KIRA

"How soon can you get to the airport?" She asks, that all-business edge to her voice, as though she's getting ready to meet with one of her business contacts.

Her question has me groaning internally.

"I'm fine, mom. Seriously."

"Oh, you're fine?" She huffs, and I can hear her rummaging around, probably packing her bags already. "Someone broke into that rickety old cottage; you are not fine!"

"My cottage is not rickety, first of all." I feel my irritation rising. "And second, I don't remember inviting you, so you can stop your packing right now."

I hear a loud thud on the other end of the line, and I arch a brow in confusion. "Tell me you at least called the cops."

"I did." It's not a lie. "They're sending someone out in the morning." Okay, so that part is a lie, but if it keeps my mom off my back, so be it.

God forbid my mom be here when Lukkan comes back—I'm still not entirely sure what his...situation is, but I at the very least have to find out before she does.

Something tells me that if my mom saw a weird spider creature when she comes out here, she wouldn't react half as politely as Elsie, no matter how politely Lukkan introduces himself.

Honestly, I don't even know how she'd react if he is just a weird goth dude in blackout contacts.

I don't exactly relish the thought of dealing with that.

"I'm coming up there and getting you. I'm not taking any more no's."

This time, I actually do groan. "Don't, I'm fine."

"You aren't fine—"

"Mom." I cut her off. "Please stop."

She sighs in annoyance. "I tried to tell you that going up there was a bad idea. You didn't want to listen to me and told me you wanted to see for yourself. And you know what? I let you because I'm trying to be better, Kira. But you're making this really difficult."

Let me?

"I'm a grown fucking adult, mom." I don't usually cuss at my mother, but in this case, she fucking deserves it. "You don't get to let me do anything, but let me spell this out for you—under no uncertain terms—you do not get the final say on anything I decide to do with my life."

Her problem is that she tells herself that she wants to protect me, but she just ends up trying to micromanage every part of my life until I'm just a mini version of her—well, not mini, I've been taller than her since the seventh grade, but the point is that she thinks I need to live life exactly the way she wants, or I'll fail.

I don't know why; it wasn't always like this, at least when my dad was around. Maybe it was because she trusted him to protect us, or maybe it was because she was trying to fill the big gaping shoes he left behind when he walked out.

We'd only recently begun to try and repair our relationship and it's been a rocky start, I'll be honest.

I love my mom a lot, I just wish she trusted me more to make my own decisions, or that she was at least capable of backing off and minding her business when I do something she doesn't approve of.

"If I want your help, I'll call you, mom." I tell her.

"Would you?" She challenges right back.

It strikes a nerve in me immediately, and I almost hang up the damn phone right then and there.

The more time I spend away from Jersey, and away from my mother, the more I start to realize that it may not have been the city that was holding me back.

Maybe it was the constant negging and put-downs about my chosen career path causing me to feel so depressed out there, because even though I haven't written a page of my book since I've come out here, I feel more alive than I have in years.

At my age, that's not just sad; it's tragic.

Instead of rising to the bait and acknowledging her question, I switch the conversation around. "I'm sorry I didn't call you. I've been busy with some people coming by and looking at the cottage. There's some cleaning that needs to be done if I'm going to sell it."

She pauses for a long moment. "You're planning on selling it?"

"I might." To the right person...

Though, the more I get embroiled in whatever's going on with Lukkan, and Elsie's disappearing things, the more unlikely it feels for me to actually seek out that hypothetical right person.

"Oh," She sounds surprised.

"And then you'll be coming back to the city." It's not so much of a question as it is a statement.

Which has me sighing. "I don't know—"

"Well, why wouldn't you? You don't belong up in Alpine Springs."

"Why not?" I challenge.

"Because it's a slow life, Kira."

"Seeing as how I want to be a writer, it seems pretty perfect to me."

I can practically hear her eyes roll. "You can do that from anywhere."

"Right, so why not Alpine Springs?"

"Because there's nothing up there!" She snaps, frustration evident in her voice.

"So?"

"Kira—"

I really can't with this today. "Bye, mom. I'll call you later tomorrow."

"Kira—!"

I end the call before she can yell at me some more. Honestly, I should really call up Monday and give her a piece of my mind. I know this is just my latent frustrations from my mother boiling over but what the fuck!

Ugh, she should've at least run it by me before actually calling my mom.

We've been friends for long enough that you'd think she'd realize what a huge fucking betrayal going to my mom for anything is.

Maybe I really don't have anything waiting for me back in the city.

Peanut barks at me, high-pitched with his tail wagging. His tongue hangs out of his mouth while he stares at me, another bark leaving him when I only frown back.

"You know what? You and me both." I tell him.

My hands are trembling when I set my phone on the table.

Finally telling off my mom was stressful enough, but realizing that my best friend isn't really on my side? God, it's almost worse.

Maybe I really do belong out here, alone where my only company is the odd intruder, a really weird hot guy who may or may not be human, and of course, Peanut.

I'm not exactly a stranger in Alpine Springs, but no one here exactly misses Nicole Clark, Resident Bitch, so I'd be able to have the comfort of familiar territory while also escaping my mother's shadow.

Besides—what if I really am the Guardian, like Lukkan said?

Don't I owe it to Elsie to at least learn what it is that I'm supposed to be guarding?

Don't I owe it to myself to see where things go between Lukkan and I?

