Page 42 of Folds
“Technically, he does more than I do.”
The answering laugh behind me is so deep and warm that it makes me far too aware of the blood thrumming through my veins.
“Wrong on both counts, Auburn.”
I shake my head violently. My thoughts feel sluggish and thick. Why am I entertaining this absurdity?
“How do you know my name?” I jump at the sharp sound of my own voice as it comes out at regular volume. Then I hear the gravel crunch as Elias moves toward the sound.
“Auburn!”
I don’t scan for him; instead, I spin on my heel to get a good look at the man toying with me.
A chilling wave of realization washes across my skin as I register that I’m not looking at a man. I’m faced with a void, suspiciously shaped like a tall, broad-shouldered being.The absence of light that somehow still forms into facial features is striking, I can’t stop staring at the lips. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear-
“Oh, sweetheart. That was a bad choice.”
He shakes his head slightly as he regards me, a sad expression crossing the facsimile of human features.
I hear the scrape of gravel getting louder under hurried footsteps as Elias draws so close I fear he might barrel into me.
I blink. I must have.
The being is gone. No shift, no sound. One moment he is there, the next he isn’t. Nothing but his ominous, nonsensical message hangs in the air to suggest he was ever real.
The sheriff grabs and yanks my hand so roughly that it feels as though my shoulder might get pulled out of its socket.
“Elias, that hurts!”
If he’s heard me, he shows no indication as he continues dragging me back toward the gate.
“Elias, wait.” I try to dig my heels in, but his insistence doesn’t lessen. His hand constricts around my wrist enough that I worry it might snap. The threat of permanent or even semi-permanent damage is enough to make my feet move in the direction he wants me to go, but his grip doesn’t loosen. Even when we make it to the other side of the gate, and he slams it shut, I still feel his fingertips digging into my flesh.
“Where the fuck did you go?” When he rounds on me, he barely looks like himself. Something in his face is wrong. His eyes are blazing, and his chest rises and falls as though he’s just run a marathon.
“I tripped.” Adrenaline makes my voice shake more than I want it to, only amplifying when Elias surges deeper into my personal space, looming over me with unmistakable intent to intimidate.
“I’m serious, Auburn. Where did you go? I will drag your ass to the precinct this instant if you’re fucking with me.”
Any veneer of control has shattered. The wild edge in the blonde man’s eyes makes ice form in my veins.
“I tripped, Elias. I fell backward, and I think I hit my head. I thought I saw someone and-”
“Who?” He finally drops my wrist only to grab my chin and force me to look at him.
“I don’t know, I don’t think-”
“Release her, Carston.” The words aren’t fully formed, more like wind threading through branches, shaped into a threat.
Relief blossoms in my nervous system as Elias steps away from me, and I take advantage of his distraction to put as much space between us as possible.
“I’m armed,” he threatens loudly, still looking around wildly for the source of the command.
But the street is empty.
“Get in the car.” I shake my head instinctively.
“I can walk home, it’s not far-”
