Page 40 of The Legend of Lovers Hollow

“By Jove, who is this gorgeous Nubian beauty?” She nudges me so forcefully I almost trip over. “Ellis, ask her name.”

But before I can correct her use of language, a man comes in and sets down more bags and cases. He dusts snow from the beanie covering most of his jet-black hair and takes in the wreckage of the lobby and the various guests standing around. His piercing blue eyes sparkle with amusement.

“Did we miss a party?” he asks in a thick Scottish accent, which isn’t surprising considering he’s wearing a kilt beneath his black military-style coat. Knee-length socks cover most of his legs, and he’s wearing similar hiking boots to the woman.

“Aren’t your legs cold?” Martha pipes up from the back.

“Nah, this is nothin’. I’m Glaswegian, it’ll freeze your balls off up there. This is practically balmy.”

“Where’s the rest of the team?” Thad asks them.

“We’re here!” shouts out a woman’s voice with a north London twang.

Two more people come stalking in through the open doors, dumping more military-style duffle bags and cases. One is a striking woman with short teal hair that’s quaffed in front and shaved to the scalp on one side to reveal an intricate mandala tattoo. She also has more tattoos spilling down the side of her neck and disappearing into the collar of her coat. Beside her is a pretty young man with his dark brown hair tied up in a topknot and a neat goatee.

The five of them cluster together in various sexy poses as a wind blows through the open front door and whips their hair and clothes about. The effect is stunning.

“Holy cow, they’re gorgeous.” Haruto sighs reverently. “It’s like they don’t even realise they’re doing it. No wonder they have their own show.”

“Their own show?” Warren frowns.

“Well, online. YouTube, TikTok, Insta—they have a massive, and I meanmassive, social media presence. I heard they’re being offered a Netflix deal.”

Haruto looks to Thad hopefully, who neither confirms nor denies. Instead, he simply smiles and gives him a wink.

“You’re cute.” Thad tilts his head and studies him. “CosmoHaru7?”

Haruto looks like he’s going to expire on the spot. He’s practically vibrating with excitement. “Oh Em Gee! You know who I am?”

Thad’s mouth curves. “Loved the Demon Slayer cosplay you wore to Anime Con last year.”

“This is insane!” He lifts his phone and wiggles it. “Do you mind? For my Insta?”

“Sure,” Thad replies. Haruto taps his screen a few times and then lifts it up. “Hey there.” Thad smiles into the camera. “I’m Deuce Dalton, the Ghost Hunter, and I’m here at the Ashton-Drake Manor House Hotel in Yorkshire, England, with my team.”

They all crowd in close and wave and call out into the camera. “And my boy, CosmoHaru7.”

The woman with the teal hair breaks away, takes the phone, and shoves Haruto towards Thad, who slings his arm around the tiny pink-haired younger man. Haruto looks like he’s died and gone to heaven as Thad continues to speak. “We’re here to investigate the Legend of Lovers Hollow, so stay tuned, and don’t forget to hit follow on Cosmo.”

The teal-haired woman clicks end and hands the phone back to Haruto, who cradles it like it’s his first-born child.

“Thank you so much!”

“No worries,” Thad replies. “Anything for a fellow content creator.”

“Oh, please,” I hear Warren huff, and I just know he’s rolling his eyes. I wonder what his problem is with Thad, but before I can ponder it further, Thad starts speaking again.

“Let me introduce you to my team.” He points to the woman with the braids. “That’s Faiz, our sound tech, and beside her in the kilt is Kem, who’s on camera. They’re non-binary and go by they/them. Bez, our producer slash editor, is the one with the cool hair and tattoos. And last but not least, the looker with the topknot is Jules, my long-suffering assistant.”

“Yeah,” Jules snorts. “It’s been a real hardship.” Thad grins at him.

“Why do dey all have such cool dames?” Wally asks.

“Because we’re too lazy to use our full names,” Bez says easily.

Not realising Wally had joined us, I glance over to find him standing by the door to the bar. His voice is muffled from the ice pack he’s holding to his nose and he’s now sporting the beginnings of two very black eyes.

“What happened to you?” Bez asks.