candlesand soft glowing lanterns filled the space with a welcoming light and the comforting scent of warm parchment and vanilla.Takinga deep breath, my shoulders relaxed as the tension slowly seeped out from my neck and arms.

Steppingout from behind one of the shorter shelves,Priscillaappeared with a stack of books cradled in her arms.

Shesmiled widely atAlexander. “Ah, welcome back.”

Heinclined his head in greeting. “Thankyou,Priscilla.”

Ibit my tongue to keep my mouth from falling open at the realization thatPriscillarecognizedAlexander.Clearly, he’d been here more often than he’d let on.Howmany other people had seen him and not realized who they were looking at?

Turningaway from us, she began shelving the books in her arms. “WhatcanIhelp you with today, dear boy?”

“Weare looking for information on the sluagh,” he told her, his voice more casual thanIcould have ever managed. “Specifically, how one would summon and control them.”

Shepaused, raising an eyebrow. “Younever cease to surprise me.IthinkIhave just the thing.”

Heftingthe remaining books in her arms to deposit them on the top of the shelf, she crooked a finger, motioning forAlexanderto follow as she made for a shelf on the far back wall.

Ihesitated, rocking on my feet for a moment.Alexanderlooked back over his shoulder, jerking his head slightly and holding his hand out for me to take.

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