It was real.
And I had just crossed the Arrythmia city limits, which I could see only because I was some sort of paranormal being in need.
Interesting that a place visible only to paranormal beings was somehow hidden from the most legendary paranormal being there was.
No, not Dracula.
The devil.
Dad, remember?
Arrhythmia, Texas, according to my mother on her deathbed, was located south of Dallas, north of Houston, and west of both of them.I’d know it when I got there, she’d said.And then a coughing fit took over before she was finally able to answer my question.“It’s a magical place, protected by wards so no one can find it except paranormal beings who really, really need it.No humans can find it unless a supe helps them.And your father has no clue it even exists.This is why it’s the safest place you can be.”
Curious that these wards kept out the devil and humans but no other paranormal beings.
Whatever.Avoiding Satan was all I cared about.
My mouth was no doubt hanging open as I slowly inched along Main Street, taking in huge red flowerpots filled with red and pink flowers, parked in front of every storefront on the street.Plastic hearts hung from lampposts.Plate glass windows were decorated with images of Conversation Hearts.Red garland and twinkle lights framed most of the windows and doorways.
Had I accidentally stumbled into Hell?
No, no, that wasn’t it.It was February.Today was Monday.
Valentine’s Day was on Saturday.
And apparently, this town took celebrating that overblown lovey-dovey holiday to extremes.
Lilith save me, I was going to hate it here.
Underneath the decorations were rectangular brick buildings lined up like soldiers for two blocks before the road just sort of ended in a whole lot of Texas-sized nothingness.
The bricks were bleached, whether by time or deliberate choice, and several buildings had signs hanging above the doors announcing what sort of business was inside, while the rest had a company name scrawled on the door.
People—rather, supernatural beings—wandered about, coming and going from a coffee shop, a bookstore, a wine tasting room—oh, I needed to check that out, even if I didn’t decide to stick around.
As my stolen fifteen-year-old Buick Lacrosse inched down the street, I studied the locals.I assumed they were local; Mom said this place wasn’t for everyone.In fact, she said it was more often than not the last resort for people like me.People who needed to hide.Or start over.
Or both.
I watched a tall, skinny guy slip out of the bookstore and jog down the block to the wine tasting room.He wore black from head to toe, covering every inch of skin.He wore a wide brimmed hat with a dark scarf hanging from it, draping to his shoulders; he somewhat resembled a beekeeper on his way to collect honey.
Definitely a vampire.Vamps were allergic to the sun.If so much as a fingernail were exposed, it would start sizzling and stinking like, well, cooking flesh.
Gross.
A very hairy couple strolled along the sidewalk, holding hands, a small dog—no, no, it was a lion cub—trotting along in front of them.
“Jeremiah,” the woman shrieked when the lion cub sat on its haunches next to a little bistro table in front of the coffee shop.“No begging!”
The lion cub slowly lowered himself to all four paws and turned to follow as the couple, who I presumed were his parents, walked past.The wraith seated at the table plucked a strip of bacon from their sandwich and tossed it at the lion cub, who neatly caught it, his entire demeanor perking up as he trotted away.
Maybe this place wasn’t so bad after all.
Mostly because all these creatures were openly wandering about, in their natural forms, without a care that a human might come along, realize what they were, and draw entirely unwanted attention to the fact that monsters walked among them.
While the human aspect was clearly taken care of, regarding the devil aspect, well, I was going to need a little more convinc?—
“Hey, watch where you’re going!”
