One
Lexi dug frantically. Her hands pried solid chunks of earth away, chipping the dark, black-red nail polish she loved to sport.
Shit.
She’d have to find time to work in an appointment at the nail salon before the weekend. There was no way in hell she would be seen at a wedding with anything less than perfectly manicured hands.
A glint of metal shimmering from a thin chain caught her attention when she entered the decrepit cottage. A dilapidated structure overgrown with moss and lush greenery stood off to the side of a clearing. Vines hung low, shielding the building behind its intricate web. She’d spotted it while on a peaceful walk near the Spring River Inn and Winery she managed. It had never grabbed her attention before, but today was different.
Hidden by the forest, it sat eerily on its own. The only indication of its existence was a single grey stone situated a few yards from the path. She’d never seen it on any of her other walks. It seemed out of place amongst the forest.
As she stepped closer, passing the lone rock to investigate, the foreboding image of the structure emerged from behind the shroud of dense branches covered in leaves. A large tree was rooted in the center, surrounded by half standing walls of the cottage. Its limbs extended in all directions through the top, the roof had crumbled to the ground over time. More smokey colored masonry scattered around the base of the old foundation, hiding the evidence of what lay beyond the thick bushes.
Overtaken by her curiosity, she reached out a hand and pulled back the curtain of green ivy before stepping through the crumbling threshold. She ducked her head, careful of the low-lying branches from the tree growing out of it. The sight was both magnificent and daunting. From the outside, the structure looked to be a simple ruin, abandoned long ago. But once she had entered, it was clear a fire had once consumed the inside. The smell of burned wood lingered in the air. Charred, antique furniture was tossed around the floor. The sight was chilling, and Lexi wanted nothing more than to leave.
The sun beamed through the small square window in one of the last fully standing walls. The evening glow snaked its way in through all of the crevices between the stones before sinking beneath the hills. Warm and golden, it was a far contrast to the cottage setting she was inside of now.
Dim.
Cold.
Desolate.
The sun’s glow reflected off of the thin, gold chain. Lexi bent and wiped her hand across the soil. The movement released a pungent smell of leaves and dried earth. It wafted up, filling the space with a faint putrid smell, only adding to the unpleasant charred scent already present.
As she brushed her hand back and forth, more of the chain was revealed, and soon she was compelled to dig through the compacted dirt. An undertaking a far cry from her prim, tidy nature. She threw chucks of dirt over her shoulder, frustrated that she’d been overtaken by the urgency—not knowing why, she only knew she needed to uncover what she’d found. As more of the chain was exposed, she pulled, hoping it would dislodge from the ground. But it was buried deep, had been for some time.
All rational thought told her to stop. She shouldn’t be in a building where the walls were crumbling. But an unexplainable force held her attention. All of her determination focused on unearthing the buried chain.
She stopped only when a distant sound reached her ears. A woman’s laugh echoed, followed by a shadow that darkened the small one room cottage. It moved quickly, and she jumped to her feet. Crunching sounds outside froze her breath. She hesitated to speak but needed to know who or what was lurking.
“Hello?” Her voice cracked as she tried to mask the fear in it.
The footsteps grew louder, and Lexi backed up. Her legs hit something behind her, and she fell back, crashing to the dirt floor. She rolled and kicked the charred wooden chair with her foot. “Fuck!” she shouted and jumped back to her feet, brushing the dirt from her black skin-tight jeans.
“Who’s out there? This is private property, and you’re trespassing!”
It wasn’t a lie. The main house of the winery wasn’t far from the path, and the property was large. Surrounded by a creek fed by a swimming hole. Thirty acres total made up the winery and historic inn. The workers had all gone for the evening. She knew she was alone, except for whoever was stalking her outside of the haunting cottage.
Another crack of twigs startled her. Spinning, she searched for anything useful as a weapon to protect herself. But there was nothing in sight. She held her breath as a shadow stretched farther in front of the entrance. With nowhere to hide in the single-room cottage, she readied herself to charge at the intruder. Trying to remain silent, she hoped the element of surprise from a woman screaming bloody murder would be on her side.
