“I’ll be back. I promise!” I say, grabbing my purse and hurrying to the door.
I can’t make it to the store and back here before my lunch break is over. I’m already going to be late. As much as I hate it, Caddowill have to wait a few more hours. But what do I do about Daisy? It seems like it’s too soon to file a police report. Her mother isn’t even worried yet. I think I’m the only one losing my mind over it right now.
I bottle my frustrations and return to work. I feel helpless. Helpless and guilty, because I can still hear Caddo’s cries in my head. The afternoon passes like molasses. As soon as the clock ticks four-thirty, I shut down my computer and beat all of my co-workers out of the building. Not the best impression to make for someone who is brand new, but I don’t have a choice today.
As soon as I step outside, the strange sensation returns. Like I’m being watched. I quickly look around, my attention drawn to the building across from York Financial. For a second, it looks like a shadow moves, but I can’t be sure.
“I don’t have time for this,” I mutter, shaking my head as I feel the rush of arousal and heat in my core. I have to find Daisy.
I walk to the closest gas station, the sensation lingering, shadows continuing to move to my left, but every time I glance over, there’s nothing. I’m losing my mind. What’s left of it, after worrying about Daisy all day.
Thankfully, the gas station has cat food. Not Caddo’s brand, but I don’t think he’ll care at this point. I buy enough for a week and order an Uber.
When I make it back to Daisy’s apartment, Caddo just sits in the hallway and cries while I make his food. He comes running when I put the bowl down.
“One problem solved,” I sigh, looking around the apartment again. “Now, what do I do about Daisy?”
I sit down and start making calls. Her mom still hasn’t heard anything, but now that she realizes I haven’t heard from Daisy all day, she’s beginning to worry. Mac still hasn’t heard anything, and his voice echoes with similar concerns. It’s the same thing when I call our mutual friends.
“Okay,” I say, my hand trembling. “It’s time to call the cops. Something is seriously wrong.”
I’m not sure if I should look up the number for the police station or dial 911. This seems like a 911 situation. It is to me, at least.
I start to dial and the strange sensation returns. Except this time, it’s different. It doesn’t feel like someone is watching me. It feels… like Daisy is in danger.
I lose the feeling in my arms and drop my phone. I try to stand, but my legs won’t work. I slump against the couch, and my eyes roll back in my head.
White, blinding light appears. I try to speak, but my lips won’t move. I can’t move anything. My vision slowly comes into focus and I see a cathedral. Gothic spires reaching towards a cloudy sky. Stained glass windows, mostly shattered, a few intact. They depict angels and demons engaged in some sort of battle. The stone is old, crumbling. Cracked gargoyles perch on the corner, mouths open in silent screams.
The doors are massive, wooden, rotten. One hangs crooked on its hinges. Then I remember it. St. Michael’s Cathedral. I’ve passed it a dozen times. Not recently, but Daisy and I used to drive through that part of town when we escaped the suburbs on a Friday night. That place has been abandoned for decades.
But the only thing that matters is the sensation. The sensation that tells me Daisy is inside.
The vision shatters. I’m back in Daisy’s apartment, gasping for air. How long was I out? I can’t tell. Caddo hisses, his fur standing on end.
“What the hell was that?” I question, my hands shaking as the feeling returns, my heart pounding as I try to get up from the couch.
I try to stand. My legs shake. My head pounds. Whatever just happened—vision, hallucination, breakdown—t took something out of me. Enough to leave me unsettled and terrified.
But beneath the terror, I know. St. Michael’s Cathedral. South side. Daisy is there and she needs me.
I don’t call the police. I don’t call anyone.
I just pick up my phone, grab my purse, and run.
CHAPTER 8
Hayden
What the fuck just happened?
I was waiting when Ansley got off work. She didn’t hop into an Uber like she normally does. She walked to a gas station and bought cat food. She didn’t go home. She went to some other apartment. An apartment with a cat that ate so fast I’m certain he was starving. It reminded me of the way the lion shifters devour prey after a hunt.
Then something really strange happened. Ansley was on the couch with her phone. I was watching from the rooftop across the street. It looked like she was about to dial a number, but then she had… some sort of seizure? I’ve never seen anything like it.
But that wasn’t even the strangest thing. As soon as it started, everything drained out of me. The urge. The need. The overwhelming desire. It evaporated the second she succumbed to the trance. I felt empty, like everything had been ripped out of my chest.
I actually stumbled. Had to catch myself on the edge of the rooftop. For days, I’ve been drowning in this need. Suffocating, all-consuming. And suddenly, nothing. Just absence. A void where the pull used to be. It terrified me more than the urge ever did.
