shiver curled down my spine. Stop it. My heart rate kicked up as his steps slowed. Two women jogging past nearly tripped over their own feet when they got an eyeful of Zayne. A smile tugged at my lips. I couldn’t blame them for that.
“Hey.” Zayne spoke first, stopping in front of me. I took a deep breath, catching his wintermint scent.
I waved at him. “Hi.”
His lips twitched. “You must be exhausted.”
It took me a moment to realize what he meant. “I’m not that tired. It was a good walk.”
“Bet you burned a whole lot of calories.” His hands were shoved into the pockets of his jeans. “With all that walking.”
“I’m starving.” That was the first truth I’d spoken. “And I’m sure that’s a surprise.”
He chuckled. “Not at all—Wait.” His head cocked. “Where are your sunglasses? The sun has to be killing your eyes.”
Oh, man, he’d noticed. Half of me was all warm and fuzzy that he’d noticed and was worried. The other part wished he hadn’t, because how I was going to explain this? “I, um, they fell off when I was crossing a street. I had to run, and they slipped off...” That sounded sort of believable. “By the time I realized they’d fallen, they were crushed and dead.”
“Damn. You got another pair at home?”
I nodded.
“Wish you’d said something. I would’ve grabbed them.” He reached up and pulled off his own sunglasses. “Here. Take these.”
Surprise flickered through me. “Thank you, but what about you?”
“My eyes will be fine. Yours won’t.” He held them out. “Take the sunglasses. Please.”
Feeling like a goober, I slid them on. I blinked, immediately seeing and feeling the difference even though they were nowhere near as dark as mine. “Thank you.”
“Can I sit?”
I nodded, wondering why he felt the need to ask.
Pulling his hands from his pockets, he sat beside me, close enough that his thigh touched mine.
It was different.
I hated myself, and I hated Roth for putting these thoughts in my head. “Thank you for coming to get me.”
“No problem.” He shifted, stretching out his legs as he tipped his chin back. The sun seemed to lovingly caress his face. “I was surprised to hear you made it all the way here. Been forever since I’ve been to this park or the zoo.”
“The zoo.” I tapped my feet. “I like animals. Thought about finding the entrance but I had no idea if it cost money or anything. I probably could’ve looked that up, but...” I shrugged. “I like this place, too. You know what’s weird?” I rambled on.
“What?” Lowering his chin, he looked at me.
Having his full attention made me feel guilty and dizzy and hopeful...and bitter. I cast my gaze to the ground. “I haven’t felt a demon since I’ve been here.”
“It’s because of the zoo.”
“What?” My attention jerked back to him. I hadn’t expected an actual answer.
“The animals can sense them, especially the large cats. They go crazy when demons get near them,” he answered. “It’s rare you’ll find a demon around here.”
“Huh.” Then what I’d felt definitely might not have been a demon. Then again, Roth claimed to like the park. “I guess the zoo is a safe place.”
“Safer than most at least, even a church.”
Which was all kinds of messed up, as a lot of demons could cross hallowed ground. “So, I...felt something while I was here,” I said, deciding that if I wasn’t going to tell him about Faye, I should tell him about this. “Something weird. Like a coldness where I’d normally feel the presence of a demon. Just like that, actually, but cold instead of hot. I felt it once before.”
His gaze searched my face. “When we were at the abandoned building? You asked me if I felt something when we were there.”
“Yeah, that’s when I felt it before. Both times, nothing seemed to be there. I don’t know what it is.” I lifted my shoulders. “It feels like when I accidentally walk through a ghost or a spirit, except this is localized to one area.”
Zayne’s brows lifted. “You mean...a cold spot? Those things are real?”
I laughed softly. “They are.”
He looked away with a quick shift of his head.
“You’re now worried you’ve been walking through ghosts? Maybe even Peanut.” I bumped my shoulder into his. “Don’t worry. People walk through ghosts, like, all the time. It’s as weird for the ghost as it is for you.”
“Not sure knowing that makes me feel better.”
I grinned. “Anyway, I don’t know if it’s just a new ghosty feeling or