Page 12 of Summoned
I search for the anomaly.
Finally, I find it.
A tall man, half-shadowed by a marble column. He’s leaning against it, arms crossed over his chest, the black of his clothing almost indistinguishable from the darkness clinging to him. A wolf mask covers his entire head andneck—long and detailed, with saber-sharp teeth and eyeholes like voids.
The certainty that he’s watching me is so intense, it coils in my gut.
You’re imagining it, Nicole. He’s just standing there. It’s got nothing to do with you.
But why is his mask facing me?
I nearly drop my phone when it vibrates in my hand. Holding my breath, I glance at the screen. A new message. Relief washes over me as read it:Awake yet, birthday girl?
Branimir.
I cling to the chance to distract myself with him, breaking my own rule about waiting a few hours before replying to a guy.Now I amI hit send.
The three dots signaling he’s typing appear, followed by,Dinner tomorrow?
I smile at the screen.Sure. After a beat, I add:Pick me up at mine.8 PM.
I send him my address and wait.
The phone buzzes again.
Looking forward to it.Then another message:
I lift my head from the screen, and my smile falters. The man is still there.
From my standpoint, I catch glimpses of him—the stretch of muscular arms beneath the sleeves of his black shirt, the dark shapes inked into his skin. Symbols, glyphs, maybe flowers… or barbed wire curling around flesh.
A strange urge builds inside me, a desire to get closer and see more.
But then my attention drifts back to the mask. Those black holes, where the eyes should be, burn across my skin, triggering only one instinct:run!
My phone buzzes again. I glance at it, expecting anothermessage from Branimir.
It’s not him. The number is unknown.
I have to read and reread the message until the words sink in.
Did you solve my riddle, Harvest 290?
A cold wave washes over me. My grip on the phone tightens until my knuckles turn white.
The air around me thickens, heavy with a scent that makes my stomach turn. It’s sweet and bitter, both mysterious and maddeningly familiar.
I lift my head toward the marble column where the masked man stood.
He’s gone.
The phone vibrates with another message, causing me to flinch. I look down, my heart pounding.
Or shall I call you Bunny?
4
Nicole
