Into Their Woods (The Eerie, #1)(49)

“I heard you saw someone following you.” Ellery doesn’t even greet me when I open the door to my hotel room. He just steps forward with concern shining in his eyes.

His hand automatically comes out and I let him run his palm from my shoulder down to my elbow, knowing that he can’t help himself, knowing he needs that physical reassurance that everything is okay…because I need it too.

He holds my elbow gently, his fingers warming me through the long-sleeved shirt I’m wearing as I try to force a half-hearted grin onto my face.

“Yeah. But I could have made a mistake—”

He shakes his head, cutting me off with a firm, “No. Trust your instincts. Your shifter senses are expanding as the block fades. They’ll be heightened. If you think you saw something, you did.”

An ice cube glides down my spine, and I fight to stave off a shiver.

Fuck.

Why was I hoping he’d tell me this was all in my head?

I’m tempted to step into Ellery and let him fold me into his body, but I don’t give into that impulse. Gannon’s accusatory words slam into me, and I don’t want to make Ellery feel like I’m leading him on or using him.

But his hand squeezes my elbow, and he tugs me closer, pulling me into a hug anyway. The second his arms are wrapped around me, a soft warmth fills me, and my defenses falter. All the hesitation I’ve been battling seems to collapse like a house of cards. I hug the sheriff back and let myself soak in the comfort he’s offering.

When I pull away, he clears his throat and gets right to business. “Anything distinct about him that stood out?”

“Other than it felt like he was watching me, no. He had a dark blue ball cap on his head. I think he has dark hair, but it’s hard to say for sure because he was standing in the shadow of two buildings. He had light jeans and a gray windbreaker that was zipped all the way up.”

“Okay, I’ll get people on it,” Ellery assures me with a firm nod. “For now, I’d like to bring a deputy in to help keep an eye on things,” he tells me, and I sigh. “I know our den is already looking out for you, but I think another pair of eyes would be good.”

Our den. Like I’m a part of it. A shiver of surprise that’s laced with elation comes over me as I realize I like the natural way he said it. How it didn’t take him any effort at all. I’m not sure I’ve ever had that before.

But I’m getting sidetracked. He’s talking to deputies when I’m caught up in semantics.

“You really think it’s necessary?” It’s a stupid question. I know I can’t be naive about this, but I hate that I’m not done looking over my shoulder.

As a woman, I know that threats lurk around all corners. It’s a fact of life. But being cautious of a potential threat versus staring down active, in-your-face danger is a different level of fight-or-flight.

Ellery gathers both my hands into his, and I can feel the tempest of his emotions brewing, swirling through the air around us.

“What happened to you isn’t over. Whoever attacked you is still out there, and either they didn’t get what they wanted the first time or there’s more to all of this than we know, because they’re still watching you.”

His blunt words feel like pecking crows, swooping through my insides and cawing a sinister alarm. My ears pound with the imaginary thump of footsteps following me. My heart booms faster and faster as menacing shadows crowd my periphery.

I’ve felt too safe holed up in my room, knowing Ellery, Ruger, Perth, and—fuck it—even Gannon were watching. Their presence chased the shadows away and helped me find my feet in this strange new world.

But…fuck…fuck…FUCK!

I want to scream now that it’s all been ripped away. Just like the night I was attacked, some assholes have found a blind spot and are exploiting it. How the hell am I going to protect myself if I never see them coming?

I stare up at Ellery, willing him to take back his words and make this all go away.

He doesn’t. His expression grows pained, as if he can feel the cold, haunted turn my emotions have taken. He tries to bolster me with a soft smile.

“I think it would be good to have a woman with you. A witch with a different set of skills and magic who might be able to help us see what we’re missing.”

“Okay,” I say, the word hollow because nothing’s okay right now.

“She’s here, ready to meet you. If you’re up for it.”

I nod, not looking at him, not looking at anything.

He lets go of one of my hands to reach up and press a button on the walkie-talkie attached to his shirt. “Karen, can you come up here, please?”

Less than two minutes later, the elevator dings and a woman with an inverted black bob striped with chunks of lavender steps out. Her green lipstick would be startling, but it goes well with her heavily lined eyes. There’s a black stripe down the center of her throat, but I can’t tell if it’s a tattoo or makeup. Her gray uniform has been modified to be skintight, and she’s covered it with a leather vest stitched with strange symbols.

When she sees me, she stops short. “Ellery Arcan, what the hell are you doing to this girl?” Her eyes roam over me and take in my appearance. She clucks her tongue and says, “Noah, nice to meet you. But why in the name of the moon goddess are you letting him dress you like that?”