Page 5 of A Hint of Delirium

My eyes were still irritated two days later and I had to wear sunglasses to ease the ache. I was still baffled that a human girl got the jump onme, of all people. She was definitely strong, but not stronger than I was. She just took me by surprise was all. What was more surprising was that I was in full glamour, which meant no human should have been able to see me. How could she?

I’d gotten her home address from her ex-employer (I could be quite persuasive) and currently stood across the street from her apartment, hiding in the shadows between apartment buildings. She lived with a woman who looked like her. Her mother, maybe?

I’d been spying on her for the last couple of days, seeing where she went, who she interacted with. I couldn’t approach her again if she was working with the Unseelie, but from what I’d seen, she was pretty harmless. She went to see a doctor yesterday and then went job hunting afterward—unsuccessfully. I saw her bump into another fae on the street – a fae that was glamoured – but she didn’t act like she noticed.

The girl walked the older woman to the door of their apartment and they gave each other a kiss on the cheek before the woman left. The girl stood in the doorway and watched her walk away.

The girl had an average build but was tall, with curly, dark brown hair and olive skin that radiated in the morning light—all attributes told me she wasn’t of European descent.

When her mother turned the corner around the block, the girl stepped back inside the apartment and shut the door, none the wiser that I was watching.

I shouldn’t have followed her the other night. I shouldn’t have come here this morning again. But my curiosity was eating me up inside. No human should see through glamour, not even humans touched by the fae. I came to the human realm for something, and following this girl around was distracting me from my mission, but I had to know who she was. I just …hadto.

I stepped out of the shadows and looked both ways before crossing the street and jogging up the steps to her front door. According to her boss, the girl’s name was Violet De La Rosa. I looked at the list of residents and found the last name De La Rosa, then rang the doorbell beside it.

Two minutes later, the door handle started to jiggle and the door swung open.

“Did you forget your keys again, Ma—” Violet’s brown eyes widened and she shrieked before attempting to slam the door in my face. I stuck my boot between the doorjamb to stop it.

“Let’s be reasonable, little human,” I said over her yelling.

She pushed the door with her whole body as if my foot wasn’t there. “You’re a psycho! I’m calling the police!”

With one finger, I pushed the door back. She slid against the tile floor and the door widened, allowing me to walk in unfettered. “Do I look like a psycho to you?” I pointed to myself.

“Neither did Ted Bundy, but we all know howthatended.”

I rolled my eyes. “I just want to talk to you. Now will you let me inside your apartment so we can chat?”

Usually my charms worked on humans, but it seemed she was immune to mine. Which only increased my burgeoning curiosity.

“Let you into my home?” she scoffed. “You got me fired, followed me home, and now you’re stalking me. I should have you arrested!” She clutched her closed robe tighter against her chest.

“You could … if they could see me,” I smirked as I leaned against the doorframe.

“Wh-What?” she stuttered. Her hands trembled and her brown eyes grew dramatically. “What did you say?” She swallowed.

I pushed off the doorframe and prowled toward her. “I said, you could call the police, but I’m not too sure they would see me. Unlikeyou.” I reached for a curly strand of her hair, but she smacked my hand away with such ferocity, I was taken aback.

“Don’t touch me,” she gritted. “What do you mean they can’t see you? I’m not crazy!”

I opened my mouth and then shut it. She thought she was crazy? Did that mean she’d seen more of us—the fae? What had I stumbled upon? I tilted my head and stepped back, getting a good look at her. She was undoubtedly beautiful, but she wasn’t fae, or else I’d know. She was something else.

“Are you a selkie?” I asked straightforward. Selkies were closer to humans than any of the other fae. I wouldn’t be surprised to find one living in the human realm. “Do you have your pelt?” It was rude to ask, but she looked at me like she was more than a little confused.

She took a tentative step back and then bolted for the door behind her. I snatched her around the waist and lifted her off the ground. She smelled like cherry blossoms and springtime even though we were in the midst of Fall. I smiled wistfully.

When she kicked and screamed, I slapped my hand over her mouth and walked down the hallway to the apartment with the door slightly ajar, assuming it was hers. Carrying a flailing human body, I slipped inside and kicked the door shut behind me. Glancing around, I noticed all the locks on the doors.

“Ow!” I snatched my hand back from her mouth. “You bit me!” She obviously didn’t have any formal training, but she was definitely a fighter.

“You’re abducting me!” she shouted.

“I’m carrying you back into your own home,” I scoffed. “That’s hardly kidnapping.” When I set her back onto her feet, she scurried to the furthest part of the room away from me. It was a small TV room/dining room, connected to the kitchen. “Why do you have so many locks on the doors?” I jabbed a thumb behind me to the front door.

She shrugged. “Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

I rolled my eyes. “I just want to speak with you, little human,” I said, blocking her exit.

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