Page 44 of The Beast of Ashwood Manor

“Keep going,” I finally said, and for the next ten or so minutes, Cale managed to read without another interruption.

This was what I needed to drown out the thoughts of what happened earlier. The last thing I wanted was for that Shade to come back and hurt anyone. But it coming here also meant that the barrier around the manor was failing considerably. It was only three months until Spring Tide, and by then, the protection around us would wither completely.

I gritted my teeth, wondering what the hell I was going to do. But I already knew the answer.

Bringing my cup to my lips, I let the warm contents wash through me.

“The man licked his lips,” Cale read slowly. “I could tell he was hard from the bul-ge in his trousers.”

The lemonade flew from my mouth as I spit it out. Wiping my lips, I looked over at Cale with wide eyes, and he blinked at me in surprise.

“What is this book?” I asked, grabbing it and looking at the cover. The title readThe Lone Bandit.

I ran my hand down my face. Iknewthe story sounded familiar! He’d found one of my books that was full of sex. How had it gotten in the library? “Why don’t we read something else?”

Cale smiled crookedly. “I rather like this one already, though I’m still very slow in reading it, and I don’t understand many of thebigwords.”

He knew, the little shit.

“Perhaps with something that isn’t about lustful bandits?” But I shook my head, giving into him. “Fine. Underline the ones you don’t know, and we’ll go over them tomorrow.”

Nodding, Cale closed the book. “Gil . . .” He looked at his hands. “Can we . . . go to the cliff sometime? I’ve never seen the sea before, and I know as long as I go with you, it’ll be okay.”

My stomach pulled at the idea. On one hand, I wanted nothing more than to go there with him. But on the other, I knew it was dangerous for him to go outside the manor, especially with the Shade attack earlier.

Nodding, I said, “Perhaps in a few days, when things have calmed down. Though it’ll be cold.”

“I don’t mind. I just want to see it, even if it is in another realm.”

“We’ll go to the beach. There’s a path that leads down.”

Smiling, Cale leaned against me, and for a while, we sat by the fire in silence, and my heart raced as I felt him so close. I bent down, my lips pressing against his head. I inhaled his scent, and my eyes closed as my body warmed again.

His hand found mine, and he drew circles on my skin with his thumb.

I gently pushed him away and got to my feet. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said, leaving before he could say anything more.

Theseawasmuchmore than I expected. It stretched out for thousands of miles, a vast, never-ending road to nowhere, and I wondered if monsters lingered out there, too. Along the beach, shells littered the dark beach, and I picked up several of them. The pile grew so much that Gil eventually had to hold a few.

It was cold, but thankfully, the breeze was slight. Regardless, the feel of the sand on my feet was new,different, and I welcomed it. It was like walking along a packed dirt path after the rain—not too soft but not too hard. Despite Gil’s warnings that I shouldn’t get in the water for how cold it was, I couldn’t help myself, and I tugged up the legs of my trousers and splashed into the water.

I gasped at the iciness, welcoming it. It was very clear, and I delighted at wiggling my toes underneath until they became numb, letting my feet sink into the sand as wave after wave came. I stood there for a long while, letting the sun beat on my back after days of rain and feeling the salty breeze against my face. Out here, I was no longer barred from the world outside or locked inside the manor grounds.

“Out here, I am free,” I told the sky. “The wind is but a whisper, and the sea, though cold, is a . . .” I searched for the words.

“Reminder that I am alive,” Gil finished.

I turned around and looked at him, my lips turning up. “Maybe we should start writing poetry together.”

Gil nodded, keeping his eyes on me.

When I found myself sunk in the sand to my ankles, I wavered, trying to catch my balance as I pulled them out. Then a big wave tumbled towards me, and I fell back.

Strong arms caught me and helped me out of the sand. I was surprised to see Gil behind me, and when I turned around, I noticed his cloak was gone and he wore only his dark shirt and trousers, which were soaked up to his calf now.

I smiled up at him. “Thank you.”

“Any—” He broke off as a wave crashed into us, and we both staggered.

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