Page 35 of Fanged Desire
The bass thrummed beneath my feet, the lights strobing in time with the beat as bodies moved across the dance floor like they did every night inside the walls of Micere. It was a cacophony I never thought I’d get used to, but the hustle and bustle of the nightclub had finally settled into my bones. All things considered, the chaos was somewhat less stressful than the tense urgency of surgery rooms. I slipped through the crowd, another night at the club, same as every other, except for the knot of tension coiling tighter in my chest.
Ethan found me between sets, lurking near the back bar like always, his arms folded across his chest and a cigarette tucked behind one ear. “Hey. You got a minute?”
I glanced toward the stage, making sure my boss wasn’t watching, then pulled up a stool. Ever since the incident out back, the man had been breathing down my neck, scrutinizing every move I made. He hadn’t fired me yet, perks of being one ofMicere’s biggest earners, but I knew I was on thin ice. One more misstep and I'd be out.
“What’s up?” I leaned against the counter next to Ethan, catching the bartender’s eye and pointing to the fridge full of cider behind him.
Ethan rubbed the back of his neck, looking uneasy and somewhat stifled in an all-leather getup. “I’ve been thinking about something... about Penelope.”
My stomach twisted at the mention of her name and I promptly changed my mind about ordering that drink. “What about her?”
Ethan shifted his weight, avoiding my gaze. “There was this one night. She was... well, high as a damn kite, to be honest.” He gave me a rueful look, like he was embarrassed on her behalf. Or guilty for his complacency as his friend spiraled further and further out of reach. “I didn’t think much of what she said at the time, but now... I dunno. It’s been bugging me.”
I straightened up, suddenly alert, ignoring the cider placed at my elbow. “What did she say?”
“She kept talking about that woman – the one who was always hanging around her.” Ethan’s voice lowered, and I had to lean forward to catch his next words. “Said the lady was asking her a bunch of personal questions. Stuff about her family. Her life before she started working here.”
He shook his head, frown lines wrinkling his usually youthful face. “At the time, I thought she was just rambling, you know? But... could that mean something?”
A cold, clammy sweat descended out of the blue, though I should have come to expect it by then. Penelope still haunted my dreams, hovered in my peripheral wherever I walked. Ethan’s insight only added to the unanswered questions already swirling in the back of my mind.
I tried to keep my expression neutral, but my mind was already racing.
“Actually...” I hesitated, then decided it was time to let Ethan in on part of what I knew. “We think her name might be Catherine. Catherine Raine.”
Ethan’s brows cinched, lips curling into a mirthless smile. “And who exactly iswe?”
The way he said it made it clear he already knew the answer.
I exhaled slowly, bracing for his reaction. “Hunter.”
Ethan’s smile quickly dissolved into a conspicuous frown, his jaw tightening. “I don’t like her.”
“You don’t even know her,” I countered, though part of me understood his concern. I didn’t exactlyknowHunter either, not really.
“I know enough,” Ethan muttered, folding his arms tighter across his chest. “She gives me bad vibes.”
I rolled my eyes but didn’t argue. Instead, I pulled out my phone and tapped on the stolen footage Hunter had given me, turning the screen toward Ethan. “Look, this is what we found. See for yourself.”
He leaned closer, watching as Penelope flickered to life on the screen, moving through the club like a ghost. I swiped through the clips, showing him the moments where Penelope was working, dancing, and – most importantly – where the mystery woman was always lurking nearby, just out of focus.
“That’s her,” I said softly, pointing to the woman lingering at the bar, bulky sunglasses aimed toward Penelope. “That’s Catherine – I think. We’re still figuring it out.”
Ethan’s lips pressed into a thin line. “So she was stalking your sister.”
“Maybe. Or... something worse.” I shook my head, feeling the familiar frustration welling up inside me. “We don’t know for sure yet.”
He straightened up, brow raised, gaze flicking between me and the screen. “And you really think this Hunter woman is gonna help you figure it out?”
I tucked my phone back into my pocket. “She’s already helped. She got us this footage, didn’t she?”
“And what did she want in return?” Ethan drawled, reaching over to snag my discarded cider and gulping it down himself.
“Nothing,” I said, though even I knew how ridiculous that sounded. “She just... helped.”
Ethan downed the cider in a matter of moments and pounded a fist against his chest, perturbed frown growing ever sharper. “And how exactly did she take down those guys outside the club, huh? You said she handled them like it was nothing. What is she, some kind of superhuman?”
I hesitated, the memory of that night still vivid behind my eyes. The way Hunter moved like no human could.
