I clicked the seat buckle in and twirled my thumbs—suddenly self-conscious of how I looked in this god-forsaken outfit.
Lucien jumped in on the driver's side and turned the ignition a couple of times before it eventually started up. He definitely needed a new vehicle because this 1991 Jeep Cherokee had seen better days, but I couldn't say that to him again. It would be like insulting his pride and joy—his baby.
Lucien cupped his mouth and turned slightly away, one hand still resting on the steering wheel as we drove off.
I caught a glimpse of a smirk as he made some weird, muffled gasping noises. I leaned towards him and inspected him further.
His tight gray shirt had betrayed him and left nothing to the imagination; I could see everything. His whole body was trembling from his bulging pecs to his fingertips.
The nerve of this bastard. “Are you seriously laughing at me?”
That sent him over the edge and he erupted into a fit of laughter. Between wheezes, he said, “I knew it was going to be hilarious, but my god.” He sucked in a deep breath. “This is gold. Worth every penny. Hold still.” He rummaged through his cargo shorts and pulled out his phone. “Let me take a picture to commemorate this beautiful moment.” He leaned sideways; his back pressed against the car door as his eyes stayed on the road.
His deep chuckle tickled my ears as I threw my hands up to shield myself from getting an unwanted photo. “Hey! No. This outfit will be burned at the stake and there will be no evidence left behind,” I said, threatening him.
I attempted to bat the phone away, but he quickly snapped the photo and shoved it into his back pocket.
What a cruel man. Yet, I couldn't help but return his smile. His laughter was infectious.
“See, it made you smile.” He shot me an eye wiggle. “And come on, it's kinda cute.”
He was just mocking me now.
He continued laughing so hard that he had to dig his hand into his left side just to stop.
I rolled my eyes as I saw him wipe literal tears. “Yeah, yeah. Soak it in now because this will never happen again.” I stuck my tongue out and then scrunched my face into a frown.
I looked outside the car window, suddenly curious if Gren was trailing us, but I couldn't see anything besides the dim red tail lights reflecting off the paved road.
“Never say never.” He winked and then gave me a cocky grin. Without fail, his dimple sprung out, shining like a beacon in the dark as he continued. “And if you're that worried about your outfit, here.” He took off his black trucker’s hat and placed it backward on my head. “There. Much better.”
Somehow, I highly doubted it.
I glared at him with an obvious pout and noticed his light hair was disheveled and had a dent from wearing the hat all day, but surprisingly, he didn't look all that bad.
“Oh, by the way. I hope you don't mind. Lynne is stopping by your place to help out.”
“Oh.” I paused. “No worries. The more the merrier.” I forced myself to say it in a cheerful voice but it came out more high-pitched than I intended.
I felt a pit forming in my stomach. Was it because I didn't want a stranger in my apartment? Not that I would be staying there any longer, but it somehow felt personal—like she would see through me once she got a good look at how I lived.
We pulled up to the lousy apartment complex and the place was still littered with sketchy people who were probably waiting for their next fix by their janky ass cars. Numerous times, I had some creep sneak up behind me and ask if I had a lighter. It would scare the living hell out of me, but I held back my obvious discomfort and always told them that Cee’s gas station was right down the road.
Luckily, Lucien had walked me to my door so I didn't have to deal with that but he didn't come inside.
He abruptly stopped and said, “Hey, I’m going to wait downstairs for Lynne. She said she had to take care of a pest problem at her place but she should be here soon, and I don't want her walking up here by herself.”
I felt the urge to tell him no. I didn't want to be left alone either, but I understood his concern. It wasn't the safest place. So, I nodded in agreement and let him walk away from me for the second time this week.
I switched every light on and rushed to my dining room table. I kept my eyes forward; I didn't dare look at my open bedroom door, nor did I look at any dark corners. Instead, I kept my focus outside the window—right on Lucien.
I nervously tapped my fingers on the side arms of the chair. Sweat beaded near my brows, but it wasn't warm inside. On the contrary, there was a chill in the air that was a stark contrast to the outside. Did I leave the air on? Oh god, another bill to worry about.
Out of nowhere, a huge black blob slammed against the window and I let out a blood-curdling shriek.
I almost died from palpitations but I soon regained my composure and steadied my heart rate.
Gren was pressed up against the window, tilting his beak as his beady black eyes blinked slowly at me.
I slid the window up and let him hop in. “Okay, that definitely needs to stop.”
I didn’t think my heart or sanity could survive another jump scare. It's like I had been transported in a horror flick. My least favorite.
“Something wrong. You have to leave, now.” Gren urged me. His voice was full of dread as he frantically flapped his wings.
He continued speaking but he was talking so fast I couldn't pick anything up.
“Hold on. Hold on. Breathe first.” I reached out my hand and smoothed his feathers down.
“My brothers.” He hesitated, the sorrow and fear in his tone evident. “They're gone.” He didn't utter another word as he shook his beak profusely like he didn't even believe what he had said himself.
I opened my mouth but quickly closed it. I wasn't exactly sure how to comfort him.
I got up and paced around and ended up settling by the stove that had an old-boxed mac and cheese crusted in a pan sitting on top. I gripped the sides and shook my head.
What did this mean? Did it mean something else was after me? Was it the shadow, or that man, or Jared? Could Jared even see the crows?
I heard small whimpers coming from Gren and it only made my heart ache more. He had once been something that terrified me but I found myself growing to appreciate his company. I just wasn't the best at soothing someone.
“Ah, so it made its way back to you. How amusing,” a deep voice said, humming from behind me.
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