Page 145 of Dark Night of the Soul

Also, there was whiskey on the counter. So the universe hadn’t completely abandoned me.

The stranger handed Kincade the keys. “You’ll be safe here.”

“Thanks, Ulrich.”

Ulrich. So, our mystery guest had a name.

I glanced between the two of them. There was a familiar easiness about them. One that suggested they’d known each other for a long time. Not centuries. Perhaps only decades.

Here, in the faint light of the apartment, I could get a good look at him. I doubted he looked like the fifty-something man I thought he was. He was likely much older. Immortal, too. Who could tell?

He was tall and lean with well-toned muscles along his upper arms, across his shoulders and chest. Like he visited the gym daily and alternated between cardio and strength conditioning. His face was weathered. Handsome in an old-world way. Striking blue eyes. And everything he wore was drab, unremarkable. A man who could blend in wherever he went.

His gaze found mine and for a long, silent moment, we sized each other up. Like he was getting a good look at me, too.

I’d seen that look before. The careful assessment, the quiet calculation. Wondering if I was an asset or a liability. Wondering what Kincade saw in me that made me worth the risk.

Good questions. I was still figuring that out myself.

I said, “Well, this isn’t awkward at all. Do I pass inspection?”

His mouth twitched, the suggestion of a smile. “You’re Anna.”

“All my life,” I said. “And you are…?”

“Ulrich.” He reached for my hand, took it, held it. And weirdly, I thought he was going to kiss it, but he didn’t. “I’m afraid it’s not every day I meet someone like you.”

I glanced at Kincade, hoping for rescue. He stood there, passive as ever. Letting me handle this. Or testing how I’d handle it.

“Like me?” I tugged my hand free.

“I heard about the Ark. A lot of us did.”

I shifted, heat crawling up my spine. The Quiet Watch had been talking about me? An image of them gossiping came to mind. Comparing notes. Making assumptions.

“You mean the part where I nearly died and ruined everyone’s expectations of a peaceful existence?”

Silence.

Then Ulrich glanced at Kincade. A flick of his eyes.

“She’s funny,” he said.

“She has her moments,” Kincade said, amusement lighting his eyes.

Ulrich’s gaze returned to me. Measuring.

“She doesn’t look dangerous,” Ulrich said, still studying me.

“She is,” Kincade said.

I shot him a look. Quick agreement felt rude, even if it was technically accurate.

“Hey,” I said. “I’m standing right here.”

“I like her,” Ulrich said, ignoring me. “So will the others.”

A stamp of approval I hadn’t realized I needed. Like I was being inducted into a very old, very secret society.