you keep saying he,” Maddie spun sideways on the bench, facing him, “when I feel strongly that I see a female form.”
“Could be a slight or slender man. Or even a kid. A teen.”
Maddie suddenly sat up straight and smiled. “Or maybe it’s both.”
Rearing his head back, Wyn gave her another of his famous side-eyes. “What?”
The more wheels that started turning inside her, adding to the gears already spinning, the straighter Maddie sat. “Yes, this makes sense. Work with me here.” She grabbed his forearm and squeezed. “The specter I’m seeing move through the garden, who yes, somehow needs to or wants to make the gate move when she does, isn’t the same person who has been in my house. We’re looking for two completely separate things.”
Brow scrunched, Wyn frowned. “That seems farfetched.”
“Not really,” Maddie argued, clutching his arm tighter. “It actually makes much more sense, if we both believe in your evidence and in my believability as a witness.” A sudden thought pierced a hole straight through her middle. “Unless you don’t consider me a reliable witness.”
Like a majestic animal caught in headlights and rendered immobile, Wyn went still.
“You don’t believe me.” Maddie’s hand fell from Wyn’s arm, scorched, dead to her side.
“Come on, now.” Kicked back to life, Wyn tried to grab her hand. “Don’t be like that. I just think that you love things that have supernatural and paranormal and mystery to them, and so you’re more open to conjuring something of that angle being correct rather than something that might have a more pedestrian answer.”
“Wow.” Maddie felt as if he’d slapped her, and had to touch her cheek to make certain the sting of a hit wasn’t truly there. Flames flared under her flesh, slamming against her skin in an effort to break free. “What you just said was ten kinds of insulting all rolled into one.” She surged to her feet. “Good night.”
“Wait a damned minute.” Wyn jumped up and grabbed her arm. Maddie fought back, but Wyn swung her around to face him and wrangled her into his hold. His nostrils flared, and his dark stare snapped. Through a clenched jaw, he said, “Explain yourself,” and shook her. “Now.”
Up on her tiptoes, in his face, Maddie breathed fire like a dragon too. “You implied I’m easily susceptible to finding explanations in things that are entertaining rather than factual and that I lack a level of intelligence that would prevent me from applying that fantasy to real life. And on top of that you implied that I’ve done this because my life is boring, or excuse me,” she sneered, because goodness, if she didn’t, she’d cry over his judgment of her, “ pedestrian , and thus I’m trying to pull something like a ghost into it to make it seem more exciting. And now that I’ve explained this to you—” she wrenched one arm out of his hold, “—don’t ever give me an order again.”
With every word Maddie spoke, a little more color drained from Wyn’s face. “I didn’t mean it the way you heard it.” He held her tight, each rough finger seeming to implore her to believe him. “I swear.”
Maddie held onto his biceps just as hard. “Then why won’t you allow even just the tiniest sliver of your brain to consider that I might actually have a ghost?” She tried to shake him too, but his sheer strength and size didn’t allow for much more than the smallest sway. “Why won’t you try to believe me, even just a little bit?”
Going ashen, Wyn shook his head in a jerky staccato, and Maddie swore he aged ten years before her eyes.
Maddie pulled at his arms again. “Tell me.”
“Because,” Wyn’s voice went grittier than sandpaper, “then I might let my guard down, just for one small damned second, and maybe in that second you’ll get hurt by something very real that I could have prevented. And I can’t risk that.” Much too familiar, long-unseen brightness inked his eyes
“Could be a slight or slender man. Or even a kid. A teen.”
Maddie suddenly sat up straight and smiled. “Or maybe it’s both.”
Rearing his head back, Wyn gave her another of his famous side-eyes. “What?”
The more wheels that started turning inside her, adding to the gears already spinning, the straighter Maddie sat. “Yes, this makes sense. Work with me here.” She grabbed his forearm and squeezed. “The specter I’m seeing move through the garden, who yes, somehow needs to or wants to make the gate move when she does, isn’t the same person who has been in my house. We’re looking for two completely separate things.”
Brow scrunched, Wyn frowned. “That seems farfetched.”
“Not really,” Maddie argued, clutching his arm tighter. “It actually makes much more sense, if we both believe in your evidence and in my believability as a witness.” A sudden thought pierced a hole straight through her middle. “Unless you don’t consider me a reliable witness.”
Like a majestic animal caught in headlights and rendered immobile, Wyn went still.
“You don’t believe me.” Maddie’s hand fell from Wyn’s arm, scorched, dead to her side.
“Come on, now.” Kicked back to life, Wyn tried to grab her hand. “Don’t be like that. I just think that you love things that have supernatural and paranormal and mystery to them, and so you’re more open to conjuring something of that angle being correct rather than something that might have a more pedestrian answer.”
“Wow.” Maddie felt as if he’d slapped her, and had to touch her cheek to make certain the sting of a hit wasn’t truly there. Flames flared under her flesh, slamming against her skin in an effort to break free. “What you just said was ten kinds of insulting all rolled into one.” She surged to her feet. “Good night.”
“Wait a damned minute.” Wyn jumped up and grabbed her arm. Maddie fought back, but Wyn swung her around to face him and wrangled her into his hold. His nostrils flared, and his dark stare snapped. Through a clenched jaw, he said, “Explain yourself,” and shook her. “Now.”
Up on her tiptoes, in his face, Maddie breathed fire like a dragon too. “You implied I’m easily susceptible to finding explanations in things that are entertaining rather than factual and that I lack a level of intelligence that would prevent me from applying that fantasy to real life. And on top of that you implied that I’ve done this because my life is boring, or excuse me,” she sneered, because goodness, if she didn’t, she’d cry over his judgment of her, “ pedestrian , and thus I’m trying to pull something like a ghost into it to make it seem more exciting. And now that I’ve explained this to you—” she wrenched one arm out of his hold, “—don’t ever give me an order again.”
With every word Maddie spoke, a little more color drained from Wyn’s face. “I didn’t mean it the way you heard it.” He held her tight, each rough finger seeming to implore her to believe him. “I swear.”
Maddie held onto his biceps just as hard. “Then why won’t you allow even just the tiniest sliver of your brain to consider that I might actually have a ghost?” She tried to shake him too, but his sheer strength and size didn’t allow for much more than the smallest sway. “Why won’t you try to believe me, even just a little bit?”
Going ashen, Wyn shook his head in a jerky staccato, and Maddie swore he aged ten years before her eyes.
Maddie pulled at his arms again. “Tell me.”
“Because,” Wyn’s voice went grittier than sandpaper, “then I might let my guard down, just for one small damned second, and maybe in that second you’ll get hurt by something very real that I could have prevented. And I can’t risk that.” Much too familiar, long-unseen brightness inked his eyes
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