Page 36 of What the Shadows Hide
“Raine!” I shout her name through the mask—muffled, distant.
She screams, running faster.
I stop near the edge of the vineyard, pull the mask off, and drop it into the grass. My lungs burn. My heart hammers against my ribcage.
By the time I catch up to her, she’s collapsed near the lower fence line, shaking and gasping.
“Hey!” I call, running toward her. “Are you okay?”
She spins, wild-eyed, flashlight trembling in her hand.
“It’s me,” I say quickly, dropping to my knees beside her. “Tristan Blackwell. I saw someone—some guy in a hockey mask—running through your yard. I chased him, but he was fast. Disappeared into the trees.”
Her breath comes in ragged bursts. “I heard him. I saw—he was in the house?—”
“Shhh.” I place a steady hand on her shoulder. “You’re safe now. He’s gone.”
Her flashlight slips from her fingers. Without thinking, she presses against me—trembling, desperate.
I wrap an arm around her, pulling her closer. Her heartbeat thrums against my chest.
“I’ve got you,” I whisper. “You’re okay. I promise.”
She nods against my shoulder, still shaking.
And I hold her tighter, staring out at the dark vines.
Somewhere out there, the mask lies half-buried in the grass, waiting.
And I already know I’ll go back for it before dawn.
CHAPTER 20
Raine
The adrenaline hasn’t leftmy veins even after Tristan helps me inside.
My hands won’t stop shaking as he locks the door, checks the windows, and moves through each room like he’s done it a hundred times.
When he comes back, he looks at me the way a storm studies the coast—measuring, certain he’ll destroy it sooner or later.
“You shouldn’t be alone tonight,” he says quietly.
The words should make me bristle. Instead, they feel like oxygen.
I nod before I can talk myself out of it. “Stay.”
He exhales, a low sound that might be relief—or defeat.
While I make tea with trembling fingers, he resets the lock again, double-checking the bolt.
We sit on opposite ends of the couch, the silence heavy, broken only by the hum of the storm outside.
When our eyes meet, everything between us tilts.
The fear that’s been living under my skin turns into something slower, hotter.
His gaze drops to my mouth; mine to the pulse beating hard in his throat.
