13. Janie
Chapter 13
Janie
T he light blinked again. As I wrapped my hand around my warm mug, I looked up and noticed the steam rising from the rich, dark liquid. I had been trying to tell myself that last night hadn’t happened. Yet the creature sat in front of me. My eyes left my coffee to peer at him. His black skin shimmered until it became a lighter, more human shade. His horns retracted into his skull, leaving behind a smooth, unblemished surface. The sharp tips of his claws disappeared as they retracted into his fingertips. His dark hair stayed the same, though. His red eyes changed to a dark brown. He looked human. Not just human-like. Dark skin, plump lips and beautiful eyes. Gorgeous beyond belief. He could have been a model.
“If you’re curious, I’m Meical. And you’re the lovely Janie,” he said, interrupting my ogling.
I pursed my lips. “Are you the reason I have changed ten lightbulbs in the last few months?” I asked. “Lightbulbs are fucking expensive.”
“Magic and electricity don’t go well together sometimes. Especially my type of magic,” he said. “At the same time, I tried to use it to communicate with you.”
I swished the coffee in my mug. “You failed. You terrified me and made me question my sanity. Well, get out. I’m done with this. I want to go back to normal life.”
He crossed his arms and smirked. “No. I’m staying here. Your life won’t be normal from now on. Since I saw you, this is the first time I wanted to escape being a shadow,” he said. “You are mine to consume.”
A bolt of fear pulsed through me. “Like Rick?”
“No. In another way,” he said, huskily.
A shadow curled around my ankle. My pussy clenched, and I swallowed. Every time a shadow touched me, I couldn’t stop my reaction. “What are you?”
“A shadow.”
I groaned. “That answers nothing.”
He sighed and pursed his lips. “My kind lives in the shadows. We consume the evil in the world?—”
“Are you a paranormal roomba?”
“Oh dear lords,” he said as he pressed his fingers to his forehead.
I laughed. “What about the missing Rick? I will look guilty or something.” I asked. My hand instinctively recoiled, and I found myself absentmindedly playing with the seam of the shirt, feeling the fabric against my fingertips. “They will see that his car is on the street. They will say I killed him! Like I’m sure his DNA is here. I wouldn’t do well in jail.”
His brows furrowed. “I can fix that,” he said. The lights blinked again. I looked up. As I looked across the table, Rick sat in front of me. I pushed my chair away from the table, the mug splattered all over the table and fell to the ground. Ceramic shards splattered everywhere as I jumped out of my chair.
“What the fuck?!” I screamed. Panic filled me as I turned around. I couldn’t deal with this. My breathing became shallow as I tried to not remember what happened last night. I tried to remember the tips for panic attacks, but I couldn’t. I was supposed to count? Breathe? Taste? How the fuck was I supposed to remember this?
A voice interrupted my panic attack. It wasn’t Rick’s voice. It was the monster’s. “Since I took his being, I can shift into him now.”
“He tried to rape me. I can’t . . . I can’t,” I whispered. My hands clutched the edge of the counter. My knuckles turned white as I gripped the edge tight. The room spun and the urge to throw up my acidic coffee rushed through me.
I wanted the monster back. I wanted the monster back.
“Yes. So now, I will make it look like you didn’t kill him.”
Tears fell down my cheeks. I dared not turn around. I couldn’t see him again. I couldn’t do this. My weight shifted back as I balanced on my heels. I wasn’t not strong enough. At least if I heard Meical’s voice, I’d be safe. Safe from him. “How will you do that?” I whispered.
“I have watched you humans long enough. A few interesting ideas have popped into my head. I also know his history, crimes, and thoughts. Impersonating him will be natural to me; I can effortlessly adopt his mannerisms and gestures.”
“Well, I have to be at work soon,” I said. In a swift motion, I grabbed the paper towels and lunged to the broken mug on the floor. My eyes avoided seeing him. I wiped up the coffee, the shards of the broken mug glinting in the light before I threw them away. I frowned at the trash. “That was my favorite mug.”
“I can get you another mug,” he whispered.
“How?”
“I have ways. I have money, I think. It’s been a few years, but they deal with vampires. I’m sure my account is still active; I have to check.”
