Page 19 of Pledge Of A Bobcat

The tension was there—building. I could feel it. My heart pounded as anticipation simmered through the tiny bit of space between us, causing it to shrink even more. I licked my lips, feeling hesitant and eager for the touch of his lips against mine all at once.

But then a noise rippled through the silence.

Ellis’s body tensed as his eyes darted in that direction, and his hands dropped from my waist. The moment between us shattered, and the energy I’d felt building was quickly replaced by a wave of unease that settled over us both.

“What was that?” I whispered.

“I’m not sure,” he said, his voice low. “We should keep moving, though. Let’s get the soil we need and get out of here.”

I nodded, glancing at him. His whole demeanor had changed. There was nothing casual about him anymore. His alertness wasn’t of a man on a hike. It was of a man on edge. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were sharp.

Had his bobcat picked up on something? Was Xander out here? Watching us?

As we crested a small hill, Ellis’s steps faltered. It was then that I spotted a small, unmarked grave beneath a dense patch of trees ahead. If he hadn’t known where to look, I would have missed it. As we approached, I picked up on a sense of heaviness that lingered here.

“This is it,” Ellis said.

I didn’t speak. I couldn’t. My throat felt tight as goose bumps prickled across my skin. This place felt wrong and I couldn’t shake the feeling that we weren’t alone.

My gaze darted around, scanning the surrounding area, searching for anyone or anything lurking in the woods. There was nothing. No movement. No sound. Even the birds had stopped singing. My heartbeat thundered inside my chest. I watched as Ellis crouched near the grave and pulled a glass jar from his backpack. He quickly scooped soil into the jar.

A gentle gust of wind brushed against my skin, causing the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach to expand. Something was wrong here.

I could feel it in my bones.

“Ellis,” I whispered, barely able to keep the tremor from my voice. “Do you feel that?”

He glanced at me, his brow furrowed. “Feel what?”

“I don’t know,” I said, trying to make sense of what I felt. “Something feels off. Like we’re not alone.”

He didn’t say anything, but I could see a flash of concern enter his eyes. He screwed the lid onto the glass jar that was now filled with soil and stood.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” a cold, menacing voice said behind me, slicing through the thick silence.

I spun around to see a tall, lanky guy with dark hair that fell into his beady eyes.

This had to be Xander.

“Coming here was a mistake,” he said, stepping closer, his eyes locked on Ellis.

Something in the air shifted. A dark, cold, oppressive energy settled over us like a storm cloud bursting with chaos.

Ellis stepped to position himself in front of me, his broad shoulders blocking my view of Xander.

“We’re leaving,” Ellis said, shoving the jar in his backpack. “Just let us leave.”

“What’s the dirt for?” Xander asked. I peeked around Ellis at him. His lips were curled into a slow, predatory smile that unsettled me even more.

That look alone let me know that this guy was trouble.

“That’s none of your concern,” Ellis replied, his voice steady but edged with tension.

Xander’s eyes darkened as he took another step forward. “Oh, but it is my concern. You’re atmygrave.”

I swallowed hard. He’d just saidmygrave, as though he was Lucius.

A shiver ran down my spine. This man was truly possessed. I could feel it—the cold darkness of a vengeful soul using him as its vessel. Panic squeezed at my chest. This was real. Everything Ellis had said about this man was true.