“No way. What makes you think that?”
Sophia shrugged and pushed her glasses back up on her nose. “You just seem to be nicer to him, and I guess also because of how he looks at you.”
My smile faded and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Oh no. Had my bout of kindness made everything worse?
“How do you mean?” I asked softly, not wanting to draw attention to this ludicrous conversation.
Sophia glanced over my shoulder, presumably looking to see where Evan was, before leaning in and whispering, “Like the way the vampires look at their potential victims in the Blood Borne books.”
I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes. Sophia had a weakness for paranormal romance novels, and I could only imagine what words the author had used to describe the vampires’ longing glances. Great. Wonderful. Fantastic. Here I was going out of my way to save my socially awkward classmate from a gang of borderline criminals, a classmate whose big mouth had gotten me into trouble in the first place, only to have the whole thing backfire on me. I show him a little extra kindness and do I get a simple thank you? Nope. I get my creepy stalker back.
I dropped my face into my hands. At least the Noctyrnum had forgotten about me. But so had Devlin. As much as I regretted his absence, though, I was glad for it. A girl could only handle so much drama at one time, after all.
“You okay?” Sophia asked.
“Fine,” I mumbled through my fingers.
“Hey, I could be wrong,” she offered.
I took a deep breath and looked up. Sophia’s eyes were huge through her glasses, her expression one of slight guilt. I smiled and patted her on the shoulder.
“Evan just isn’t all that good at the social thing. I think he’s read too much into our friendship. I’m not that worried about it.”
I risked a glance in Evan’s direction and felt a shiver run down my spine. Oh good lord, Sophia was right. The way he looked at me didn’t sit right and if I hadn’t known any better, I would’ve said those were someone else’s eyes studying me. For a few fleeting moments, I wondered if his time spent with the Noctyrnum had changed him. Had they manipulated him in some way? Had they taken advantage of his vulnerability? I hoped not.
I sat in my apartment later that evening, cruising through all my social networking sites and trying to forget about the unsavory conversation I’d had with Sophia. Several of the posts I stumbled upon reminded me that Halloween was only a few weeks away. I grinned. That meant Earth Bound’s Samhain celebration was just around the corner. Last year we had celebrated with a potluck, and I had brought a gingerbread cake. This year I was in the mood for apples, so I started clicking through one recipe site after another, grinning as the search for the perfect apple pie reminded me what a good idea it was to start hanging out with my pagan friends again. I only stopped my perusal when a light tapping on the window caught my attention.
Feeling slightly apprehensive, I scooted my desk chair back and stepped over to my futon, kneeling on the cushion and leaning against the wall so that my face was even with the narrow window. The curtains were drawn and it was dark out, but I knew my porch light was on and figured I should be able to see who was out there.
Taking a deep breath, I cracked the curtains just enough to peek out. I almost screamed when a black nose and pair of dark brown eyes framed by a furry face greeted me. Collapsing on my futon, I clutched at my racing heart and took several deep breaths before walking to my door, turning the deadbolt and stepping out.
“Jerry? Jerry, are you out there?” I hissed, narrowing my eyes as I searched for the homeless man.
Maggie, his elderly shepherd mix came bounding around the corner, her tail wagging frantically. She had been the one to scare me half to death.
I knelt down and scratched behind her ears. “Where’s your papa? Where’s Jerry?”
Maggie seemed more nervous than usual and a trickle of unease spread through me. Had something happened to Jerry? I stood up, gathered what courage I had, and headed toward the end of the street. When I was only a few feet away from the broken section of the fence that indicated the path down into the canyon below, something behind the neighbor’s dumpsters moved.
I clapped my hands over my mouth to stifle the scream that ripped up through my throat.
“That you, Robyn?” a familiar, gruff voice asked.
My hands dropped to my heart as I tried to look into the shadows. “Jerry?” I rasped.
That familiar, scruffy face peeked out, his dark eyes bright with fear.
“Where’s my Maggie?”
