14
Ness
The alarm.I prayed that Vi had remembered to set the alarm. That would be my ace in the hole. If Vi forgot again, then I was screwed.
I saw the sign for Bad Moon Café ahead. How I’d made it this far, I didn’t know. Twice, I’d had to dart around Alvin. He’d leapt out of nowhere, but I’d been faster. The first time, I launched myself over his head. The second time, I’d jumped on top of a parked car and set off its alarms.
Alvin was playing a game of cat and mouse. I knew how he was operating now. He was prowling the alleys behind the buildings. Every time I hesitated so that I could look for him, he used that time to get ahead of me and attack. That meant I couldn’t afford to stop now.
So long as I kept running, Alvin wouldn’t get the chance to surprise me. He would change tactics soon. He wasn’t blinded by rage and bloodlust like his son. Alvin had been hunting for a long time, much longer than his son. I might not be human, but this chase wasn’t much different from Alvin’s other kills.
I grabbed the door handle and used my grip on it to stop my momentum. My sneakers skidded on the concrete. The sudden halt made my shoulder ache. I almost lost my grip on the door. Of course, it didn’t swing open. The shop was closed at this time of night, so the door was locked.
Why did I think leaving Ryder was a good idea? Every damn time I walked out the front door of that place, someone attacked me. I needed to find a new way to go in and out of that house, because this was getting exhausting.
With one hand on the door handle and the other braced against the other door, I gave a yank. It didn’t break. A stone dropped in my stomach. If I looked back, I had a feeling Alvin would be there. I didn’t waste time. I gave the door another yank. My hound poured all of her power into the tug.
The wood around the lock splintered. The door flew open, sending me stumbling back. I glanced up at the sensor over the door. Breath held, I threw myself inside. While I didn’t hear any alarms going off, I prayed that the security system had sent a ping to Audra.
Audra Miura owned Bad Moon Café. She was a supernatural who kept to herself for the most part. The gang here all placed bets on what she was, because she kept her true form hidden from us. Some guessed fae, some guessed shifter. Since she appeared during the day, we’d stricken vampire from the list.
Whatever she was, we all knew she was stronger than almost anyone else in the community. If anyone could stand against Alvin and not face consequences, it was her.
I vaulted over the counter and pressed my back to the shelves. My chest heaved, betraying me. I had to steady my breath so that it wasn’t as loud. In here, Alvin wouldn’t be able to find my scent as easily. The smell of coffee and flavored syrups permeated every inch of the café, masking just about every other scent.
It would buy me a little bit of time until the alarm notified someone. Or, at least, that was what I’d hoped.
I heard Alvin step inside, his claws slowly clicking against the hardwood floor. He took his time prowling. I nearly laughed when he sneezed. I had to press my hand to my mouth to stay quiet.
He growled, low and menacing. My heart leapt against my will. I hated how he made me feel. I didn’t want to be afraid of him. I didn’t want to cower behind a counter after breaking into my own place of employment.
This was bullshit and I wanted out. But I kept my back pressed against the shelves. Cerri’s glass bottles sat to my right. I slowly wrapped my fingers around the long neck of one bottle and held it to my chest.
The clicking of claws came closer. I inched away from the end of the counter. The tip of Alvin’s nose appeared. I stifled my gasp and slowly stood while his vision was obscured by the counter. If I could climb over the counter, then I could stay hidden.
“What the heck?” Vi whined outside. “I know I locked that door!”
Alvin tensed, his claws scraping the floor. He would strike soon. I tossed myself over the counter. My sneakers hit the floor. Vi, standing in the open doorway, seemed shocked to see me. Her eyes widened before her attention slipped past me. Her lips formed a single curse word.
I nearly laughed. Adrenaline filled my system. It made me strangely cold inside. I knew that my life was in danger, but it was a distant thought. I was becoming too used to these situations. This should have meant more to me, but all I could do was laugh.
I grabbed Vi’s arm and dragged her along, away from the café. Breaking in had been a bad idea. I shouldn’t have stuck around. If Alvin had destroyed the café, Audra would have fired me for sure. I couldn’t afford to lose this job.
My friends were here. I needed them in my life. I didn’t know what I would do without any of them.
Firelight flickered in Vi’s hands. It illuminated the café’s façade and caught on the headlight of a Jeep parking by the curb. Addie spilled out of the Jeep. She wrinkled her nose, but as soon as she saw Alvin, she yelped and ran to join us.
“What areyoudoing here?” I asked Addie.
She didn’t have an arcana that would help us right now. Even if her arcana could be helpful, she wouldn’t use it. I’d been there the last time Addie had activated her arcana. It’d slipped out of her because she had too much of it.
The light in Vi’s hands triggered a thought. I quickly reached down and slapped the fire out of Vi’s hand while hissing at her.
“This isn’t Lakesedge. It’s Syracuse.”
Vi opened her mouth to argue, but Alvin’s howl drowned her out. He leapt out of the café and slid across the street. He twisted to face us. Cold blossomed in my chest. I wished I could summon my arcana to tell him to fuck off, but I was too scared.
Though I could laugh at this situation, that didn’t mean I had any confidence. If anything, it was a laugh born from hysteria. I’d been stressed and full of fear for too long. Something in me was breaking, but it wasn’t letting my arcana through. My power needed confidence. It demanded a serenity that I didn’t have access to.