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Within moments, it’s just me and the stranger in the alley.
“Are you okay?”
I take out my cigarette pack and remove one of them with my teeth. “I had a handle on it. You didn’t have to step in like this. Panther shifters are a pain in the ass, you know. They’re going to come looking for you once they get their shit together.”
A lighter is held out in front of me, and I blink.
When did he get that close to me?
Warily, I let him light the cigarette for me and allow myself to enjoy my first drag.
“That stuff is going to kill you, you know.” He sounds a little amused for some reason.
“Yes, well.” I let out another puff. “It can get in line.”
When he doesn’t leave, I study him. “You new in town?”
“Yes.”“Figured.”
The silence between us is comfortable, and then he asks, “Is it normal for so many Others to gather around here?”
I’m trying to determine what he is, but for some reason, my own body is tingling in a strange way. My skin is itching from underneath, and I can’t seem to focus.
“It’s always been this way here,” I tell him, letting out another puff of smoke and feeling more tense. “We have a settled community of Others here, mostly vampires. Arrow Brooke has a lot of human tourists here, so the fanged ones like it here. They don’t have to worry about being careful. We have a lot of vampire-owned businesses here.”
“So, mostly just vampires, then?” He frowns.
I shrug. “There are rumors of mermaids living in Lake Asla, but I’ve never come across one, and I’ve been living here for more than two decades. We have a few rogues living in the area—rogue shifters. They run small businesses and usually keep to themselves. There are a few fae in the woods, but they frequent the bar…so, yeah.”
“What about the humans?”
My lips curve slightly. “Some of them are aware—those who have generational roots in this town. But they pretend not to know, and nobody bothers them. But it’s a very small community here.”
For some reason, the man seems pleased with this information.
I suddenly notice that he isn’t offering any information about himself. “Are you passing through here?”
“No. My pack just moved here.”
I raise a brow. “You purchased homes?”
This time, his lips curve. “We don’t like living above ground. We bought some land in the forest.”
I remember the mayor mentioning something about it, but I wasn’t paying much attention. Something in my brain itches when he mentions his pack doesn’t live above ground. He’s clearly a shifter, but why can’t I see through him?
It unnerves me, especially when I can tell he is no ordinary shifter. Raw power runs through his veins.
Alpha.
He’s the Alpha of his pack. That’s why the panthers freaked out and left.
My cigarette break isn’t over yet, but I’m beginning to feel exceedingly uncomfortable. It’s not him, but my own reaction to his presence. I put out the cigarette and toss it in the trash before murmuring, “I should go back.”
“See you around.” He gives me a quiet smile that makes my blood hum.
I walk over to the door, and just when my hand is on the knob, I look over my shoulder, only to see that he’s no longer there.
I stare at the spot where he had been standing for a few long seconds before retreating inside.
