Page 21 of Only Human in Strangeville

“Oh hell,” I muttered softly. “What now?”

Katsuro came forward and stepped to my other side, putting a hand on my shoulder. “Hannah, let’s go to the back and we can discuss it. Davin, please join us for a bit.”

Davin nodded curtly.

“Jaz, dearest, a drink for all of us, please, and water and a treat for the nimbus.”

“Yes, sir.” She dipped her head in a bow and turned to her work while I let Davin and Katsuro lead me toward the back.

By the time we got to a comfortable sitting room in the back that must have been overflow for the coffee shop, I had managed to get my breathing under control. The room was cute. It had a few tables with chairs and a couch and loveseat with a coffee table by a gas fireplace and looked well used, but in a homey sort of way.

Katsuro sat me down on the couch. Nimbus jumped into my lap and Davin sat next to me, putting his arm around my shoulders. I leaned against his solid warmth, grateful for the support. Our host shut the door before joining us. He sat on the coffee table and put a cool hand on my knee.

It was certainly more familiar than I would have expected from someone I barely knew, but the contact comforted me, and I didn’t pull away.

“Davin, why were you bleeding earlier?”

My date had a spare shirt in his car, and he’d changed after the fight. How on earth did Katsuro know?

Davin tightened his lips for a moment before he sighed.

There was clearly a power dynamic here that I didn’t understand, and I didn’t think Davin was completely happy about it. Yet he had encouraged me to, at the very least, make friends with Katsuro.

“I was giving Hannah a tour of our town. I pulled over at one point near the edge of our forest and a shade slashed my tire, though I didn’t know it was a shade until I got out and was attacked. We drove it off.”

Katsuro’s eyes narrowed and his hand tightened on my knee. “A shade?”

“Not our shade,” Davin clarified. Well, at least the other man seemed to understand what he meant. I was still lost.

Nimbus pushed his head up under my chin and rooed softly.

Before I could ask for any further information, we were interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

“Come in,” Katsuro said without raising his voice.

I was impressed that Jaz heard. She opened the door and pushed in a small cart with drinks, a few pastries, and a water bowl for Nimbus, along with a small bowl with some dog treats.

Once Jaz left, after she gave Nimbus a quick scratch under his chin, Davin took a breath.

“Are they after Nimbus, or are they after Hannah?”

“I’d say that it is one and the same, at this point,” Katsuro answered.

“Wait, why would they be after a puppy? He’s cute, and obviously special, but he’s a dog.”

Both Davin and Katsuro shared a look before fixing their gazes on me.

“Hannah, you’ve found a nimbus, or a cloud puppy. He’s not a dog but a supernatural being. They are typically full of good humor and occasionally mischief. They’re rare, but if they choose a person, they’re quite loyal.” Katsuro took his hand from my knee and petted Nimbus.

“What the fuck?” I buried my fingers in my puppy’s fluffy fur and tried to process what they were saying.

Nimbus rooed and turned his big brown eyes on me, widening them and flattening his ears in concern.

“Hey buddy, it’s okay, I’m just confused.”

He wagged his tail and gave me a soft nose kiss before settling back onto my lap, apparently satisfied.

“How do I take care of a supernatural puppy?”

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