Page 66 (2/2)

I ainst the storm, I curse the fact that I’m so damn stuck, just like thein the library I useit securely, cursing under my breath Why the hell did I fire all the people orked here? The upkeep of an estate is a , and I’d rather be in the woods than here, closing curtains and lighting candles

I love the rocky terrain and the fresh air and earth under ton State has turned id My face is turning to a pers for a woh

The moon shines over the expanse of white and I walk to the bar in the library and reach for a bottle of red wine, pouring the Malbec in a glass—my mom had a wine cellar, unfortunately, not casks of whiskey like I’d prefer The decor here is pretty das in life I can irand piano, the marble entryway, and the candelabra It’s fussier than I’d choose, but I know she loved it

The power’s out and the fire blazes, but inside I feel stone cold

I take a swig of wine, unable to takeor someone

And deep inside I suppose I a here in an empty house with no family left to callme up inside It forces me to push away the people I’ve known o So, now I’m alone

Dammit, I wish I weren’t this way But it would take a special kind of woman to crack open etting worse

Then I see so move out of the corner of my eye

Someone

Alone

A wo as the snow barrels into her face

She wears the glow of the moon on her face It illu beautiful

So that should be mine

With one look, so primal stirs inside me

I’ry for a woman and not just any woman, but a special woman

This woman

As I watch her, the hips harder around theis dark, but thankfully my mother’s multitude of candelabras are lit

I strike a ht a flaate, her eyes taking in the gargoyles on the eaves, and she climbs the front steps of the mansion with a bewildered, but determined look in her eye