Page 11 of The Order of the Bitter Hunt

“And the stranger things yet to come.”

An eerie silence falls over the room. Strode University is quiet now, and has been for a month, but the horrors are still out there, waiting for us to find them… or to find us.

Chapter Four

Screw being mature and focused on myself.

My therapist won’t approve, but I’m allowed to have an unhealthy coping skill or two. If I want to go on a date with someone who makes me feel pretty, I will.

It’s easy to find someone to take me out. Whether I’m swiping on human dating apps or one specifically for the supernatural, plenty of attractive candidates are vying for an evening with yours truly.

I spend the day alternating between classes and swiping on Fang—a dating app for the supernatural—and it’s not long before the matches flow in.

I know this game well, and I have to focus on one match if I want it to go anywhere.

And I have to make the first move. Many people aren’t brave enough to reach out to me. Something about an attractive, confident, curvaceous vampire intimidates people.

I’ve been single for too long, and I’m ready to enjoy myself again. One little spark of fun is all I can ask for. The relationship with my last ex, a werewolf named Wolfgang, fizzled out sooner than I would have liked. And yes, that’s hisrealname. His parents had a sense of humor, and so did he. We had funtogether. He was an enjoyable distraction during a stressful point in my life.

It wasn’t his fault, but after the situation with Amelia…

I needed some time alone, and I left him without warning or a decent explanation. I could go crawling back to him now, and he would probably welcome me back with open arms and say something to make me laugh. But I don’t want to laugh and pretend everything is fine. Not right now.

What I need is someone new—someone who doesn’t know about the horrors I faced. I need someone I can lose myself in.

I have dozens of matches, but a particular being catches my attention. She’s a tall, ethereal woman with red hair flowing down her back. And she claims fairy ancestry, which is unique. I’ve never met a fairy—I’ve certainly never hooked up with one—but there’s a first time for everything.

We haven’t met yet, but a thought comes every time I meet someone new. This one must be the one. The rest of my matches go ignored as I make my move on the lovely fairy.

Margaux

Can I say I am positively charmed by your profile?

Is that a fairy thing, or is it just you?

Alana

Well…

My gifts are with plants, so I can’t say it’s a fairy thing! Hehe.

Margaux

Then it’s just you.

Alana

Maybe…

And you are drop-dead gorgeous. I didn’t think you would ever match with me.

You look like a superstar. Are you really from Maine?

It’s too easy. I’m not exactly on my game, but after a bit of flirting and a video chat to prove I’m real, Alana agrees to meet with me. I don’t bother telling anyone about the date. Tobey would probably convince me to continue my little self-love journey, but you know what?

I have no use for self-love when I have a dozen admirers to remind me how lovable I am.

I prance into the restaurant exactly fifteen minutes late. It’s easy to spot Alana. She’s at a table for two, with her scarlet hair falling over her shoulders. In her pale yellow dress, she resembles a buttercup.