Obsession

Chapter 5

I didn’t go straight home. I didn’t know why, but I was reluctant to do so. My hands trembled on the steering wheel, which caused me to grip the thing like an old grandma way past acceptable driving age.

Who in the hell was this Hunter guy? Definitely not an officer within the Department of Defense, unless the organization traded suits for leather pants and buzz cuts for really soft-looking hair. And man, he did have nice hair.

Why was I thinking about his hair?

If Hunter didn’t work for the DOD, then who did he work for? And what happened to Homeland Security? Did those two groups work together? God, I was so confused I wanted to bang my head off the steering wheel. Like that would help.

No matter how convoluted my brain felt right now, my memories of Monday night were clear. I had seen a man who came out of nowhere, moved inhumanly fast—

faster than my eyes could track—and then radiated some kind of supercharged light that was strong enough to blow up a car and end my friend’s life. I felt crazy, probably just like Mel had felt after seeing Phillip turn into a…light bulb, but I knew what I saw.

After driving around aimlessly, I started back to my apartment as the fading afternoon sun beat down on the Boulder city roads.

The four-story apartment complex I lived in housed mostly middle-aged working-class tenants. Very few had kids, so the place was usually quiet. Sedate. Mel had always said it reminded her of one of those retirement apartment buildings. She kind of had a point.

Parking my car in its designated spot, I headed into the open hallway, taking the first metal staircase. Proud that I wasn’t looking over my shoulder every five seconds like a paranoid freak, I rounded the fourth floor and made a mental note that when I moved I was so getting an apartment on the first floor.

Carrying groceries in was a real bitch.

It helped to focus on those kind of mundane bitches as I started down the long, narrow hallway. Possibly the only way to maintain some sort of resemblance of normalcy was by thinking about insignificant things. That way, it didn’t feel like my life was crumbling apart like a pastry.

Stopping in front of the apartment door, I tipped my head as I put the key in the lock, causing my hair to slide forward into my face. I pushed it back, tucking the mass of tangled waves over my shoulder as I lifted my head, letting out a sigh.

Things would be okay. They had—

A sharp shiver shot across my shoulders. It was a feeling so strong that I couldn’t ignore it. It was menacing, heavy and dark. Choking. I was being watched again. As my door inched open, I looked over my shoulder, down the hall.

There he stood, the man— OH MY GOD! —the man from the parking garage. Not Hunter. The other one.

The man’s sandy-colored hair appeared lighter in the hallway. He looked harmless standing there, hands shoved into the pockets of his khakis, his polo shirt pressed and tucked into his pants. He was a walking—er, standing—and breathing ad for Sears’ menswear. The man caught my eye and smiled tightly.

A cold breath of fear trickled down my throat.

Moving quickly, I pushed the door the rest of the way open and locked it behind me as I reached into my purse, digging around for my cell phone. I needed to call the police and I needed to get the hell out of here. My fingers flew over the keypad—

A hand clamped down on my shoulder, spinning me around. I shrieked as my bag slipped from my arm, hitting the carpeted floor.

I was face to face with the man from the hallway. My brain couldn’t process anything for a second because it was impossible that he was in my apartment. I’d seen him at the end of the hall. No one could move that fast. No one human.

He’s not human.

The man’s arm snaked out, knocking the cell phone out of my hand. It hit the nearby wall with enough force that it punched a hole into the plaster and shattered.

“Sorry,” the man said. “Can’t have you calling the police.”

Panic poured into me as I backed up, hitting the tiny bar/island of my kitchen counter. “What…what do you want?”

The same strange, tight smile never faded from his face. “I think that’s obvious by now.”

It was. Every part of me recognized that this was a life-or-death situation. It didn’t matter how this man had gotten into my apartment so quickly, only that he was here to kill. And I knew why—because of Mel, and because of what I’d seen in the garage.

My muscles locked up as adrenaline pumped through my veins. Instinct took over.

Hell no, I wasn’t going to die in this crappy apartment. Screw. That.

I reached behind me blindly, fingers hitting the edge of a four-slot toaster. Not the best weapon, but it would have to do. I tore it from the wall and launched it at the assailant. Not a girlie throw, either. I played softball all through high school and even coached a rec league a few years in college.

That kind of throw would do some damage.

Except the toaster…it didn’t hit the man. It…it stopped in midair, frozen there as if someone pushed pause on time.

My breath punched out of my lungs. “Holy shit.”

“Throwing isn’t nice.” He waved his hand to the side, and the toaster bounced off the wall harmlessly.

I shot away from the counter, grabbing the base of a thick lamp. I swung it like a bat. Crying out, I felt it ripped from my hands by some unseen force. It hit the couch.

No. No. No. What was this thing? Pressure clamped down on my chest as I darted into the kitchen, going for the baseball bat that had been propped against the kitchen counter for years.

The man appeared in front of me, grinning now, as if he enjoyed this. I skidded to a halt. Backing up, I was gripped in mounting terror.

“Fighting is really pointless, Serena.” He prowled forward, each step slow and precise. The fact that he knew my name wasn’t surprising. “But it is entertaining.”

