“I... I don’t know,” I admitted finally. “I guess I never thought about it that way.”Chris squeezed my hand gently. “I’m not trying to shake your beliefs or anything,” he reassured me. “But you taught me yourself how important it is to keep an open mind.”I nodded, still lost in thought. We continu
AvaWe made our way back to the parlor, the music box clutched tightly in my hands. Its weight felt significant, as if it carried more than just metal and mechanics inside of it. That strange scream still seemed to echo in my ears, sending a shiver down my spine.Zara was waiting for us in the parlo
“Mommy!” the little girl cried out. “Mommy, she’s here again!”My stomach dropped, my insides turning thin and weak. No, no, it couldn’t be; I remembered this night. I remembered the terror, the certainty that there was something—someone—in my room night after night.I remembered how my parents woul
AvaI blinked, my vision slowly coming back into focus. I was no longer in my childhood bedroom, but rather in Moonshine Manor; the parlor ceiling swam above me, and I realized I was lying on the floor. No fog anywhere to be found—just Chris’s face appearing in my line of sight, his brow furrowed wi
The realization hit me like a punch to the gut. I remembered my mother’s illness, how quickly it had taken her. Just two weeks after she had been diagnosed, she was gone. “I didn’t know... I had no idea it was because of that spirit.”Zara placed a weathered hand on my shoulder. “Your mother was a h
AvaAfter hours of driving with no end in sight, the caravan finally pulled into a small roadside shop for a much-needed rest. I stretched, feeling the stiffness in my muscles from the long drive. Chris opened the door for me, and I stepped out, breathing in the fresh air.“We’ll take a short break
“Ready?” he asked.I nodded, watching intently as, in one fluid motion, he shifted with an ease that he hadn’t possessed when he first returned to Moonstone. Where my boyfriend had stood moments before, there was now a magnificent white wolf towering over me.I grinned, reaching for him. He padded o
AvaThe drive to Crescent Moon was long and treacherous. Chris and I sat tense in the back of the car, waiting for the moment when we would eventually have to leave the vehicles behind and continue on foot; we’d be able to make it about halfway up the mountain, though, before that happened.As we wo