My heart stutters. He’s not pretending to browse a phone. Not walking. Not waiting for someone. Just… standing there. Facing the bookstore. Facing me. Every instinct I have screams that this isn’t casual. This isn’t coincidence. This is deliberate. I swallow hard, forcing myself to stay where I am. To observe. To think. What do you do in this situation? Wave? Call out? Ignore him?
My fingers curl slightly against the glass. He doesn’t move. Doesn’t react. Doesn’t even seem to breathe. A chill creeps down my spine. This is wrong. I take a small step back. Still, his gaze feels locked onto me. Like he can see me clearly even through the dim light and reflections.
Like he’s studying me the same way?—
Archer studies everyone else. The thought hits me like a jolt. No. Not the same. Worse. There’s no protection in this gaze. No calculation meant to keep people safe. This feels?—
Predatory.
My pulse spikes. Okay. Nope. Not okay. I reach for my phone, debating whether I’m overreacting. It’s just a guy. People stand around. People look at buildings. People?—
The man shifts. Just slightly. But enough. Enough to confirm he’s not just lingering. He’s aware. Of me. Of the bookstore. Of everything. And then?—
He smiles. Not friendly. Not polite. Something sharp. Something knowing. Something that makes my stomach drop. I take another step back, my breath coming faster now.
“Okay,” I whisper. “Nope. Definitely nope.”
I glance at the door, suddenly hyper-aware of how alone I am. How exposed this place feels after hours. How much glass there is between me and the outside world. When I look back?—
He’s gone. Just?—
Gone. Like he was never there. I stare at the empty sidewalk, my heart still racing. Did he leave? Move? Hide? I scan the street, but there’s nothing. No movement. No trace. Just quiet. Too quiet. I exhale shakily, pressing a hand to my chest.
“You’re fine,” I tell myself. “It’s fine.”
But the words don’t land. Because something has shifted. The night doesn’t feel peaceful anymore. It feels?—
Watched.
I wonder if Archer wasn’t being overprotective. I wonder if he was right.
12
ARCHER
Ipick up his scent before I see him. Wrong. Sharp. Unfamiliar. Laced with something feral and restless that doesn’t belong anywhere near Redwood Crossing.
I move through the trees silently, the forest bending around me like it knows better than to betray my presence. He’s not even trying to hide. That’s what pisses me off most. Felix Navarro stands at the treeline, looking out over the town like he’s considering whether it’s worth burning down.
I step into the open. “You’re a long way from your territory.”
He turns slowly, a smile spreading across his face like he’s been expecting me.
“Archer Kade,” he drawls. “Still playing watchdog.”
“Leave,” I say flatly.
He chuckles. “No hello? No welcome? That’s not very neighborly.”
My patience snaps thin. “You’re not a neighbor. You’re a problem.”
His eyes gleam. “Funny. I was about to say the same thing about you.”
The air between us tightens, coiled and ready to snap.
I take a step forward. “You don’t get to scout this town. You don’t get to test its defenses. And you sure as hell don’t get to linger.”
Felix tilts his head. “Or what?”