Page 32 of The Little Shop of Curiosities Cursed Object 1, The Music Box

A creature composed entirely of black smoke, so huge, so vast I can’t even conceive of its true dimensions.

The images slow and the pain in my head begins to subside, but before I can catch my breath, I hear a horn blast and a screech of tyres. I hold my hands up to block the blinding light when I suddenly feel strong arms wrap around me. The next thing I know, I’m flying backwards.

I’m breathing hard, disorientated and slightly dizzy. Somewhere, I hear Tristan calling my name in a panic. After a few moments, I realise the bright light has gone, and my face is being bathed in the heavy patter of raindrops. I also become aware of the fact that I’m not laying on the ground but on top of a hard body, a pair of arms wrapped around me protectively.

I hear a groan and twist to see Sam lifting his head. “Are you okay?” He frowns as he cradles my face with one hand.

“What—” My throat feels dry and scratchy like I’ve been screaming. “What happened?”

“What happened?” Sam’s mouth tightens. “What happened was you stopped right in the middle of the road and were nearly hit by a car. What the hell were you thinking?”

“It’s none of your damn business,” I snap defensively. Even though he had just saved my life while I probably scared a few years off his, I can’t help my knee-jerk reaction.

“Oh my god, are you okay?” Shivering, Tristan drops down beside us. His T-shirt is soaked through.

“Jesus Christ, you scared the life out of us.” Danny appears behind Tristan, wrapping the jacket he’d presumably left in the restaurant around his soaked body.

“I’m fine,” I croak again, and push myself up, trying to ignore the feel of Sam’s body beneath me.

Not trusting my shaky legs yet, I shift sideways to sit on the pavement and Sam sits up, rubbing the back of his head.

“Are you okay, Sam?” Tristan fusses over him.

“I’m good.” He winces when Tristan prods the back of his skull. “Just a bump is all. I hit my head as we fell backward.”

“You both need to go to the hospital.” Danny frowns.

“I don’t need the hospital.” I breathe heavily as my head spins. “But you should take Sam. He could have a concussion.”

“You were screaming,” Tristan says softly, his voice almost lost amidst the rattle of the rain. “You ran out of the restaurant and stopped in the middle of the road holding your head. You looked like you were in serious pain.”

God, I’m exhausted. I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck, and I almost was. I’d have probably been killed if it wasn’t for Sam.

“Thank you,” I say hoarsely, “for saving my life.”

“You should go to the hospital, Harrison,” he says, and I shake my head, wincing at the throbbing pain.

“They can’t help me.”

“What is it?” Sam asks, his gaze intense. “What’s wrong?”

For one insane second, I want to curl into his arms and tell him everything, but I can’t. We’re from very different worlds, and if my experience has taught me anything, it’s that I can’t trust anyone with my secrets.

I shake my head again. “I just want to go home.”

8

He’s gorgeous.

I can’t take my eyes off him, his red hair a vivid burst of colour and his eyes a summery cornflower blue even as he shivers in the darkness and rain. His skin is pale but almost seems to glow like he’s something…other. A forest sprite or fae creature come to tempt the mortals.

It’s a fanciful thought and not at all like me, but he’s…fascinating. Made of magic and starlight.

Huh, maybe I did hit my head harder than I thought. I’ll be spouting flowery sonnets or quoting A Midsummer Night’s Dream if I’m not careful. My heart is still hammering, and I don’t know if it’s the residual adrenaline from seeing him standing in the path of a car whose brakes squealed as it aquaplaned across the rain-drenched road, or if it’s from experiencing static electricity arc through my body and make every single hair on my body stand on end when I touched him.

I’d been drawn to him from the first moment I set eyes on him inside the restaurant. Even now, that connection tugs at me, urging me to shift closer to him.

What the fuck is wrong with me? I sound like a bloody stalker.