Page 9

“You must go back. Find your homeland,” her voice croaked. “Do not trust anyone. There are deceivers.”

“Stop,” Ava pleaded as she tried again to free her hand.

The woman quieted, eyes closing. “The voice in your dreams,” she whispered harshly. “You must find him.”

Panicking, Ava yanked her arm free and rushed out of the tent leaving the old crone and her omen behind. She stood in the cool air, feeling dizzy as she took deep breaths, willing herself calm before Henry noticed her alarm.

How did the woman know about the book and the prophecy?

What the hell was the prophecy? Other than a brief snippet in her grandfather’s journal she had no idea what it could even be about.

Who was the voice in her dreams? Her homeland?

Ava’s efforts to write off her grandfather’s ramblings were crumbling with each discovery.

The book, the creature in the woods and now this.

Plus, there was something about Luna she still couldn’t figure out.

And what was this about deceivers? Uneasiness brewed inside Ava’s stomach as she ruminated over what the woman said.

The one thing she was almost certain of was that she was on the cusp of finding answers. Like a small seed of truth had been planted when she was a child and was continuing to grow, now on the verge of blooming. A great and terrible bud about to burst open and upend everything.

She rubbed her temple and looked at the night sky, allowing the crisp breeze to cool her face.

Nerves waning, she turned to search for Henry.

She found him lingering a few booths away, eyeing the art displayed with care along the walls of the kiosk.

She hoped he couldn’t tell she was still rattled, and it took every effort to hide her nerves.

“How’d it go?” he asked, taking her hands in his and stepping close .

“Well.” She smiled, heart still racing. “She said I would find my true love soon.”

His eyes twinkled. “Is that so?”

She shrugged. “I doubt it.”

Henry laughed and pulled her down the aisle and they resumed their shopping. “I guess we’ll have to see about that.”

The rest of the evening had gone wonderfully, Ava and Henry giggling throughout the ridiculous haunted house. Those in charge had made sure it wasn’t too scary, allowing even the youngest children to participate, causing it to be hilarious rather than terrifying.

At one point, the diner owner, Mel, had barged through a false wall bellowing, “Leave this place!” covered in spaghetti and meatballs.

Ava had laughed so hard she had tears streaming down her face and Henry was right there along with her, shouting, “Beware of the spaghetti monster!” as they continued down the hallway.

Though Ava enjoyed the rest of the festival, she couldn’t stop thinking about what had transpired in the tent with the fortune teller. The woman spoke about the book and the prophecy and Ava knew it couldn’t be a coincidence. But she still didn’t understand what any of it meant.

They pulled into the driveway, and Henry walked her to her front door.

She stopped and turned toward him. “Do you want to come in?”

The words had come out before she even had a chance to think about it. With him around, there was no chance to even process what she wanted to do. Because the only thing she wanted was him .

He crept closer and looked down at her, eyes full of need. “Yes,” he rasped.

She could barely get the keys in the door as she trembled with anticipation, but she was able to get it open and tossed her purse onto the entry table as the door slammed behind them.

The moment she turned around, Henry’s lips were upon hers, hands gripping her hips and pulling her closer.

The kiss went on, intensifying and filling Ava with uncontrollable desire as she ran her fingers through his hair.

Henry pulled away and placed light kisses down her jaw, her throat, the place where her shoulder met her neck.

He continued lower, kissing below her clavicle.

She moaned, needing more. He continued up the other side and met her lips again, his hand now cupping her breast over her sweater.

He reached down and pulled the sweater over her head, tossing it to the ground and she followed suit, removing his shirt and revealing his lithe muscled torso. He looked down at her black lace bra and hummed, running his fingers down the straps before grasping her breasts again.

“Upstairs,” she ordered.

He briskly picked her up, hands under her thighs as she wrapped her legs around him. He carried her up the stairs attempting to steal kisses along the way as she looped her hands over his neck. They entered the bedroom and Henry laid her on the crisp sheets as he stood before her.

The next thing Ava knew, the rest of their clothes were flying across the room and Henry was upon her. His palms moved along her soft curves, the heat of his touch sending shivers over her as he explored every inch.

She relished the warmth of his hands as he dragged the tip of his nose along her jaw and then kissed her again. Ava had never known this kind of hunger. As if she was starving and would never be satiated.

Her breath caught as he moved closer and they joined, his heaviness pressed against her body. Her longing for intimacy and pleasure overrode any semblance of practicality left and she moved with him.

Faster, harder, their mouths full of teeth and tongue, they frantically kissed as pressure began to build. She arched against him as waves of pleasure washed over her and she gasped, clinging to him in desperation as she lost herself in the fog of lust.