At that moment, the dog whined and crawled out from behind me, making a mad dash to her master. Jerry grabbed hold of her collar and pulled her behind the trash bins with him.
“Jerry, what are you doing back there? Has someone forced you away from your place down near the creek?”
The man shook his head vigorously. “No ma’am. But there’s something down there. Scared me and Maggie here half to death.”
Suddenly, I wanted to be locked away in my apartment, but I couldn’t just leave Jerry and Maggie out in the dark.
“Are you okay out here?” I asked him.
He nodded. “I’ll take Maggie to the Mission with me. More people over there. Bugaboos don’t like a lot of people.”
If Jerry’s tone hadn’t been laced with terror I would have laughed. “Bugaboos?” I queried.
Jerry nodded. “Creepy crawly things you can’t see. But they’re down there. People say I’m crazy, but I can hear them. I can feel them down there, too.”
He huddled further behind the dumpster, and after what I’d experienced with regards to Otherworldly things, I wasn’t about to argue with him.
“Okay, I want you to go with Maggie now before they come up here,” I said, because one, I believed him and two, I’d feel better once I knew he was far away from whatever it was that had spooked him. I really hoped it wasn’t another one of the Morrigan’s hounds. That thing was huge and horrible, and I knew if it came after me I’d probably be toast.
I watched Jerry scurry off with his dog, making sure he disappeared around the corner of the street before I turned to go back to my apartment. Unfortunately, that was as far as I got before I heard it: a low growl that trickled down my spine like a drop of icy venom. Immediately, my senses went into hyperdrive and my heart prepared itself for a marathon run at a dead sprint. The sound was coming from my right where, fifty feet away the trees and bushes stood perched on the edge of the small ravine.
Do not look over there, Robyn, my conscience told me. Too bad I wasn’t good at following orders, even my own.
Taking a deep breath and swallowing back my nausea, I turned my head. Bad idea. Very bad idea. I had not expected to actually see anything. After all, I hadn’t seen the last creature until Devlin killed it. This one must have been out of glamour because at ground level, where the shrubs grew thickest, a long, half-rotten arm with dagger-length claws dragged at the ground, leaving behind huge gouges in the asphalt.
“Oh crap,” I breathed, taking a slight step back and trying not to panic. If I bolted, the thing would surely notice me and run me down.
The creature rumbled again and this time it decided it was done with playing hide-and-go-seek. That long, half-rotten arm was joined by another, and then a head, neck and torso entered my field of vision. It was bigger than the dog, whatever it was, and half of its face had melted away, leaving nothing but a bony skull. The rest of its body had a similar pattern of rotting flesh barely hanging on to oily bones. If I were asked what animal it most closely resembled, I’d call it some deformed representation of a saber toothed cat. A nice little freak show act all packaged up and ready to provide me with some nightmares for the rest of my life. Oh, how I regretted coming outside. My instincts told me to make a run for it. Unfortunately, I was frozen in place.
Nightmare kitty shook itself, as if it had been swimming around in the creek, then lifted its head and started sniffing the air. When the holl
ow sockets of its eyes leveled on me, I knew it was time to act. I bolted, heading straight for my door. The creature released a screech that nearly brought me to my knees. Panting, I kept going, even when the pounding of feet hitting the asphalt behind me grew closer. With a scream working its way up my throat, I reached my door. As my hand touched the handle, I got a shock strong enough to zap halfway up my arm.
“Damn it!” I hissed as full-blown panic started to take over. I pulled the sleeve of my sweatshirt over my hand and reached for the handle again. This time the shock wasn’t so bad. What the hell?! Had a power line fallen on the house? I looked over my shoulder. No time to worry about it now. Turning the knob, I threw the door open and slammed it behind me, quickly slamming the deadbolt into place.
I was still leaning against the door when something huge thudded against it. A scream escaped my lungs and I fell to the floor, curling up into a ball and covering the back of my head with my hands. My breath was coming in huge, uneven gasps. Had I just trapped myself inside my apartment? All that mummy cat had to do was rake at the door a few times with those claws and he’d be in and I’d be done for.
