Page 88 of Thunder with a Chance of Lovestruck
Arch waiteduntil Demi was in her room, grabbing her bag, before he spoke. “Rachael, what is it?”
“The nightmares I mentioned,” I said.
“Aye, the ones you do nae like to talk about,” he returned.
I nodded. “Yes. I just, well, I’m not sure. It’s probably nothing.”
He didn’t say anything. That in itself was telling.
I went for my purse and grabbed my cell phone. As much as I dreaded starting a conversation with Robin, whatever was causing me to have weird vibes warranted a phone call. Since his face, name, and number had been plastered all over Grimm Cove for his law practice, I dialed the number that I’d committed to memory, remembering then that he was on East Coast time and would be ahead of me a bit.
“Got the bags,” Demi said as she went past us toward the garage door.
“Hello?” asked Robin.
I drew in a sharp breath. I’d expected an answering service or to reach his digital inbox, not for him to answer. “Robin.”
He was quiet for a second. “Rachael, is that you?”
My chest ached. “Yes. I’m sorry. I know it’s getting late there. Is this an okay time to talk? I won’t be long, I swear.”
“Yes!” he shouted so loudly that I had to pull my phone from my ear somewhat. “Now is a perfect time. How are you? Are you okay? Where are you? No one has seen you in nearly twenty years. I’ll come to you.”
Arch simply watched the interaction, saying nothing.
I teared up. “Robin, please. I’m fine. I swear. The girls and I are safe.”
“Girls?” he asked. “Astria is with you then?”
“Yes,” I said. “And my daughter Demi.”
“You had a daughter?” he asked, sounding happy for me. “And you’re all okay?”
“We are,” I responded.
“And Drest?” he asked, sounding less than thrilled.
“I couldn’t tell you,” I replied. “I haven’t seen him since before Demi was born.”
He drew in a sharp breath.
“I called for a reason,” I said, feeling foolish. “Amice once told me to follow my instincts. They’re telling me to reach out to you and tell you about dreams I’ve been having. Ones that have Amice appearing to me, giving me warnings. I’m sure it’s nothing, but…”
An ear-piercing scream from the garage area cut through the kitchen.
Arch vanished.
“Rachael, what was that?” demanded Robin. “What’s happening?”
I was almost to the garage entrance when a tall man dressed in a black ceremonial robe came rushing in at me. I clutched the phone tighter as I stared into the same face that I’d seen at the back door of the manor all those years ago. “Ohmygod, I didn’t imagine you. You’re real!”
“Rachael!” yelled Robin. “What’s happening?”
I tried to dart past the man, but he was fast. He struck me, sending me slamming into the counter area that separated the kitchen from the eating area. I dropped the phone, and it skittered across the tile floor toward the garage entrance.
Ignoring the pain that was radiating through my body, I pushed to my feet and grabbed for anything I could on the counter that would act as a weapon.
“Rachael!” shouted Robin from the phone that was across the room on the floor.
