Page 23 of Devil on the Lake

Dante.

It’s ridiculous how being alone with him fills me with a warm glow.

Does he feel how the weird connection between us has pulled tighter tonight? At the bonfire he kept to himself, but maybe he saw me leave and came after me. We can’t ignore this. It’ll be better if we talk. We’ll work out our issues and I’ll help him with what he told me if he promises to stop leaving me notes.

The corners of my mouth curl as I turn around.

“Let me guess, you caught me slipping away, so you came out here to pull another pr—” The rest of my sentence catches in my throat and I pull up short when I don’t find Dante lurking behind me.

It’s Daniel.

Disappointment twists my stomach.

“Willow,” he says.

His voice is strange. Like it’s charged with an electric current. Serial killer-esque, if I’m being honest.

“Daniel, hey. Sorry, I thought you were someone else.”

“Him?”

The way he sneers it makes my heart skip another beat. “Him who?”

“Don’t play coy. I know you don’t withhim.” He takes a step and I retreat warily. “You have to know, he’s no good for you.”

“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” I lie. “Want to go back to the party?”

Daniel shakes his head vehemently. He keeps advancing on me. Chills rush over my skin and my uneasiness bubbles to the surface.

“He doesn't see you like I do, Willow. None of them do. But I see you. I watch you all the time.”

I gulp. “At school?”

“I always watch you,” he says with an unsettling reverence. “Always. I leave you notes.”

“Notes?” I interrupt. “You’re the one leaving me those notes?”

Daniel nods with a hum that makes every hair on my body stand on end.

Holy shit. It wasn’t Dante trying to mess with me. All this time it was Daniel.

Freaking me out.Stalkingme.

The notes have been everywhere—all over school, in my car, in myhouse. Bile rises in my throat and a splash of water has me craning my neck. My boot is at the edge of the murky water. He’s herded me to the edge of the lake.

“And you came tonight.” He sighs happily. “We can finally be together.”

I look around for an escape. “Listen, I’m not—”

“Willow.”

Daniel’s features collapse into a vicious scowl and he whirls around.

A breath stutters out of me. I’ve never been so relieved to hear Dante’s voice.

TEN

DANTE

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