Page 42 of The Curse of Redwood

The cold returned to my forehead, like icy fingers stroking my bangs. “I will not leave your side.”

From somewhere far away, I heard a woman shriek. Children cried. A haunting wail drifted toward the room. I tried to open my eyes, but my lids were too heavy.

And then I heard a sweet, beautiful sound. Singing. A cold hand caressed my cheek as the man sang a soft melody. The song drove the horrors away.

Darkness took me once more.

***

When I opened my eyes, I winced at the bright light coming in through the window. My back was sore as I sat up in the bed and looked around. How long had I been lying there? And when did I go to bed? I couldn’t remember.

It didn’t look like my bedroom, though there was something familiar about it.

“How do you feel?” Z asked, appearing beside the bed.

“Like I got hit by a bus,” I answered, sitting up higher.

“Easy.” He cupped the back of my head as I rested it against the headboard.

“Why are you treating me like I’m made of glass?” I asked, before coughing. My throat was so freaking dry.

“What do you remember?” He sat on the edge of the bed, the intensity of his stare making me worry that something horrible had happened.

“We were in the sunroom,” I answered, as pieces of my memory came back to me. “You were reading to me.”

“Anything else?”

I shook my head. “No.” Then, I recalled kissing Z on the couch. “Wait. We kissed. And then I got lightheaded. Everything’s fuzzy after that. Was William in here earlier? I think I remember hearing him.”

“He was in here last night, worried about you. I was worried too. I didn’t know what—”

“Wait.” I held a hand up. “Last night?”

“Yes,” Z answered, the concern on his handsome face deepening. “You’ve been unconscious since yesterday afternoon. I put you to bed and tried to keep your fever down.”

“I…” Fuck, my stomach churned with anxiety. “I spent the night here? Like all night?”

“Well, I couldn’t throw you out into the yard, Carter,” he said, standing from the bed. He disappeared before rematerializing by the window, his arms crossed. “I watched over you the entire time, and William stood guard at the door. You were safe.”

“Did you sing to me?” I asked, recalling a peaceful, musical voice.

“Yes.” His head turned in my direction. “Even in sleep, you heard the spirits outside the door. I wished to soothe your troubled mind.”

“Thank you,” I said with a shake in my voice.

I moved the blanket aside and slid my legs over the side of the bed. He’d taken off my shoes but left everything else on. Not that I actually expected him to have done anything inappropriate while I was passed out, but it still made me smile a little.

“You should rest longer.”

“I need to get to work,” I said. “If this really is Friday, I’m supposed to be there at ten thirty.”

“Work can wait.” Z was in front of me before I could stand. He put his hands on my shoulders to keep me sitting. “You should go see a physician.”

“Once I get some food in me, I’ll be fine.” I placed a hand on his arm and stared up into his doubtful expression. “Don’t give me that look. I don’t feel sick or anything.”

“You were fevered, Carter,” Z pressed in a disapproving tone. “A healthy person doesn’t act out of character and lose consciousness for no reason.”

“What do you mean by ‘out of character?’ Did I do something?”