Shadow Bound (Wraith) by Angel Lawson Read Free Book Online Page A

a large bite instead of responding. There was nothing I could say. Ava, of course, had no problem filling the silence. “I don’t think you should worry about this Charlotte thing anyway. He pretty much worships you.”
    I almost choked on the apple. “He what? No. I don’t think so.”
    Ava nodded her head vigorously. “Yeah, he does. He watches you. And he’s so protective. Ever since the fire, it’s like he’s afraid to lose you.”
    Her words made my stomach sink. I knew Connor cared for me, but lately things had been so tense. I brushed her off. “I don’t think he’s worried about that anymore.”
    She rolled her eyes. “What are you talking about? He’s smitten.”
    “Stop,” I said quietly. There was a time he was like that with me. When he called and texted all day. When he showed up unexpectedly and offered me a ride, but not so much anymore. I knew he still had feelings for me. I could tell in his touch and the kisses we shared, but there was a strain. I wanted to blame it on the normal easing into a long-term relationship, but I had doubts.
    Ava put down her sandwich. “Tell me what’s going on. You aren’t buying into this stuff Julia was saying are you? About Charlotte? You know Connor wasn’t messing around with her or anything.”
    “I know.” I did. I knew there was nothing for me to be jealous about, but I couldn’t deny something was off. Everything was fine until she committed suicide. “He won’t tell me anything about her, but he’s very upset about it all. He showed up stoned the other day after forgetting to pick me up from work. He’s barely around and won’t answer his phone.” 
    “I’m sure it has nothing to do with you,” she said. “Look, I love Connor and he’s great, but he struggled before you came along. I’m not sure I’m surprised he’s smoking up with his friends or screwing around about school. Maybe Julia is right. Maybe he’s sliding back into old habits.”
    What Ava didn’t know was I wasn’t so worried about the outward behavior. I was worried about his mental health. The mood swings and erratic behavior. I knew enough about antidepressants to know some of the signs. I also knew what happened if he got off of them. What could happen. Was he seeing ghosts and not telling me? Was he seeing her?
    Ava interrupted my thoughts. “Have you talked to him about it?”
    “Not really. Like I said, he won’t discuss Charlotte. He says the weed was a one-time thing. Which is fine. I don’t really care. There’s other stuff, too. I don’t think he’s sleeping and I’m not convinced he’s going to class every day. I have no idea what’s going on with him.”
    Saying it all out loud wasn’t making me feel any better. In fact, I felt worse. I stood and walked over to the trash can and threw the remainder of my lunch away. I felt nauseous.
    I checked on the kids. They were all still eating. Only one had decided to smear peanut butter all over his face to make a “beard.”
    I frowned in disapproval. “Jack, knock it off. Go inside and clean up.”
    The little boy hopped off his seat and ran up the back steps. A couple of campers giggled at him getting in trouble, but resumed eating.
    “Five minutes to finish,” I announced and walked back over to sit with Ava until it was time to go inside.
    “I won’t say anything else about it, but I do think you should talk to him. Like, really talk to him.” Ava swept her hair behind her head and tied it up. The sun hit the high part of the sky and beat down on us in the yard.
    “I will. I mean, things aren’t terrible. It’s just different. There’s a distance or something. Julia just poured salt in a festering wound,” I confessed.
    Ava laughed humorlessly. “She’s good at that. But he’s going on vacation with your family, right?”
    “That’s the plan. Since he can’t ride with us, his dad is letting him drive the SUV down.”
    “Good thing. His rust bucket would probably fall apart on the