Page 61 of (Mostly) Human Resources

Nic hummed in understanding. “Osteomancy.”

Alexys rolled her eyes. “Sure, that.”

“And the second time?”

An image of Silas in his three-piece suit and inhuman smile flashed through Alexys’s mind. “Just some stranger in the woods.” It came out as a whisper, her voice caught in her throat. The words fought to stayunspoken. “He, uh, helped me. Last night, that is. And then he said that a run-of-the-mill Haint was too boring a death for me.”

“Ah-ha, sothat’show you survived the ghost? I knew you hadn’t told us the full story.” Nic didn’t look surprised, but she could see the concern in his eyes, and it made her look away again. “The stranger saved you.” Alexys didn’t answer.

She wanted to tell him all about Silas, but she couldn’t articulate it. It was almost as if speaking his name aloud would summon him, right then and there, in a cave in the woods. She didn’t know if it was some form of magic that Silas was wielding or her lingering fear of Nic discovering either one of the things that seemed to have latched on to her, but she couldn’t tell him.

But God, did she want to.

Alexys wanted to spill every bit of information she’d kept bottled up. About her fear for Elliot and her premonition, about her fear of disappointing her mom and failing to live up to her dad’s legacy. She even wanted to tell him about her nightmaresandabout Silas. Who made her skin crawl every time he looked at her. How evil seeped out of every fiber of his being, and how Alexys was fully convinced he was more demon than man.

The silence between them grew thick, and the only thing to break it was the heavy rain and the crackling fire. Alexys stared out into the dark, trying to clear the cotton from her throat, and tucked her fingers up under her arms to warm them.

Finally, Alexys managed to say, “I think the most frightening monsters are disguised as people. The ones hiding in plain sight.”

“You have to give me more than that.” Nic’s voice was quiet, but she could hear the hint of desperation in it. “Let me help you, Keane, I—”

“You can’t.” The truth of it cracked her wide open.

The truth was that Nicwasthere to help her, but Alexys would bear the consequences of her dreams, of Silas, of this trip on herown. Whatever happened to Elliot, or to them, it would be her burden to carry.

But he couldn’t truly help her, not in the way he wanted. With a missing Warden and her job on the line, the last thing she needed was Nic trying to diagnose her nightmares, discovering her unauthorized research, and whatever it was that was causing her nightmares. If everything got out, not only would she be fired, but her dad’s legacy would be ruined, and her mom’s worries would be proven right.

“It’s nothing to do with Elliot,” she said, “so it’s not something you can fix.” She met his worried gaze. “Please, don’t worry about it.”

Nic ran a hand through his hair and loosed a tired sigh. “But I am worrying. Frankly, you cause me more worry than anyone I’ve ever met.”

She snorted a laugh. “I find that surprising.”

“Why? Because you don’t think I care, or because you don’t think you’re worth the worry?”

The words hit like a tonne of bricks, and Alexys physically recoiled from them. She refused to acknowledge whether or not he was right. He didn’t have the right to throw around such raw accusations. And more than that, since when did he look at her like that? Deep concern, genuine and thoughtful. He didn’tknowher. And before this trip, they’d never spent more than a handful of hours together. Nic wasn’t someone who got to ask her big questions, or make her feel evenworseabout herself.

No.

They lapsed into another uncomfortable silence. The need for an apology hung between them, but neither was willing to sacrifice their pride.

CHAPTER 34

“The Gray Man deserved the punishment She gave him, but what criminal has ever understood their punishment and accepted it? He will not forgive us for it, of this I am sure.”

The Fairchild Grimoire,1595 Entry by Mercy Fairchild

The rain hadn’t stopped, but the fight had left them both as the night dragged on.

Alexys’s fears began to creep back in—about Elliot, monsters, her nightmares. Everything. Beyond the mouth of the cave, the woods were so dark it felt like staring into an abyss. Something could have stood a few feet away from them, just biding its time, and they’d be none the wiser. Alexys hugged her knees to her chest.

“Tell me about it,” she whispered. It startled Nic, who had been busy stoking the fire with a stick.

“Pardon?”

“The Hollow Walker,” Alexys said. Nic looked at her, eyes wide and mouth open in exaggerated shock.

“Are you telling me you want one of mymind-numbingly long lectures?” She appreciated his attempt to lighten the mood.