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I have no idea; the situation has never arisen. No one else has ever wanted me, and thankfully so, since he has always been enough for me. I sometimes wonder if any normal person could deal with me—I don’t initiate sex, I won’t seek it out, and I’ve read that in a relationship those things are what partners want. However, I need someone to force my brain to shut down, to stop me hyper-focusing on what I’m doing.

“There is only one way to find out,” I finally reply with a shrug.

“Easy for you to say. If he can’t, then I’m the one having to walk away. I can’t win against him. He’s a big guy—his hands, arms, muscles, and dick all look like he is on steroids. It’s not natural to be that size. I wonder if his corn has steroids in it.”

I laugh. “You’re overthinking it, Noa. Just have fun and be yourself.”

“Probably,” he says, jumping up. “Cave is in a mood.”

“Cave is always in a mood.”

“It’s freaky when he doesn’t blink, though.”

Noa comes to stand next to me. It makes me nervous because he likes to touch things, and when I pull something apart, I lay out the components in the order they came off. All so I can reverse the order when I put it back together.

“Are you nervous about tonight?”

I consider lying, but Noa knows me well enough to see through it. “Yes.”

He grins. “Me too. I have never been chased by Cave on purpose. But I can’t lie and say that doesn’t make me hard. Are you two exclusive? I don’t want to cross any boundaries.”

I have to think about it, but I don’t think we are. It’s not exactly a conversation you can have with a man who doesn’t really talk. So I shrug. “I have no idea, but I have no issues with sharing if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Do you think he will go full Cave on us in the cornfield?”

I nod, biting my lip at the memory. I have been one of his victims—I went to find him, not realizing it had turned dark. He stalked me, found me, and dragged me to his post. That was the first time we were together. I don’t even know if he’s all there when it happens, or if he becomes absent and just acts. “Have you warned Valli?”

“I did,” Noa says. “I explained it as daytime Cave in the cornfield is not the same man as the Cave who hunts down his prey at night. She didn’t look worried, which was concerning.”

I take a deep breath. “She should be at least a little scared.”

He laughs. “I know. That’s what I told her.”

Noa decides to wait when I go take a shower, and he’s been given strict instructions not to touch anything while I’m gone. Once I’m ready, I find him still pacing, and we leave and head out toward the main stunt area where the night’s guests gather. We take the long path, which brings us out closer to where we need to be, and when we arrive, eight guests are waiting, Valli being one of them.

“I like her outfit,” Noa says.

I really like it as well.

Valli is wearing a fluffy type of skirt with mesh leggings and boots. She is in a black jacket of some kind, with her hair up in a high ponytail, and dark face makeup. She looks hot, and I’m not sure I have ever looked at a woman before and had that thought.

Nerves pool in my gut, though I’m not nervous for the same reason as Noa. I’m nervous because I have never been with a woman—the situation has simply never presented itself. With Cave it was easy; he touched me in the cornfield, and I didn’t hate it. I didn’t exactly love it at first either, but from what I have read, that’s normal—and Cave isn’t exactly gentle.

Nixie gives her normal performance, briefing the guests, and they scatter when Nixie tells them to run, the music increasing and adding to the chaotic atmosphere. Each of the guests’ wristbands light up with different colors, and Valli’s flashes from amber to magenta to green—cycling through all three.

Valli peers up, her eyes locking on mine where I stand nearby. I hold her gaze for a second before it makes me feel weirdly vulnerable, and I look away.

Noa materializes beside her—I didn’t even hear him leave. He says something to her, and she smiles and laughs before running off with him trailing behind her.

I know exactly where he will herd her to, so I make my way toward the cemetery, taking the shortcut, even though I know he will drag it out in order to have fun with this. When I reach the edge of the old stone wall that runs along the north border, I settle and wait.

I watch as Valli comes through the gate, peeking back over her shoulder before sneaking inside. It’s dark and only a few string lights glow overhead, illuminating the area. I smile when I see Noa’s shadow, expanding when he rises from behind a headstone. Valli spins and takes a few steps back.

Noa grins. “Run for me,” he declares, and she does.

He gives her a full three seconds before he takes off after her. Valli cuts between headstones, but Noa simply jumps over them, and I lose sight of them for a second.

Her squeals fill the air, and when she cuts back toward the main path, I see her break into an open section highlighted by the string lights. She is breathing heavily and her hair has come loose at the front.