CHAPTER 3
All unattended corpses must be claimed
at the Lost and Found.
TO SAY THAT WE turned heads as we perused the mall complex was an understatement.
I had done my best to make sure Cam wasn’t walking around looking like an unmade bed. I’d even styled his hair, combing the longer strands to the side and fixing it with some hair cream I had stashed in the bathroom closet.
Even in my largest hoodie and those plain black sweatpants, Cam was a walking snack.
All towering height and muscley build and a quiet broodiness about him that I already knew was really just because he was shy.
And although his skin was still rather pale, the waxen coloring had faded so that he merely looked like someone who should probably be taking some Vitamin D supplements.
And with his still milky dead eyes, I had let him borrow my favorite pair of sunglasses: gold-rimmed Ray Ban Aviators.
Ones I didn’t get to wear very often because I hated contacts.
Even in sweats he looked... ridiculously hot. It was frankly unfair how attractive he was just hours after being resurrected from the literal dead and wearing undersized lounge clothes. He was, however, barefoot. Well, I had managed to stuff his feet into black wool socks.
Of course, none of my shoes would fit this guy. So, the first stop we made was to one of the many shoe depot stores.
Before getting too deep into our first adventure, I’d sent Alice a quick text informing her with as little detail as possible that the spell had worked and everything was okay but that I had some things to take care of.
If I didn’t, I feared she would show up at my house to defend my honor or something.
She had responded with: “OH MY GAWD THAT’S SO AWESOME!! GET SOME BITCH!!!” In all caps. Followed by several heart emojis. Then a line of eggplants…? Finishing with the smiley face with his tongue sticking out.
My phone pinged with a final message stating, “Call me when you’re all sorted, I ‘wanna meet this dude!” followed by a middle finger.
Chuckling, I tucked it away in my pocket and grabbed Cam to lead him into the nearest shop.
The chime above the door tinkled and, because it was mid-morning on a Wednesday, the store was blissfully empty.
The cashier gave us a pleasant greeting and I waved in awkward politeness before disappearing down an aisle, Cam right at my side.
Although, I didn’t miss the strange look she cast towards us, particularly at Cam wearing his sunglasses indoors like a wannabe popstar.
Well, at least she didn’t seem to notice his lack of shoes.
Cam took in the vast array of shoes on display lining both sides and looked at me with a cute, puzzled expression.
I gestured to the shelves. “Pick a few that you like. We’ll try them on to get your right size. Just hope they have them big enough for you.”
My gaze flickered down to his socked feet and he shifted on them shyly.
I watched as he glanced to my own feet and began searching for something on the shelves with intent.
When he finally found what he was looking for, he had stopped before a floor-to-ceiling row of Converse sneakers.
His hand reached out, and he proudly showed me the classic gray high-tops. That exactly matched my own.
“You like these?” I asked and his reply was a simple nod. I couldn’t help the smile that twitched at the corners of my mouth.
He stared back down at my feet and his brows scrunched together, as if he was concentrating hard.
“What?” I asked him.
He tapped the side of the sneaker with his index finger, and I realized what he’d noticed.
My shoes each had one little black bat embroidered into the gray material of the sides in subtle homage to Jinx.
I wore them all year round, but they were conveniently festive with Halloween right around the corner.
He scanned the shelves again, but when he couldn’t find the exact match, he...
pouted. Oh my gosh, was he pouting? How cute!
I chuckled, “We won’t find these here. I ordered them custom online, limited-edition. But we can sew little Jinxs onto yours too, if you want,” I amended, to which he quirked a brow but seemed satisfied. If the adorably pleased little smile he shot me was anything to go by.
While my sewing skills were sup par, I would try if it made him happy. If all else failed, I could always call Alice.
We had to ask the lady behind the counter to see if they had Cam’s estimated size in the back. When she came out carrying the box, still slightly hesitant because Cam hadn’t removed his sunglasses, we made sure they fit then paid.
He obviously wore the shoes out.
As our morning progressed, I managed to get Cam into clothes that actually fit him.
The new dark jeans hugged his legs nicely but not uncomfortably so, he’d assured me.
A simple gray t-shirt sat beneath a black leather jacket with what I deemed far too many zippers, but I kept that thought to myself.
