Grave Insight (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 2) by Lily Harper Hart Page A
Authors: Lily Harper Hart
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wouldn’t be together.
Nick had been acting differently toward her for weeks. He’d always been attentive, but now it was as if they were in sync. He would reach for her, but she’d already be reaching for him so they’d meet halfway. Once there were no secrets between them, it was as if Nick wanted to eliminate all of the space between them, too.
His presence was enough to steal the oxygen from her lungs.
Even if they couldn’t be together, Maddie wanted the option of exploration. She needed to know if they truly were meant for each other, because she could never move on otherwise.
Maddie expected to slip into a naughty dream about Nick, cool lake water and feverish skin colliding in her subconscious mind. Instead, she got something else. Something terrifying. At first Maddie thought she was the center of the dream. She knew she was in danger, the darkened Blackstone Bay streets closing in on her as she scampered toward safety.
Maddie allowed herself to relax into the vision. She had no idea where safety was, or why she was heading in this direction. Since Maddie had found herself a visitor in the nightmares of others before – an unwilling participant in scenes from their future – it didn’t take her long to adjust to what she was seeing.
This wasn’t her dream. This wasn’t even Tara Warner’s dream. No, this was Tara Warner’s future, and she needed to pay attention.
The night was hot and sweaty, the heat so oppressive Maddie could feel the perspiration trickling down the back of her neck. It was late, and a quick glance at the moon told her the sun had set hours before. Why would Tara be out this late alone?
The echoing sound of footsteps on the pavement behind her caused Maddie to swivel, her eyes searching the street behind her but coming up empty. Someone was there. She couldn’t see who, but she could … feel … someone.
“Who’s there?”
Nothing.
“I know you’re there. Come out so I can see you.” Maddie had never been able to control a vision. That didn’t stop her from trying every time she got the chance. “I just want to see you. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to.”
Silence.
“I … .” Maddie broke off. She could hear breathing, and it was much closer than it should be. A hand reached out in the darkness. Maddie could see it in her mind, even though her dream-vision eyes were blind. Maddie jerked away, stumbling and then … .
Maddie bolted upright in her bed, her breath coming out in rapid gasps as her heart hammered.
The morning light was filtering through her shaded windows, and as the dream subsided into memory, Maddie fought to anchor herself to reality. What did she know? The moon. It had been full. When was the next full moon?
She grabbed her cellphone off of her nightstand and pulled up the calendar, paging forward to see that the full moon was still a few days away. Of course, just because the moon looked full in the dream, that didn’t mean it was an actual full moon. The time frame could easily encompass the days leading up to the full moon, and the days after. She just didn’t know.
Maddie tossed the covers off of her and climbed out of bed. When she opened the door to the hallway, a wall of heat hit her. Air conditioning had already spoiled her. She’d forgotten how hot the rest of the house was. “Ugh.”
Instead of heading straight downstairs for breakfast, where she was sure a cantankerous Maude was waiting, Maddie detoured into the bathroom. She needed a lukewarm shower and twenty minutes to think. There had to be hints in the vision. She just needed time to absorb them.
“THE WORLD is coming to an end!”
Maddie raised an eyebrow in her grandmother’s direction as she walked into the kitchen about a forty-five minutes later. “Zombie apocalypse?”
“What?” Maude wasn’t alone. Her longtime friend, Irma Kingston, was sitting at the table, and the two women had their heads bent together as they studied a sheet of
Nick had been acting differently toward her for weeks. He’d always been attentive, but now it was as if they were in sync. He would reach for her, but she’d already be reaching for him so they’d meet halfway. Once there were no secrets between them, it was as if Nick wanted to eliminate all of the space between them, too.
His presence was enough to steal the oxygen from her lungs.
Even if they couldn’t be together, Maddie wanted the option of exploration. She needed to know if they truly were meant for each other, because she could never move on otherwise.
Maddie expected to slip into a naughty dream about Nick, cool lake water and feverish skin colliding in her subconscious mind. Instead, she got something else. Something terrifying. At first Maddie thought she was the center of the dream. She knew she was in danger, the darkened Blackstone Bay streets closing in on her as she scampered toward safety.
Maddie allowed herself to relax into the vision. She had no idea where safety was, or why she was heading in this direction. Since Maddie had found herself a visitor in the nightmares of others before – an unwilling participant in scenes from their future – it didn’t take her long to adjust to what she was seeing.
This wasn’t her dream. This wasn’t even Tara Warner’s dream. No, this was Tara Warner’s future, and she needed to pay attention.
The night was hot and sweaty, the heat so oppressive Maddie could feel the perspiration trickling down the back of her neck. It was late, and a quick glance at the moon told her the sun had set hours before. Why would Tara be out this late alone?
The echoing sound of footsteps on the pavement behind her caused Maddie to swivel, her eyes searching the street behind her but coming up empty. Someone was there. She couldn’t see who, but she could … feel … someone.
“Who’s there?”
Nothing.
“I know you’re there. Come out so I can see you.” Maddie had never been able to control a vision. That didn’t stop her from trying every time she got the chance. “I just want to see you. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to.”
Silence.
“I … .” Maddie broke off. She could hear breathing, and it was much closer than it should be. A hand reached out in the darkness. Maddie could see it in her mind, even though her dream-vision eyes were blind. Maddie jerked away, stumbling and then … .
Maddie bolted upright in her bed, her breath coming out in rapid gasps as her heart hammered.
The morning light was filtering through her shaded windows, and as the dream subsided into memory, Maddie fought to anchor herself to reality. What did she know? The moon. It had been full. When was the next full moon?
She grabbed her cellphone off of her nightstand and pulled up the calendar, paging forward to see that the full moon was still a few days away. Of course, just because the moon looked full in the dream, that didn’t mean it was an actual full moon. The time frame could easily encompass the days leading up to the full moon, and the days after. She just didn’t know.
Maddie tossed the covers off of her and climbed out of bed. When she opened the door to the hallway, a wall of heat hit her. Air conditioning had already spoiled her. She’d forgotten how hot the rest of the house was. “Ugh.”
Instead of heading straight downstairs for breakfast, where she was sure a cantankerous Maude was waiting, Maddie detoured into the bathroom. She needed a lukewarm shower and twenty minutes to think. There had to be hints in the vision. She just needed time to absorb them.
“THE WORLD is coming to an end!”
Maddie raised an eyebrow in her grandmother’s direction as she walked into the kitchen about a forty-five minutes later. “Zombie apocalypse?”
“What?” Maude wasn’t alone. Her longtime friend, Irma Kingston, was sitting at the table, and the two women had their heads bent together as they studied a sheet of
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