Hen told us that only trouble could be found at the Bone Chapel and that going there was an excellent way to piss off her dad. That stabbed Irene's ambitions in the heart, but it only stoked my fire. After all, hadn't Archmage Winchester been keen to get me out of the woods? Was he really concerned about the dangers of approaching the town's boundaries or had I gotten too close to the graveyard that plagued the town's and, more importantly, the mage's history?

That night, I sat in the dark stillness of Everett's empty bedroom. The windows were open and a light breeze cooled my damp skin. Outside crickets chirped and the leaves rustled. Subtle highlights caught the edge of the mighty oak outside, the light limited as the new moon, that heralded Will's conversion, approached. Somewhere out beyond the grounds, the wolves ran with delightful howls on their lips, their path lit by the parade of fireflies fluttering above the meadows.

"You were awfully quick tonight?" Though my eyes focused upon the lawn beyond the windows and my ears honed in upon the serenade of distant frogs, I still sensed the approach of the pack's burly alpha as he climbed up the stairs and entered through the bedroom door.

"And you were awfully distant during dinner. I was worried about you." He closed the door behind him and made his way over with cautious, quiet steps. It was hard to believe a man with thick muscle adorning every inch of his body could tiptoe as effortlessly as a cat, but I suppose that's just another gift of lycanthropy.

"I thought you'd be happy given how well that charm of yours is working," he continued, taking a seat next to me, his spicy, robust scent engulfing me so that my vision blurred and my mouth watered. "Admittedly, it mars your natural scent more than I'd like, but for anyone other than your mate, the neutralizing effect is astounding."

His hand reached up to explore the sachet still nestled between my breasts, but thought better of it when he noticed how much dirt encrusted his fingers.

"I should shower, but before I do, can you just tell me that you're okay?"

I turned from the windows and looked at his wide eyes. Sweat slicked his hair, taming his unruly mane, while a fresh day's worth of stubble left his cheeks scruffy and dark. The strain of his run beat in the throbbing vein along his neck and his chest, bare and glistening, rose and fell in an anxious cadence.

I licked my lips and swallowed, though I lacked the moisture needed to clear the hunger filling my throat.

"I, uh, I'm fine."

Everett cocked his head and raised his brow, disbelief present in every crease on his handsome face.

"I am, honest." And I was. Seeing Damian caught in a state of utter confusion when I passed by him at dinner was, in fact, a high point of my day. Genevieve's gift was proving to be a useful accessory after all. "I just have a lot on my mind. We can talk after your shower."

"Okay, I believe you. It will only take me a minute to wash off."

It took more like five minutes, but I wasn't necessarily counting. Instead, I spent the time deciding how best to approach the topic in a way that wouldn't immediately put Everett on alert. I still wasn't sure if the distaste for the bone chapel was a Graham thing or an elder thing. Perhaps all of the clans tried to keep people away. If so, what would Everett say once I told him what I was planning to do?

"So, are you ready to talk?"

I looked over at the doorway to the en suite bathroom. There Everett stood with his pajama pants loose and low upon his hips so that the whole stretch of abdomen and chest caught the moon's glow.

If he wanted me to talk, he probably should have put a shirt on. I swallowed, finding my throat still painfully dry. I then turned away and forgot everything I had spent the last five minutes concocting. At that point, I felt too flushed to concentrate, so my only recourse was to find soothing release by diving straight into the cold waters.

"Do you know anything about the Bone Chapel?"

If our internal link had been vibing on some sort of primal level, feeding off each other's lust and concern, that question effectively stopped the beat. The air around me tightened and a zip of electricity climbed my spine and sat me up straight upon the edge of the bed.

"Where...where did you learn that from?"

"The mage that gifted me this sachet," I said as I pulled the pouch from beneath my shirt, placing it on my palm, "said she got the herbs for the charm from the Bone Chapel. She said that she finds the plants that grow there to be more potent."

"I'm surprised she gets far enough into those woods to gather from there. Of course, she might have had help."

This perked up my already charged body. Everett's, however, slackened. He ran his hand through his damp hair with a sigh before walking over to the open windows and looking out towards the woods.

"What do you mean by help?"

"It's a long story."

"Are you going to hide it from me?" Fire licked my words as I reopened the still fresh wound between us.

He felt that tear and looked back at me with mournful eyes. "I have no intention of hiding the truth from you ever again, but that doesn't mean I'll charge recklessly forward with it. That place is dangerous."

"Why?" I stood up and took the few steps needed to join up beside him by the window. The breeze blew a bit harder and the night air tasted sweet upon my tongue. It coaxed my chin up so that I looked at him in full, even if the weight of his own dark eyes threatened to rekindle the flame in the pit of my stomach and quell any inertia I had with desire. "Is it just because it's close to the town's boundary?"

"Sounds like you know quite a bit already."

"I know that it is the graveyard from the zombie massacre. I know that the Archmage isn't keen on anyone going out that way and the rest of you don't particularly want to deal with it right now. I also know an untapped source of magic resides there and the mages don't know what to do with it yet, or if they should do anything."

"You've got most of it covered." Despite holding my gaze throughout my proclamation, this statement sent his eyes back to the dark horizon. "But I take it you know there's more to this than what's being said."

"There always is."

He continued to gaze out the window and for a moment I watched with him. I wondered if his eyes looked to where the secret hid or if he simply watched for his wolves, whose howls still rolled over the trees every so often. I wondered what could possibly hide in those trees. I wondered what could possibly allude the gossip of the small town, yet bring an clan's elder to silence. And I wondered if Everett would ever answer me or if we'd be caught within the window until morning.

"I won't hide this from you," he finally answered, "but for your own safety, please tell me you will not act too quickly on this knowledge. Even after I tell you what is out there, you have to understand there's more to this than meets the eye."

"Not counting my reckless excursion into the woods that eventually landed me here, I don't think anyone can claim that I'm one to act out on impulse."

"Jury might still be out on that one." A roll of humor curled in his words and he finally broke his watch of the woods to meet my pout with a snarky smirk that brought a blush to my cheeks. "Anyway, I want you to remember what you just said after I tell you the truth. This may be the one thing you won't keep a level head about."

"Enough teasing, just tell me."

He sighed, but continued. "Back when you first came to town, we told you the rules of the contract. Find yourself a sponsor or be converted by the end of the year or you were on your own. Should you try to leave the town's limits, you would be killed."

"I'm not a Body anymore," I growled, "so why do you all keep trying to apply the rules to me."

"I'm not," said Everett, his hands reaching out to grab my shoulders so I felt the sincerity behind his words. "I'm just reminding you of the rules so you'll understand what I'm about to say. The Bone Chapel is within the town's limits, which is why when a failed Body went out to take residence there, we didn't stop her."

***

Del has just learned that a Body has been living on her own somewhere in town this whole time. How do you think she will react to this news?

Sorry this is a few days late. Last week was my son's first week of summer break and we are still figuring out a good schedule. I'm supposed to have Mondays and Fridays to myself so I can work unhindered, but last Friday, my in-laws couldn't watch him and that threw me off. But, I did have today so here's a chapter for you! My hope is to still have a chapter up this coming Friday. Wish me luck!