He had pretty much let me pick clothes that I thought would suit him, but I continued to try getting him to choose which he liked best. That way, he could feel comfortable to be himself. Hence, the jacket.
But damn if it didn’t make him look fine as hell, zippers and all.
Once we had several bags of assorted items for Cam slung over our arms, I picked a bench and had him wait for me while I ran across the hall to grab us some soft baked pretzels. When I returned, I peeled back the paper and he copied me as I bit into the caramel-infused dough.
“Will you get in trouble?” Cam asked in that soft, low voice of his.
“Trouble?” I echoed through a mouthful, one brow raised.
“What if someone sees you? From...” He trailed off, as if unsure how to ask what he was thinking.
I connected the dots, “From my job?”
He grunted in affirmation and gave me his single yes nod. I was genuinely surprised. Not just by his question when not prompted; he was a fairly quiet guy. But because he seemed genuinely concerned. And that he was thinking deeply enough to warrant such worry. About me, at that.
It seemed he was coming back to himself after the resurrection faster than expected. It was a great sign, and the scientist in me had me wanting to scribble down any bit of detailed progress that I could.
I gave him a reassuring smile and shook my head, “I work at the mage university half an hour away. No one really comes around here when there’s a mall right off campus. But, just in case,” I lifted the hood of my jacket over my head, “incognito mode activated. I’m completely unrecognizable.”
Cam gazed back at me as if I was the smartest being he’d ever encountered. Either that, or he found my stupidity charming enough to overlook it.
Who could tell?
After we’d finished our food, Cam and I explored the mall while hopping in and out of the variety of shops.
I’d decided to drop off our rapidly accumulating bags at my car before we both literally shopped until we dropped.
I wasn’t concerned with how much I’d already bought him.
I’d been saving for a special occasion, and what was more special than spoiling my soon-to-be boyfriend with a new wardrobe?
He had literally died; it was the least I could do.
When we made our way back, we turned to explore the other half of the mall, but as we started down the long hallway, we found our path blocked by a large black sheet hanging from wall to wall and ceiling to floor.
There were several cheap Halloween decorations situated outside of what I could tell was the entrance to…
something. Skeletons, a hooded figure holding a scythe, hanging bats and gauzy spiderwebs all sat around a darkened entrance with a sign that read, “Maze of Mizery” in jagged, bloody letters.
The fact that “misery” was spelled wrong almost had me slapping my palm to my forehead.
The whole thing essentially blocked anyone from freely passing to the other side, forcing anyone wanting through to endure the maze. Seriously? Who’d thought this was a good idea?
“Well, isn’t this creative,” I deadpanned.
Cam stood at my side, still and quiet. When I glanced to him, I noticed he was looking at the blackened entrance with trepidation. If his skin wasn’t already pale, I’d say his face blanched.
“Do you not like haunted mazes?” I asked him.
He hesitated before replying, “It’s not that.”
He didn’t appear to be staring at the not-so-scary decorations. Instead, his focus was on the darkened doorway. Oh...
“You don’t like the dark?” I said gently.
He nodded.
My heart squeezed painfully. This tall, beefy, tattooed, pierced, bad ass looking man was afraid of the dark. That was... so damn endearing.
“We don’t have to go through,” I assured him. “We can go home. We’ve got a good start.”
He made a sort of disgruntled noise, “Do you like them?”
“I used to love them as a kid,” I told him. “Spooky mazes, haunted houses, I went through them all the time.”
He turned back to the maze and his expression was one of renewed determination. Um, what was he...
Before I could react, Cam grabbed my hand and pulled me onward and into the darkened entrance. Not two steps in, something stringy clung to my face and arms as we walked. It even got in my mouth.
“Ack, ew. What the fuck?” I hissed, spitting it out.
Cam proceeded to pull me along gallantly as ever even as lights flashed through the blackness and cheap sound effects filled the narrow space.
The walls were pressing tightly on either side making it feel far too claustrophobic.
But it kept me close to Cam, so I didn’t complain.
A few turns left us at several dead ends, so we were forced to back track and try again.
All the while, Cam never released my hand, instead clutching it tightly.
Suddenly, a shrill witch’s cackle sounded through a staticky speaker and it was the only warning we got before red lights flared and a crude zombie popped out at us with a wailing screech.