I sighed. I needed to leave, but I also needed to scream and punch something. And hide in the corner. Why couldn’t I get a break?
“Okay. And you’re staying here?” I whispered. I was frozen in front of the trashcan right now. How fabulous.
“Yeah. You’re my mate and this is where you reside,” he said flatly.
I blinked as I turned to the living room where my purse was. “Okay, then pay half my rent since we are roomies,” I said. “I”m sick of struggling.”
“That will take me a few days. I need to reactivate my bank accounts. Is it due soon?” he asked.
I laughed wryly as I picked up my bag. This conversation was ridiculous. Talking about rent with the monster haunting my dreams. Fuck me. I sighed. “It’s the first of the month. You got some time to pony up some cash.”
“That is acceptable.”
Since I had switched to a nicer bag for the date last night, I didn't have time to switch it back to my normal backpack purse. I can’t believe I agreed to that damn date. I was broken now—or more broken that I was before. As I was opening the door, he grabbed my arm.
“Can I get a kiss?” he asked.
My mouth fell open and I pushed my hand into his face. I struggled to push him back. Even though I knew he wasn’t Rick, I couldn’t do it. He was lucky I wasn’t kicking him in the balls. “Fuck no. You are wearing Rick’s fucking skin. The guy that wouldn’t take no for an answer. Hell no. And pro tip, you need to fix your voice if you are going to work. If you know where that is,” I said. “I don’t even know you. You may have been in my dreams, but I don’t know you.”
“I know everywhere you go. Although I do not approve of the witch’s place,” he said.
Not understanding what he meant, I pointed at the keys that he must have dropped by the door with the bag. “The keys to his car are over there. Take his bag too. I want nothing from that bag,” I said. “Get rid of any trace of him. If not, I’m liable to have a real breakdown.”
He turned and grabbed the bag. “I can do that.”
“Do you even know how to drive?” I asked.
“I have watched human beings for long enough. I believe I am competent.”
I rolled my eyes. “Fine. Hey, if the dicks in the manufacturing joint ask for salacious details, can you not give in to them?” I said. “Please? I should have thought of that before. I’m so stupid.”
“Why would I do that?” he said with a slow blink. “I would never share with them the private things I’ll do with you.”
I pursed my lips. “I have just heard lots of things about locker room talk. It is clear to me that is their expectation of you. I don’t know what your plan is.”
I stepped out of the doorway and waited for him to walk out. My keys jangled as I pulled out the right key. A dark tendril drifted from the ground and snaked into the keyhole. I could hear the click of the lock. The tendril drifted back to the shadows.
“What the fuck was that? ”
“I can manipulate the shadows. You’ve felt them. They can come from me or from shadows around,” he said.
“I could have locked my door. I have the key and all,” I said.
He shrugged as he walked down the stairs. “I was trying to help.”
“I’m not completely useless!” I exclaimed.
“You know we are going to have to talk about us sometime.”
“I guess. We'll put an end to the Rick problem, and then we can have a discussion. I will not talk to you much longer with that fucking face. I will see you after work in full monster form.”
The sun shined bright this morning. “Can you step into the sun?”
“I’m not a vampire. But some are daywalkers. When I was weak, I was locked in the shadows. Now I am not,” he said. “I have to go now. Be safe. Call Urien if you are in trouble until I can shed this skin.”
“Why Urien?”
“I trust him. He respected my claim on you,” he said. The car door clicked as he opened the door.
I stomped my foot. “I am not something to be owned!”
He sat in the seat and smiled at me. I hated Rick’s face. I wanted to punch him so bad. “You’re mine. You have always been mine. And I am yours.”
I made a face, scrunching up my nose in disgust. “I hate that face.” Swallowing hard, I could taste the bitterness of fear in the back of my throat. If he wasn’t wearing that damn face, I could almost feel my heart warming to him.
There was a faint shimmer around his body. In front of my eyes, his body changed to the other man that I saw him eat. Didn’t Urien mention he was an incubus? I had brushed it off as a joke. “How does the incubus feel for you?”
My eyes darted around the street. What if someone saw him change? My heart raced as a tendril crawled up my ankle. “Get rid of the Rick problem. I guess I will see you later. Sans Incubus, too.”
He chuckled as I turned and walked to my car.