Infernal Secrets (Elyrdin Fate #1)

Chapter 2 Bad Luck

BAD LUCK

RAE

Amild breeze cooled my sweaty skin. The steady rhythm of my sneakers grounded me as memories of the phone call with Patricia last night swirled in my mind.

The moment her name lit my phone, I knew what the call was about.

Whenever I visited, Patricia called within a day or two complaining about Grandma’s “unhinged ramblings.” Last night was no different—more threats, same script.

Rounding the curve to my townhouse, I slowed at the sight of two men near the community mailboxes. I kept my eyes down as I climbed the hill, but the weight of their attention prickled my skin and sent a shiver down my spine.

“Good morning, Raelynn.”

I raised my head at my neighbor’s voice.

She stood on the other side of the mailboxes in a fluffy yellow bathrobe, graying blonde hair tied in a messy bun. An eager husky tugged on the leash at her side.

I jogged over to meet them. “Mornin’, Mrs. Stevenson. Taking Max for a walk?”

“No time. Jim needs me at the office early. I’m running late as is, but Max needed to poop, and Andrew isn’t back from fishing yet, so here we are.”

I smiled at her open laugh before glancing at the men who hadn’t moved.

They kept talking but glanced over when I did.

The brown-haired man smiled in acknowledgment. But when my gaze locked with the man standing closest to me, his eyes narrowed. I could have sworn a shadow crossed his irises, but when I blinked, they appeared bright blue.

I turned back to Mrs. Stevenson. “I can take Max. I need to cool down anyway.”

“You sure?” She looked up at the sky. “They’re callin’ for storms sometime today. I can smell the rain already.”

“Of course. He’s such a good boy.” I crouched, and Max moved closer, licking my face as I buried my fingers in his neck fur. “You are, aren’t you?”

“Well, if you’re sure.” She passed me the leash. “Just let him in and lock up for me when you’re done.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I looked down at Max. “Ready to go?” He barked in response as if he understood.

When Mrs. Stevenson left, I glanced once more at the man and recoiled, the hairs on my neck standing on end.

Eyes as black as coal, devoid of any humanity, stared right through me—no sign of their earlier blue. His head stayed still, but his face blurred. It twisted and distorted, flickering between his normal features and a grotesque mask, skin melting and reforming unnaturally.

The other man kept talking, oblivious.

It took everything in me not to scream as those vacant eyes ensnared me.

A car alarm pierced the quiet morning, stealing my attention for a split second—long enough to break the spell. When I turned back to the pair, the distorted man wasn’t looking at me. His face appeared normal again, and he laughed at something the other man said before he noticed me staring.

My pulse thudded in my ears.

He smiled. The eerie horror from moments before was gone.

I swallowed hard.

It’s not real.

I turned away, walking at a brisk pace, Max at my side. I tried to convince myself I’d imagined it, but the tightness in my chest and the chill on my skin said otherwise.

After a lap around the neighborhood, I took Max home and hurried next door to shower.

I tried not to think about the man’s face as I dressed and slid on a pair of tall brown boots I didn’t mind getting wet when it started raining later, but the image lingered at the edge of my consciousness—along with all the others I couldn’t run from.

I met Maya outside at the sound of her horn.

She smiled. “Thirsty?”

“You’re the best.” I took the offered iced coffee and sipped. “I didn’t have time to make anything.”

Maya blew out a harsh breath and pulled away from the curb. “Shane called me last night.”

I groaned. “What now?”

“Remember that emo dude who asked for your number a couple days ago?”

My brows furrowed. “Sort of? What about him?”

“Shane asked about your relationship with the guy.”

I choked on my drink. “Excuse me?”

“He grilled me about whether y’all are dating—wanted names, details, everything.”

“God, he’s so creepy.”

She laughed, turning into the mall’s parking lot. “You should report him to Diane.”

When our old manager moved across the country without notice, Behind the Moon’s owner, Diane, surprised us by announcing her neighbor Shane would take over the position.

“You know she’ll take his side. They’ve been neighbors for years. I’ve only been here six months.”

Maya turned in her seat once she parked. “But this isn’t the first time he’s done this. He’s not gonna take the hint.”

“I can handle him. He’s harmless.”

Cheerful pop music played overhead as we passed shoppers in the mall. But as we approached the storefront, shouting rose above the music and quickened my steps.

Inside the dimly lit boutique, we slipped through the maze of clothing racks toward the register at the center of the store where Trudy stood with wide eyes.

