Page 11 of Furever Bound (Hollow Oak Mates #7)

SERA

T he sharp knock on Sera's inn room door came just as she was reviewing the disturbing analytics from her latest social media posts.

The Grimjaw content had exploded across platforms in ways that felt both gratifying and increasingly uncomfortable, with engagement numbers climbing alongside comments that suggested people were making serious plans to investigate Hollow Oak personally.

"Coming," she called, expecting Miriam with evening tea or perhaps Maddox with another cryptic warning about supernatural forces she still wasn't sure she believed in.

Instead, she opened the door to find an elegant woman with dark hair pulled into a severe chignon and the kind of expensive academic chic that screamed university prestige. Her smile was sharp enough to cut glass, and her evaluating gaze made Sera feel like a specimen under laboratory examination.

"You must be Sera Quinn," the woman said, extending a manicured hand with professional precision. "Dr. Elena Vasquez. I'm here to collaborate with Maddox on your fascinating research project."

"Collaborate?" Sera accepted the handshake while mentally cataloguing everything about this unexpected visitor that set off warning bells. "Maddox didn't mention expecting a colleague."

"Academic collaboration often develops quickly when interesting phenomena require specialized expertise," Elena replied, stepping into the room without invitation. "I hope you don't mind my directness, but I'm quite curious about your documentation methods."

The presumptuous entry into her personal space combined with Elena's calculating attention made Sera's instincts scream warnings about territory being invaded by someone with hidden agendas.

"Documentation methods?" she asked, closing the door while maintaining careful distance from her uninvited guest.

"Your social media approach to folklore preservation," Elena clarified, settling into the room's single chair with obvious intention to stay. "Maddox mentioned that you've developed quite innovative techniques for engaging modern audiences with traditional narratives."

The compliment felt like a trap, especially when Elena's tone suggested she found those innovative techniques more problematic than praiseworthy.

"I try to make cultural heritage accessible without exploiting it," Sera said carefully, noting how Elena's sharp gaze catalogued every detail of her living space.

"How admirable," Elena smiled with academic condescension that made Sera's teeth ache. "Though I imagine balancing accessibility with cultural sensitivity must be challenging for someone without formal training in folklore studies."

The subtle insult hit every insecurity Sera had developed about intellectual inadequacy, and she realized this woman had come armed with precisely the kind of academic superiority that could undermine her growing confidence.

"I have a communications degree and seven years of experience connecting people with meaningful content," she replied, lifting her chin with defensive pride. "That might not be formal folklore training, but it's relevant expertise."

"Communications," Elena repeated with the tone people used for discussing minor hobbies. "How interesting. I imagine that provides a very... practical perspective on storytelling."

"More practical than theoretical frameworks that keep knowledge locked away from the people who could benefit from it," Sera shot back, recognizing the intellectual gatekeeping she'd been fighting against for days.

"Academic rigor exists for important reasons," Elena said with patient explanation usually reserved for particularly slow undergraduates. "Some knowledge requires proper contextual understanding to be shared safely."

"Safely?" Sera latched onto the word with journalist instincts that sensed bigger stories hiding behind careful language. "That's an interesting way to describe folklore preservation."

Elena's pause suggested she'd revealed more than intended, and her recovery carried the smooth professionalism of someone accustomed to managing information leaks.

"Cultural appropriation concerns," she clarified quickly. "Academic ethics require careful consideration of how traditional knowledge gets translated for modern consumption."

The explanation felt rehearsed and insufficient, especially when Elena's knowledge about their research seemed unusually comprehensive for someone who'd supposedly just arrived.

"How much has Maddox told you about our work?" Sera asked, testing Elena's familiarity with details she shouldn't know.

"Enough to understand that you've made some fascinating discoveries about local manifestation patterns," Elena replied, her academic mask slipping enough to reveal something predatory underneath. "Particularly regarding Grimjaw folklore and its correlation with community stress indicators."

Sera's stomach clenched with the realization that Elena knew specific details about research they'd conducted privately, suggesting either Maddox had shared more than he'd indicated or Elena had access to information through other channels.

"That's very specific knowledge for someone who just arrived," she observed, studying Elena's reaction.

"Academic networks share information quite efficiently when interesting phenomena develop," Elena said with diplomatic smoothness. "Folklore manifestation is a specialized field, and news travels quickly among researchers."

"Folklore manifestation," Sera repeated, noting how Elena used the same terminology Maddox had employed. "Is that the academic term for what's been happening around Hollow Oak?"

"Among other things," Elena smiled with the kind of calculated evasion that suggested she knew far more than she was willing to reveal.

"Tell me, have you noticed any unusual responses to your documentation activities?

Electronics behaving strangely, perhaps?

Residents reacting to your presence in unexpected ways? "

The questions felt like fishing expeditions designed to extract information rather than casual academic curiosity, and Sera realized she was being interviewed by someone whose motivations remained suspiciously unclear.

"Some minor equipment glitches," she admitted cautiously. "Nothing that couldn't be explained by mountain weather or mineral deposits."

"Of course," Elena agreed with tone that suggested she didn't believe natural explanations for a moment. "Though sometimes phenomena that appear technological actually have more... complex origins."

"Complex how?"

"That depends on one's openness to possibilities that exist beyond conventional scientific paradigms," Elena replied with academic diplomacy that revealed nothing while implying everything.

Sera's phone pinged with another notification about her Grimjaw content. The engagement numbers had climbed even higher, with several new comments from people claiming to be en route to Hollow Oak for paranormal investigation.

"Popular content," Elena observed, studying Sera's phone screen with obvious interest. "How many people are planning to visit based on your documentation?"

"I don't know," Sera said, realizing that Elena's knowledge about social media engagement suggested she'd been monitoring the posts. "Several, apparently."

"Several people coming to investigate folklore that's currently..." Elena paused delicately, "experiencing unusual activity levels. How concerning."

The implication that Sera's content success was creating actual danger made her stomach twist with guilt and confusion, especially when Elena's tone suggested she understood risks that hadn't been properly explained.

"Should I be concerned about people visiting?" Sera asked directly, abandoning diplomatic conversation in favor of honest questions.

"That depends on how much Maddox has told you about what really happens when folklore attracts concentrated attention," Elena replied, her academic mask dropping entirely to reveal something calculating underneath.

"And how much you're prepared to learn about the true nature of the community you've been documenting. "