Page 15 of Gray
I turned away from her.
“David?”
I fought a smile and looked at her over my shoulder. It was almost too easy. She tossed a twenty-dollar bill on the counter and slid off the barstool.
“Do you mind walking me out?” She shifted a gaze throughout the bar. “My ride should be here in a few minutes, but I don’t want to wait alone.”
“Sure.” I waited for her to slip on her coat and walked beside her as we headed for the exit. “You didn’t come with friends?”
“No.” Lily breathed out a short laugh. “It’s embarrassing, but I was actually meeting someone. He stood me up. I stayed for a while hoping he’d show. Pathetic, right?”
I studied her. She didn’t give the impression she was bullshitting me. But she was a demon—maybe—and lying was second nature to her. She was probably fantasizing about eating me that very moment.
“Nah, it’s not pathetic. But I wouldn’t waste any more time on him. There’re better guys in the world than him.”
“Guys like you?” Lily smiled up at me, touching my arm. “Strong. Handsome. Loyal.”
“Ah, I’m nothing special.” I slowly moved my arm away, playing hard to get.
We stood in front of the bar, the night air chilling my skin. She didn’t look cold at all though. A gust of wind came out of nowhere, catching the door as three girls left the bar, all of them huddled together and cursing the frigid winter night. But she didn’t even shiver.
There was something… different about her too. Something dark. As if her innocent mask had slipped a bit, showing the predator lurking beneath it.
Yep. Definitely a monster.
“Is your ride almost here?” I asked.
Lily checked her phone before sighing. “Looks like the driver canceled it. Great. Just my luck.”
The lies you tell…
“Do you want me to give you a ride? I don’t mind.”
“Would you?” Lily put her hand on my chest.
“Of course. No problem at all.” I offered her my best, boxers-dropping smile. One I used on all the pretty boys, as Scarlett would say. It seemed to work just as well on women.
“You’re a lifesaver, David.”
I led her to my truck and opened the passenger-side door, helping her up into the seat before walking to the driver’s side. As I drove, she scooted closer to the middle of the cab. I watched her from my peripherals, not wanting to let her know I was suspicious but also watching just in case she stuck out that tubelike tongue and tried to puncture me with it.
Goddamn monsters.
“It’s down that street,” she said, pointing. “I’m the last house on the left.”
House, huh? So not an abandoned building on the outskirts of town? The neighborhood was quiet though, no cars or lights in windows. One house we passed was boarded up. Another had a foreclosure sign taped to the door.
I pulled into the last driveway, the headlights shining on the old house. The upstairs window was busted out, and the garage door hung at an angle, not closing all the way. It was clear no one had lived there for quite some time. Everything was so still. Not even the wind touched the twisted branches of the surrounding trees.
“I know,” Lily said, tucking her hair behind her ear. “It’s a bit of a fixer-upper. Would you like to come in for a drink?”
Yeah, because who’d want to go inside that creepy-as-fuck house and have a drink?A guy thinking with his small head, that’s who. Not one with any goddamn brain cells. Unfortunately for me, I was there on a mission. Going in was a must. But I couldn’t seem too eager.
“Probably not a good idea.”
“Why not?” A devious gleam shone in Lily’s eyes—eyes that appeared to flicker red for a brief moment.
“I have a fiancée. A girl I love with all my heart. And you… well.” I trailed my gaze down her body for effect. “You’re a beautiful woman. Add drinks to that and some mistakes will be made.”
