Chapter 4
“What the hell is happening?” my best friend screamed.
“Baby, don’t be scared,” her boyfriend yelled into the darkness. “Whatever you are, stay away from my baby!”
I could not take him seriously.
I groped around for the door.
“It’s over here,” the tall guy said, catching my arm.
His palm was warm.
His voice was steadier than before.
“When I came in, I saw roadwork outside. They might’ve hit a power line.”
I glanced out the window.
The entire street was black.
He was probably right.
He turned on his phone flashlight, and the cold white beam lit his face from below, making him look ghostly.
“Let’s go ask the owner.”
Behind us, his brother waved dramatically.
“You two go. I’ll stay here and protect my baby.”
My best friend immediately leaned into him like a tiny bird.
“Summer, be careful.”
I looked at the two of them and thought, They look human enough, but their behavior is still deeply inhuman.
The tall guy clearly had the same thought, because he tugged me toward the hallway before I could say it out loud.
As we walked out, I glanced once more at the talisman that had burned itself into ash on the table.
He noticed.
“That was probably just a trick,” he said quickly. “Like a magic prop. Same principle.”
I nodded but didn’t answer.
We walked a few more steps in silence.
Then I asked, “Why did you touch my face?”
He stopped dead.
“What?”
“In the dark,” I said. “Why did you touch my face?”
He looked so stunned he nearly walked into the wall.
“I didn’t! I swear I didn’t!”
I let out a soft, noncommittal sound and kept walking.
He hurried after me.
“Hey. Hey, believe me. I’m not some random face-touching creep. That’s harassment.”
I looked at him.
“First, I’m not delicate. Second, my last name is Summers.”
“Okay, Summers,” he said quickly. “But you were joking, right? I really didn’t touch you.”
I gave a lazy shrug.
“Then maybe I imagined it.”
He quieted for a second.
Then, more seriously, “You really think there was something there?”
Instead of answering, I lifted my hand and brushed two fingers lightly across his cheek.
He froze.
Actually froze.
Then his ears turned red.
I blinked at him innocently.
“Like that. It felt like that.”
He stared at me, one hand slowly rising to touch the spot I had grazed.
“Oh,” he said dryly. “Then maybe it was… wind?”
I shook my head.
“The air-conditioning in the room was warm. That felt cold.”
He frowned as though he wanted to say more, but at that moment the restaurant owner came hurrying over.
He apologized profusely.
Roadwork. Broken cable. No idea when power would come back.
I only had one question.
“So can we still eat tonight?”
The owner looked pained.
“Probably not. But I can give you a couple’s discount coupon for next time. Private room, twenty percent off.”
My life philosophy was simple.
If there was a bargain to be had, only a fool turned it down.
So I nodded immediately.
“Absolutely.”
The tall guy started, “But we’re not—”
I stepped hard on his foot.
He swallowed the rest.
The moment we got the coupon, I waved it at him.
“I can resell this to a roommate.”
He stared at me for two seconds, then clapped solemnly.
“I respect you.”
When we got back to the private room, the air inside felt colder than before.
The heat was off.
That made sense.
Probably.
In the corner, my best friend and her boyfriend were making up for the interrupted blackout with far too much enthusiasm.
The kissing noises echoed.
The tall guy looked mortified.
“Should we wait outside?”
I didn’t answer.
I was staring at the boyfriend.
Specifically, at the space above his head.
“Hey,” the tall guy whispered, tugging on my sleeve. “Don’t stare. It’s rude.”
“What if I’m not looking at a person?”
He stilled.
“What?”
I lifted a finger and pointed.
“What’s that above his head?”