Chapter 109
“This is it,” I say, pointing through the windshield as we pull into the campsite. Echo’s fifth-wheel camper sits right where we left it, nestled against the backdrop of beautiful woods.
When we pulled in the first time, it looked beautiful and free.
Today, it looks… ominous.
Perspective is everything, I guess.
“Is something wrong?” Asher asks, his voice rumbling through the truck. The kids are all quiet, even Pip. They understand danger in ways no child should.
I shake my head, but the skin at the nape of my neck prickles. “It looks fine p>
But it doesn’t feel fine.
The camper sits undisturbed. No broken windows. No kicked-in door. Not a single sign of intrusion. And yet… something heavy hangs in the air. A pressure against my chest. A whisper just beyond hearing. My fingers twist into the fabric of my jeans.
“Let’s get the kids inside,” Asher says, steel-eyed as he scans the tree line. He’s felt it too. Or he’s just naturally suspicious.
“Finally!” Finn mumbles, unbuckling himself from the middle seat and following me out the door. “I have to pee so bad my eyeballs are floating p>
Okay, maybe they aren’t as freaked out as I thought they were.
“Gross,” Lily mutters as she slides out of the back. Her red eyes dart toward the camper with undisguised relief; she’s definitely more tense than the younger boy.
Maddox, of course, is as teenage-stoic as ever as he grabs Pip and hops down.
“Careful, guys. Stay close p>
“We know,” Lily and Finn chorus. They’re already beelining for the camper door.
Finn reaches it first, yanking the handle.
Nothing happens.
“It’s locked,” he whines, dancing from foot to foot.
“Hang on,” I say, digging in my pocket for the key Echo gave me. “I’ve got it p>
I hand him the key, watching him slide it into the lock and turn.
No click. No give. The door remains firmly shut.
“Let me,” Lily pushes forward, her braid swinging as she grabs the handle and rattles it with surprising force for a nine-year-old. “It’s stuck p>
“Maybe it’s the wrong key?” Maddox suggests, shifting Pip to his hip.
“No, this is definitely it p>
“Let me try.” Maddox steps forward, adjusting Pip on his hip.
He grabs the handle, yanking with more strength than either of the younger kids could muster. Nothing. The door remains stubbornly shut, like it’s been welded closed.
Pip leans forward in Maddox’s arms, reaching out her chubby hands toward the door. Before I can stop her, she starts banging her tiny fists against the metal surface, making hollow thumping sounds.
“Pip, honey, that’s not going to—” I start, but the look on her face stops me. It’s cute, with her giant eyes narrowed in concentration.
Never mind. Keep banging. It’s adorable.
But an uneasy feeling slithers up my spine, and I glance around. No one’s outside, no one’s watching, but it just feels…
Not right.
“Okay, everyone get out of my way,” I order the kids, who all back up on command. Pip scowls at the door over Maddox’s shoulder.
Asher steps closer, his body a wall of heat at my back. The prickling sensation isn’t unpleasant—it’s almost grounding compared to the creeping unease trailing me all day.
I step forward, suddenly self-conscious with everyone watching. I grip the key tight, my knuckles turning white. Another deep breath, and I slide it into the lock.
The key turns smoothly. No resistance. The handle gives under my palm, and the door swings open with a soft creak.
“See? It was just stuck,” I say, trying to sound casual while my heartbeat hammers in my throat. “Come on in p>
I step inside, the familiar space of Echo’s camper greeting me—cozy bohemian fabrics, the faint smell of incense, colorful glass bottles catching the afternoon light. But the air’s too still and empty, like it’s been abandoned.
It’s only been, like, two days.
My feelings are all overly dramatized because of the dread. That’s all.
I’ve become paranoid.
“Finn, you can use the bathroom first,” I say, turning back to the doorway. “Then Lily p>
But Finn isn’t following me in. He stands frozen at the threshold, his face scrunched in confusion.
“I can’t,” he says.
“What do you mean, you can’t? The bathroom’s right there.” I point toward the back of the camper. There are actually two of them, but I figure Echo might not want them using the one attached to her bedroom.
Finn steps forward—at least, he tries to. His foot reaches the doorway and stops, like he’s hit an invisible wall. He pushes against nothing, his sneaker meeting resistance where there shouldn’t be any.
“I can’t get in,” he says, voice rising. “It won’t let me p>
Lily pushes past him, rolling her eyes. “You’re just being dramatic.” But the same thing happens to her. She hits the invisible barrier and bounces back slightly, her red eyes widening. “What the hell p>
“Language,” I say automatically, but my mouth has gone dry.
Maddox steps up next, still holding Pip. His expression is grim as he reaches out one hand toward the door frame. His palm flattens against thin air, like he’s touching glass. Pip makes a frustrated sound, reaching for me, her little fingers splaying against the nothing that’s keeping her out.
“Violet,” Asher says, his voice a low warning. He doesn’t need to elaborate. We both know this isn’t normal.
“Hey, kids,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “Why don’t you wait by the truck for a minute? I need to call Echo p>
“But I have to pee!” Finn hisses, hopping from one foot to the other.
“Go behind a tree,” Maddox mutters, already leading them away. “Like a normal animal p>
“I’m not an animal right now!” the younger one protests, but he follows. Lily lingers, her eyes narrowed at the camper.
“It’s magic, isn’t it?” she asks quietly.
Smart kid. Too smart for her own good. “Echo probably has it spelled against intruders.” Which is both relieving and unbelievably unwanted at this point in time.
When they’re out of earshot, Asher steps forward, his massive frame blocking out the sun. He reaches toward the door—no hesitation, no surprise when his hand passes through without resistance. He steps inside, close enough that I can smell his scent. His dark, cologne-ad smell is as distracting as usual.
His gray eyes scan the camper’s interior, missing nothing. “A protection spell. But why would it keep out the cubs and not us p>
“Echo didn’t know them when she put it together, obviously. Just give me a minute. I’ll call her p>