Page 83 of Hollow

I swallow hard, anxiety rising in my throat. “I’m afraid,” I admit. “I’m afraid for him, and I’m afraid for me.”

“I know,” he says. “But I’ll protect you from him. And I’ll try and protect him from himself. I won’t give up until I figure this out, Kat. Brom, the horseman, the school, your mother. It’s all connected, just one big web and…” He trails off, concentrating on something.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he says, blinking hard for a moment. He leans in and leaves a soft kiss on my lips. “You’re safe with me, my little butterfly. Remember that.”

I let the words sink in and let out a peaceful sigh, nestling against him, wishing I could spend all day here. Forever here. Feeling the safety and strength of his strong arms, everything I’ve always craved.

Except…

“You ruined my blouse,” I remind him. “Now what am I supposed to wear?”

He chuckles. “My apologies. I’ll go fetch you one of my shirts, and you can make do for now if you wear it under your coat.”

“You’re thin,” I remind him. “There’s no chance my breasts will fit in there.”

He grins at me, his eyes dancing. “You say that as if your breasts are a hindrance. I think they deserve to be worshipped.”

I watch as he leans in and places his mouth on my bare breast, his hand going to the other one until I’m sighing with pleasure.

Here we go again.

Chapter 25

Brom

I have blood on my hands.

I’m sitting on my bed, staring at my bloodstained hands.

Then I blink, and the blood is gone. Wiped clean.

“Brom?” my mother’s voice rings out. I look up to see her standing in the doorway to my bedroom. “Is everything alright?”

I nod. But no. That’s a lie. Nothing is right. Everything is wrong.

“I’ve been calling you for supper for the last few minutes,” she says. “If you don’t have an appetite, that’s fine.”

“I’m not hungry,” I mumble, the words sounding foreign.

“It’s normal,” she says to me.

I give her a sharp look. “What’s normal?”

“To not have an appetite after all you’ve done.”

“What have I done?”

She just smiles at me and closes the door.

Chapter 26

Crane

“Ichabod,” the voice whispers through the darkness. For a moment I can’t tell if my eyes are open or closed.

“Ichabod,” the voice says again. Marie.