Page 5 of My Boyfriends Are All Monsters
“So there is some truth to that saying about no privacy in small towns? I always thought that was an exaggeration.”
“It’s as real as a rockslide, ma’am,” he said.
I couldn’t help but watch his face; there was just something so familiar about him. Yes, he was handsome, but it was more than that. A well-trimmed beard framed his lips, and his long lashes cast shadows over a smoldering gaze. Iheld my hand up to block out the top of his head. If I pictured him in a black cowboy hat, then ...
Dr. Crane met my hard stare with a raised brow. “If you’re aiming to ruffle my hair, I’m afraid there ain’t much of it left,” he said, referring to the short, clean fade he kept it in.
“Has anyone ever told you that you look like the cover model fromNight Hawkby Beverly Jenkins?”
He blinked once, then twice, like he was processing my words, then let out a small, forced laugh. “I’ll take that as a compliment,” he managed, and quickly finished off my bandage. “Keep this wrapped up so you’re not hobbling around on it. When you get to wherever it is you are staying for the night, be sure to ice it for about twenty minutes. That’ll help with the swelling. You’re welcome to stay here and ice it if you like, but selfishly, I don’t want half the town loitering around my waiting room, trying to get details on the newcomer. So get.”
“Oh, I’m not staying. I’ll just call an Uber to take me back to the city. Not that your town isn’t lovely, but I think I’ve had enough of nature for now.”
“You can’t!” he barked. Dr. Crane looked more surprised than I did at his outburst. He paused at the doorway and nervously rubbed at the nape of his neck before looking back at me. “You think that trail you were on was the only thing affected by the rockslide? The whole main road is under a pile of rubble. It’s going to take a few days at least for it to clear. There’s a bed-and-breakfast just a block down. Talk to Ms. Evangeline out front; she’ll set you up with a wheelchair or a set of crutches. Dealer’s choice.” With that he left, closing the door behind him.
“Well, guess he doesn’t like compliments.” I gathered my things and slung my heavy backpack over my shoulder, carefully avoiding putting too much weight on my bad ankle.When I returned to the front desk, Ms. Evangeline was nowhere in sight. I called for her and waited a few minutes, but she never returned. “Maybe she went on break?”
I took a note card from the counter and wrote down my information so she could contact me for the bill later. Unfortunately for me, there was no wheelchair or crutches to be seen in the waiting room, and I wasn’t about to raid the doctor’s office myself, which meant I’d just have to suck it up and hobble my way to the inn.
With my backpack slung across my shoulder and my ankle throbbing, I pushed through the clinic door; the door chime let off a little jingle as it closed behind me. I stepped out into the town’s main street only to be greeted ... by nothing. Empty sidewalk stretched in both directions. The charming hustle and bustle that were here earlier when I first arrived were entirely gone.
I paused, leaning slightly against the clinic’s doorway as goose bumps rose along my skin. Maybe it was more of that small-town quirkiness, or maybe I was just too paranoid for my own good. Still, it was odd. In the city, you’d never see the streets this deserted. Pulling out my phone, I sent a quick update to the chat.
Lucy:Everyone is just gone. Do small towns take group wide tea breaks or something?
Jess:You said the town’s name is Duskpetal right? I can’t find it online.
Lucy:I think it was. Wasn’t really focusing on anything other than Noah’s hair blowing in the wind to tell the truth.
Kira:What’s the decoration situation? Any effigies of giant owls or men with overly elaborate hats?
I looked around for any questionable lawn ornaments or punch bowls with suspicious contents.
Lucy:None spotted, but that might be because they’ve outlawed decorations that don’t have anything to do with pumpkins or scarecrows.
Jess:My god. ItIsa cult!
A chill ran up my spine, and I glanced around, half expecting a guy in a robe to pop out and force-feed me Kool-Aid.
Scarlett:Don’t scare her! But Lucy, baby, you’re gonna be fine. Can you catch a ride back to civilization?
I cast a glance over my shoulder at the clinic window, hoping that maybe Ms. Evangeline or Dr. Crane had reappeared, just to reassure me that other people still existed in this world. Yet the clinic was still empty. Taking a shaky breath, I relayed the info about the rockslide into the chat and made my way down the street, trying not to think about how the sounds of my footsteps echoed in the quiet stillness.
The scent of fresh cookies wafted through the air, and I noticed yet another bakery on the corner. Wild to think this town ate enough sweets to support two bakeries. Beside it, a sign for Honeybee Inn swung gently in the breeze. I breathed a sigh of relief for at least having shelter I could duck into. Once I got inside, I could grab myself a room and hide away until morning. Despite the fact that the streets were completely empty, I couldn’t help but feel like something was watching me.
Chapter 3
The One Who Waits
Modern women were much harder to seduce.
In the flits of eons that made up my memories, I recalled men gifting their lovers small, wearable trinkets, or besting some foul wretch of the wood. I wouldn’t even have a chance to present my Priestess with beast or bauble if she couldn’t keep that inquisitive mind under wraps.
I tossed the copy ofNight Hawkback down my well and flitted through the various literature I’d collected over the years from past meals. Most of it was full of hunters’ magazines filled with weapons that robbed you of the thrill of a true hunt and men holding dead things and fish. None of them seemed like the types of lovers my Priestess would wish for. What remained was the small collection of romantic novels left from the occasional female hiking enthusiast or begrudgingly accommodating wife.
She’d enjoyed the visage of the long-haired, barrel-chested man I’d used to greet her. His face appeared in many of the novels in my collection, so it had to be a good face, at least. Originally, I planned to change the color of his hair to reuse it for other townsfolk, but now I know she’d be too shrewd not to notice.
The unexpected pleasantness of her touch would also be a problem. I had used my avatar only to touch her, but the warmth of the living was scalding to one who had been alone for so long. I’d need to be careful not to approach her as myself. While I could take the shape of a man just as well as any other creature in my woods, it was harder to hide what I was at close range. Even humans recognized an eternal when it looked them in the eye. The roots of hemlock trees could be twisted into new visages with only a word, but drained from the strength it took to form the town, I was having difficulty gaining the focus needed to keep up the appearance of more than a few dozen townsfolk at a time.
