But before I can straighten, a voice cuts through the stillness like a knife.
“Raven?”
My body freezes mid-rise.
Fuck. It’s Jess.
I reluctantly lift my head, my stomach twisting as I see her striding toward us. Ty’s response is possessive as yanks me behind him, shielding me with his large frame, and I peek out from around his arm, my brows pinching in confusion as she stops, staring directly at me.
“Where have you been? You never came back after running into that cemetery,” she says, her gaze darting suspiciously between us.
My heart pounds, scrambling for an excuse, then the words tumble out before I can even think.
“Oh, I did come back, but my kitten took me on quite the adventure…”
Her eyes narrow as she crosses her arms. “So where have you been? I’ve been knocking for the past three days.”
Ty steps forward, his presence looming as his voice drops into a dangerous growl. “Is it really any of your business? Why the fuck are you hounding her?”
I flinch at the poison in his tone, glancing up at him with wide eyes. His dark eyes lock on hers with an intensity that sends a chill down my spine, but she doesn’t back down, though. Instead, she searches his half-covered face, her own expression hardening as if she senses something is amiss.
“You said you didn’t have a boyfriend, Raven,” she says, her gaze moving to me.
I panic, the lie spilling out before I can stop it. “Oh, he’s not my… boyfriend. He’s my brother.”
The second the words leave my mouth, Ty’s hand tightens around mine in a punishing squeeze, sharp enough to make me bite back a wince.
The woman hesitates, her suspicion softening into confusion as her eyes flick to the suitcase by our feet. “You’re still leaving?” she asks quietly, her voice tinged with uncertainty.
I can feel Ty’s tension in front of me, crackling with restrained violence. This moment is a tightrope, and I have no idea which way it’s going to break.
“Yes I am, I’m going to stay with him,” I respond, breaking eye contact as I lower them.
“That’s a shame, but I wish you well.”
I lift my head, forcing a small, strained smile as Jess hesitates for a moment before turning back toward the house next door. But just as she reaches the door, she pauses, casting one last stern look over her shoulder. The intensity in her gaze makes my skin itch, but I hold steady until she disappears inside.
Only then do I exhale, the sound coming out in a rush I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
Ty doesn’t say a word, just tugs me forward with an unrelenting pull, yanking open the back door of the car. He hurls the suitcase inside before slamming it shut, the sound ringing out in the night air.
As I settle into the driver’s seat, he leans over me, his presence suffocating, and with a swift click, he locks the handcuff onto thesteering wheel. My frustration flares, and I roll my eyes with an annoyed huff.
Ty’s head tilts slightly as amusement flickers in his dark, calculating eyes, then his gaze drops to my lips, lingering there, and the tension between us sparks. But instead of closing the space between us, he dips back out of the car. Midnight lets out a soft mewl as he plucks her from my arms, cradling her gently against his chest.
He closes the door before sliding into the passenger seat beside me, his fingers stroking Midnight’s fur as she nuzzles into him. She presses her nose to his chin, and to my surprise, he lets out a low chuckle as she kisses him with a soft rub.
“Let’s get out of here,” Ty says, his tone oddly calm, his fingers scratching under Midnight’s chin like this entire scenario is natural.
For a second, my stomach flutters as I watch his tenderness toward Midnight and my guard falters, my eyes softening, but I catch myself quickly. Shaking my head to dismiss the haze of the twisted lust, I turn the key in the ignition and press my foot down on the gas, leaving the ghostly town behind.
…
As we drive toward the motel, the hum of the car feels deafening against my thoughts. Ty gives me directions in that clipped tone of his, but my mind is a tangled mess, circling around his diagnosis.
“Ty,” I start hesitantly, stealing a glance at him before focusing on the road again. “You know how you said you lied your way through Sacred Heights?”
He doesn’t respond right away, his gaze fixed out the passenger-side window, but I can feel him tense slightly, debating whether to engage.