2

My eyes scan the table. Jessica’s fork hovers over her plate. Mia freezes. Liam is silent, brows furrowed together in deep thought. Mark blinks like he forgot where he is.

“What bodies?”

All eyes fall on me. “Wait… you don't know about the bodies?” Mark blinks in surprise.

All eyes fall on me. Before I can respond, David cuts in. “Three weeks in this town, and you haven't heard of the murders? Are you living under a rock?” He questions, a puzzling expression on his face.

I shrug, forcing a smile. “I saw a headline or two, but it looked like a clickbait so I didn't pay attention.”

Of course I know about the murders, but the local reports are so sketchy, and no one really talks about it because it's ‘bad luck’. Once they know you're aware, they zip up. Feigning cluelessness in front of teammates who seem to care about me, and love gossip might just be my best bet.

Jessica gently places her fork on her plate, her expression shifting to serious and intense. “Valle Vitale was, like the name implies, the Valley of Life. Peaceful, lively, and…” She looks at me expectantly, like I'm supposed to know— oh!

“Exciting?”

Her expression falters. Yeah, that's not the word she's looking for, but she runs with it, resuming her dramatic speech like she never stopped. “And exciting. That is, until the first body turned up two months ago, and it was horrible.” She holds my gaze. “I’m talking missing pieces. Limbs gone, flesh shredded like something chewed through it. The organs were everywhere. The cops claimed it was an animal attack, but what kind of animal does that? A week later, two men went missing—”

“—and days later, one of them was found… Dead. It was different from the first body. You ever squeeze a juice box to get every drop out?” I nod. “That's exactly what came to my mind when I saw the picture of the body. It was completely drained of blood, and crushed. Can't say an animal did that now, can we?”

My lips curl into a frown. That's different from what I was told. “What about the second person?”

Mark cuts in. “Never found him. Summary of Jessica's narration is that weird deaths and disappearances have been happening since then. And no two deaths are similar. It's like different people… or beings—”

“Here we go,” David snorts, earning a glare from Mark.

“I’m telling you no human killed those people. Demons are in this town. Demons, I tell you.” Mark insists. Jessica and David roll their eyes, and I almost let out a scoff.

Seems Mark has no idea just how sick and demonic humans can be.

“Can we stop talking about it?” Mia's trembling voice comes from beside me, her voice almost a whisper. I turn to see her eyes glistening with unshed tears, face pale as her fingers tremble.

“Hey, It's okay,” I take her hands in mine, giving her a reassuring smile. “You’ll be fine.”

I say that, but I know there's no way for me to guarantee that. I'm not worried because things like this aren't new to me, but I'm worried about my co-workers. Mia especially.

She's the kind I'd go for if I were a predator.

“Gee, Liam! If looks could poke holes, she’d be swiss cheese by now.” Jessica says, her attempt to change the topic.

Oh right. Liam.

My eyes flick to him and, as expected, he immediately looks away.

Definitely prey.

I let out a small laugh.

While I'm not the type to immediately jump into a relationship with a stranger, Liam's looks make me want to reconsider. And based on my observations of him in the past one week, he's definitely my type.

“You two look good together,” Mia chips in, her complexion back to normal. “But workplace dating isn't allowed.” Not that I didn't expect that. But it only makes it more exciting.

Mark waves his arm dismissively. “Nahhhh, it's fine. So long as I don't catch you.”

Sounds sweet, but it's a warning.

Outside work hours, he's the best friend that gets you into trouble. But the moment it's work hours, it's like he flips a switch. No small talks, or patience for mistakes. He demands perfection, and is somehow always watching. You so much as breathe wrong and he's already calling you out before you even realize what you did wrong.

If he gets wind of anyone dating, their career will be buried six feet under.

The doorbell rings like it has multiple times, but this time the restaurant goes silent, so does Jessica who was about to speak. I turn to the door, and my jaw drops.

My eyes are blessed.

I stare unashamedly at the man who walks through the door, a foreigner trailing behind him. His face is sharp, clean lines and cool indifference. He gives off the ‘Cold, detached Billionaire’ vibes, and I don't roll with that.

I'm about to look away when he smiles in response to something the foreigner says. It’s the deep, one-sided dimple that makes me freeze in awe, flashing once and then gone, like it was never there. And then I notice his ears, slightly pointed at the tips, adding to the unsettling perfection of his features.

He belongs in a painting, no doubt.

“Hey! No staring,” David snaps. As I turn away, I notice the man glance at me from the corner of his eyes, but it may just be my delusions cooking up stories. “That's the CEO,” he says in a low whisper, and then changes the subject.

Killian DuskBane.

It's as though a bowl of iced water is dumped over me, and the attraction I felt evaporates instantly.

The dinner wraps up in a blue of goodbyes. Mark gets stuck with a drunk Mia who keeps trying to fight a lamppost, David and Liam split into separate taxis, and Jessica slips into a waiting black Mercedes. She offers me a ride, but I politely decline. My home isn't exactly “drop-by worthy”.

She only leaves when I lie that my ride is on its way, but the moment her car is out of sight, I turn in the opposite direction, starting my walk home.

Taxis are ridiculously expensive at night because of the killings, and I'm not spending money when my apartment’s just thirty-minutes from here.

About twenty minutes into my walk, I pause. Something feels… off.

I glance over my shoulder, but there's no one on the street besides me. I shake it off and keep walking, a little faster now and listening for any sound.

Then I hear it. Footsteps.

I stop.

It stops too.

Yeah. Definitely not alone.