“Oh.” I kept staring, reminded of the pommel on Dillan’s sword. And just like that, I thought of him again.
“It’s not a very popular gem. Most girls go for amethysts or rose quartz.”
“How much for the necklace?”
“I have an aquamarine necklace that would look good with your skin tone and eye color,” he volunteered.
“How much for this one?” I pointed at the moonstone.
The man sputtered a price. I happily made the purchase and left the booth feeling better. Pocketing the small, paper envelope with the necklace in it, I froze. A feeling of unease struck me like an unexpected slap. Memories of the storeroom at the bookstore sent the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. I forced myself to move. This was a public place, surely I’d be safe. A thick blanket of fear wrapped around me as I joined the crowd again. My heart pounded in my chest when the sensation of being watched hit me.
The crowd kept moving like a steady stream. No one seemed to notice anything wrong. A couple held hands and laughed. A little boy asked his mother to buy him a truck. A group of girls noisily tried on hats in front of a stall selling accessories.
The bazaar had no alleys for anyone to hide in. The booths stood too close together.
The anxiety buzzing through my veins turned into an alarm, like an ear-splitting bell. Unexplained panic climbed up my throat, threatening to choke me. My lungs fought for every breath. Cold sweat dotted my forehead. I turned in a tight circle, searching for the source of my fear. In my periphery, a black German Shepherd with red eyes bared its teeth at me. Oh, God. I’m gonna die. Underneath the fear, my heart twisted. I’m gonna die. I didn’t have time to let the idea sink in. I took off as fast as I could. I elbowed my way through the crowd, ignoring the protests of whoever I bumped into. I had to get away.
“Selena?”
I stopped and looked over my shoulder, hand on my chest. “Mr. Ormand?”
“Is something the matter?” He came closer.
The voice in my head said run. Find the Guardian. What did it mean?
The feeling of being watched persisted like a pair of hands slowly closing around my throat. I grabbed at my neck, trying to remove the invisible fingers. The intensity of my fear tasted like metallic bitterness on my tongue.
“I’m sorry,” I choked out. “I really have to go.”
I didn’t wait for Ormand’s reply. This time I wouldn’t ignore the voice in my head. I turned around and bolted.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Dillan
Around Goes the Ferris Wheel
Since arriving at Newcastle, Dillan got good at spotting Selena in a crowd. For a whole week, he took it upon himself to avoid her. Still his eyes scanned the hallways. Only when he saw the bright mess of curls did he move. The crowd at the Fall Festival was no different. He’d seen her running through the mass of people. Every few steps, she’d look back over her shoulder. He sensed her panic from where he stood. The same jolt of electricity that went through him at Valley View zipped through his body now, prompting his feet to carry him toward her without hesitation.
She ran straight into his arms and yelped. He ignored the initial shock upon contact with her skin. It was easier now that he expected it. Not that it hurt less. Just like the last time, he heard a pop and the electricity was gone. Her second of surprise ended with fists pounding his chest. He braced himself against the blows. If she decided to start kicking, too, she’d have direct access to a spot he preferred to remain unmolested. Having no other choice, he let go of her for a split second so he could wrap his arms around her. This pinned her fists between them, holding her in place. She took a deep breath and looked up. Recognition formed in her eyes, followed closely by the flood.
Shit.
Like a band tightening around his chest, he found himself unable to breathe in the face of tears. Worse? They were her tears. A sudden urge to find what caused her distress and pound it to the ground washed over him. He bit the inside of his cheek. The resulting pain distracted him enough from his mounting anger to focus on her. If he wanted to find out what made her cry then subsequently kill it, he needed to calm her down enough to speak.
“Hey, hey,” he whispered, stroking the back of her head. “Shhh. You’re fine. It’s fine.”
She paused, holding her breath. A stray tear fell. Her bottom lip quivered. Then fatter tears rolled down her cheeks. He winced. Ah, shit. His attempt to comfort her only seemed to make things worse. He knew Selena to be stronger than this. She held her own against the puppets, so anything that got her this upset worried him. Without thinking, he pulled her closer until she buried her face in his chest. She grabbed onto his shirt and sobbed.
At a loss for words, he held on. The fabric of his shirt grew damp. She continued, alternating between keening cries and hiccupping sobs. Remembering the bandana in his back pocket, he reached behind him and pulled it out. He inched away only to have Selena pull him back. She shook her head against his chest.
“It’s okay,” he said.
Slowly, she let go of his shirt. He bent down and gently patted her face dry. She sniffed. Her aquamarine eyes grew big and round. He smiled. How could he not when she looked so adorable right then? She tried to return the smile, but ended up in a fit of hiccups. Thinking fast, he guided her to a secluded bench, away from the stream of people passing them. A few were already curiously staring. He kept close in case—God help him—she fainted. Girls did that. When a minute passed and nothing happened, he silently thanked his lucky stars she’d stayed conscious. She had some fight left in her.
“I’ll get you something to drink,” he suggested.
She grabbed his sleeve and shook her head, hiccups rolling through her.
“Okay.” He sat back down. His mother had taught him a trick to stop hiccups. “Take a deep breath then hold it until I tell you.”
Nodding frantically, she inhaled and waited. He counted in his head. When her neck turned red, he gave her the signal to exhale. The hiccups were gone. He grinned. Mission accomplished.
After Selena had taken two more deep breaths, he pushed a curl away from her damp forehead and asked, “Why were you running like a horde of undead was chasing you?”
“Not funny.” She scowled. If she could get annoyed with him again then she’d be okay. “Didn’t you see the dog chasing me?”
“What dog?”
“The big black one with red eyes. It was chasing me.”
“Okay.” He flicked his gaze from her face to the passing festival goers then back again. “When did this happen?”
“I just finished buying a necklace at the flea market when it felt like someone was watching me.” She rubbed her forehead as if it helped her remember better. “I panicked, and when I saw this ginormous black dog snarling at me, I high-tailed it out of there. Crap. You saw me cry. I didn’t want you to see me cry. If you dare tease me about it, I swear I’m never talking to you again.”
When she mentioned the black dog, Dillan cursed Sebastian to the deepest pits of hell. What was his partner doing at the fair where anyone could see him? He slid closer to her side. “You sure it was after you?”
Her mouth opened to answer, but no words came out. Only after swallowing hard was she able to say, “I heard it growl.”
It couldn’t be his partner. He and Sebastian had been out every night this week. More carcasses had turned up during their search for what could be mauling them. Slowly, he noticed each one they’d found got closer and closer to the Fallon farmhouse, which was outside of their original grid No wonder they hadn’t found any evidence until recently. He couldn’t understand why at first. But Selena being watched had to be connected somehow.