Page 7 of Mate Night Snack
She spun, heart hammering.
Emmett Hollowell stood at the far edge of the clearing, arms crossed, flannel sleeves rolled up to the elbow. He looked like he'd been carved out of the mountain itself, solid, weathered, and severely displeased.
Katniss straightened, chin high. “Walking.”
He stalked closer. “This isn’t a damn park trail.”
“You don’t own the woods.”
“Here?” His jaw ticked. “It sure as hell feels like I do.”
She turned back toward the stone, mic forgotten. “What is this place?”
“Nothing you need to be messing with.”
“Wow, I must really just bring out the fun in you, huh?”
He stopped beside her, too close. His presence was all heat and tension, and the scent of cedar and something storm-wild clung to him.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“Is that because you think I’ll trip and scrape my knee, or because you’re hiding something?”
He bent slightly, voice low. “Because this place remembers blood.”
She flinched before she could stop it.
His gaze dropped to the charm in her pocket—Twyla’s bundle of silver and thistle.
“You went to see Twyla.”
“She does run the cafe. Plus, she offered,” Katniss said coolly.
“And you just took it?”
“Most people offer coffee. This town hands out curses and riddles.”
He didn’t smile. “You think this is a joke?”
“No,” she said, quieter now. “I think I finally found the reason everyone keeps dodging my questions.”
He stared at her like he was weighing something invisible.
“The clearing,” she said. “Mabel Dorsey—she came out here, didn’t she?”
Emmett’s hands clenched at his sides.
“I don’t have answers for you,” he said. “Not the ones you want.”
Katniss stepped closer, her voice softer. “Then what kind of answers do you have?”
He didn’t move. Didn’t blink. But something in the air shifted between them. Like the space narrowed without them meaning it to. Her shoulder brushed his arm, and the contact sparked heat down her spine. She should’ve stepped away.
She didn’t.
Emmett looked down at her. His eyes weren’t just gray-blue. They were storm clouds full of regret and warning. Ofdon’t come closerandI’ll catch you if you do.
His expression didn’t flicker. “This isn’t a game.”
