Jack’s POV
I didn’t know why I was here.
The truck rolled itself over the gravel roads as though it had a mind of its own. I hadn’t thought about the route, hadn’t told my hands to turn the wheel, but still I ended up on the narrow path leading to Northern Ridge.
To her cottage.
I killed the engine before I reached the clearing. Didn’t want her to hear, didn’t want the world to know where I was. But the night was too quiet, and the truck’s bulk too obvious.
And then there I sat.
Like a fool.
Watching the dim outline of her cottage, the faint glow of a lamp burning inside.
I told myself it was because of the bats. Because danger followed her like a shadow and I couldn’t trust this forest to stay quiet for long.
But that wasn’t it.
Not really.
The truth was heavier. A weight I’d c