I spun toward the door, knowing that getting outside was my only hope of survival.

He appeared before me, blocking the exit. The outline of his body blurred and flickered, like he was moving so fast that even his body couldn’t keep up with him.

I stumbled back, eyes wide. Horrified, I watched the man’s eyes dilate and his pupils turn white, shining like cut, polished diamonds.

“This isn’t personal, babe,” he said, his voice so casual it was like he was asking me directions. “More like wrong friend, wrong place and time.”

I opened my mouth to scream like holy hell, but the man was suddenly right in front of me. His hand clamped down on my throat, cutting off my cry. He lifted me off my feet and shoved me backward. My head cracked off the wall. Starbursts exploded across my vision. His fingers dug into the flesh of my neck, pressing into my windpipe.

I went wild.

Clawing at the hand around my throat, I kicked out and thrashed, but he was unnaturally strong. I couldn’t get my fingers between his and my skin. The kicks didn’t seem to faze him as he dispassionately watched me struggle. Pain splintered the back of my head, spreading to become an unholy burn in my throat as I gulped at air, but I couldn’t drag any in. My movements slowed as I smacked at his hands, refusing to give up, to go down like this.

He leaned in, pressing his forehead against mine. “It will be easier if you stop struggling,” he murmured. “Just let go. It’ll be over sooner that way.”

I begged with my eyes, pleaded really, but the man—this thing—shook his head slowly, clucking his tongue. He was playing with me. Considering what he was capable of, he could just incinerate me or snap my neck, but he was dragging this out.

My vision was dimming at the corners, an unrelenting, terrifying darkness encroaching. I knew if I succumbed there was no coming back. In a last-ditch effort, I swiped out with my hand, clawing at the assailant’s eyes.

He dodged the attack easily and laughed— HE LAUGHED . I believed in that moment it would be the last thing I ever heard—that cold, unflinching laugh.

Except it wasn’t the last thing I heard.

A loud pop reverberated through the apartment, making my attacker whip his head to the side. Over his shoulder, I saw a fissure slice down the middle of the glass door of the soapbox-sized balcony. The crack spread like a spiderweb, reaching every corner of the door. Beyond the glass, on the balcony was a shadow so dark it seemed to eclipse the sun.

The glass shattered, falling to the floor like tinkling wind chimes, and the shadow drifted inside the apartment. Frost— mother-freaking frost—spread along the kitchen walls, a thin, icy coating.

The man let go of me. Hitting the floor on my knees, I doubled over, dragging air into my bruised throat.

“Arum,” said the man.

I rolled onto my haunches, lifting my head as my lungs worked overtime to replenish the deprived cells. What I saw… oh God…it had to be a hallucination.

The shadow rushed the attacker, solidifying as it flew through my kitchen. It slammed into the guy with the force of a freight train, knocking him over the couch.

Scrabbling back against the wall, I lifted my gaze.

A cyclone of shadows swirled in place, revealing a form underneath with each vicious turn. Loose papers flew into the air. The curtains covering the windows billowed. Cheap pictures rattled on the walls. Underneath the black cloud, two legs, a torso, arms, and broad shoulders formed. Everything in the room stopped. Papers fluttered to the floor like doves. Curtains drifted back to the windows. The shadowy cyclone stilled, revealing a man.

My gasp shattered the silence.

Hunter stood where the shadow had been, a tall and imposing force. And he was smiling, a deadly smirk that said he welcomed a fight that he knew he would win.

The other man was on his feet, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. The golden complexion of my attacker was now a ghastly white. Terror filled those diamond-colored eyes.

“You really want to do this?” Hunter’s deep, smooth voice rolled like thunder.

The man’s lips pulled back in a snarl, and I almost expected to see fangs protruding from his mouth. There weren’t any, but then the man flew at Hunter, his form blurring around the edges. His whole form flickered in and out like an old TV station losing reception.

Bright light flooded the room—it came from the man. He was still there, but…but he was made of light. A solid, humanoid form made of light.

Just like Mel had said, I thought dumbly. Like a walking, fucking light bulb.

Light Bulb reared his arm back. Whitish-red light crackled and spit into the air, spinning down his arm. I recognized the same action from the parking garage and I stopped thinking. Lurching to my feet, I grabbed the bat.

Everything happened so fast.

I flung the bat at Light Bulb with all my strength. It shot through the air like a dagger, flipping over and over.

Light Bulb’s head whipped in my direction.

Hunter cursed.

Light Bulb lifted a hand, catching the bat, handle first. The metal smoked and then collapsed into itself, incinerating into ash.

“Shit,” I said, taking a step back.

He waved his hand, and I was off my feet before I could blink. I sailed backward like a rag doll, smacking into the wall. Pain sliced through me. I hit the floor, unable to break my fall.

I heard the two of them crashing into each other as oblivion washed over me. I fought to stay conscious, knowing that if Light Bulb could blow up cars, incinerate bats, and fling me across the room without touching me, there was a good chance Hunter would fall to him.

