“Please,” the monster begged. “Please warm yourself.”
I took the hoodie in both hands, clutching it as I watched the hand and arm withdraw back through the unmarred glass.
“Put it on,” he urged.
The voice made me want to obey, not because I was scared but because it felt like velvet in my brain. I don’t know why, but I trusted this monster.
My hands were clumsy, but I managed to tug the hoodie over my head. It was huge on me, and I knew it would hang almost to my knees when I stood up.
“Better,” he said. I stared at his uncovered face, unable to look away from those glowing, ice-blue eyes. I’d never seen anyone as pale as him that was still alive, but then again, I had never met a monster before.
His white hair fell across his forehead and one eye, making me want to brush it to the side.
Wait, was I feeling romantic toward a creature that consumed two men right in front of me? For all I knew, I was the next thing on the menu!
I didn’t want to be dessert!
Fear broke through my stunned haze and the monster drew back with a disgusted expression on his face.
“You don’t need to fear me,” he rumbled. “And I’ll even hunt down those other men. They will never come near you again. I’ll keep you safe, human.”
With those words, he disappeared. I sat there for several minutes, but he didn’t reappear. The parking lot remained empty except for my car at the far end and my purse near the door. The night was back to being quiet with only the constant background sound of traffic and horns from the nearby freeway.
The only proof that he’d even existed was the hoodie I was wearing that smelled faintly of woodsmoke.
“Beer,” I mumbled, getting to my feet. My legs were shaky, and I felt dizzy for a moment. “I need beer. Or vodka. Yeah, lots of vodka.”
And maybe a psychiatric evaluation.
Chapter 2
Vie
It didn’t take me long to hunt down the rest of the men that had threatened my human.
Yes, she was mine. I didn’t know how that was possible, but it was undeniable. I’d never heard of a wraith ever pairing off, but I couldn’t imagine going through another day without this woman in it.
Part of me wanted to search out one of my brothers to ask if they’d ever heard of something like this happening. The other part of me wanted to keep her a secret from them. She was mine, and I didn’t share.
After I ate the last of the men, I was so full I had a hard time shifting to mist. Even in my incorporeal form, I moved sluggishly, like a fat rain cloud in need of purging.
I made my way back to the shop. The woman wasn’t there. I materialized inside and looked around. Not only was she gone,but so was my sweatshirt. It made me happy to know she’d worn it home. In a way, she was covered in me.
I could smell her everywhere in this small space. Restless, I explored every inch of the shop, not even sure what I was looking for. Almost everything here had a trace of her scent. I hunted for something saturated in her smell.
I almost gave up when I found a button under a display stand that must’ve belonged to her. I brought it to my nose and pulled in a deep breath. It was heavily imbued with her scent. It must’ve popped off something she wore often.
I tucked it in my pocket and went back to searching.
There was a tiny back room filled with her unique smell. By how fresh the scent was, I could tell she’d recently spent hours in here. The small space was filled with boxes stacked almost to the ceiling. A small utilitarian desk was pressed against the far wall. The top of it was piled high with paperwork and a closed laptop.
I didn’t touch the laptop but riffled through the papers instead. Most of them were invoices, but one was a personal utility bill marked past due. The address was several miles away and had an apartment number.
This must be my human’s home address!
I also had a name, Willow Jones.
“Willow.”
