Page 65 of Dusk Macabre

His brow furrowed. “Who?”

“When I first got here, this girl, Carmen, helped me out. Her and her boyfriend, Laurent. They were gonna let me stay with them. I just want her to know I’m okay. She was there when the Fae picked me up. Laurent was, too, but he had to leave for a minute.”

“Laurent, huh?” Kiam rubbed his chin. “Demon?”

I nodded. “Yeah, do you know them?”

“Hm. Laurent went downstairs to meet me.” The air in the room tightened and if I had any superpowers, I would have seen the gears turning in his head.

“You don’t think...?” I let my words trail off while I pondered.

He took a step closer. “You think someone would just take in a girl off the street, here?” He shook his head. “Did anyone else try to help you or was she super helpful right from the start?”

“Shit.” I felt like a completely naive ass. “But how would the Fae know I was here? Or where to find me? I never saw them before until I went with Carmen and Laurent to some club.”

“Back in the Third, I was being watched by Kakian demons. They would have reported any activity to the Fae if they were working for them, which I know they were. They would have seen you, they would have been watching you as well.”

“So, what do we do?” The idea I had been stalked by demons was unnerving. Interesting from a spiritual perspective, but also creepy. It made me wonder how often I had been watched when I’d had the feeling I was, and by what. I’d always chalked it up to a squirrel or a random bird.

There was movement by Kiam’s hands and I glanced down. His nails had suddenly grown into seven or eight inch long shiny, black talons. “I have business to attend to,” he said, his voice rough.

He stepped over to me and cupped my face in his hands, and I twisted my head trying to keep an eye on the incredible nails. He gripped me harder, stopping me from moving, kissed me, and disappeared, leaving the door open behind him.

To be as fresh and observant as possible, that meant I needed to sleep. It was the last thing I wanted to do when I knew I was running out of time before Adrian and Leander came back, but I did sleep.

The first sign the Fae hadn’t returned was the lack of waking up to find one of them lurking or hovering over me. The second was that nobody insulted me to try and force me out of bed. Everything was quiet and free of unwanted guests.

My excitement was tempered by the arrival of the overbite-lady when I entered the kitchen. “Your breakfast will be served in the living room as usual,” she said.

“I’m fine right here, thanks.” I pulled a stool out from the island countertop and grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl.

It was promptly snatched away from me. “My instructions are to feed you in the living room, and you are not to deviate from the plan.”

The kitchen looked fine to me. It was clean, with cream-colored cabinets, marble countertops and flooring, flowy curtains, and modern appliances. “What’s wrong with this room?”

“It is not on my assignment sheet.” She crossed her arms. “Are you hungry or not?”

My butt didn’t move. “You have an assignment sheet?”

“I possess explicit instructions and I want my money. I’m not going to let some obnoxious human ruin my resume. Go, if you want to eat.”

“Sheesh. Fine, I’ll go.” I glanced at her as I walked out of the room.

Dutifully, I sat on the couch and waited for her to bring my food. If I wanted her to disappear like she had before, it was probably in my best interest to be cooperative.

It was only a few minutes before she entered, carrying the familiar silver tray. She opened it and my stomach growled. “Thank you so much, and I’m sorry I was grumpy earlier. I really appreciate the food,” I told her, trying to keep my lingering irritation out of my voice.

She turned her nose up and poured me some coffee.

“I’m still learning about everything here so is it okay if I ask why I’m not supposed to be in the kitchen? I don’t want to make any more mistakes.”

The woman eyed me with suspicion, and I reached for a muffin. “The Fae don’t want cross-contamination, especially not around food,” she said.

At first, I was confused. I mean, I showered regularly and washed my hands, and then it dawned on me. The fact that I was human made me a leper. “Oh. Um, well, I don’t know what to say to that. I’ll stay out of there.”

Her face softened just a smidge. “Don’t worry, you’re not the only one who has to deal with being unwanted.”

It was none of my business to ask, but my guess was her pain coming from her extreme malformity. “I’m really sorry I was such an ass.”