Chapter 2 The Stranger at the Tavern

Chapter 2: The Stranger at the Tavern

Leah's POV

"Do you frequently enter areas where you don't belong?"

The voice was smooth and deep, but it had a keen edge that could pierce through the Blackwood Tavern's faint murmur.

I stopped just inside the doorway, feeling a cold crawl up my spine despite the fire's warmth. My eyes shot to the guy who was speaking, a shadowy figure seated at a corner table. Although he had a laid-back demeanor, his presence was everything but.

"Pardon me?" I answered in a defiant attempt to hide my discomfort.

He leaned forward, his face lit by the firelight, and murmured, "You heard me." I was held in place by his piercing, almost predatory, gray gaze. "Strangers don't just show up in this town for no apparent reason."

I squared my shoulders and added, "I have a reason." "Work."

Something that was not quite a grin flickered over the man's lips. "Work," he said again in a skeptical tone. "Moonshadow Manor, I suppose."

The chamber shook when the manor was brought up. Everyone appeared to look toward us as the conversations slowed down, but nobody said anything.

"What is it?" I asked, maintaining a steady tone.

He reclined in his chair and examined me as if I were a particularly fascinating riddle. "Just that most locals are aware that it is not a good idea to approach that location."

I said, "I'm not most people," even though his intense stare made my stomach turn.

"Obviously," he remarked in a tone that was both humorous and somber.

"Coffee?" The tension was broken by the bartender's harsh voice.

"Yes, please," I said, appreciating the diversion.

I felt the man's gaze on me as I slipped into a seat at the bar. With a reserved face, the bartender placed a hot cup in front of me.

"You intend to remain at the manor?" His voice was so low that only I could hear him inquire.

I put my hands around the cup to keep warm and nodded.

He looked to the fellow in the corner and murmured, "Be careful." "Outsiders are not always welcomed here."

I took a drink of the bitter coffee and mumbled, "Thanks for the warning."

The door cracked open once again, allowing a blast of chilly air to enter before I could collect my thoughts. As I turned, I saw the guy from the corner coming closer, his motions smooth and purposeful, like a predator encroaching on its victim.

He stopped a few steps away and remarked, "You didn't answer my question."

I forced myself to look him in the eye and said, "I didn't realize it required an answer."

His laughter was deep and menacing. "All OK. My name is Ethan.

I answered, "Leah," but I had a strong suspicion that he was already familiar with my name.

"Leah, what precisely are you working on at the manor?" His eyes were way too focused, yet his tone was easygoing as he inquired.

With purposeful ambiguity, I said, "Cataloging documents."

Ethan cocked his head, revealing his facial angles in the firelight. "It sounds pretty harmless."

"It is," I firmly said.

"I hope that's true for you." Unspoken meaning weighed heavily on his words as they hovered in the air.

The door exploded open once again before I could react, striking into the wall with such power that the windows shook. A guy staggered in, his eyes wide with terror and his face white.

"They're approaching," he said, holding against the doorframe for balance.

There was silence in the room. The bar was filled with a feeling of collective fear as every face turned to confront the stranger.

"Who is coming?" Ethan's voice was stern as he ordered.

After glancing around the room, the man's eyes finally fell on Ethan. He said, "The wolves." "They have returned."

A murmur of astonishment and horror echoed across the gathering.

Ethan calmly but firmly told the bartender, "Get him something to drink."

The guy took a drink of whiskey and slumped onto a chair by the fire, his hands shaking.

His voice was almost heard as he said, "They're in the woods." "I observed them. eyes that shine. observing me.

I looked at Ethan, but I couldn't read his face. He glanced at the bartender, who nodded a little grimly.

"What's happening?" My voice rose a little as I asked.

Ethan said in a tone that left no opportunity for debate, "This isn't your concern."

"Not a problem for me?" Incredulous, I repeated. "You can't count on me to overlook-"

He moved closer and said, "You don't understand." "You'll be safer the less you know."

Even though his remarks made me shudder, I didn't back down. "Shouldn't someone warn the others if it's dangerous?"

Ethan's mouth clenched. "Everyone here is aware of the situation outside."

A deep, eerie wail pierced the dense calm like a sword and reverberated through the night before I could go any more. It was near-too near.

The room stiffened, and I saw genuine terror in Ethan's eyes for the first time.

His voice was hardly audible above a whisper as he ordered, "Stay inside."

"How about you?" With my pulse pounding, I inquired.

Ethan remained silent. With his shoulders straightened and his motions deliberate, he went toward the entrance.

"Hold on!" He didn't stop even when I called after him.

I stood there with a thousand questions and no answers as the door slammed behind him.

A second howl rang across the atmosphere, and then there was a very human sound-a scream.

Chairs scraped as panicked voices raised, and the place exploded into turmoil.

I hurried to the window and looked into the darkness, my breath hazing the glass. Rain and shadows were all that was seen for a while.

Subsequently, I caught sight of them-figures navigating the trees, their bright eyes piercing the rain.

Ethan was in the center of it all, his outline highlighted by the lightning strikes.

He wasn't running, however.

He was evolving.