The three of us have stayed until past closing, and Hux and I dutifully stack chairs on top of tables while Garrett cleans up behind the bar.
“What’s Kendra got you working on?” Rett asks, unscrewing the nozzles of the bar taps.
“Interviewing local businesses in the run-up to the Halloween festival. I’ll need to swing by and talk to you about this place soon.”
“No problem, just let me know when.” Hux snickers from the other side of the bar. “Problem?” Garrett pins him with a stern look, but he’s undeterred.
“Nope.” Hux pops the ‘p’ and smirks. “It’s surprising the mighty Alpha has such a flexible schedule, that’s all.”
The wolf shifter in question rolls his eyes, looking anything but a distinguished pack leader. “By my count, I still owe Jared here a couple of favours. Taking a few minutes out of my day to talk about the bar is the least I can do.”
“Listen, I appreciate it, man, but you know we’re good, right? I’m not going to hold the past against you.”
“I know.” He shrugs his broad shoulders. “Besides, it’s free publicity for one of the pack’s businesses—why wouldn’t I want to make time for that?”
“Fair enough.” As long as Rett isn’t only agreeing because he thinks he needs to tread on eggshells around me, I’m happy totake the win and the interview. “I just hope Hux and I can get my powers under control before the festival. The first night is only four weeks away.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re safe to be around the humans,” Hux assures me. “I know the power surge shook your confidence, but you made excellent progress today. You’ll be fine.”
“You’ve always been a quick study. I’m sure you’ll get a handle on the basics in no time.” Their reassurances don’t silence the worries in the back of my mind, but they do turn the volume of my inner turmoil down several notches. Finding Garrett was part of what I came here to do, but I’m grateful to have found such a good friend in Huxley as well.
Fifteen minutes later, we’re all squared away. The kitchen staff have already left for the night, and I offer to wait with Garrett while he cashes up the tills, but he tells me not to worry about it. Huxley and I bid him goodnight, then head our separate ways.
Walking home in the dark never used to bother me. I’m a guy, and a fairly large one at that. I didn’t think I had to worry about someone targeting me. Maybe if I had, The Raven wouldn’t have caught me by surprise. Or maybe he would have. The therapist I saw after the incident told me I shouldn’t blame myself. My rational mind knows that’s true, but the terrified man who thought he was going to die that night is having a harder time trulybelievingthere wasn’t something I should have done differently. Reliving the experience in my nightmares doesn’t help. Every time I wake up from one, shaking and sweating, scanning the room convinced he’s still there, I inevitably go back to where it began. To that intense feeling of unease right before everything went black.
A twig snaps somewhere off to my left, and I practically jump out of my skin. The glow of the quaint lamp posts lining thestreet doesn’t reach far enough, leaving my imagination to fill in the blanks. Is someone watching me? Following me?
My street comes into view, and I quicken my steps until I’m operating at a near jog. If anyone were to spot me, they’d probably think I look ridiculous, but I’m past caring about that. Hands shaking, I almost drop my keys when it’s time to open my front door. Then I’m slamming the thing shut behind me and securing it as quickly as possible.
Heart pounding, I stumble around the house, turning on all the lights and making sure everything is as it should be. By the time I make it back to the front hall, I’m already beating myself up.It’s not supposed to be like this here. This was meant to be a fresh start for me.
The metal of the key digs into my palm, the pain bringing some clarity with it. I force myself to unclench my fist. I’m safe here. There’s nobody watching me. Slowly, I move to the kitchen and set the kettle to boil. I’m safe. He’s not here. In the time it takes for my tea to steep, I’ve already started crashing. My legs feel like rubber as I stumble my way upstairs, reluctantly turning lights off as I go.
I should shower, but I can’t think of anything worse than being in such a vulnerable position. Besides, I’m not confident my legs would hold me. Instead, I set the mug of tea on my bedside table, then change into my cosiest flannel pyjama bottoms, a t-shirt, and an oversized sweatshirt. A pair of thick wool socks completes my cosy ensemble.
It’s clear that shoving aside my problems to chase a new mystery isn’t helping. If anything, the revelations I’ve had since coming to Crystal Lake have only wreaked more havoc on my mental state. Ignoring this isn’t a solution, and it’s not sustainable. It’s not like I can discuss any of what’s happened here with my old human therapist, so the question is, who can I turn to for help?
Knowing I’m about to crash hard, I’m careful to set additional alarms on my phone before plugging it in to charge. Tomorrow might be Saturday, but there are still things I want to get done. Plus, I’d like to stop by Threads of Magic again to see Selene. Thinking about her settles something within me—maybe because she’s been at my side helping me during both major events that have happened to me since I moved here. Whatever the reason, I’m grateful for any reprieve from the storm of emotions that has left me feeling like a hollowed-out husk. Burrowing under the covers, I let the tea and thoughts of Selene chase away the cold, empty feeling.
Chapter 15
Jared
Spending last night with Garrett and Huxley helped me realise I can truly envision a life for myself in Crystal Lake long term. The walk home forced me to admit I’ve got some hard work to do on myself for that life to be possible. Acknowledging I need help and admitting that to someone else are two very different things. I’m not ready to say it out loud yet. While I allow that to percolate in the back of my mind, I decide to focus on a step Iamready to take. There’s one thing missing from the life I’m building here—love. Now I’m on a mission to fix that.
The cheery turquoise and pink interior of Sweet Dreams, along with the smell of fresh coffee and sugary treats, instantly lifts my mood. Patiently, I stand in line behind a gargoyle couple and their son. The young child’s tail swishes in excitement as he eagerly peers inside the long glass display case of cakes. All of them are in their shifted forms, but, aside from that, they’re no different to any family I’ve seen out in the human world. In fact, watching them reminds me of myself and my adoptive parents.
Perhaps it should surprise me how quickly I’ve become used to the various supernatural characteristics the residents of Crystal Lake proudly display. While it was a shock at first, it didn’t take long to realise there’s nothing to be afraid of. Likewith humans, the outward appearance of the people here is the least important thing about them.
The gargoyle family pays and takes their drinks, heading over to one of the cute white bistro tables to wait for their cakes to be brought out.
“You’re friends with Selene, right?” I ask the perky blonde woman behind the counter when I step forward to order.
Light-brown eyes narrow in my direction. “Who’s asking?”
“Sorry, I’m Jared.” I offer my hand for her to shake, and she accepts with a perfunctory up-down. “I’m new in town, and Selene’s been a huge help getting me settled in.” Not the whole truth, but Hux made it clear some folks might be understandably upset if they found out I came to town as a human looking for a scoop. “I’m planning to stop by Threads of Magic with a thank you, but I don’t actually know what she likes. Since you’re friends, I was hoping you could help me out?” I ask hopefully.
“Thoughtful, I approve.” She nods to herself. “OK, I’ll help, because Selene deserves to be spoiled—you didn’t hear it from me, but she always works too hard in the run-up to the Halloween festival—butyou have to do something for me first.”
