I pushed off the couch and ran up the stairs. The guest rooms were empty, and the bathroom he usually used to take his morning shower hadn’t been used.
“Maybe there’s a note,” I said to no one and ran back downstairs.
I searched the kitchen and looked on the table. There wasn’t a note. Thorn hadn’t come home.
The evening before, I’d just focused on watching movies with Dorian. It had taken every ounce of my strength not to call Thorn a thousand times, but I didn’t. I left him alone, thinking that if I gave him a little space, he’d show up eventually.
I couldn’t do it anymore, though. I had to talk to him. My heart felt like a sucking black hole in my chest, and I needed to hear his voice.
He didn’t pick up when I called, though. I got to hear his voice instructing the caller to leave a voicemail, but I did not. I knew if I tried to say anything, I’d turn into a sobbing mess. That pillar of strength that had kept me going the night before was crumbling fast.
Please talk to me, I texted. I love you.
I stood there staring at my phone for at least ten minutes, but there was no reply. Eventually, my hand started to cramp, so I had to set it down.
“Nothing,” Meri asked from behind me. It startled me a little, but when I turned around, he was just sitting in the doorway.
“No,” I said and bit my bottom lip so I wouldn’t cry.
“Fool,” Meri sniped. “Not you, him,” he followed up quickly. “Let me out the back door.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Just let me out, Kinsley,” Meri commanded.
“Where are you going?”
“Out,” he said in an aggressive tone I rarely heard him use.
“Meri, you’re supposed to stay by my side and protect me,” I said.
“I am protecting you,” he said flatly. “Open the door, Kinsley. Or I’ll just use magic and do it myself. Whatever.” He walked to the door.
“What if I go out without you and get myself killed?” I said.
“Stay here,” he said as he wiggled his nose and the back door popped open. “I won’t be long.”
“What if I don’t?” I really didn’t want him to kill Thorn, and the look in his eyes told me he just might.
“Then I’ll tell your mother,” he said.
“That’s it? That’s your threat? I stay here or you’ll tell my Mom on me?” I mocked him, but he didn’t slow down. “Meri, don’t,” I pleaded.
“Don’t worry, Kinsley. I would only ever do right by you,” he said as he slipped out the door.
I had half a mind to slam it shut, but I didn’t want to mistime it and hurt him. I couldn’t kill him, because he couldn’t be killed, but I definitely didn’t want to cause him any pain. My little soldier. My tiny protector.
I waited an hour for him before I felt like I was climbing the walls. I had to get out of the house, and despite the fact that I was sad and anxious, I was starting to get hungry.
Viv’s coffee shop seemed like the place to go for some breakfast and a friendly face. I knew she was probably worried about me, so stopping in for a latte and a bite to eat seemed like a good way to let her know I was okay.
As I drove down to the square, I kept an eye out for Thorn’s cruiser. I couldn’t be sure that he’d even gone into work, but it seemed logical. If he was going to skip out on our wedding to work, then why not report in the next day too? In my mind, there was a good chance he was just carrying on as if everything were completely normal.
I never saw any hint of him, and as I pulled into one of the parking spaces near the Brew Station, I got another twinge of sadness. Workers were there pulling down the haunted house attraction already. It was all the crew I’d worked with to put it up, but I couldn’t fathom being there to tear it down. I saw the spot where the altar had been the day before, and I had to bite my lip hard to keep from crying.
What was even worse than them tearing down the haunted house was that a huge semi was parked by the library. On the back of it was a preconstructed Santa house. It seemed ready to be plopped down as soon as the haunted house was gone.
I put it out of my mind and walked quickly across the street from my parking space to the other side. There was a short line at the Brew Station, but at least I didn’t have to wait outside.
The chill was sharp and the wind bone-chilling. With Halloween over, the main tourist season had ended too. It wasn’t over completely. People would still show up bundled up for ghost tours, but there would be far fewer of them. The college kids were deep into the semester too, so most of them would turn their attention to serious studying until break.
Viv’s face lit up when she saw me walk in, and she offered me a little wave. The line moved quickly as she and her workers took care of orders with enthusiasm.
“It’s so good to see you,” Viv said. “I was hoping I’d get a chance to call you later, but this is better. What can we get for you?”
“I’ll take a hazelnut latte, the breakfast special, and Meri’s extra bacon,” I said. “He’s out and about, but I’m sure he’ll turn up at some point.”
“Coming right up,” she said. “Are you staying or taking it to go?”
“I thought about eating here, but I do need to go over to the shop and see Reggie and Ursula too,” I said.
“Good idea,” Viv said. “Reggie came in for coffee this morning, and she was
