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“Do you know when Kain will be back?” I don’t want to be alone with this man any longer than I have to. The air around me feels vile like his very presence pollutes it.
In answer, Ghost shrugs, turns, and exits the room. I stare after him, marveling as he practically floats over to the couch. He plops down like he owns the place, throwing his feet onto the coffee table.
“Are you coming, or are you going to be as dull as your lover?” he asks, hooking his fingers behind his head. He doesn’t even face me as he says it, feigning interest in where the front door would be.
I bristle, crossing my arms even though I know he’s not looking. Although maybe… I give him the middle finger to test my theory. That horrid mask whips over as soon as I do it, and I nearly fall over in fright.
He throws his head back, and another distorted laugh fills the room. “I can see why he likes you. You’re fun when you’re terrified.”
“And you’re a prick. Probably all the time, if our short encounter has taught me anything.”
He cackles. “I like you.”
I roll my eyes as I walk to the couch, plopping down on the cushion farthest from Ghost. “The feeling is not mutual. You’re creepy as hell.” I almost clap my hand over my mouth. Where on earth are my survival instincts?
He tilts his head. “And here I thought you were becoming more acquainted with the masked variety of men.”
I almost choke. “Th-That’s different. Kain—”
“Who?”
I balk at the interruption. “Kain… the big guy with the mask…?”
He throws his head back in a cackle, and a small shudder runs through me. I wish he would stop doing that. His laugh gives me the heebie-jeebies, more so than the first time I saw Kain without his mask.
“Kain…” The name rolls off his tongue like he’s sampling it, toying with the unfamiliar sonant. “I always forget he goes by that crude little nickname.” He pauses, giving me a knowing look. “I bet he hasn’t told you his real name, has he?”
I glare at him. The bastard knows, and he’s dangling it in front of me like a carrot.
When I don’t answer, he shakes his head, clicking his tongue. “What a bastard, amiright? Like, it’s not that big of a deal, with all the world hunger business going on. There’s bigger problems, is what I’m saying.”
“Do you just like the sound of your own creepy voice?” I huff, anger lighting my veins.
“She’s feisty. I knew he was obsessed with you for something other than your looks.” The oval angles toward my chest. “Then again, your looks would be more than enough…”
“I’m not sure I like your insinuation.”
He chuckles. “Relax. I know better than to touch his toys. He doesn’t share very well, as I’m sure you know.”
“I’m not a fucking toy,” I glower.
He pauses. “All humans are toys. You just have to know the right buttons to press.”
What the actual fuck? Creepy ass—
“To answer your question from earlier… Yes. I do like the sound of it.” He fishes in his pocket and procures a slim paper cone. “Do you smoke?”
“Uh… no,” I say, holding my hand up as he tries to offer it to me. He shrugs, clicking a button on the side of his mask.
“Your loss.”
To my surprise, the bottom third of his mask vaporizes, revealing a pair of lips stretched over a feline smile. His chin is angular—odd, paired with the fullness of his mouth, although his jaw is strong. He might be a handsome man, but the parts I can see tell me he pales in comparison to Kain—even with the scars.
Ghost places the joint between his lips, and I wait silently as he lights the end. A string of smoke trails from the glowing tip as he lets out his breath, filling the room with a cloud of sickly-sweet smog.
Awkward silence it is. Unless… “Do you want to talk about anything?”
The oval slowly swivels to face me. “I can’t remember the last time someone asked me that.”
