“Woah, no. I just thought you might do better seeing me like this first,” the boy replies, hands held up in surrender while my breaths rapidly saw in and out of my chest. “The gargoyle shifted form is one of the more intimidating ones and, since you’re not used to shifts I thought it might be helpful for you to see there’s someone you recognise as a person underneath all the scary.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you, Michael, thank you,” Selene praises. “You good?” When I nod, she turns her attention back to the boy. “Please shift when you’re ready.”
The boy shrugs off his jacket, then unbuckles and removes his belt, passing them to Eve with one hand while holding up his baggy jeans with the other. At Eve’s eye roll he blushes. “What? Not all of us can afford a lot of enchanted clothing. All my t-shirts are, but even normal coats are expensive.”
“Fine, but you don’t need to be so dramatic about it. He was probably worried you were going to get naked,” she replies, making the poor kid’s blush deepen.
Then it happens. Grey bleeds into the peachy tone of Michael’s skin along his arms, up his neck and over his face, the flesh hardening to stone. His body expands, and the jeans and t-shirt that looked ridiculously baggy on him only moments ago now fit snugly against this taller, more muscular version of the boy. And it is still him. His facial features are the same, but now there are horns growing out from just above his hairline, pointing back at a slight angle. Then something flutters behind him, and I remind myself not to panic before looking. He has wings and… is that a fucking tail?
“Holy shit.” I knew there had to be something weird happening here, but I never imaginedthiscould be what the town is hiding. And if Selene was right about the boy being a gargoyle, does that mean she’s right about me too? “I need to go.”
“Jared, are you sure you’re OK to leave right n?—”
“I’m fine,” I cut off Selene’s question more sharply than I intended. Taking a slow breath, I release the death-grip on the strap of my satchel and try again. “Sorry. I’m fine, but this is too much. I need to go.” They’re going to let me leave, right? Edging closer to the door, I look between the three of them.
Seeming to realise asking me to stay will only scare me out more, Selene sighs. “OK.” She looks more upset than the situation warrants, givenI’mthe one who just had their entire world turned upside down. I pull on the shop’s door, relieved when it swings open. “Wait.” I halt with one foot out the door. Unable to resist one last look at Selene, I turn my head to find her looking at me, piercing blue eyes full of compassion. “If you have questions about being a—” Selene clears her throat and tries again, “If you have questions about demons, you should ask Huxley. Also, one of the spells I sensed on your amulet is there to make sure you never want to take it off. Now that you’re aware of the magic, that spell might not have the same sway. Istronglyrecommend you not remove the dampener until you know more about your abilities.”
I nod, then speed out of there like my life depends on it. While something in my gut tells me Selene would never hurt me, for the first time I don’t think I can trust my instincts. My sense of self-preservation was forged in a world where humans were the scariest thing out there. Now everything has changed. The world is suddenly larger and more terrifying than I ever imagined, and I need to figure out what to do next.
Chapter 10
Jared
Iwalked home in a daze, my mind working overtime to process the revelation that the supernatural exists. Not something I ever imagined believing, and if I hadn’t seen the lanky teenage boy transform into a hulking great gargoyle right before my eyes, I still wouldn’t. But despite the knock to my head, there’s no denying what I saw.A fucking gargoyle.
Bracing my forearms on my thighs, I swirl the whisky in my half-empty glass while staring at my reflection in the glass coffee table. My blonde hair looks ruffled thanks to my fall, and my shirt collar is askew after I roughly undid an extra button as soon as I got through the door thinking it might make it easier to force air into my lungs—it didn’t. Other than that, I look the same as always. Normal.
If I really were a demon, I’d know, right? There would have been signs. I take another gulp of whisky, enjoying the slight burn as it slides down my throat.
I’ve never had any desire to do anyone harm—at least not until The Raven took me—I can’t confidently say I wouldn’t have hurt him if I’d had the opportunity. But hurting the serial killer who abducted me clearly counts as extenuating circumstances. If anything, I’ve always gone out of my way to be helpful. Butwhat was it Selene said about my necklace? Something about it blocking my magic?
