The old tomcat was nowhere to be seen when Everly pulled into her apartments right as the sun was going down. Her heart fell. She’d been hoping to see him one more time before she left. Ah, well. He was probably off on a hot date somewhere.
When she got to the top of the stairs, she stood in front of her door digging around in her bag for her house key. She found it and stuck it into the lock, but before she had a chance to turn it, the hair rose on the back of her neck. Everly froze, her skin crawling with the eerie feeling of being watched. Turning her head surreptitiously to each side, she checked the area around her. All of the neighbor’s doors were closed. No one was about. Leaning over the railing to her left, she peered into the deepening shadows of the side yard. But she didn’t see anything. Maybe it was just the cat watching her from his perch in one of the trees or something.
Or, perhaps, it was just her nerves. They were still buzzing as they had been since she left her office two hours ago. Everly turned the key in the lock, opened her door, set her bag and her keys on the couch, and turned, one hand reaching for the door to close it.
A man stood in her doorway, dressed in black, his face in shadows. Her first instinct was to scream, and she sucked in a breath, ready to bring the place down around her, but it lodged in her throat when he quickly stepped into the light.
Hawke’s eyes traveled slowly down her body and back up again, pausing at her shorts and cleavage each trip. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. His stare wasn’t condemning. Quite the opposite. It was completely shameless as it caressed her heated skin with a bold touch that had her struggling not to rub her thighs together to ease the sudden ache between them. The tension in the air danced up her arms and legs, electricity that had nothing to do with her nerves.
His upper lip twitched, and Everly saw the points of his fangs when he spoke. “What the hell are you wearing?”
It took her a second to respond. “I always dress like this when I’m not working.”
“Fuck no, you don’t.”
“How would you know?” And, really, what the hell did he care? Everly crossed her arms over her chest, a hand on each shoulder, blocking her boobs at least from his predatory stare, and pulled herself back down to reality. He’d completely blown her off last night. She didn’t owe him any answers.
Her question got the reaction she was hoping for. The tension left his shoulders as he exhaled, but his fangs were still visible as he said, “I guess I don’t.”
“No, you don’t.” She turned her back on him and left him standing in the doorway as she went to the kitchen to get a glass of water, expecting him to follow.
He didn’t. Instead, he leaned back against the railing, crossed his arms and ankles, and watched her through the open door with an unreadable expression.
Everly did her best to ignore him, but it was hard when she could feel his eyes on her, like a heavy fog, wrapping around the most intimate parts of her body. When she couldn’t take it any longer, she faced him, keeping the kitchen counter between them as a barrier. “Is there something you want? Or are you just gonna lurk outside my door all night waiting for attention like the tomcat that hangs around here?”
One corner of his mouth lifted, and his eyes filled with mirth. “You didn’t invite me in, Everly. And I would never presume to enter your home without an invitation. That would be rude.”
Color her surprised. She assumed someone like Hawke would do pretty much whatever the hell he wanted. The buzzing of her nerves lessened to a hum. Maybe he was going to help her after all. Everly could’ve cried with relief. He was right. She wasn’t this person. And it had nothing to do with her clothes. She wasn’t brave. Or smart. Or…gutsy enough to break into a place like Parasupe and rescue someone like they did in the movies.
She needed his help, but to be honest, he scared her a little bit. Hawke wasn’t human, she knew that. And though he’d never told her outright, she could easily guess what he actually was. And she had to admit, she felt a hell of a lot more ballsy when there was a dance floor or restaurant full of people around to keep him in check. “What are you, Hawke?”
This time it was his turn to look surprised. “What am I?”
Everly edged out from behind the counter and approached him warily. “I know you’re not human, of course. That’s the reason I came to see you. Well, it’s why I came to the club. I assume there are more than one there like you.”
He didn’t confirm or deny her statement.
“And I’ve always believed there were others among us. Others like you. I’ve seen things. Things no one would believe if I told them. Well…” She gave him a small smile. “I guess you would.”
“What kind of things?”
“I saw a vampire feeding at a bus stop one night.” She chewed the inside of her cheek as she waited for his reaction.
Hawke tilted his head to the side, an expression of mild curiosity on his face. “And what did you do?”
She shrugged. “He ran off when he noticed me there, and I helped the victim.”
“What else have you seen?”
“I walked outside to look up at the moon one night and saw…something. Flying in the sky.”
No one else would have noticed it, but Everly often saw little details in people’s body language that others didn’t. Perhaps because her other senses were trying to make up for the missing one. So she noticed when his entire body tensed, though he didn’t appear to move at all and his face gave nothing away. “What was it?”
She braced herself. “A dragon. Just like on Game of Thrones. I saw the distinct outline as it flew across the front of the moon.”
The seconds ticked by as they stared at each other. Would she be in danger now for admitting she’d seen one of them before?
An even scarier thought came to her: was he here because he knew his little mind tricks didn’t work on her?
