Page 48 of If I Stopped Haunting You

And on this night, it did not have to wait long. A man wandered down the tunnels from the theater, slipping through the trapdoor beneath the stage.

The shadow watched him behind the curtain of darkness, waiting, waiting. But when he bent to bite the man, to suck him dry of his life force, the man met its eyes and said: “I’ve been looking for you.”

Chapter 15

NEIL

Neil fiddled awkwardly with his laptop as Skinner swept her arm at her room. It was a mess. The small pile of pillows and socks she’d used for artillery when he’d barged into her room the night before still littered the floor. She hadn’t stopped to make her bed; the blankets twisted in a tangled disarray. And was that underwear by the ensuite?

“You’re already quite familiar with my room,” she joked. She followed his apt attention to the underwear. She rushed over and threw them into the bathroom, slamming the door shut with an awkward laugh.

Coughing to hide a smile, Neil turned to her, holding up a hand in surrender. “About last night—” he started, remembering the way she’d gently removed his hands from the door and the way she’d stared back at him curiously from her laptop, then hungrily started reading the words he’d written all those years ago.

“I’m sorry,” she said, spinning toward him. “I’m sorry for blowing up at you. I want you to do better is all.”

Neil blanched. “Did you just apologize?”

“I read your manuscript.”

Oh no, he couldn’t look at her. His eyes went to his feet. She thought it was terrible; it was the worst thing she’d ever read. Hisgaze flicked back up at her, and she swallowed as she fiddled with the fraying hem of her sweater.

“I stayed up reading it.”

He deflated and looked away as his hands slipped into his pockets. “Oh.”

“No!” She crossed to him, taking his hand in hers. His pulse sped as her fingers swept over the soft skin on the inside of his wrist, brushing the edge of his tattoo. “Thank you, for being willing to extend an olive branch. You didn’t have to, but I’m glad you did.” She tilted her head, glancing up at him from beneath her bangs, and Neil tried to ignore the way his heart was thrumming at her touch. “I’m glad you trusted me enough to be honest. Especially when I’ve never given you a reason to.”

“And I’m sorry, for not standing up for the things I wanted.”

Skinner laughed as she patted his hand, dropping it and stepping back. Neil felt her absence at once, and he flexed his fingers, wanting to reach out for her.

“That’s a big apology, but having read it, I see what you’ve given up. So… do me one favor?”

Those were not words he ever expected to come out of her mouth. Neil frowned as she walked toward a tapestry hanging on the wall.

“What?” he asked.

“Do better? Stop catering to your publisher and write the books you want to write? Writeyourbooks.”

Swallowing, he nodded. “I can try.” And he would. Neil would do his best to earn his place.

She smiled. He watched as she pocketed her phone and slipped her laptop under her arm before crossing the room and holding aside the tapestry to reveal a secret door.

“That’s all I ask.”

He cleared his throat. “While we’re on the topic, can you do something for me?”

She frowned. “What?”

“Believe that you’re enough. You don’t need to be enrolled, you don’t need to look Native to be Native. You’re Native, and so long as you know, that’s enough. There will always be someone who says otherwise, but they’re buying into a system created by colonizers.You’reenough, Penelope Skinner.”

Skinner tilted her head, eyes shining. “Thank you. I didn’t realize until now, but I’ve been waiting for someone to tell me that for a while.” She cleared her throat and turned back to the tapestry.

“Happy to be of service.” He rocked back on his heels, desperately wanting to keep her talking. “Do you have any recommendations on how I should move forward from this?”

He had a few ideas.

Like kissing her and… kissing her.