“I don’t have to work anymore,” I tell Hunter. “As long as I don’t go crazy, the money in the bank will keep building interest and I’m set for life.” It’s a crazy concept and I’m totally torn on what to do. I like my job, but I also like free time. I can cut back on hours, but what will I tell Dr. Shelly? I’m not a braggy person at all, and in fact I don’t like being the center of attention in any way, shape, or form, and letting the clinic know I inherited a house along with a ton of money…nope. Talk about awkward. I have a while to figure it out, so there’s no need to worry about it now.
Which is exactly why it’s going to eat me away until I make up my mind.
I get that hair standing up on the back of my neck feeling when Hunter and I stop by the front door. I pull the key from inside my sports bra and turn around, gripping Hunter’s leash tight in my hand. He’s standing calmly at my side. If anything was lurking out there, he’d know.
Still, I get us inside as fast as possible and lock the door behind me.
I’m in the woods again, and not the familiar woods that leads to the magical door. No, this time I’m alone, and I’m running away from something.
Something that is going to kill me if it gets its hands on me. Part of me wants to stop and succumb to my fate, because once I’m dead this will all be over. No more pain. No more running. No more living every damned day of my life waiting in fear.
A dog barks, and the deep and menacing sound echoes through the forest. My feet slip on the damp leaves beneath me, and I fall. Another dog snarls, and I turn just in time to see a large black dog leap from the shadows.
I wake with a start, hands flying to my chest to make sure I didn’t just get mauled by a dog.
“Fuck,” I mumble and flop back against my pillow. I stare up at my ceiling fan, reminding myself that I’m here.
In my bed.
In my house.
Alive.
I’m not dead.
I’m not being chased.
The emotions feel so real, and I can still smell the sweet scent of fall leaves. It still feels like there’s damp soil jammed under my fingernails. The sound of the dogs barking still rings in my ear. I roll over and spoon Hunter, trying to fall back asleep. I lie there for another hour before I’m finally asleep again.
When I wake up four hours later, the feeling of my life being in danger still hangs heavy on my shoulders. It’s not uncommon for a spirit’s residual feelings to linger, but not this long and certainly not this strong. Typically, when I’m unnerved like this I go to the barn. Being around the horses is calming, and I can forget about everything when I’m riding.
Moving slow, I get up and get going, making coffee and drinking it on my little back patio while Hunter runs around the yard. It’s sunny but cool again today, and it’s supposed to start raining tonight and not let up for the next few days, bringing the temperature down even more. We get cold snaps like this toward the end of summer, reminding us that fall is just around the corner.
A jogger runs down the alley, startling me so bad I almost drop my favorite pink Minnie Mouse coffee mug.
“Get it together, Anora,” I tell myself under my breath. I finish the last bit of coffee—which is cold now—and go inside. I left the Book of Shadows on the coffee table, and open it up to middle. I haven’t gotten this far since I’m trying to go through each and every page. I let my eyes fall shut and carefully flip through pages until I get the feeling to stop and look.
“Removing warts with magic,” I read out loud. “Not helpful.” I turn one more page and smile. “Anti-nightmare charms. Now this is helpful.” I write down what I need and search for the closest new-age store, which is about half an hour away.
I change into breeches and a Hollow Creek Stables sweatshirt, intending to go the barn right after. I toss Hunter a handful of treats, check that Romeo has food and water, and head out.
It takes me longer than expected to get to the new-age store, thanks to downtown traffic. I have to park several blocks away, and my mind wanders to the quiet of Thorne Hill as I’m walking down the busy sidewalk. Willow’s Emporium, the store, is more than a little cliché, complete with an Instagram photo backdrop that’s heavy on the Halloween props. Whatever works for marketing, right?