I opened my mouth to speak, but only a moan came out. Embarrassed, I clapped my hand over my mouth. Maddox just laughed and led the way back to the parking lot—which was a two hour hike. With every step he took, he let me know his bare feet were killing him despite his newfound shifter healing keeping them pristine. By the end of it, he regretted shifting so soon.
“You’ll be fine. I’ll take you outback when we get home. I have a hose and some flea shampoo with your name on it.”
The mood remained light all the way back to the car. We packed my camping gear into the trunk, so I could climb into the passenger seat and steal a few minutes of peaceful sleep. I never knew how nice it could be to sleep in a moving car where ghosts couldn’t find me and my arcana couldn’t grasp at the dead things in the earth.
When we reached my house and Maddox gently shook me awake, my stomach sank with disappointment. The urge to ask if we could drive around a bit longer nearly reached my lips, but I swallowed the request and unbuckled my seat belt.
“Do…Are…” Words tangled in my mouth where they turned into a knot that I couldn’t spit out.
Maddox raised a single brow. His hair still hadn’t taken on its usual golden glow. It was still pale and wispy, like he might fade from existence at any moment. He would never be the same man again. Now, he was an unusual shifter at war with the new beast inside himself.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Maddox said. “I’ll crash on your couch tonight. In the meantime, I’ll have someone bring me some clothes to change into. I don’t know how you deal with clothes this tight all day. I’m going to lose my mind.”
I stifled a chuckle. Relief eased a tightness in my chest. I shoved my door open and stepped out into the somewhat-fresh air of the city. Ghosts kept their distance from me. Perhaps they’d heard what I’d done to Jaden. I should have felt guilty, but I couldn’t help but savor the silence that came with their fear.
It was about time I got a break.
Before I could reach the door, Maddox threw his arm out to stop me. I ran right into it while lost in my thoughts. When I lifted my head to complain, I noticed the stillness that had come over him. Maddox’s nose twitched.
“Someone has been here recently.”
I lowered my voice to a whisper and leaned in close. “What do you mean?”
His nose twitched again. A growl rumbled inside him as his upper lip curled in annoyance. “There’s a scent in the air. I’m…I’m not used to this. All I know is that something is off.”
Maddox’s instincts were working. Maybe he didn’t know how to react to them, but I knew I could trust a beast’s gut feeling. However, that trust sent my heart racing.
Nervously, I reached out with my arcana. I sent it through the house. My skeletal fingers touched everything and found only the cat waiting for us. The cat was distressed, though. I should have waited for Maddox to clear the house, but I jumped past him to fling the door open.
The cat launched itself out the door and into my arms. I caught the gray fluffball in my arms while Maddox burst into the house with a growl. My feet were glued to the ground until I realized I was a sitting duck outside.
A chill ran down my spine before I lurched inside and kicked the door shut behind me. Maddox reappeared in a flash.
“The house is empty.”
I blinked, surprised. “You searched every room already?”
He nodded. “And the closets.”
“You’re going to have to learn to hide your speed when you’re around humans again.” If he didn’t control this, he would expose himself almost immediately.
Maddox just grunted. That clearly wasn’t a high priority for him right now. There were other things on his mind. The bright, ghostly light in his eyes told me as much. The thought of someone invading my house upset him more than he wanted to admit.
I shifted the cat’s weight to one arm so I could reach out and touch Maddox. “It’s all right. Like you said, the house is emp—"
My gaze moved past Maddox to a small piece of paper taped to the counter that separated the living room from the kitchen. The paper hadn’t been there when I left. Unfamiliar handwriting caught my attention.
I stepped past Maddox, but he stayed right on my heels. Heart pounding, I reached for the piece of paper. He moved to stop me, probably for fingerprints, but I paid him no attention. My arcana urged me forward. It screamed, like there was something breathing down the back of my neck.
Surrender.
Or lose something important to you.
The cat was already in my arms. Maddox was right behind me. I shuddered to think of what else the killer could possibly take from me.
The realization hit me. I dropped the cat, which thankfully landed on its feet without issue. Immediately, I reached for my phone.
“What? What is it?” Maddox snatched the paper from my fingers.