The next morning Elise
took the long way around town, making it a point to walk by the new bed and
breakfast. From the outside it looked innocent enough. Fall mums made the wrap
around porch look cheery and welcoming planted in front of the evergreen
bushes.
It was the kind of place
she would like to stay, if she ever traveled. She couldn’t though, leaving
Apple Hill would leave it vulnerable to even more trespassers … trespassers
like Cage Martin.
Elise heard the wooden
door open and hurried behind a tree. She had no idea who was coming out of the
bed and breakfast, but she was sure she didn’t want to explain why she was just
staring at the place. As the screen door slammed shut, she peeked around the
tree trunk to see if anyone was coming down the walk, but saw no one. Maybe
whomever was going to come out had to go back in for something, regardless it
was the perfect opportunity for her to sneak away.
She started down the
street before a strong baritone voice called out her name.
“Well, good morning
Elise,” said Cage. “Anything I can help you with this morning?”
Elise sighed and turned
to see Cage standing on that gorgeous wrap around porch watering the mums. She
also couldn’t help but noticed the large smile he had on his face.
“No,” said Elise, brandishing
her own smile. “I was just taking a walk.”
“Seems a bit out of your
way,” said Cage.
“Is there an ‘out of the
way’ when you’re just taking a walk?” asked Elise, folding her arms.
Cage walked over and turned
off the hose, then wiping his hands on his jeans, came down the steps and over
to Elise. “I think it’s more than that.”
“Then you flatter
yourself,” said Elise.
“Oh no, I’m not
flattered,” said Cage. “You see, I had a very interesting conversation with
Mayor Garver yesterday and he told me that you don’t seem to like my business
very much.”
“I just don’t like
strangers in general,” stated Elise and it wasn’t a lie. She didn’t.
“That seems very closed
minded, especially for a librarian,” said Cage. “You introduce strangers every
day to people in the covers of your books, yet in real life, you don’t like
them.”
“I know the difference
between reality and fantasy,” said Elise. “The reality is most strangers are
dangerous. Are you dangerous Cage Martin?”
Cage laughed. “I’m
opening a bed and breakfast, what do you think I’m going to do, murder my
patrons and hide them under the floor boards?”
Elise laughed with them,
but there was nothing funny about her chuckle. “Are you dangerous to me?”
“Well now,” said Cage,
his laugh turning into a smirk, “seems like we’re getting to the root of
things.”
“You didn’t answer my
question.” Elise could feel Roark shaking with rage in her pocket and patted it
ever so slightly to calm him. She could handle Cage Martin. She delicately twirled
her finger beside her pocket and whispered. “You
need to answer what you’ve been asked, or be sent on a perilous task. No harm
needs to come to you, just do what you’ve been told to do.”
She felt the spell flow
through her fingers and hit their target straight in the chest of Cage. He wiped
at his shirt as if a bug had landed on him and cocked his head at her. “Did you
say something?”
Elise bit back her gasp.
Her spell hadn’t worked on him, just like the spelled bell above the library
door hadn’t jingled when he entered the library. He had paranormal blood, either
as a hunter or some other kind of creature. It was time to put all the cards on
the table.
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