I groaned at the sight of an older woman in a designer pantsuit, smacking the glass case around the register.

Her daughter, who looked no older than six-years-old, stood at her side, holding the fairy statue I’d advised against purchasing earlier that week. The woman had wanted it as a toy, not a collectible.

“What do you mean I can’t get a refund?” The woman snatched the broken pieces from her daughter. “This cheap thing fell apart less than a week after buying it.”

I glanced to the back corner of the store and clenched my teeth when the young guy browsing candles looked my way, his eye sockets hollow. I averted my gaze, returning my attention to Trudy and the woman. Now wasn’t the time to lose myself in hallucinations.

“Ma’am, your daughter admitted she dropped it.”

“Yes, and if the product hadn’t been shoddy, it’d have been fine. Her other dolls don’t break when she drops them.”

“I can’t go against store policy.”

“I’m sure you can make an exception. Do you really want to make a big deal out of such a cheap toy? Your boss won’t be happy. Besides, I doubt you’d be able to find a job anywhere else with that blue mess you call hair.”

“Ma’am?” Trudy tugged at her hair, something she did when anxious.

“That bitch—” Maya stepped forward.

I grabbed her arm and stepped around her, needing to deescalate before Trudy shut down and Maya made things worse. “Is there a problem here?”

The hollow-eyed man passed behind the woman to browse the herbs and spices, whistling a soft and eerie tune—the kind that raised the hairs on my arms.

The woman’s nose wrinkled in disdain. “You!”

I lifted the divider between the glass cases and stepped beside Trudy. “Go get Shane.” Trudy shot me a grateful look before rushing out of the woman’s line of fire. I turned back with a forced smile. “What seems to be the problem?”

My stomach tightened as the young man’s hollow gaze found me again.

The woman was already mid-tirade, but I barely heard her.

With the anniversary of my parents’ death, the disturbing sightings I tried to deny intensified, spreading like a shadow over my day-to-day life. It hadn’t been this bad since I was a child—right before their deaths.

The woman turned to the little girl at her side and grabbed her arm, pulling her forward, snatching my attention back. “That blue-haired brat tried to blame my daughter for breaking this toy when it’s obvious it’s defective.”

“Ma’am,” Maya said, stepping alongside the counter. “Your daughter…”

“Yes, my daughter.”

“No. You’re hurting her.”

“What?” the woman sputtered, turning to look at her child. “No, I’m not. She’s crying because of the way that girl treated her.”

“Ma’am, you’re digging your nails into her arm. Look at the marks you’re leaving,” I said, glancing from the sharp nails pinching the girl’s bare arm to the woman’s scowl. I tried to ignore the whistling echoing through the store.

“Do not accuse me of harming my child.” The woman released the little girl. Fingerprints remained on her arm, edged with deep indentations where the woman’s talon-like nails had cut into her skin. “I will not be treated like this. First, that freak blames us for a cheap product. Now, these two…”

Maya stepped forward, but I grabbed her arm. “Maya—”

“What is going on out here?”

Maya and I both turned as Shane approached.

“Finally. Someone who looks like they know what they’re doing.” The woman held up the broken statue. “These girls have been nothing but rude to me. I tried to get a refund when this toy broke after only a couple of days. And what do they do? Accuse me of child abuse!”

The little girl averted her eyes, her resignation making it clear this was a routine occurrence.

My stomach sank as the eerie whistling cut through her rant.

Shane adjusted his tie and put his hands on his hips; his narrowed eyes cut from Maya to me. But my attention centered on the young man who now stood behind the woman in line.

He resembled a normal customer holding a pillar candle in one hand and a bag of herbs in the other. His face told a different story. Hollow eyes, ringed with ragged flesh as if poorly carved, stared at me.

The whistling stopped.

My heart raced, knowing his attention was on me.

A sinister grin, like a fresh-cut Glasgow Smile, spread across his face, acknowledging my rapid heartbeat.

Maya nudged me.

I forced myself to stay focused, pretending I hadn’t seen anything, even as nausea coiled tightly in my stomach.

Shane’s stare fixed on me, none too pleased.

“What?”

He sighed, exasperated. “I said, go to the back and check on Trudy. She’s in the bathroom.”

“She’s sick?”

“Just go.”

I didn’t need to be told twice. I rushed to the back, haunted by the whistling that followed until I slammed the door and slumped against it.

Twice today.

First outside the townhouse, and now, here at the store. Sightings always got worse after a visit, but never this bad.

Trudy stood at the sink splashing water on her face, still pale but breathing easier.