Page 22 of Too Cursed To Kiss
“I believe I said that before. And they will do whatever it takes to get it.”
“Yeah, but it didn’t mean what it means now. Thanks for the gory context.” Jeezus, now that’s all I could think about. I changed lanes again and slowed down. “So this ancient family of yours who have artifacts, why aren’t you buying their way back to wherever? Or are you?” I glanced at him, but his sunglasses obscured his eyes again, and he, unlike me, had his eyes on the road.
“No. We’re content in this world. Our tribe settled in the North land. Now you call it Norway. The forests there sheltered us, and our brethren adapted. We were different from the humans, but some of my ancestors bred with your kind, and we made a legacy for ourselves. We protect the artifacts as part of that tradition.”
“And what if the other people get the artifacts?”
“They would change the path of our history. We don’t want that. We’ve evolved into something better than we were when we arrived here. Time has strengthened our kind. Our gifts have evolved.” The leather of his jacket creaked as he crossed his arms. He didn’t look that strong, but I knew he was. He could pick me up with almost no effort.
“Exactly how evolved are you?” I was hearing my own voice as if it were detached.
“You’ve seen some. The gun wounds are not affecting mebecause I can heal from them. My senses are elevated, scent especially. I can move faster than you can track me. The strength I have far exceeds what I should have for my size. My form is cloaked with an illusion. The only part I cannot hide that way currently are my eyes.”
I took a breath and held it. Did I really want to know? I did. I had to. “What do you mean by your form is cloaked?”
“My human form that you see is maintained to blend in.”
“Human form?”Keep the eyes on the road, Harlan. Keep your eyes on the road.
“My true form is larger and has a more protective layer.”
“What the hell does that mean?” The word echoed in my head. He shifted in a creak of leather. He was going to answer.Oh, here we go.
“My skin is covered in my true form.”
“Like fur?” Oh, my God, please say no.
“No. Not an animal, no. I descend from an older form of human where hair was added protection.”
My brain struggled to form a picture. Wald was more classic smooth marble movie-vampire than Neanderthal, giant-angel, or whatever he was describing. I twisted the wheel to the right and screeched to a halt on the shoulder.
“Take the goddamned sunglasses off and show me.”
He didn’t say anything. He just took the glasses off and stared at me with honey-golden glowing eyes. Then his face began to change, and I heard myself scream.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Wald’s eyes caught the light, and for a split second, it wasn’t light at all, but gold, molten glass and glittering like fairy dust. I blinked. His face blurred, shimmered, and then impossibly fine light brown fur spread across his cheeks, curling toward his eyes and mouth like feathers. My scream was crushed by the back of my hand.
This couldn’t be real.
A fever dream? My brain clutched at every explanation—hallucination, stress-induced breakdown, maybe a side effect of whatever trauma I hadn’t yet admitted I was in.
I reached out before I could stop myself. But before I even made contact, his hand—larger now, tipped with talon-like nails and wrapped in that same fine hair—closed around my wrist with a speed that knocked the breath out of me.
I squealed. He let go, but his gaze never left my face.
Still trembling, I reached again. He didn’t move. Didn’t even breathe, as if waiting for the contact. My palm met him—warm, soft, impossible. My fingers curledinto the plush of his arm like I could memorize the texture. Like I needed proof.
I looked up at him, barely breathing. “Are you real?” Was I on drugs? He’d drugged me before, so maybe this was some weird trip.
“Very.” His glowing yellow eyes locked with mine, and with a blink of my unbelieving eyes, the hair faded back to pale taut skin. I yanked my hand back, holding my wrist like it might be contaminated.
“Holy shit. Do it again.”
Wald glanced in the side mirror. “Not now. We’ve been in this spot too long. We need to move.”
“Did I really see what I think I saw?” I breathed out with the words.
