Page 61 of Mortis

“I assure you, young man,” he replied, something dark creeping into his voice. “There are plenty of monsters living among us.”

Those strange eyes drifted back to Kael, narrowing ever so slightly. Almost as though he knew more than he should.

I didn’t like it one bit.

“The only monsters I know are the ones in the shape of men.”

The man’s jaw tightened. For the briefest moment, his hand curled into a fist at his side. Then it was gone. The tension melted from his posture so quickly I almost wondered whether I’d imagined it.

“Well, I must be on my way,” he said. “Again, I am terribly sorry for the unfortunate incident.”

He slipped a hand into his coat pocket and removed his wallet, pulling out a twenty-pound note. “Allow me to replace your drinks.”

I held up a hand. “No, it’s fine. Like I said, accidents happen.”

He slid his wallet back into his pocket before holding out his hand. “Still, it was lovely to meet you.”

Despite every instinct telling me otherwise, refusing his handshake would’ve been even stranger, since I had no real reason to. So, I reluctantly took it, and his fingers tightened around mine ever so slightly. Like he was testing me.

“You too . . .” I trailed off, still unsure who he was.

Thankfully, he seemed more than happy to tell me.

“Sebastian.” He smiled. “Sebastian Harrow.”

He released my hand. At the exact same moment, Kael inhaled sharply beside me. I turned to ask what was wrong when I felt something crisp pressed into my palm. Looking down, I found the crumpled twenty-pound note. I raised my head, ready to hand it back, but Sebastian was gone. Not halfway down the street or crossing the road.

Just gone, as though he’d never been there at all.

“That man seemed . . .”

“Dangerous,” Kael finished quietly.

I hummed in agreement. Checking my watch, I realised there was still just enough time to grab another coffee before I needed to reopen the funeral home for the afternoon. With a huff, I smoothed out the twenty-pound note and looked up at Kael. I chose not to point out the worry still lingering in his expression.

Not yet.

“Come on,” I said. “Let’s go spend a dangerous man’s money.”

Kael hesitated before nodding. “Perhaps we should drink them inside this time.”

I smiled, glancing once towards the stretch of pavement where Sebastian had vanished.

“Yeah,” I mumbled. “I think you’re right.”

9

KAEL

I couldn’t stop thinking about that man.

Sebastian.

There was something about him that felt so familiar. Dangerous, certainly. But familiar all the same. I just couldn’t put my claw on what it was. Some instinct told me he was connected to my past. A past I’d spent the last sixty years trying desperately to forget. But no matter how hard I searched my memories, I couldn’t place him.

Even the delicious smell of Teddy’s cooking wasn’t enough to quiet the thoughts racing through my head. My mind had become a cacophony. The Beast was growing irritated by the noise, yet beneath His agitation lay something else.

Unease.