Chapter 5

When she woke in the morning, it felt like her brain was pounding against her skull to get out. 

 Groaning, she rubbed her eyes and sat up. 

 “Man, I had some weird dreams last night,” she muttered. 

 She tried to remember them, but they disappeared like smoke in the wind as she reached for them. 

 Shrugging, she got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. 

 She saw her dress in the sink and the bloody jacket on the floor and said, “So, it really did happen.”

 Her eyes grew wide, and she looked at herself in the mirror, pulling off her pajama top. The bandage looked clean, so she peeled it off the wound and gasped. 

 The skin didn’t have a mark on it!

 “What the hell?” she whispered as she looked at her shoulder. “I know I didn’t dream what happened!”

 Leaning closer to the mirror, she saw two faint red marks on her shoulder where the wound had been. 

 “So, the wound was there,” she said, probing the spot with her fingers. “How in the hell did it heal so fast?”

 After staring at it for a few more seconds, she shook her head and looked down at the sink. The water had a light pink hue from the blood. 

 Wrinkling her nose, she let the water out and rinsed off the dress. After wringing out the water, she held it up to inspect it. 

 “Looks like the stain came out,” she said. 

 She draped it over a towel on the shower curtain rod to dry and got ready for work. 

 “What is Arec going to say about our running into one another at the restaurant last night?” she muttered as she put her makeup on. “Is it going to make things weird?”

 Pausing, she looked at her reflection before adding, “I hope it doesn’t make things weird.”

 She grabbed her coffee and a bagel to eat as she drove and headed for the door. As she opened it, she froze. 

 “What if that thing is out there?” she whispered. 

 Shaking her head, she muttered, “There’s no way it would be. I mean, it would have to have followed me, and I didn’t see anything behind me when I came home.”

 She stepped out, looking around as she did. Nothing out of the ordinary was there. 

 Walking to her car, she kept scanning the area and didn’t take a deep breath until she was safely in her car with the doors locked. 

 Driving to work, she shook her head at her thoughts and ate her bagel. 

 When she walked into the building, she saw Sabrina sitting at her desk. The other woman glanced at her before looking back at her computer screen without saying a word. 

 Eve sniffed and rolled her eyes as she walked past the desk. 

 She made her way to Arec’s office without getting lost and grinned as she walked in the door. 

 “Happy to be at work?” 

 She gasped and turned to see Arec leaning against the doorframe to his office. He grinned at her as he lifted his mug of coffee in her direction. 

 Her smile faded, and she felt her face warm. 

 “I, uh, was just happy I made it here without getting lost,” she told him, looking at the carpet. 

 Chuckling, he said, “I remember my first day here trying to find this office. I must have taken at least ten wrong turns before realizing I’d walked by it at least nine times as I searched for it.”

 Eve glanced up at him as she giggled. She saw his smile soften as he looked at her. 

 Setting her purse down on her desk, she asked, “So, what’s on the agenda today, Mr. Lyons?”

 He glanced at the clock and shook his head. 

 “It’s not nine yet, Eve,” he told her. “You don’t have to call me Mr. Lyons until then. Arec will be fine.”

 “Okay, Arec,” she said, glancing at him once more before looking back at her desk. 

 After a moment of silence, he said, “I was surprised to see you at the restaurant last night.”

 Looking at him, she nodded and said, “So was I.”

 “I wasn’t aware that too many people were aware of that restaurant,” he said. “It’s kind of off the beaten path.”

 She laughed and said, “Linda and I have been going there for years after we discovered it one day. It’s our favorite place.”

 He nodded and said, “The food there is so good, I’m not surprised. I’m just surprised I’d never noticed you before last night.”

 She laughed and shrugged, saying, “Maybe we’ve run into one another there before but just didn’t remember it.”

 He said in a low voice while staring at her, “I’m sure I’d remember meeting you before.”

 Before she could respond, someone knocked on the door, breaking the spell between them. 

 The door opened, and they turned to see Sabrina standing in the doorway, holding a file in her hand. 

 “Excuse me, Mr. Lyons?” she said after staring at them for a moment. “I have a paper that needs your signature.”

 Arec glanced at the clock and sighed. 

 “And the work day begins,” he said, waving her over. 

 Eve hurried to her desk, not looking at them. She could feel Sabrina’s eyes on her but refused to return the stare. 

 Once Sabrina left, Arec went into his office and left Eve to her work.

 At the end of the day, Eve heaved a huge sigh as she shut down her computer. 

 “Hard day?” 

 She jumped and turned around to see Arec leaning against the doorframe to his office. 

 She chuckled and shook her head. 

 “I just didn’t get enough sleep last night,” she told him. 

 She thought she saw anger cross his face, but it was gone before she could be sure. 

 “How late were you two out last night, if you don’t mind me asking?” he asked. 

 She smiled at him and said, “We weren’t out that late.”

 Pausing, she tilted her head and added, “Unless you count being kicked out by the staff because they were trying to close as late.”

 She chuckled, and he joined in.

 “Yeah, I can see how that would make for a short night,” he told her. 

 She bit her lip, wanting to say something about the attack but knowing he’d probably not believe her. 

 “Is everything okay?” he asked with a concerned look. 

 She looked at him with wide eyes before nodding. 

 “Did something happen after you left the restaurant?” he asked, straightening from the doorframe and walking toward her. 

 She shook her head, then nodded. 

 “I’m not sure,” she blurted out before she could stop herself. “I think something happened, but I’m not sure.”

 Reaching her desk, he kneeled beside her chair. She could feel the warmth emanating from his body and felt a corresponding warmth from her body reaching out for him. 

 She stared into his eyes, held by his gaze. 

 “What happened?” he asked in a gentle voice. 

 She opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t make the words form. Her throat felt parched. 

 Tearing her gaze from his, she reached for her water bottle and took a sip.

 He watched her with a slight frown. 

 “You okay?’ he asked with concern.

 She nodded and said, “You’re going to think I’m going crazy when I tell you this, but I feel like I can trust you for some reason.”

 She hesitated before blurting out, “I think I saw a werewolf last night!”