Page 75 of Only Human in Strangeville

Davin seemed in a fine mood, but Bridger, well, I just couldn’t read him. I didn’t even know if he truly was interested in me like that. Hell, maybe he was just upset about his house. I hadn’t really had a chance to ask him if anything irreparable had happened to it. Or to thank him for his kindness in sheltering me there and everything else he’d done for me.

Why had he helped me? I’d gone from thinking he was a reasonably friendly and helpful nutjob who believed in the supernatural but couldn’t actually prove it, to finding out he was right, knew he was right from past experiences, and that he had every right to be a little paranoid. For whatever reason, Beechworth had accepted Bridger as one of their own, just like they’d accepted me. He, at least, hadn’t repaid them with a war.

Clare, since she had clearly sided with us, had declared that the bookstore would remain closed for a time so that she could safely stay within Beechworth’s boundaries. Even that was my fault. Clare would be missing out on income because I’d come here. And I hadn’t even come here for any reason other than that I’d heard rumors the place was different.

The only one who wasn’t worse off because of my involvement was Nimbus.

After several days surrounded by others, being alone in my apartment with just Nimbus for company felt strange. Beechworth felt strange. Everything felt strange.

You would think after all the fantastic sex I’d just had, I’d feel amazing. And in many ways, I did. But it also highlighted what I had to lose. And what I’d brought to this community.

Nimbus shifted until he could lay down on my stomach and poke me with his nose.

“What?”

He poked me again.

I buried my fingers in his ruff and gave him a good scratching, but he grumbled and flopped his paw down on my nose.

“Buddy,” I sputtered.

A cold draft blew through the room and Nimbus sprang up and pounced at it, much like an artic fox pouncing prey in snow.

“What?” I sat up and stared as fog swirled around the cloud puppy’s feet. “What do you have?”

Nimbus growled.

I pulled out my phone and texted Oliver. Moments later, he knocked on my door. I got up and skirted around the fluffy dog while he continued to growl at whatever he had pinned. I let the shade in and dragged him to my bedroom.

“What on earth is he doing?” I pointed at Nimbus.

Oliver tilted his head before raising his eyebrows. “Ahh, he caught the ghost.”

“What!” That was almost too much. “Ghost?”

“Yes.”

“Why is there a ghost in my apartment?”

“I suppose it likes you?” Oliver went over to Nimbus and ran his hand along the fluffy dog’s back. “It’s okay, Nimbus, you can let it go.”

The cloud dog growled, not moving.

“I don’t think Nimbus likes it.”

“It won’t hurt you,” Oliver assured the dog. “Or Hannah.”

Nimbus’s growl deepened.

“What did it do?” Oliver folded his arms across his chest.

Nimbus sat on the cloud of mist, still holding it down with his front feet, looked Oliver in the eye and rooed, and rumbled, and growled and yodeled for about five minutes. I started timing after the first minute.

Oliver’s eyebrows rose.

Nimbus fell silent for a moment then as if saying “and another thing,” barked a couple more times.

The shade’s gaze went from the cloud dog’s to the mist on the ground. Then his hand melted into shadow, he reached down and yanked the cloud mist ghost thing up and stomped out of the room.

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