be able to do if Ashi was gone.
Maybe Clarisse would know.
“Hold on a sec, I’ll be right back.”
Thad nodded, scratching his head. He hadn’t heard Ashi wander through the apartment, though he hadn’t been paying attention. He was supposed to be at work in two hours and had been hoping to get more snooze time. Damn it.
Jessica rushed down the hall, and Clarisse met her in the door. “What’s wrong?”
“He’s not there,” she said, hazel eyes wide with concern. “He wouldn’t have…” she faltered at even thinking it.
“Run away? Maybe.”
“But why?”
“Lovey, not everyone thinks we’re the greatest thing since some brilliant barman decided to serve green beer on St. Patty’s day, bless their soul.”
Jessica barked out a short laugh. “You are so weird sometimes.”
“All part of my charm, lass. Let’s have a look-see, shall we?” Jessica and Thad followed close behind, but Clarisse stopped before she even reached the door to Ashi’s room, cocking her head to one side. “Huh.”
“What?” Jessica asked, bringing up the rear.
“He’s there.”
“How do you know?” Thad asked.
“I can hear his heartbeat. He’s in there.”
Ashi usually got up at the crack of dawn, downed two eggs blended into some orange juice, and then went out the door to tackle the world. He didn’t have any leisure activities to speak of. He worked six days out of the week. On Sunday he slept in until 8:00 AM and then did his laundry, cleaned his apartment, washed his car, did his shopping, cooked his food for the week, packed it, froze it, and went to the park to walk. He didn’t visit anyone. He didn’t rent any movies.
Sitting in the closet listening to the murmur of strange voices outside was maddening, trumped only by the idea of being out of the closet and meeting a vampire. He stayed put.
Outside, Jessica made a face. “I will never get over that Superman stuff you guys do.”
Clarisse laughed. “I do nae ken that’s saying much for me, lass. Always liked Batman more, ‘e looks a treat in that rubber suit.”
Jessica and Thad snickered as Clarisse entered the room. She moved slowly, puzzled, looking around for a second before making a bee-line to the closet. She didn’t open it, just stood by, brow wrinkled as she peered back at Jessica and Thad sticking their heads in the door. Jessica gestured that she should open it, her look a mix of confusion, curiosity, and concern.
Clarisse hesitated. The boy was probably scared out of his mind and wouldn’t want to be dragged out. However, she was positively burning with curiosity and did want to know if he was all right.
And if he was any good looking. Really, if he was anything like the bit Mouse got her hands on downstairs, it might be worth the bother of coaxing him out. John really must’ve scared the life out of him.
“‘Ere now,” Clarisse said, tapping lightly with her nails. “Ashi, is it? Are ye all right, lad? I’m opening the door now.”
And she did just that.
As the closet door opened, Ashi recoiled with a thump against the back of the closet, a total distance of about six inches. Christ, it was bright out there. It took a few moments of blinking to focus on a very lovely woman staring down at him.
Though you couldn’t tell considering he was curled up on the floor in a blanket, Ashi wasn’t particularly tall. His black hair was cropped short but had gotten to that stage where he needed to have it cut again before it started to stick out and look fuzzy. His father was Thai and his mother Korean and his angular features were a blend of the two. He looked like he belonged in a K-pop band more than a Were pack.
“Aw, lovey, ye look a fright,” Clarisse said, kneeling down to regard the little bundle jammed into the back of the closet. Not bad, she thought, though his fear was obvious. She liked her men with backbone though, and whatever John had done to the poor guy had robbed him of whatever courage he might have possessed before last night. Oh well. Maybe once he was a little more acclimated to the place… “Ashi, is it? I’m Clarisse.”
“And I’m Jessica,” she piped from the doorway, giving a cheerful wave.
Clarisse smiled, gesturing for him to come out. “Come on, now, nobody’s about to hurt ye. We’ll get ye cleaned up a bit and introduce ye to the others.”
Ashi hesitantly stood up, keeping the blanket wrapped around himself