As the monster raged outside my door, my mind raced. How the hell had I gotten dragged into all of this? For years I’d been obsessed with the Celtic Otherworld, would have done anything to be a part of it. However, now that it had somehow found me I was quickly ready to be done with it. Then, all of a sudden, the attacks on my door stopped. Uncurling just a little bit, I took a few deep breaths and moved away from my door. The sharp, ear-splitting sound of nails being dragged across glass drew my attention to the window. Through the small crack in the curtains I could see the demon cat’s gnarled foot, the long claws running across the glass. Oh no. The door was pretty sturdy but it wouldn’t take much for the thing to break through glass. Fighting against my fear, I jumped up onto my bed and huddled against the inside wall. Not that it would do me much good but for some reason I felt safer there.
The cat’s claws reached the end of the frame and raked across the metal latch in the middle. A bright bolt of violet electricity sparked and the creature yowled, tumbling back onto the lawn before righting itself and darting off into the dark with its decomposing tail tucked between its legs. My mouth hung open in disbelief. There must be a live wire somewhere. Or had I just imagined the whole thing?
Too terrified to move, I continued to hug my knees to my chest, waiting for the beast to change its mind and come back. At some point, I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remembered was waking up to the harsh buzz of my alarm clock. Ugh. No wonder I had a headache. I swung my arm over to hit the snooze button, then cracked one eye open to see what time it was. A quarter to nine. Man, I must have been really tired because my alarm always went off at eight. With the noise silenced, I stretched my arms above my head and contemplated going back to sleep when the memories from last night hit me like a sudden bad smell. Jerry, crouched behind the trash bins, the Otherworldly monster chasing me down, the weird electrical current surrounding my apartment. And then I remembered it was Sunday morning and my shift at the Green Tea Leaf started fifteen minutes ago.
Throwing out a tirade of curse words a pirate would blush to hear, I leapt out of bed and started digging through my spare closet for something to wear. After pulling on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, I paused for a few seconds to send a text to Kelly, explaining that I was on my way. As soon as I was completely dressed, I applied my makeup in record time then grabbed my purse and keys and pulled open the door. I took the first step up into the yard and froze when my feet hit the narrow, paved walkway. Memories from the previous night flooded my brain and I shivered. My bicycle waited in the fenced area behind the building and even though I’d convinced myself the monster was long gone, I still threw the gate open and jumped back as if I expected it to be waiting for me. Feeling ridiculous, I scurried over to my bike and quickly released it from its lock.
The Green Tea Leaf was crowded when I arrived, the buzz of conversation reminding me of a beehive. Both Kelly and Jonathon were on shift, as well as a new girl I didn’t recognize. I maneuvered my way through the throng of caffeine junkies and slipped in behind the counter.
“I’m sooo, sorry,” I breathed to Kelly as I headed straight for the back room to get my apron.
“You can explain later,” she said out of the corner of her mouth.
I had my apron on in record time, and soon I was immersed in my work. Kelly moved over, and I took charge of the cash register, ringing up orders like a pro. For the next several minutes, I let the job consume me. By half past ten the crowd had thinned and I could finally take a break. Only trouble was, now I had time to think about last night’s attack.
“So, why were you late this morning?”
Jonathon’s voice made me squeak and jump about three feet. Sighing I turned to him and said, “Someone tried to break into my apartment last night, so I had trouble falling asleep and then slept through my alarm in the morning.”
That was the story I’d decided to tell everyone, only because the truth was a bit far-fetched.
Jonathon dropped the broom he’d been using to sweep up spilled coffee grounds. His eyes grew wide and his lips parted. “Are you serious?” he breathed. “Did you call the police? Did the person get in? Are you okay?”
I held up my hand and frowned when I noticed it was shaking just a little. Hmmm, guess I didn’t have to worry about coming off as genuinely freaked out.
