Page 27 of Creep (Vulture Hollow MC #2)

I take a deep breath of the minty air as my hostess takes a sip of plain water. Perhaps she doesn’t want me to have a glimpse into her future, but I don’t begrudge her for it and take the warm cup in both hands, blowing into the steaming liquid.

Whether she just has good intuition, or more divine insight, I don’t know, but she’s reading me right.

“You must know him well.”

“I do, that’s why I’m so confident about some aspects of his personality.

No person is fully predictable, but I do know that he has a kind soul, even if it’s scarred by his past. As you can imagine, there is much I’m not at liberty to tell you, since I consider him a friend, but if you share why this crossroads feels especially daunting, I might be able to help. ”

The first touch of the tea burns my lips, but I blow more air on it, and the next sip is bearable.

I take my time with her question, because it makes me wonder.

Why does this choice feel so different? It’s not the first time I’ve moved cities or changed boyfriends.

“It’s been a while since I’ve actually had the time to make a choice, that my hand wasn’t forced.

But now that I look over all the options, it’s just more of a mess in my head—”

“Because no choice is perfect.” Brigid nods, and I swear she’s reading my mind.

“You strike me as the kind of person who lets their heart guide them, it’s a quality to nurture, not put out.

The way stars have aligned for you… you feel things deeply, and that can be frightening, as it has surely gotten you into hot water many times, but ask yourself: is a lukewarm life one that would be worth living for you?

I’m not trying to suggest things, only you can answer that question.

For some, a stable job, the guarantee of no heartache, and predictability in routines is a valid, happy path. ”

I have a big gulp of bitter tea so we can get to the dregs faster. “So why does it sound like death to me?”

Even Creep’s kink is something new and exciting to explore.

I might not like to admit it, but the fact that he disappeared into the unknown today is tickling my curiosity.

It’s probably how I ended up with so many bad boyfriends in the past. And Brigid is right.

My mind wants to make the right choice, but what if there are none that are perfect, and I’m stuck here, paralyzed by indecision?

“That’s your body telling you what your mind doesn’t want to accept yet.

” Brigid puts the violet crystal back into my palm.

“You should keep it close until I decide what to do with it. An amethyst of this size and shape will not only protect you, but also enhance your intuition. And you will need it.”

I take one more sip of tea and push the cup her way. “Brigid… I can’t just rely on intuition. I feel like I have insight, like I’m a smart guy, but when it comes to Creep, everything is so fuzzy, like there’s just too much mystery involved, and that’s… scary.”

“And yet, you must be drawn to mysteries, or you wouldn’t be here, you wouldn’t gaze at the stars, and you wouldn’t have held his hand.”

I’ve done much more than hold Creep’s hand, but she doesn’t need to know that.

He’s a killer! I want to scream, but even though I’m sure she already knows that, I can’t disclose secrets he’s shared with me. So I focus on the cup.

“Is there any… insight?”

She frowns, gaze on the dregs at the bottom of my cup. “You will have to choose your future much sooner than you’d like, maybe even sooner than you’re ready for, but no one will guide your hand. This might be uncomfortable, but knowing the choice was yours will eventually bring you peace.”

I groan and let emotions get the best of me as I drag my hands down my face. “Why does it have to be so cryptic? Anything else?”

Brigid smiles. “What you choose will be right .”

“That’s reassuring,” I laugh nervously, playing with the amethyst.

Wind chimes ring out from the empty corner, but when Brigid gets up to grab a phone off a side table, I realize that’s her ringtone.

I look out of the window as she reads her messages, then types.

I don’t even know when the golden light turned into dusk, but it only reminds me that Creep’s been gone for hours and I have no idea what he’s doing or if he’s safe.

Brigid frowns when she glances at me, but I don’t get a chance to ask what that’s about. Moments later, someone raps on the door, and Prophet walks in without waiting for an invitation. Brigid isn’t alarmed, so I’m guessing she was expecting him.

His face is red, and he’s still catching his breath, as if he’s a Viking who’d just finished storming a castle.

I stand up in alarm. “Is everything—”

Prophet raises his hand to stop me, taking in a few more deep breaths. Once he can speak, he looks me dead in the eyes, and it’s intimidating how incisive his gaze is. Like two jade daggers.

“Creep’s been arrested. And since you spent the day here, I was hoping you can give him an alibi?”

Oh, wow. Straight to the fucking point then. Guess the motherfucking universe is testing me sooner than I thought it would. I squeeze the amethyst, desperate for the insight I was promised.

I’m a deer in the headlights. Do I jump off the road or stay? And which choice is which in this useless metaphor for my life?

I don’t even know what he was arrested for, so how am I supposed to answer? What if it’s some really fucked-up shit?

Instead of outright answering, I try to get more information first. “Wh-what happened?”

Prophet shakes his head. “A clusterfuck, that’s what happened.

He was running from the cops, literally, right behind me, but his damn necklace caught on the wire when we were jumping a fence, and that absolute maniac went back to gather the pieces.

I told him to leave it, but he wouldn’t listen.

It made no sense for all of us to get arrested, so we left, but now he’s behind bars.

If we bring them an alibi, they’ll drop the charge. ”

It’s as if a guillotine blade has dropped on my neck, because my heart already knows what I’ll do. I’ll make this choice out of my own volition, because I know what necklace he stayed back for. The one he promised me to protect.

He got arrested because he stopped to gather all the pieces of my gift. He’s either that sweet, or that thoughtless. How could I possibly say no to him?

“Y-yeah, sure, I’ll provide the alibi.”

Thank you for the push, Universe. I guess.