Sweat broke out on her forehead, and the chill of the air sent shivers through her. She bit her bottom lip, stifling a noise that threatened to escape. The shadow inched closer, and a doe-eyed deer revealed herself. Its mouth moved from side to side as it chewed on roughage.
Lexi blew out a breath before erupting in a hysterical bout of laughter. She’d seen that deer out in the field when she was walking. Her imagination got the best of her. The laugh she thought she’d heard was probably just another animal too. When she turned to leave, her eyes caught the disturbed ground where the chain still lay half-buried.
Lexi sat back on the dirt floor. She dug and pulled. On the third try, meeting no resistance this time, the chain slipped easily from the ground. A large teardrop, reddish-orange stone was attached to it, revealing a striking necklace. White veins created stripes around it, and she stared in awe. The pull of it was overwhelming. How could a piece of jewelry captivate a person so strongly? It was like a magnet guiding her through a vortex. Not able to ignore its lure, she could only gaze into the center of the dark red stone against her will.
As she stared, swirls of smoke enveloped her, cloaking her from the outside world. She was no longer in her time but thrown back to a period she didn’t recognize. The cottage walls were put back together, and the furnishings were clean and righted. She panicked, confused by the vision. She closed her eyes, but whatever force had taken over wouldn’t allow her to escape. The only explanation was that she was dreaming. She needed to wake up, but her eyes were fixated on the necklace dangling in front of her, unable to avert her gaze.
The reddish stone morphed into an empty void where images surfaced within it, revealing a fiery blaze that engulfed everything in its path. Lexi heard the crackle of burning wood and felt the searing heat. A scorching wind brushed through her hair. Fear rose to the surface. She fought with her body to run, but her feet remained planted. Her distressed breathing came in wheezing pants. The only strength she could muster was just enough for a mumbled, “Stop.”
Lexi fought to break her stare, to break the hold the stone had on her. Tears streamed down her cheeks from her burning eyes as the smoke grew thicker. Reaching deep down into the depths of her gut, she yelled again to be let free.
The stench of firewood nauseated her as it seeped into her nose, covering her head to foot. As quick as it had appeared, it retreated, evaporating into nothingness. The pungent odor lingered, and she was sure it wasn’t a hallucination.
Her legs shook when she stood. The necklace rattled as it dangled from her fingertips outstretched in front of her. She knew she should drop it, but deep down, a connection took hold, calling her to hold on to it. Her fist closed around the chain just as scratching came from behind her, sending a shiver of horror down her spine. Her head followed as her eyes tracked a path to one side of the room. She peeked over her shoulder, not wanting to look, but an overwhelming presence demanded her attention. Her breaths came in short pants, and her heart threatened to break through her ribs. Sweat continued to bead on her forehead, adding to the trembling already taking over.
Across the small room, a broken, dirty mirror sat on the mantel. Lexi gasped at the splotchy reflection. Not of herself, but at the ghastly image of a woman in raggedy clothes standing next to her. Long, black, stringy hair covered most of her face. A white nightgown hung too loosely over her frail body. The woman’s head moved, revealing her pale complexion covered in dirt. When their gazes met, the eyes staring back at Lexi were anything but human. Large white globes revealed coal, vertical slits for pupils that were outlined in pale blue.
Lexi screamed as she turned back to face the woman next to her, and gasped when she realized no one was there. But the undeniable presence of something sinister hung around. She stood alone, while the sound of wicked laughter reverberated off the surroundings.
Lexi burst from the confines of the ruin, running as fast as her legs would carry her. She ran past the swimming hole where a waterfall cascaded over a cliff above, stopping to catch her breath near the flowing water. The sun had set behind the hills now, and darkness was creeping in fast. The chill of the air bit her skin.