“They didn’t get in. Just scraped up my door a bit. And the police have already taken my statement. They’re going to scout the area for the next few nights.”
“Oh, good,” Jonathon said.
“What’s good?” Kelly asked, stepping out from the back.
She had her purse over her shoulder and was sucking on an iced coffee.
“That Robyn didn’t get murdered last night,” Jonathon supplied.
Kelly almost choked, and I glared at Jonathon.
“I didn’t almost get murdered. Someone tried to break into my place. That’s why I was late this morning.”
“Oh my god!” Kelly wheezed once she’d cleared her throat. “Are you alright? Maybe you should come stay with me for a while.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted.
“But what if it’s the same guy who’s been on the news.”
I looked at Jonathon, but he only shrugged.
“What do you mean?” I asked tentatively, afraid of what Kelly might say.
“The cops think it might be a serial killer. They’ve found two dead bodies in the creek between here and Avila in the past week. A man in his forties and an elderly woman. They suspected the woman was one of the local homeless, but the man was from out of town. According to the news, the cops found no evidence of foul play, but the reporter hinted otherwise. It was a pretty big story. How could you have missed it?”
My blood had gone cold before Kelly even finished speaking. A serial killer? Here? It was possible. Heck, it had happened before, students gone missing, never to be found. Normally I’d be a little bothered by the idea of a killer roaming the streets. After my encounter with the Noctyrnum, I had even more reason to be afraid.
Before we could discuss it any further, the new girl stepped up to the front counter. I turned and really looked at her for the first time. She was tall, as tall as Jonathon, and her sleek, black hair was pulled into a neat ponytail that fell down to her waist. Her skin was pale but flawless, and she had an aura of grace about her that seemed more natural than manufactured through practice. Thick, dark lashes framed pale brown eyes, and full lips rested under a petite nose.
“Sorry to interrupt,” she said in a melodious, slightly accented voice, “but where do we keep the spare napkins? One of our customers had a spill.”
Kelly jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “In the back. Second shelf, three rows down.”
“Who is that?” I asked, momentarily distracted from my own drama.
“Moira Barry. New employee,�
� Kelly said. “She’s a freshman, and I think she’s from Ireland or England or somewhere like that.”
Moira came back out of the store room and smiled at me. I smiled back, hoping she wouldn’t be as flaky as the last newbie Margie had hired.
“Hey, Jon,” Kelly drawled, snapping her fingers in front of his face.
Jonathon blinked and pulled his gaze away from the girl. Kelly grinned and arched her eyebrows at me, forcing me to snort in laughter.
“I’m sure it’s every girl’s dream to have you gawking at her, but you might want to take it down a notch.”
Jonathon grumbled something indecipherable and his cheeks darkened as he carried the dustpan full of coffee grounds to the back. I elbowed Kelly.
“You didn’t have to embarrass him,” I said.
She shrugged. “But it’s so fun to mess with him! It’s like having one of my brothers around. Anyway,” she heaved a great sigh and took another sip of her drink, “I’m off to see my parents. Since my brothers are home they insist on a family dinner.”
She made a face, and I tried to act like I understood. If only Kelly knew how lucky she was to have her annoying siblings and over-protective parents.
“Hey, and be careful, okay? I know you mean well and all in trying to help the homeless people living behind your house, but maybe you should keep your distance, you know?”
I sighed and let my shoulders slump a bit. “It wasn’t any of the homeless people Kelly.”
“How can you know for sure?”
Because I saw what tried to break in and it definitely wasn’t human. Unfortunately, I couldn’t tell her that.
“I just am. Don’t worry. I’ve got my pepper spray and a whole treasure trove of nasty words I can throw at anyone who wants to give me any trouble.”
My smile felt forced, but Kelly seemed to buy it.
“All right. See you Tuesday afternoon then? And try not to be late for your shift this time.”
I flashed her my favorite rude hand gesture, and she stuck her tongue out at me. A few minutes passed before Jonathon came out of the back room with a stoic look on his face.
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