Page 79 of (Mostly) Human Resources

The arachnid cryptid had returned.

Its size was just as startling the second time, but its reflective coloring was what really drew his eye. Its exoskeleton had looked black in the dim cave, but Nic could see more clearly in the daylight it was actually a deep shade of purple that appeared metallic. Ashimmering, silver design danced across its back, too faint to decipher from a distance.

He honestly couldn’t help himself.

Among the gear he packed for the trip, Nic had stashed a few jars for any interesting specimen that he might encounter along the way. One such jar was out of his backpack and in his hand before he really decided to try and capture the creature.

Alexys reached a hand up to scratch her neck, and his breath caught. Her fingers were mere centimeters from the spider, but she managed to scratch the skin without touching it. Her hand fell away, and Nic quickened his pace until he was walking as close to her as he could without accidentally bumping into her.

With a gentle sweep of the lid, he caught one of the silver threads of its web and carefully pulled it free. The spider swung precariously in the space between Alexys and Nic before he was able to carefully lower it into the jar and secure the lid.

The arachnid cryptid was secreted away in his bag with Alexys none the wiser. He would tell her eventually, he promised himself. After he had the proper time to analyze the creature and discover everything there was to learn from it. She was better off, anyway. No more nightmares, no more trouble. It was everything she wanted, wasn’t it? And bonus: he could play detective.

A burst of satisfaction at having captured a potentially unknown creature swept through him, but then Alexys said something to Waylan, and Nic caught a brief mention of Elliot. And that cruel voice in his mind (that sounded an awful lot like his mother) laughed. There he’d gone again, putting himself first and completely ignoring the people around him in favor of his own goals. Selfish bastard that he was.

His budding hopes of a relationship with Alexys, small as they might have been, were dashed against the jagged rocks of reality.

She deserved better than him.

CHAPTER 41

“Should your case take you to an area with little-to-no cell service, be sure to coordinate with your HR team and schedule regular check-ins. This ensures they are able to stay up-to-date on your case and alerts them to potential dangers should you miss a check-in.”

Entity Employee Handbook: Warden Edition

Mill Creek was probably just shy of being called a river—it was large enough that Alexys felt confident they could follow it up the mountain without losing it beneath the thick kudzu that crawled across its banks.

Waylan followed them for a bit, hopping across rocks and skipping a few that caught his eye, before he finally left them to return home for the night. Alexys was sad to see him go, and sad for the journey she knew he was doomed to repeat. But she was relieved that he would be making the trip home alone.

The sun tucked itself behind the thick trees and distant hills. The world would soon glow in shades of orange and red before fading to the dull gray and lavender of dusk. The cicada song began to fade and merge with the awakening crickets, and cool evening airrustled the leaves above their heads. The Appalachians sang a lullaby unlike any Alexys had heard before.

“I’m impressed your plan worked.” Nic’s voice was nearly lost in the noise around them, so he stepped closer to her until they were shoulder-to-shoulder as they walked. “From the way you’d described him, Waylan wasn’t someone I’d consider to be a reliable witness.”

“He was the only witness we had.”

They walked in step, Nic having slowed his pace to match hers.

“Clever idea, asking him for help. I would’ve rather had a map, but it was a clever option.” Alexys looked over at him, but he had his eyes trained firmly on the creek they followed.

“Thank you. I have those sometimes.”

“Human Resources.” Nic nodded as if it was an obvious answer to a question. “It’s a good fit for you.”

She frowned. “Are you feeling alright?”

He glanced at her, mirroring her frown. “Of course. Why do you ask?”

“Because you just complimented me.Twice.” She was half teasing him, but his stare made her feel like she’d said the wrong thing, so she shrugged and looked down at her feet. “Compliments aren’t really normal for us.”

“Friends can compliment each other, can’t they?” Nic asked.

“Yes, although friends don’t call each other by their last names,” she pointed out.

Nic sighed. “You can’t entirely blame me for that one. You always call me Dyre.”

Alexys shot him a look. “Oh, please. You call everyone by their last names. Even your so-called favorite employee, Zach.”

“What?” He laughed. “You know why, don’t you?” The way he said it confirmed that she did not, in fact, know why, and that she was about to feel very stupid. “I have two assistants named Zachary. Calling them Hornsby and Maxwell saves us all the headache.”