Chapter 10
Jared
Iwalked home in a daze, my mind working overtime to process the revelation that the supernatural exists.
Not something I ever imagined believing, and if I hadn’t seen the lanky teenage boy transform into a hulking great gargoyle right before my eyes, I still wouldn’t.
But despite the knock to my head, there’s no denying what I saw. A fucking gargoyle.
Bracing my forearms on my thighs, I swirl the whisky in my half-empty glass while staring at my reflection in the glass coffee table.
My blonde hair looks ruffled thanks to my fall, and my shirt collar is askew after I roughly undid an extra button as soon as I got through the door thinking it might make it easier to force air into my lungs—it didn’t.
Other than that, I look the same as always. Normal.
If I really were a demon, I’d know, right? There would have been signs. I take another gulp of whisky, enjoying the slight burn as it slides down my throat.
I’ve never had any desire to do anyone harm—at least not until The Raven took me—I can’t confidently say I wouldn’t have hurt him if I’d had the opportunity.
But hurting the serial killer who abducted me clearly counts as extenuating circumstances.
If anything, I’ve always gone out of my way to be helpful.
But what was it Selene said about my necklace? Something about it blocking my magic?
My fingers brush over the smooth amber stone.
I don’t know much about my birth family—only that they left me at a hospital with nothing but this necklace and a note with my name on it.
There were no records of my birth, so whoever my mother was, she must have had me at home.
Luckily I landed with my wonderful adoptive parents.
Mum and Dad were in their fifties when they took me in, and they’re both gone now, but I’m grateful for the years we had together.
We didn’t have much by way of material things, but we had love in abundance.
I couldn’t have asked for a better childhood.
While I’ve wondered about my birth parents, I’ve never felt compelled to search for them.
Was that a mistake? Would I have been better off knowing the truth about what I am?
No. I polish off the last of the amber liquid.
They gave me up for a reason. And if what Selene says about my necklace is true, then they hid whatever magic I might have for a reason too.
I toy with the gold chain. Its familiar weight has been my constant companion all these years.
What would happen if I removed it? Would I feel different?
I drop the skin-warmed metal. No, Selene warned me not to.
If she’s right and this necklace has been suppressing my true nature, taking it off could be dangerous.
After all, she said I’m a demon. While I might not be the religious sort, even I know demons equal bad.
I don’t want to be evil. I certainly don’t feel evil, but what if the necklace is the reason for that?
Maybe my birth parents didn’t leave the necklace with me to protect me, but to protect others from me.
God, this is all too much. I refill my glass, ignoring the responsible voice in the back of my mind reminding me I have work tomorrow.
If ever there was a night to get drunk to forget about my problems, this is it.
Tomorrow I’ll talk to Huxley like Selene suggested.
Tonight I need to do whatever it takes to forget my entire world has just been turned upside down.
“Ooomph. Fucking ow.” I rub at my throbbing hip, realising in my flailing to turn off my blaring phone alarm I’ve somehow landed on the floor.
Oh, that’s right. I fell asleep on the sofa last night.
Lovely. God, it feels like there’s a herd of tiny elephants trampling about inside my skull.
How much did I drink last night? With great difficulty, I crack open my eyelids to see the now half-empty bottle of whisky on the coffee table. No wonder I feel like shit.
Struggling to my feet, I curse at the time on my phone.
I must have turned off my first alarm in my sleep because now I only have twenty minutes to shower and make myself look presentable before I need to head out.
No matter what weird shit is going on in this town, I still can’t show up to my second day on the job looking like a hungover mess.
After taking a shower and donning fresh clothes, I feel a little more human… or… myself, whatever the hell that is. My stomach turns at the thought of breakfast, so I decide to skip it, heading out armed with a thermos of black coffee and about a million questions for my new colleagues instead.
The Chronicle offices are quiet when I arrive.
Ocean isn’t in the reception area yet, and nobody else is at their desk.
I hate to admit it, but I’m relieved. Usually I’m the sort to tackle a problem head-on but finding out all my colleagues are some kind of supernatural creature is more than a little intimidating.
