Days of Flesh & Bone: The Rift Chronicles by Nikita Cassidy

Author:Nikita Cassidy [Cassidy, Nikita]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-01-25T00:00:00+00:00

The bakery was slow, which was expected with the upcoming storm.

Only two customers—Amy and Mr. Motello—came by before lunch to get their usuals, and as the day progressed and my thoughts finally settled, I managed to convince myself that everything that Killian and I had spoken about on the way to The Sweetest Tooth wasn’t real.

There were no wolves who took on human form. No mysterious animals prowling in the woods. No Elders. No Ambassadors. No cleansing. And no Mark. Meaning no need to bond myself to a half canine just to keep the mysterious species reactionaries away from my brain.

At some point, I even felt peaceful.

And then a stranger walked in and my alarm bells went off in my head like a siren at a firehouse.

The man was tall and lean and wore a long coat, the kind that screamed Victorian or I guess something along those lines. He wore laced-up boots and his facial hair had been neatly trimmed, and at the first glance, there was absolutely nothing wrong with him, but all my senses spiked anyway.

He ordered a large coffee, paid in cash, and then left without saying goodbye.

“Do you know that customer?” I asked Jasmin, who was standing in front of a shelf with a clipboard, doing inventory.

“Never saw him,” she confessed. “Don’t think he’s from around here.”

“But there are no ferries going back to the island.”

“Perhaps he’s staying with relatives,” my aunt said thoughtfully. “I know the Lepleys keep to themselves, but they have family on the mainland.”

I didn’t understand how the older Hamilton always had a rational explanation for every single thing I deemed strange, but trying to argue with her would probably not earn me extra points, so, instead, I just nodded and went on with my chores. However, as the time continued to tick by, I began to feel less and less certain in my abilities to protect myself.

If there were other…creatures like the one Killian killed or even someone like him but who wanted me gone, I would lose that battle in a heartbeat.

And I suppose after the confession Killian had sprung on me earlier, I really shouldn’t have been surprised to see his truck pull up to The Sweetest Tooth as soon as Jasmin and I started to close up that afternoon. But still, a part of me was overfilled with dumb joy when I spied his hooded silhouette through the glass entrance of the bakery.

Jacket tightly zipped up, he rounded the vehicle and yanked the passenger door open, waving at me, then looking left and right as if to watch for trouble like a bodyguard.

“Ah,” Jasmin exclaimed at the sight of Killian outside. “Seems Mona changed her mind. Good for you, sweetie.” My aunt smiled victoriously as though she’d just won some kind of personal vendetta against Mona Merryweather. “Off you go.” She shooed me away, telling me not to make Killian wait in the rain and stating she didn’t need help to lock up.

“Are you sure you’ll be

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