Page 29 of Untraced Magic
Strange.
I picked up the necklace, turning the locket over in my palm, my fingers tracing the intricate details of its exterior.
Its licks of golden bronze hinted its age, possibly antique like Betty said, the symbol on the back unfamiliar, but etched into both my mind and my dreams.
I placed it back in the bowl; it was something I would never wear. Too big, andbold. It just wasn’t me. I ventured outside, hoping some fresh air would kick my hangover.
Turning down a track that snaked its way along the waterfront, my shoes made footprints into the silt behind me as I walked aimlessly to nowhere in particular. In the distance, a willow tree with naked limbs hung low to the ground, weeping for its spirit to return, and I found myself underneath it on an aged wooden seat.
A stillness had settled over the cove. Its murky waters looked like death floating on a blanket of midnight, always surrounded in that mist that felt like a living thing. Like it watched us all.
I was sure it breathed the same oxygen but survived on our exhales, the decrepit part of us its fuel.
Its calm demeanor drew me in, although to what I wasn’t entirely sure.
But whatever it was, it was working.
I felt it.
Cutters Cove had hummed its melody, and its beat had embedded itself deep within me.
My fingertips tiptoed over the natural knots woven into the seat’s timber, and closing my eyes, I leaned back, allowing nature to breathe its life back into me.
“You look like you’re enjoying yourself.”
My hand clamped my chest at the voice coming from behind me.
“Tyler, you scared me, don’t do that!”
He surveyed me with caution. “Sorry. Mind if I sit?”
Dressed in sweatpants and a hoodie, it was a Tyler I hadn’t seen before, and I was definitely onboard with it.
“Sure.” I gestured to the space beside me on the wooden bench.
He sat down, resting his elbows on his thighs, and I noticed his knee popping up and down on the spot. Was he… anxious?
“I used to come down here with Wes as a kid,” he admitted. A distance filled his voice as he looked out over the water. “It hasn’t changed much over the years.”
Comfortable silence filled the space between us, but his mere presence had every cell in my body on edge. I didn’t trust myself to speak, too unsure where the conversation was going. Maybe the lapdance was too much. I should have refused the dare and taken the shot instead.
“About last night…” he began but seemed to stall as if trying to find the right words. His thumbs circled themselves, and I remembered how those hands felt on my hips. “Morgan, there are things about me I can’t tell you.”
I ran my hands over my necklace, my insides somersaulting at the butterflies that had awoken in my stomach.
I wondered what he meant by that. Whatthingshe considered not worthy of my trust. Compared to mine, I bet his were miniscule. I wanted to tell him he could trust me, have him know anything he told me would stay between us. Because I knew how important one’s word was to another.
He looked as nervous as I felt.
Finally, Tyler blurted, “You need to stay away from me.”
Okay… I wasnotexpecting that.
A nervous laugh escaped my lips. “Was my dancingthatbad?”
For the first time since Tyler sat down, his heavy stare held mine. Shit, he was serious. “Things are just complicated,” he continued.
I couldn’t read him, his voice hollow and void of emotion.
