Winter's Edge

Chapter 36 - Voyeur

Abby

IAN seemed to feel a little better as the days passed, but he still wasn't completely himself. I figured I'd try a new tactic with him.

I knocked at his door.

A moment later, it opened and Ian stood staring at me with a drab look. "Hey, what's up?"

I half-smiled, then gestured toward my door. "I have an idea. Come on."

He looked at me with a furrowed brow of curiosity and confusion but shrugged and followed me anyway. When we reached my loft, his look turned insistent, as if expecting me to reveal this grand idea I had.

"I wanna separate and search for the murderer."

He gave me a pointed look. "What good's that gonna do?"

I shrugged. "I might see something useful."

"So, you expect to be at just the right place at exactly the right time and just happen to catch the murderer in the act or doing something suspicious?" Ian's pursed lips and unsure eyes were anything but supportive. "Too much luck involved."

His protest was probably more about keeping me from separating than disagreeing with the effectiveness of my tactics.

"True, but I can't just sit here and do nothing."

"Of course you can. Here I'll show you." Ian laid on my bed and tucked his hands behind his head. "See? I'm doing absolutely nothing. It's really nice. You should try it."

I gave him an ornery smirk and slapped his leg.

"So you're just gonna spy on everyone?" He frowned. "Didn't you berate Kat for that?"

"She does it for fun," I said. "I'm trying to catch a murderer."

He got up from the bed and started pacing. "You know this is probably a waste of time, right? No way you'll be in the right place at the right time."

"Look, you wanna get the suspicion off of you, and I want an excuse to use my power. It's a win-win."

Worried creases sank into his forehead as he stopped pacing the room to stand dangerously close to me. Okay, maybe not dangerously close. More like intriguingly close.

"So, you really aren't afraid to do it again after what happened before?"

"No." Truth be told, I was scared to death, but I'd never tell him that. And besides, I had to try again. I needed to know if dark ones were lurking in the city or just in the graveyard. I needed to learn to use my power. I needed...to feel safe again. And the only way to do that was to confront my fear as many times as it took to overcome it.

"Okay, I don't like it, but I'll help."

I let out a breath. "Thank you."

Before I knew it, Ian had pulled me close, hugging me tight, his warmth against me, even filling me. If he'd done it a minute before, it might have convinced me not to separate again. I hugged him back just as tight. It felt like I was home for the first time since I was five.

Then he let go much faster than I wanted, and stepped away, his cheeks flushing a light shade of red. His shyness was cute.

I began breathing deep as I climbed into the bed and relaxed back onto my pillow.

Ian came up beside me and took my hand. "You sure about this?"

I nodded.

He returned the nod. "Okay. Ready?"