My fingers brush over the smooth amber stone. I don’t know much about my birth family—only that they left me at a hospital with nothing but this necklace and a note with my name on it. There were no records of my birth, so whoever my mother was, she must have had me at home. Luckily I landed with my wonderful adoptive parents. Mum and Dad were in their fifties when they took me in, and they’re both gone now, but I’m grateful for the years we had together. We didn’t have much by way of material things, but we had love in abundance. I couldn’t have asked for a better childhood. While I’ve wondered about my birth parents, I’ve never felt compelled to search for them. Was that a mistake? Would I have been better off knowing the truth about what I am?
No. I polish off the last of the amber liquid. They gave me up for a reason. And if what Selene says about my necklace is true, then they hid whatever magic I might have for a reason too. I toy with the gold chain. Its familiar weight has been my constant companion all these years. What would happen if I removed it? Would I feel different? I drop the skin-warmed metal. No, Selene warned me not to. If she’s right and this necklace has been suppressing my true nature, taking it off could be dangerous. After all, she said I’m a demon. While I might not be the religious sort, even I know demons equal bad. I don’t want to be evil. I certainly don’tfeelevil, but what if the necklace is the reason for that? Maybe my birth parents didn’t leave the necklace with me to protect me, but to protect othersfromme.
God, this is all too much. I refill my glass, ignoring the responsible voice in the back of my mind reminding me I have work tomorrow. If ever there was a night to get drunk to forget about my problems, this is it. Tomorrow I’ll talk to Huxley likeSelene suggested. Tonight I need to do whatever it takes to forget my entire world has just been turned upside down.
“Ooomph. Fuckingow.” I rub at my throbbing hip, realising in my flailing to turn off my blaring phone alarm I’ve somehow landed on the floor. Oh, that’s right. I fell asleep on the sofa last night. Lovely. God, it feels like there’s a herd of tiny elephants trampling about inside my skull. How much did I drink last night? With great difficulty, I crack open my eyelids to see the now half-empty bottle of whisky on the coffee table. No wonder I feel like shit.
Struggling to my feet, I curse at the time on my phone. I must have turned off my first alarm in my sleep because now I only have twenty minutes to shower and make myself look presentable before I need to head out. No matter what weird shit is going on in this town, I still can’t show up to my second day on the job looking like a hungover mess.
After taking a shower and donning fresh clothes, I feel a little more human… or… myself, whatever the hell that is. My stomach turns at the thought of breakfast, so I decide to skip it, heading out armed with a thermos of black coffee and about a million questions for my new colleagues instead.
The Chronicle offices are quiet when I arrive. Ocean isn’t in the reception area yet, and nobody else is at their desk. I hate to admit it, but I’m relieved. Usually I’m the sort to tackle a problem head-on but finding out all my colleagues are some kind of supernatural creature is more than a little intimidating. This goes far beyond the normal worries about starting a new job. Will I even still have a job if they find out I’m a human? Or at least that until yesterday I thought I was? Selene said somethingabout this being a sanctuary town, whatever that means. If anyone finds out I came here under false pretences, will I be forced to leave?
Shit, I should have stayed and asked Selene more questions instead of running away like a coward. Now I’m stuck here with no clue about how to proceed. She said I should talk to Huxley if I had questions about demons. Does that mean Huxley’s a demon? Is it rude to ask?
“Jared.”
“Fuck!” I yelp, knocking over my thermos.
“Sorry, you must have really zoned out there,” Huxley says, catching the flask of coffee before it rolls off the edge of my desk. “I said your name like three times.”
“No, I’m sorry. I’m just jumpy today.”
Huxley smirks. “That’s one word for it. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Shit, are ghosts real too? “I’m fine, I just—” I adjust my glasses with a sigh and try again. “Actually, I’m not fine.”
