“You do,” Luke noted. “You’ve crossed paths with a lot of paranormals.”
“I have,” Cole confirmed, “but I’m not sure what could’ve done this. Most of my interactions have been with shifters, an occasional demon here or there, and witches. The incubus was a first for me, but I did a lot of research and felt comfortable fighting it.”
“It could be almost anything,” I said. “We need more information, but I don’t know how we’re going to get it if these things remain hidden. I felt someone watching me last night. I tried to brush it off as kids coming out to party or something, but there was something malevolent about the presence.”
“I felt it, too.” Cole flashed a brief smile. “I guess we’ll just have to keep our eyes open.”
“I guess.” I heaved out a sigh and then forced myself to stand. “I came looking for you because we’re going shopping, Luke. I know you hate being cut out when we head to town. Do you want to go with us?”
Luke nodded without hesitation. “Absolutely.”
It made me feel better that we would have one normal outing.
“Cole’s coming, too,” Luke added, causing my heart to drop. “We’ll make it a foursome. It will be fun.”
I could think of a few other words to describe it. “So fun,” I echoed, frustration bubbling through me. “Be at Kade’s truck in twenty minutes. That’s when we’re leaving.”
Luke offered up a mock salute. “Aye, aye, Captain.”
4
Four
I found Cole sitting in my spot when I arrived at Kade’s truck. I stood there, like a complete and total idiot, and stared at him for a full thirty seconds. I figured Luke and Cole would sit in the back and I would get the passenger seat ... but that didn’t look to be the case.
“They’re blaming it on a storm,” Cole supplied, inclining his head toward the radio. “That’s what the reporter is saying, but that doesn’t sound right.”
“It sounds weird,” Kade admitted. “Maybe we should do some research. Poet had a bad nightmare last night. She won’t say it but I know she’s unsettled.”
Oh, well, that was just great. Kade was talking about my private affairs in front of the newbie. Well ... awesome.
As if sensing me watching them, Kade lifted his eyes and smiled. “There she is. Ready to head out?”
“That depends. Are you guys done talking about me?”
Kade’s expression shifted to one of baffled annoyance as he turned down the radio. “I said I agreed we should take a closer look at the accident. Are you disagreeing?”
“I’m saying that we should head into town to shop.” I stalked toward the truck, stopping long enough to consider whether I should try to boot Cole from my seat. I recognized exactly how I would come off if I tried, however, and opted to climb in the back. “Where’s Luke? We need to get going.”
“Hold up.” Cole took me by surprise when he slid out of the front. “I’ll sit in back with Luke.” He gave me a cursory once-over before sliding around me. “That’s your spot. I was just sitting there so I could better hear the news report. I think we’re all interested in what happened to that family.”
It was difficult, but I managed to mask my surprise ... mostly. “Oh, um ... did they release any more information?”
“Nothing earth-shattering,” Kade replied. His eyes were heavy on my profile as I hopped into the truck. “They’re claiming that a freak storm popped up the night before last and caused flash floods.”
I pictured the road. “How is that even possible given the steep incline?”
“We were wondering the same thing. I don’t know. I mean ... it’s possible we don’t understand some fluke of the geography, but it doesn’t sound right.”
No, it definitely didn’t. “Well ... maybe we’re looking at this the wrong way. Maybe it really was an accident. We’re so used to looking to blaming the paranormal for certain things that we don’t consider the possibility that sometimes accidents do happen.”
Kade narrowed his eyes. “That’s not the line you were spouting this morning.”
I kind of wanted to smack him. “I’m not saying I believe it either way. I’m just suggesting that we take a moment to consider every option.”
“Well ... great.” He rolled his eyes and grabbed his seatbelt. “Let’s get out of here. Where is Luke?”
As if on cue, Luke picked that moment to arrive. He seemed to be in a good mood, practically skipping to the truck. He took his spot next to Cole without complaint and then glanced between faces. “This is kind of fun, huh? It’s like a double shopping date.”
“Yes, it’s going to be delightful,” Kade drawled. “I think we’ll have a fabulous time.”
THERE WEREN’T MANY SHOPPING options in Cave City. The lone grocery store looked to be independently owned. That wasn’t bad, but it did limit choices. When trying to feed as many people as us, you needed options. It was obvious we were going to struggle on that front today.
“So ... do you buy for everyone at the circus or just your little group?” Cole asked as he fell into step with Luke. They pushed one cart while Kade and I handled the other.
“Just our group,” Luke replied. If he recognized that I was in a mood he didn’t show it. In fact, he seemed to be blissfully oblivious, which annoyed me no end. “The other groups shop for themselves. There was a time we tried to do everything together, but it was uncomfortable.”
“And, truthfully, we don’t all like each other,” I added. “Some of us only tolerate each other.”
“Like the clowns?” Cole made a face as Kade shuddered. “It’s just ... I’m not afraid of clowns or anything. I think they’re weird. I don’t understand why anyone would want to hang out with the clowns.”
“Very few do it voluntarily,” Luke agreed. “I prefer not speaking to them. Well, except for Percival. He’s kind of funny.”
“Yes, if you like leather chaps and fake accents,” Kade muttered.
“Leather chaps?” Cole’s eyebrows winged up. “Do I even want to know what you guys are talking about?”
“Probably not,” I replied, steering us toward the bread aisle. “We’re an eclectic group.”
“So I gather.” He flashed me a warm smile that seemed genuine but bothered me all the same. How could he not realize that I didn’t like him? I was suspicious about his motivations and was prepared to kill him with my bare hands if he hurt my friend, for crying out loud. We were not bonding here.
“I knew about the accent,” he added after a beat. “He’s pretty good about staying in character, but I heard him slip the other day when he was complaining about Nellie’s dress choice. Apparently there was an incident when the wind blew it up ... and apparently Nellie doesn’t like wearing underwear. He was flustered and forgot to keep it going.”
Everyone – including me – laughed at the visual he painted. “Yeah, well ... we didn’t realize until the middle of a fight. There was this creature that came out of a cornfield and he absolutely melted down. Afterwards we tried to push him on the accent, but he claimed he was simply so frightened he talked like an American for a few seconds. Like that was a thing.”