So thereissomething about Henry. I didn’t just imagine it.
Chloe’s heartbeat started to pick up. She didn’tthinkthat this Henry guy would be likely to start something, but her instincts were definitely telling her to take a moment to identify her nearest exit.
Henry stopped suddenly, Eula almost bumping into him as she followed.
“What is it, Henry?”
Henry slowly, carefully, put the boxes down by the wall, before straightening back up to his impressive height. He didn’t advance, but he didn’t back away, either – he just stood there, as if assessing the situation.
At the same time, Ethan stood up – not threatening or giving any sign to the other patrons that something was amiss, butprotective.
Chloe’s heart fluttered.
He would protect me with his life if I needed it. I know it.
“Shifter,” he murmured. “Hellhound.”
Chloe supposed that sheshouldbe shocked, but at this point it was just middling surprise at most. It seemed like this was the kind of thing that she just needed to get used to, if she was going to live in Girdwood Springs.
“Is that bad?” she whispered.
“Depends.”
The tension was thick in the air… but then Eula’s voice rang out.
“Boys, boys,” she said cheerfully. “No need to fight. There’s plenty of ol’ Eula to go around!”
Chloe supposed that it was hard to maintain a high level of tension when Eula had just saidthat, and indeed it seemed to have had its intended effect, if the way that Ethan and Henry both seemed to relax a bit was any indicator.
They weren’tcompletelydropping their guard, though.
“I think we’ve got some things to discuss,” Henry said, and Ethan nodded.
“Agreed.”
Chloe turned to Curtis, to see what he was making of all this – but he was just staring, eyes wide, face pale as… well, a ghost.
Are ghosts and hellhounds natural enemies? This could be bad.
Chloe opened her mouth to sound a warning, but then she followed Curtis’s line of sight – and he wasn’t staring at Henry.
He was staring at Eula.
And Eula was staring right back at him.
At the ghost that nobody else could see.
There was a clatter as Eula’s keys fell from her hand, tumbling to the floor.
Her mouth worked silently, opening and closing several times. Finally, words came out, though at so low a whisper that Chloe had to strain to hear them.
“G… Great-Great-Grandpa Curtis?”
It took several moments for the words to actually properly register in Chloe’s brain… but when they did, her stomach did a long, slow roll in shock.
Curtis is… Eula’s great-great-grandfather?! But how can that be possible? And how could sheknowthat, even if it was?! No one’s met their great-great-great… however many greats… grandfather!
She watched, entranced, as Eula stood there, eyes locked on Curtis, who was still sitting stock-still in his chair.