I shake my head—sure, we had our little...chance encounter and brush with exhibitionism, but he didn't exactly bring it up when I saw him last, so I've got no idea if he's even interested in anything more than that little peep show.

For all I know, he might not have even realized that was sexual.

After a long yawn of anxiety fueled exhaustion, I do a big stretch, and head upstairs.

If I am going to stay out here and pursue my dreams of writing for a living, I actually need to—well—write.

Especially if I plan on staying out here for as long as possible to spite my overbearing mother. Spite's as good a motivator as any, right?

Wrong.

I stare at the blank document on my screen for hours, occasionally typing an opening sentence, and deleting it because it sounds like word vomit.

Finally, I have a brilliant idea—start after the opening.

I can always go back and write my introduction later, after I feel out the story more; that way it really has an impact when readers pick up my book.

Hook them with that first paragraph, and they'll never put it down.

I actually manage to eke out about five hundred words before I shut my laptop for the night. It isn't much, but it's a lot more than nothing.

I have somewhere to start now, and I can put myself to bed feeling like I actually accomplished something tonight.

Lukkan visits me in my dreams again tonight, and this time, it's more visceral than the last, as though I can actually hear myself moaning his name.

I wake up with a deep sense of longing, my heart pounding at the image of our hands twined together, wrapped in silk webbing as he presses me into the mattress.

Fuck.

This is more than just a crush, and it's killing me.

I mean, I barely know anything about him, and I'm already head over fucking heels.

Honestly, the next time I see him, I might as well just invite him in for a cup of coffee and see where the evening takes us.

Who knows, maybe he actually will be interested in me and my dreams will become reality.

After getting both Peanut and myself some breakfast, I decide that I might as well do some sprucing up around the property.

Starting with my aunt's poor overgrown garden.

It's sad to see the state it's in by the time I get out there with a small gardening rake in my hand and gloves I'd found in Elsie's tool room.

Maybe it would cheer Lukkan up too, seeing the garden on its way to looking nice again.

I haven't seen anything in the wood line today, so I have to hope that maybe Lukkan will surprise me while I'm out here...of course, then I'd find out really quickly about his body.

It's so strange that we've managed to have such in-depth conversations from either side of a speakeasy window.

Of course, maybe it's better to rip off the band aid, and just meet him out in the open like this, in a familiar and comfortable place for both of us.

Peanut sniffs around the weeds while I get to work pulling them out of the ground and tossing them off to the side to deal with later. Elsie worked so hard to show me the ropes of gardening—she was never mean or strict, always so proud of what I did learn, instead of fixating on my shortcomings.

I never had that again after my parents split and my mom moved me out to the city.

Besides, ripping things out of the dirt with practically my bare hands is helping subside my anger from earlier. Who knew manual labor could help work out my frustrations?

As I reach for another cluster of weeds, I spot a beautifully weaved web. Inspecting it further I spot a yellow orb weaver. It is so vibrant against the brown dying weeds around it that I can't help but marvel at such a creature.

As the spider elegantly reaches his legs out toward my hand, I stretch my finger out to it while my thoughts drift to Lukkan.

I think about how he's feeling after finding out about Elsie's death. I mean, it must have been a lot put on his shoulders so quickly. I hope he comes back soon.

Our conversation had gotten cut short due to my mom's call. Maybe this time, I'll actually open the door and invite him in. I can comfort him the way I wished I was comforted when I first found out about Elsie's passing.

Suddenly Peanut starts barking frantically, pulling me out of my thoughts of Lukkan.

Immediately, my adrenaline flares and I begin to panic. Fuck, am I really ready to see him now?

Deep breathes, Kira.

My head cranes around to look over at where my dog is. He's down in a defensive position with his hackles raised, barking at something over by the tree closest to us. Squinting, I realize that it's just a fucking squirrel.

"Oh my god," I breathe out. "Peanut, what the fuck...!"

Hearing his name, he turns and whines at me.

I give him a face. "Don't scare me like that!"

He huffs at me and then turns back around to bark at the squirrel. It titters back at him, its bushy tail bobbing a few times before it turns around and skitters down the tree. Before I can grab Peanut, he goes racing off after the squirrel, right into the damn woods.

"Peanut!" I call after him.

Ugh, you damn dog!

Tossing both my gloves and hand rake down, I push myself up from the ground in order to run after him. My legs are wobbly from how I'd been kneeling in the dirt, forcing me to take a few seconds to stabilize myself before I can actually get moving.

This fucking dog, I swear to god.

Thankfully, he's still barking up ahead so I can follow him.

"Peanut!" I call again.

The woods quickly grow thick and dense with overgrown brush. It's hard to push through, even with how agile I usually am getting through small spaces. My skin starts to sting from where the branches I force my way through cut me, small pin-prickles of blood being drawn in the process.

Jesus fucking Christ, the fog is so thick today I can hardly see two steps in front of me.

I swear, I'm going to tie him to a damn lead when I get a hold of him. He never just runs off like this!

Up ahead, some of the brush starts to clear away, making it easier to move through the staggered tree trunks around me. I hear a painful whine that has my stomach dropping and my legs carrying me faster through the last few feet until I come into a small open space under the thick canopy of trees overhead.

It's there that I see the most terrifying creature that I've ever laid my eyes on holding up my dog by one of his legs and dangling him in the air.

Peanut whines again, frantically trying to get out of the creature's grip. Its jaw unhinges back and the sickening sound of a hungry growl leaves its throat.

I'm left completely frozen.