Friends With The Monsters - Albany Walker Page 0,23
the tree line.
My heart is racing and I’m panting. Yup, I definitely need to work out. But I’m also filled with excitement. Who knew what a thrill it would be to have someone stalking you?
Chapter 7
The human is leaning against his car, staring down at a cell phone in his hand, seemingly oblivious to the dark presence.
I look around for Grim. I can sense him, but he must be cloaking himself, because I can’t see him anywhere. Making sure not to step on any twigs, I inch closer. The night is so quiet that I hear when the man’s phone vibrates in his hand.
“Great, I was just about to win,” he mumbles, then brings the phone up to his ear. “Yeah?” he answers.
I use his distraction to get even closer, but I pause, realizing that if I can feel Grim, he might be aware of me, too. Damn it. I pull back a little and focus on where I think he is—several feet on the other side of the road. His essence tastes smoky, like a campfire.
“No movement,” the human says into the phone, not bothering to keep his voice down. Ha, I was right, he is here to watch the house. I wonder if it’s Gunnar on the other end of the line.
Grim chooses that moment to step out of his shimmering portal. I tilt my head, realizing I can sense him when he’s not really here. That’s new. I wonder if it’s because I’ve actually met him, or was it because I was actively looking?
I file those thoughts away to think about later and focus on what’s happening in front of me now. The man drops the phone from his hand and takes a step back, the heel of his shoe scraping against the tire of his SUV.
“What the hell?” He looks at Grim, who’s completely cloaked in his robe. The only new addition would be the gleaming scythe curved over his head. I slam my hand over my mouth to keep myself from speaking. That thing looks wicked. The dark wooden handle is worn smooth and bent crooked in places. It looks like it’s been curved and honed into shape with years of use. The blade is outrageously large, and the arc of the knife edge catches the glow of the moon in an unnatural way. Runes and letters are etched along the top, giving it an even more terrifying appearance. It’s strangely beautiful.
“Quiet,” Grim orders. A chill skates down my spine when he speaks. His voice is layered, making it sound as if several people are speaking at once.
“Wha-what do y-you want?” the man stammers.
“I want you to tell the Berserker that I know the pact has been broken. Without the covenant in place, all deals are off.” Grim takes a step closer to the man. “He broke the decree, and now he will deal with the consequences.”
“I’ll tell him, I’ll tell him,” the man promises, arching back to get as far away from Grim as possible.
It takes everything inside of me to stay hidden behind the trees. I don’t want to reveal how much I’ve heard, especially when I have no idea if any of this involves me. Grim disappears, dissolving back into the place he came from, and my awareness of him fades quickly.
The man collapses back against the car, a curse falling from his lips. Seconds later, he scrambles for the fallen phone on the ground.
“Are you there?” he asks, panting into the phone. “Holy fuck! I think that was the Grim-fucking-Reaper!” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small set of keys. The SUV chirps, unlocking. He fumbles with the door handle, trying to get in, while still holding the phone to his ear with his shoulder.
“I didn’t sign up for this shit. Did you hear what he said?” He slams the door behind him, and I hear the lock engage. I don’t really think that would keep anyone out, but if it makes him feel better… The engine turns over and he screeches off without another glance in the direction of my house.
Once he’s fled, I step out onto the grassy strip near the side of the road. My feet are a little achy now that all the excitement is over. I wince, thinking about how much it’s going to suck putting my heels back on.
On the walk back to Betty, my mind spins with the different ideas of what pact Grim could be talking about, and who the