Chapter 54

Paula

I flinch with a gasp, and the keys I’d been holding fall from my grip, rattling loudly against the floor of the office. But I can barely hear it above the groans and whines echoing in my ears, the voice sounding pained and so, so familiar. I blindly grope for the edge of the desk behind me while my vision is hazed with dark silhouettes of trees and bright red flowers in the dusk. I can almost catch the sickly sweetness of their odor, my nose tickling with—

“Excuse me?”

I jolt up and blink out of the vision, my heart pounding in my chest as I look up at Mr. Perkins, a newly arrived tourist in Raywald. “Oh, sorry, I just—Give me a moment.”

My voice stutters as I speak, the words trembling on my lips as I bend down to pick up the keys and hold them out. I don’t know if Mr. Perkins can see it, but my hands are shaking, making the keys rattle slightly as I hand them over. He’s gonna stay here for a couple of nights, and I don’t really want to appear weird to a new guest. But how can I stay calm when I’m sure it was Gray’s voice in my ears?

Where is he? What’s going on?

I clear my throat, trying to take control of the quivers in my voice, and straighten up. My smile probably looks fake as hell, but I can’t help it. “I’ll show you to your room, Mr. Perkins.”

Not that I really want to, but at least it gives me a chance to look at the window of Gray’s room as soon as I leave the office. The lights are off, but I keep glancing at it, hoping to see movement behind the curtains, any hint that Gray is not somewhere out in the woods, whining in agony in his wolf shape. He couldn’t have gone very far in the three hours that have passed since I left his room, could he?

I can’t help the nervousness that’s pulling my chest tighter with every inhale, and I rush inside the room right after Mr. Perkins with the urge to leave it as soon as possible.

“Bathroom is behind that door, towels and sheets are in this cupboard.” I walk around the room, unable to keep my hurried step calm, and explain everything at a much faster pace than usual. “You have to check out before noon on Friday. If you need anything, you can find me or my father at the administration office.” I stop next to the door, laying my hand on the handle, and turn to him as an afterthought. “Do you have any questions?”

“Yes.” Ah, damn it. It’s like he’s dragging out his words on purpose, looking around the room before looking at me. “Where can I have lunch?”

I have to swallow an irritated sigh, squeezing the handle tighter. Time is running out, Gray may be in trouble, and I’m stuck here with an old man who doesn’t know what it means to hurry up! I take a calming breath and nod at the door.

“There’s a diner across the street. Till Dawn, have you seen it? You can find all kinds of dishes there.” But Mr. Perkins scrunches up his nose as soon as I say the word ‘diner’, and I have to bite my cheek to keep my cool before adding, “Or you can go further into Raywald and find a couple of family restaurants near the square.”

“Oh, that sounds better.” He perks up and looks at me with curiosity, taking a seat on the chair as if to piss me off on purpose. “Is there anything to see in the town?”

Wasn’t he supposed to check that before coming here?

“Ah, I believe you’ll have to see for yourself.” I really can’t hold myself back anymore, but I do my best to smooth out the irritation in my voice with a polite smile. It looks like Mr. Perkins wants to ask something else, but I quickly open the door and step out. “If you need anything, let me know!”

I almost run out of the room and hurry down the porch to Gray’s room, my heart beating fiercely as I try to peer into the darkness behind the curtains. Maybe he’s just fallen asleep? Maybe it’s a mistake? But my gut feeling reminds me of all the times that I hoped my visions were wrong— yet they have never failed me. In one way or another, they have always come true unless I do something to stop them. I have to take a steadying breath before I knock on Gray’s door.

Nothing. I knock once, twice, louder and louder, but there’s no sign of movement inside. Shit. So he left. Was our conversation that bad for him? I shake my head—that’s not what matters right now—and hurry to the next room. Carter was supposed to be back from work by now, so I hope to catch him and ask about Gray. But his and Owen’s room is empty too, my knocks only ringing in the silence. God, where are they?

Dread starts to fill my chest, and my breath turns heavy as I chew my lips in distress. Okay, there’s also Abel, right? Maybe he can help me or call Gray, at least. But even as I knock on his door, I have little hope of hearing anything in response. Even when he’s not at work, Abel usually spends time with Rorie, so…

My gaze darts to the bright lights and cheery music coming from Till Dawn. I can go there and ask around, of course. But isn’t it weird to start searching for Gray in panic as if he isn’t a grown man that can come and go whenever he wants? Besides, it’s not like we are in a relationship. I meant what I said, the connection between us feels so clear—but that’s nothing more than my own feelings.

We didn’t even spend a whole night together, only…what? An hour of shared pleasure. Why should I care about a goddamn wolf being lost in the woods? It’s basically his home.

I force myself to walk back to the office. Stupid, it’s really stupid to spread panic just because I saw something I couldn’t understand. They won’t listen to me anyway. But it feels like my feet weigh more than a pound each, and I can’t find it in myself to walk inside the office and pretend like I saw nothing.

It took me a lot of painful experiences to learn that my visions never fail. So why would I shrug one off now? I stop in front of the door to the office, chewing my lips and fiddling with the keys in my hands—until I exhale sharply and lock the door, turning around. Determination is burning in my chest as I jump from the porch and run to the diner.

Let them think I’m crazy. At least I’ll be sure that Gray is safe.

I find Abel at his usual place by the counter. Carter is here too, and the two of them are chatting about something while Rorie is dealing with the cash box next to them. Her eyes are on them as she comments with a smile, but as soon as I step in she looks up at the sound of the doorbell.

“Hey, Paula.” She smiles at me automatically, walking closer, but I catch her gaze with a frown, and Rorie’s smile falters. “Is everything alright?”

Is it? I wish I knew. I swallow, refusing to think about the worst, and stop next to Abel, looking between all three of them. “I don’t know. Have any of you seen Gray today?”

I look at Abel and Carter in particular, hoping to hear anything that would calm down my mind. I see them exchange a quick glance before looking up with reassuring smiles. Abel even chuckles as he says, “Yeah, I think he wanted to spend the day in the woods.”

“There’s nothing to worry about, really,” Carter adds, peeking from behind his brother. “He spends a lot of time there.”

I know, of course I know, but that groan in my ears…I bite my lips nervously. Over the years, I’ve heard screams and cries hundreds of times, and I know the difference. I know when it’s something simple like a cut finger or a spilled coffee, and when it’s a serious injury full of pain. I have no idea what happened, how, or where, but I know that Gray needs help.

I can’t leave him like that, not now, when we finally figured out how to fix things between us.

I say nothing for a few seconds, and Abel and Carter look away, leaning toward each other and exchanging a few phrases in low voices.