This goes far beyond the normal worries about starting a new job.
Will I even still have a job if they find out I’m a human?
Or at least that until yesterday I thought I was?
Selene said something about this being a sanctuary town, whatever that means.
If anyone finds out I came here under false pretences, will I be forced to leave?
Shit, I should have stayed and asked Selene more questions instead of running away like a coward. Now I’m stuck here with no clue about how to proceed. She said I should talk to Huxley if I had questions about demons. Does that mean Huxley’s a demon? Is it rude to ask?
“Jared.”
“Fuck!” I yelp, knocking over my thermos.
“Sorry, you must have really zoned out there,” Huxley says, catching the flask of coffee before it rolls off the edge of my desk. “I said your name like three times.”
“No, I’m sorry. I’m just jumpy today.”
Huxley smirks. “That’s one word for it. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Shit, are ghosts real too? “I’m fine, I just—” I adjust my glasses with a sigh and try again. “Actually, I’m not fine.”
Huxley’s head cocks to one side, and I fight the urge to fidget under his assessing gaze. “OK, how can I help?”
“I need to ask you something about… about this town.”
“Oh, for the articles about the festival? Sure, hit me with it.” Huxley grins, leaning against the edge of his desk.
“Um, no.” I clear my throat. Here it goes. “Yesterday someone I interviewed said this is a sanctuary town. Could you explain what that means exactly?”
“You didn’t know before moving here? I thought Kendra would have disclosed that in your interview.”
“The job ad said something about it, but I thought it was just trying to make the town sound nice, you know—come to our small town sanctuary.”
Huxley’s dark brows pinch together in confusion. “Why would you think that? You know the community doesn’t use that word carelessly.”
“The community?”
“The supernatural community, obviously.”
“Yeah, so about that. Until yesterday afternoon, I didn’t know any of this existed.”
“You mean sanctuary towns? How’s that possible? All supes are taught about sanctuary towns—it’s mandatory.”
“No. The um…” Why is this so hard? I saw the proof with my own eyes, but it still feels like someone’s about to pop out from behind my desk and yell gotcha if I really say the ‘d’ word right now.
Or the ‘s’ word. Any of the words really.
I risk a glance at Huxley’s face to see he’s looking at me expectantly.
Right, I was the one talking. Absentmindedly, I reach up to run my fingertips over the surface of my pendant through the fabric of my shirt—a nervous habit I’ve had for as long as I can remember.
Just say it. It’s like ripping off a plaster.
The faster I get this over with, the less uncomfortable it will be.
Bracing myself, I look Huxley dead in the eye. “The supernatural. I didn’t know the supernatural existed until yesterday.”
His jaw drops open, and his brows practically disappear up into his unruly curls.
“How is that possible?”
“How is what possible?” Emmaline asks, making us both jump.
“Jared didn’t—”
“Nothing,” I blurt out, not wanting anyone else to know my secret.
Sensing my obvious panic, Huxley nods eagerly. “Right, nothing you need to worry about. Just getting to know Jared here a little better, that’s all.”
“Hmm,” she narrows her eyes, then glides over to her desk without a backward glance.
“Don’t worry about Emmaline. She’s too self-absorbed to remember anything that doesn’t directly affect her. We’ll talk about this more after work. Drinks are on me, OK?”
“Really?”
“Yeah. This must all be quite a shock. No wonder you’re so jumpy.”
I laugh a little at that. “At least I’ve not fainted—that’s a step up from yesterday.”
Huxley snorts. “I’ll bet. Try to focus on your assignment from Kendra for now. We can talk about everything else later, but know that you’re safe here, Jared. That’s what being in a sanctuary town is all about.”
A lump forms in my throat, and I force myself to swallow down the emotions warring within me.
Everything I know about the world has changed, and I’m not too proud to admit that I’m scared, not just of being in a town full of supernaturals, but of myself.
I’ve not gone out for drinks or anything like that since my attack but, no matter how daunting it is, there’s no way I can turn down this opportunity to get some answers.
The mere thought of being in a crowded place makes my palms sweat, but this is important, and I can’t hide forever.