He’s looking at me like he knows something. Something he shouldn’t.
And just like that, the bugs come roaring back to life.
He tilts his head—then, fuck—his eyes suddenly burn white.
No iris. No pupil. Just bright, endless white.
He blinks, and it’s gone.
As Eve walks back to the table, giving the strange jukebox a wide berth, he whispers, “Be careful, my queen. Ezra isn’t the only one who lurks in the shadows.”
Aurora
My heart stutters, my breath catches, and my muscles tense up, leaving me frozen in place as every thought in my head comes grinding to a halt.
Everything shuts down, the way an old house always blows a fuse when it rains.
Eve has Thane’s full attention now, gently kissing him and whispering more dirty things in his ear.
I sneak a glance—yep, his eyes are definitely a beautiful shade of emerald green.
Eve pulls away from Thane long enough to ask, “Are you ready to go home, Aury?”
“Uh, yeah … yes. Sorry, I kind of zoned out for a second.”
I’m certain Ezra doesn’t know about Thane. He would have told me, right?
As we walk to Thane’s car, I tick through my checklist of things I know are true to keep myself calm. Thane has had plentyof chances to hurt me, but he never has. He called me “queen,” so he knows what I am. No Disciples tattoo, so probably not one of them.
And when he’s with Eve?
There’s no creeping, oil-slick blackness. Just something soft and steady and bright.
But then his eyes glowed. Just for a second.
That means … what? Underborne? Something worse?
Does Eve know? Why wouldn’t he tell Ezra?
And what is he even doing in Lorewood, working in a bookshop like he’s not made of fucking light?
Does he eat humans, too?
By the time Thane pulls into Ezra’s driveway, my head is spinning.
“Aurora! Are you okay? You’re really pale. Do you want me to stay the night?”
Eve’s offer is sweet, but I need to be alone. The pain’s dulled, but my neck’s still tender as hell and nowhere close to healed.
“No, I’m okay. Just in some pain, I guess. Nothing a little ibuprofen won’t fix,” I say, shooting them a quick smile.
“Call if you need anything. Ezra showed you how to use the security system, right?” Thane’s look is stern, but there’s a hopeful glint in his eyes.
“Uh, nope. I know his doors beep when I open them, but he never said anything about a security system.”
Forgetting to tell me about something like that is so purely Ezra, it makes me smile.
“That flighty, technology-adverse motherfucker,” Thane mumbles as he jumps out of the car. “Ladies, please stay here a moment. I’m going to check the house, just to be safe. That way, Aurora can rest easy tonight.”
