Page 17 of King of the Unsightly

“I cannot lie.”

A snort escaped my lips, and I covered my mouth. From my recent experience,what man couldn’t lie? “Whatever helps you sleep at night, bud.” Oh my god. Did I want to get myself killed?

In the blink of an eye, the man cornered me.Myback pressed against the oven. My butt probably turned on a burner with how much I jerked backward.

The man leaned close and whispered in my ear. “By all means, take your chances by yourself. See how much it takes before they break you. I’ll be waiting at Death’s Paradise for an answer.”

I blinked and the man disappeared, evaporating into thin air, or maybe he messed with my mind and strolled out the front door.

I stood there, stunned, and rubbed my temples, not entirely sure what my best options were.

Reap What You Sow

Ipropped my elbow on the side of the car door and rested my chin on my palm. I fixated on how the moonlight peeked through the pine trees and reflected off the ground. I wished for it to clear my head, but a million scenarios crossed my mind, and none of them ended well.

I ignored the conversation between Lynne and Lucien once they chatted about trivial things like going on a hike this Sunday to Crescent Falls because the weather app said it would be seventy degrees with not a cloud in sight. Lynne turned around from the passenger side all giddy with sparkles floating in her irises asking me if I was interested.

When I would rather be pushed off Hades Cliff ... again.

That’s what I wanted to say but I held my tongue and told her a politeno, thank you. I already had my fill of hikes, and the thought of third-wheeling with them didn’t excite me.

And if I had to see Lucien act all cutesy with her any longer I might vomit.

I also had more pressing matters to worry about than stupid hikes. I needed to make sure my sanity survived the night and my life went back to normal.

I lifted Lucien’s hat off my head, brushed a few flyaways behind my ear, and put it back in place.

Given the time to reflect on my decision, the outfit Lucien gifted me didn’t seem all bad anymore compared to the shirt I snatched and put on in a hurry. I hadn’t done laundry yet—for obvious reasons—so the only clean clothes in my dresser were the absurd graphic tees I started collecting when I turned thirteen. I remember wearing them thinking I was so edgy.

What a joke.

Now I only wore them as pajamas, and without fail, they became a little ritual for me every time I went to bed. However, I regretted my decision to collect them. I looked like a freshman frat boy with a shirt that read “A dirty hoe is a happy hoe” with a picture of a woman gardening.

Honestly, how did I think this was my best option even if I was in a rush? I should have contemplated it more.

Maybe it did beat the shirt Lucien picked out,I guess.Now I didn’t have to walk through the front doors of the hottest nightclub in Hollow resembling Steve fromBlue’s Clues. That was a plus, I think.

My whole body screamed in agony as I lifted my chin. A tad pathetic how sore my body felt from swinging a small pan around, but in my defense, I had swung like my life depended on it.

“Hey, we’re here,” Lucien said, bunching his forehead as he glanced back at me.

“Sweet.” I unbuckled my seatbelt and stepped out of the Jeep, avoiding his concerned expression.

Lynne walked incredibly fast and stood right by Lucien, locking hands with him, and shot me a glare as we crossed the street.

Did Lynne expect me to grab Lucien’s other arm? Why did she feel the need to act jealous if Lucien said we were siblings? Did she think someGame of Thronesshit went down here?

I smiled gently, avoiding Lynne’s dagger eyes and lifted my head at the building in front of us. Death’s Paradise’s massive black sign with purple stripes and white letters loomed over us and illuminated the entire block.

I cracked my knuckles, but it did nothing for my escalating anxieties.

The electrifying music vibrated the ground the closer we got to the entrance.

We only stood a couple of feet from the front doors when I wished Gren had come with me. Then maybe I wouldn’t feel so utterly alone. I didn’t mind if I looked like a cross between a frat boy and a pirate if it meant he could offer me his odd comforts.

But Gren required some time to grieve and process what he witnessed. Of course he was on edge after finding drops of blood and feathers a few miles out from my apartment. Thankfully, no crow bodies—which meant they could be somewhere.Alive. I tried to tell him, but he remained unconvinced and said he needed to investigate more and would find me later.

So I had to meet this man alone. Great. Nothing weird ever happens when a woman meets a sketchy guy alone. Totally safe.

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