Page 24 of Beyond the Blue Horizon

The smile he wore softened, though the rest of him was still carved in ferocity. “Wouldn’t have left you on the side of the road, Piper, just like I’m not gonna leave you in need, either.”

There was something about it that sounded so much deeper than the mere acts of kindness he’d demonstrated for us tonight. Something that sounded of a dire, indestructible claim.

As if his entire being were written in it.

Without saying anything else, he swung back around and disappeared into the murky shadows that consumed the path.

Trembling, I slipped back into the cabin, and I quietly snapped the door shut. My forehead dropped to the wood as I slowly turned the lock.

Metal grated as the deadbolt clicked into place.

My shoulders tensed when I sensed the presence edge up behind me. The concern that radiated out from her beautiful, graceful soul.

“Why are you always so sure everyone is out to get you?” Nelly’s voice was soft.

I breathed out around the truth that we had no choice but to abide by, and I turned around to face her as I whispered, “Because no one can be trusted.”

FOUR

THEO

The sky saggedlow as I slipped along the perimeter grounds of The Sanctuary. The night was so dense it felt like it’d become its own entity.

The cold as thick as a block of ice as I trudged through the deep banks of snow that had gathered during the storm.

It was quiet, though. The storm having passed, the disorder replaced by a viscid stillness.

Only movement around was the bare rustle in the tops of the trees. The soaring pines and the majestic oaks standing proud like sentinels guarding the property.

Most of the guests staying at The Sanctuary had long since absconded to their rooms, locked in the warmth to wait out the storm.

Eager as hell for the morning to come since it was likely there would be perfect conditions on the slopes over the next few days after the fresh dumping of snow.

One of the main reasons people flocked to Moonlit Ridge in the winter was the ski resort that was about five miles up the mountain.

Another was simply to sit in awe of the beauty of this place.

In my humble opinion—which if you asked my crew wasn’t all that humble—there were few things more gorgeous than The Sanctuary’s view over the crystalline lake that was surrounded by a dense cloth of woods.

It was even more spectacular when it was blanketed in snow.

The scene evoking utter relaxation as someone cozied up next to the fire with the view and a book.

Not that I ever allowed myself to fall into it.

Never foolish enough to be lulled into a false sense of security when I knew refuge could be flipped to peril in one quick flick of the switch.

Chaos descending in a single beat.

Which was why I took it upon myself to make rounds of The Sanctuary’s grounds several times a night.

Sure.

I had security on the property at all times, but I refused to get complacent with it.

Wasn’t like I could sleep, anyway.

Especially when I had an abuse survivor on the property.