Raising her hand, she was careful not to stare at the stone for too long. She wanted nothing more than to throw it into the water and forget about what had happened. But she knew she couldn’t. What she’d seen was real, even if most people wouldn’t believe her. She knew it was all real, down to the marrow of her bones. Even more alarming was the pulsing she felt emanating from the necklace. It wasn’t natural by any means, and she knew it meant something. It was dangerous. She’d be damned if she allowed it to hurt anyone walking by or swimming in the water.
She clutched the necklace in her fist as she ran back to the winery’s inn, shutting and locking the front doors behind her. It was three flights of steep steps to her room on the top floor, and though she was short, she took them two at a time. The elevator at the end of the hall seemed too far away. The stairs were faster and closer to her room.
In her suite, she locked the door and cursed herself for telling Ella, the on-site chef and assistant manager, for taking the next few days off. The guest rooms were vacant until the weekend, when the place would be fully booked for her best friend Emily’s wedding. But until then, she’d be alone at night.
Across the room, her eyes gazed out at the trees. Something was out there. For the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel safe. She’d always been in control, level-headed, and quick to think on her feet. But what she’d seen in the forest had thrown her off kilter, and at a loss of what to do.
There was no way she’d call Emily or Liam and cause them any alarm just days before their wedding. Her heart raced as she stared out over the valley, and she yanked the French-style curtains closed, shutting out the outside to her view.
At the dresser, the antique wood screeched when she pulled the top drawer open, tossing the necklace inside, and slamming it shut without looking at it further. Her fingers quaked as she pulled her phone from her pocket and thought of calling the only other person she knew could help.
Her stomach clenched at the thought of talking to him.
Seeing him.
What to say to him?
It always did, and she always looked forward to seeing him whenever the group of friends were together. But she could never let Trey know how much she enjoyed his company. They were strictly friends, and her rules forbid any kind of physical relationship with anyone she thought could weaken her defenses. Trey had the power to break down those defenses. And she both craved and feared it. It was a torturous obsession she didn’t know how to break. Her desire to remain single proved harder to keep in check every time she was graced with his presence—became harder to hide her reactions from him as time went on.
The last time she’d seen him, he held her eyes during a conversation at dinner with their friends. For a moment, there were just the two of them, in a crowded restaurant, filled to the brim with muffled laughter of inconspicuous people. Wild desire flowed through her veins, passing between them, and she caught the dilation of his pupils. It sent waves of heat through her. She had to break his stare and excuse herself to leave early, making up an excuse about a staff meeting the following day.
Now, she was stuck at a crossroads. Deal with what had happened in the woods on her own or call someone for help. She couldn’t call Emily, as she would tell Liam. And though she knew Luke, she didn’t know him as well. She was sure she could trust him to remain discrete but didn’t want to risk it.
Pouring herself some wine, she paced again. Running her fingers through her hair as she clinked her rings against the glass. She switched on the TV, not caring what channel it was on. Trivial chatter escaped the thin speakers, breaking the silence of the room and distracting her with background noise.
She grabbed her phone from the plush ivory comforter on the king size bed and typed with one hand as she walked back and forth, gripping the wine glass as if her life depended on it. Taking a long, drawn-out sip, she pressed send and sat on the end of the lofty four-post bed.
It was done. She couldn’t go back now. The truth was, she didn’t want to take it back. No matter how hard she fought with herself, she knew it was Trey who she wanted to help her. Her mind reeled with questions but no answers, and she prayed Trey would be able to help her figure out what had happened.
Taking another sip of wine, she wished she had harder liquor on hand to calm her nerves. But the bottle of Merlot would have to do. The Vintner who ran the tasting room down the road would scold her if he saw her carelessness for how she drank. But the traditional sipping and savoring of the luscious liquid would have to wait for another day.
Pouring another glass, Lexi walked to the small sofa in the sitting area and wrapped a Sherpa blanket around her body. She wondered if the guys were on an investigation. Emily had mentioned they’d have a couple of cases to finish up before the wedding.
She breathed deeply, anticipating a phone call from him—for a response to the three words she’d typed.
“I need you.”
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