An image flashed among the disjointed thoughts that were colliding in my brain—

my mom. I didn’t know why I saw her. Maybe it was because I had always thought of her as being the strongest person I’d known. Mom had hung on to life after the robbery. She was a hell of a fighter.

I held on to that image of her as my fingers dug into the carpet. Aching deep in my bones, I pulled myself up, hurting all over.

Light Bulb and Hunter were still fighting, the latter delivering blows so fast that Light Bulb had a hard enough time just staying on his feet. They went at each other in a macabre dance; Light Bulb’s light blinding while Hunter, still looking like Hunter, casting deep, unforgiving shadows.

Spinning around, Hunter caught Light Bulb by the back of the neck and flipped him over his shoulder, pile driving him into the floor. Hunter was astride Light Bulb within a heartbeat.

Under him, Light Bulb’s form flickered and then the light faded, revealing the man.

“Do it, you leech. But you can’t—” Hunter gripped the man by the throat, forcing his head back. “I’m not interested in last speeches. Time to kiss your ass good-bye, Lite-Brite.”

Then Hunter lowered his other hand to Glow Stick’s chest. From my huddled position, it looked like half of Hunter’s arm had suddenly turned to smoke and then disappeared, but then, as I pushed up into a sitting position, I saw what Hunter had done.

His arm had become less solid, and the hand— HOLY SHIT —the hand went through Glow Stick’s chest and was inside it.

I smacked my hand across my mouth, muffling my scream. I wasn’t sure what to be more freaked out about in this whole fucked-up situation—that Light Bulb wanted to kill me? Or that he was a Light Bulb? Or that Hunter could apparently shadow poof and put his hand inside someone? The options were limitless.

Light Bulb reared off the floor, his mouth gaping in a silent scream. Hunter leaned over him, keeping his head in line with Light Bulb’s. It seemed like he was inhaling.

Whatever he was doing had Light Bulb flickering in and out. Human. Light. Human.

Light.

And then Hunter reared back, pulling his arm out of Light Bulb. Fully solid, his arms fell to his side. The hollows of his cheeks were flushed as if he’d been sun-kissed. Hunter opened his eyes.

I let out a ragged breath, pressing against the wall. If he could do that to Light Bulb, what in the hell could he do to me?

On the floor, Light Bulb wasn’t moving. The light had faded, leaving a pearly shell that had human form but reminded me of jellyfish. Networks of veins were visible on the arms and legs. Light Bulb even had fingers.

Light Bulb was also most definitely dead.

Hunter rose fluidly, his pale eyes fixed on mine. Yep. He was inhuman. That might have been the exact moment when I decided I’d blown past the acceptable level of bizarreness for the day, but I was there, knee-deep in it.

He stepped around the body of Light Bulb and stopped in front of me. “I do believe I told you to go straight home, Miss Cross.”

I struggled to my feet, swaying to the side as I inched away. Every part of me ached and it hurt to stand. “Don’t come near me.”

One single brow went up. “Wasn’t planning on it, but I at least thought there’d be a

‘thank you for saving my life’ statement thrown in.”

“You’re not human,” I said slowly.

“And that obviously has nothing to do with the fact I saved your life,” he replied.

Maybe not, but I was beyond caring. There was a dead… something on my floor and a whatever standing in front of me. “Thank you, but please—”

“That didn’t sound sincere, but it doesn’t matter. We—” He had taken a step toward me, and I shrieked, “Don’t touch me!”

Hunter exhaled loudly. “We really don’t have time for this.”

All I could see was his hand disappearing into Light Bulb’s chest. Pressure clamped down on my heart as I continued to make my way toward the hallway. “You’re not human,” I mumbled again, because I needed to hear it to process it.

He closed his eyes, face tight with impatience; and when his eyes reopened, the obsidian pupils seemed to expand. “I’m pretty sure we’ve covered that.”

My chest rose and fell rapidly. “What…what are you?” My gaze dropped to the other thing. “What is that?”

There was a pause, and then he nodded at the prone form on the floor. “That’s an alien. I’m an alien. We’re aliens. Aliens everywhere, actually, which is why we have to leave. I’m sure someone has called the police by now.”

I stared at him. “Aliens?”

Hunter nodded. “Aliens.”

My mouth opened and I was pretty sure I was going to scream, because at that moment, it seemed like the only logical thing to do. Scream. Why not? There were aliens everywhere apparently.

Hunter shot forward, gripping my shoulders. “I really don’t have time for this. We don’t have time for this.”

He tugged me against his chest and lowered his head, angling it in a way that his mouth lined with mine. For a wild second, I thought he was going to kiss me. The funny thing was what flashed through my mind in that moment was that I didn’t know him. Not that I was about to be kissed by an alien—or a murderous alien. The problem was that I didn’t know him. Yeah, I was officially cracked.

Hunter’s lips didn’t touch mine, but it almost felt like they did. I could feel their coolness, and in the back of my mind I wondered how they would feel and taste. And then, his mouth was on mine. His lips were cool and firm. My startled gasp opened my mouth to his. He tasted like winter snow and something dark and rich, like chocolate. But he wasn’t kissing me.

Hunter inhaled.