Page 6 of Finn's Solace

I jumped and glanced at my window, blinking at the familiar face peering through the glass. His blue eyes were full of amusement, his dark hair all over the place as if he'd been running his fingers through the thick strands. A glance showedhis car parked a few feet in front of mine. Had he been driving past when he'd spotted me?

I opened the window, and Neel raised a brow at me. "Everything okay?" Despite being a few years younger than me, he was one of my closest friends.

"Uh, yeah. What are you doing here?"

Neel rolled his eyes, then leaned his elbows on the windowsill as if he planned to have a nice, long chat while standing outside my car.

"I was on my way home from the hardware store when I spotted you. You don'tlookokay. What happened?"

Other than my family, Neel, Micah, and Amelia were the people I was closest to. Amelia understood me in a way no one else could because of our shared trauma, and while Neel helped me stay in the present with his never-ending optimism and wry sense of humor. Micah was like me, quiet and in his head, and we got along well because of it. He was on his honeymoon right now, or Neel would've already called him.

"Finn," he urged, and I realized he wouldn't leave until he had some answers.

"I ran into someone I thought was dead."

Neel's eyes widened, and he walked around the front of the car before tapping on the passenger side door. I hurried to unlock it, and he slid in, then closed the door.

"Tell me everything," he demanded, so I did, and talking about it loosened the tightness in my chest a little.

"Wow. That must've been a big shock for you, huh?"

I nodded, and he reached across the console to give me a tight hug. I threw my arms around him and squeezed, careful not to do it too tightly. He was human, after all, and I could easily hurt him.

"Are you going to see him again?"

"I hope not."

"It might help, you know. Talking to him. Maybe it would give you some closure."

"Maybe," I agreed, though I didn't really believe it. I had no idea what I would say if I saw Levi again. Deciding I didn't want to spend one more moment thinking about him, I gave Neel a questioning look. "What were you doing at the hardware store so early in the day?"

Neel sighed rather dramatically, a knowing look in his light blue eyes. "I know you're just trying to change the subject. The repairs at the house are kicking our ass. Pax and I finally gave up and hired Caleb, and he sent me on a supply run."

Neel and Pax—Neel's stepbrother—were in the process of renovating a house to turn it into a bed and breakfast. With tourism in Mistvale on the rise, it was going to be the perfect kind of hotel experience with all the small-town charm. All it needed was a wayward ghost and some romantic tension between employees, and it would be a giant hit.

"Shouldn't you be getting back then?"

"You trying to get rid of me, Finn?"

"Obviously."

Neel gave a dramatic gasp, then laughed. "Fine, fine. I'm leaving. But call me if you run into the one who got away again."

"I will."

Neel left my car, and I watched him walk back to his before starting my car.

The one who got away, huh? It fit Levi well, but I didn't plan on seeing him again. He was a part of my past, and I wanted him to stay there.

Levi

Greta had been gone for forty minutes, and I was starting to get worried. I'd know if she was hurt, wouldn't I?

I was trying my best to focus on making lunch, but my thoughts kept drifting back to Greta. And Finn.

I had no idea what I would say to him even if Greta found him. I'd promised I'd rescue him, but I'd failed. What was his life like now? How much longer had those people hurt him and the others?

I'd tried as hard as I could to get my magic back quickly, but replenishing all the blood and magic they'd taken wasn't easy, especially when you didn't have a steady source of food and rest.

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