Shadow of Doubt: Part 2 by W.J. May Read Free Book Online Page B

meeting
tonight which might run a bit late. I’ll book a flight today as
well. I’ll call you around midnight, so don’t forget to turn your
cell on.
    Hearts, Aurora.
Xoxoxo
    Relief flooded through his body. He
thought again about his waking and wondered if it had been some
sort of premonition to something happening tonight. What if Nanny
got to Aurora or what if she went to the Night Council? If she
approached them with concerns Erebus might be in a relationship or
worse, telling a human the truth about himself, she’d create more
problems. The Night Council wouldn’t touch Aurora without proper
proof, but they’d trail him and find out whatever they needed about
her. They might go after Coty or Janus, and putting them in the
line of fire wasn’t a safe thing, either.
    Erebus needed to find Janus before
Nanny did. He couldn’t wait till tomorrow night’s meeting. He
stuffed the note into the back pocket of his blue jeans.
    He stepped out of the booth and rubbed
his face with both hands. Brushing his fingers through his hair, he
let his hands rest on the back of his head as he tried to think of
a way to find Janus. He had no idea what Janus did during the week,
so he didn’t even know where to begin to look. He could approach
one of the Night Council and see if they had the means to contact
Janus, but that would just arouse their suspicion. He didn’t need
any sort of attention at the moment.
    Standing in the dark wasn’t going to
give him any answers, either. He went around the living room and
switched on a few lights. He made his way into the kitchen and
flipped the switch by the counter. He measured out six cups into
his new coffeemaker. As the coffee brewed and delicious aromas
filled the air, he thought about asking Coty if he could help him
find Janus tonight.
    A loud pounding on the door made him
almost drop the mug he’d just grabbed from the cupboard. With
trembling hands, he set it on the marble counter and waited to see
if the door-banger would give up and leave. The hammering
continued, louder and harder this time. Insistent.
    Erebus watched the percolating coffee
for a moment, wishing the dripping noise would drown out the
knocking and make it disappear. Taking a deep breath, he slowly
stepped out of the kitchen and forced himself to go to the door.
Terror filled his body.

Chapter 5
    Worse than a
Nightmare
     
    He wanted to hide. It seemed a much
better idea than opening the door to what might be hidden behind
it. A Shadow stood behind the door. Erebus knew it wasn’t Coty. He
would’ve shouted or pounded with more erratic consistency. That
left only Shadows he would be happy to never see again. Whoever it
was, he needed to open the door before they literally broke it
down.
    Spreading his feet shoulder-width
apart, he rested one hand against the wall beside the door, as if
to brace for the worst, and turned the knob. He pulled the door
slightly open. With his gaze downcast, large men’s dress shoes
shifting impatiently crossed his line of vision. His first thought
was of the scarred guard that evening a few months back at the
Night Council. He closed his eyes as he exhaled a long breath and
opened the door a bit more.
    “Erebus? Finally! I’ve been knocking
for about five minutes.”
    The familiar voice almost made Erebus
burst out laughing with relief. He opened the door fully and spread
his arm wide to let the man into the room. “Janus! I’m happy you’re
here. I’ve been trying to figure out how to get a hold of you. I
didn’t think I’d survive waiting until tomorrow.” He heard his
voice, emotional, too gushing.
    “I had a feeling you’d want to see
me.”
    “You won’t believe –” He began closing
the door and turned to face Janus, who was now leaning against the
back of the couch, his eyebrows drawn close together, and his lips
in a thin line. Erebus paused, unsure by Janus’ serious posture and
worried expression. He didn’t even realize at first that something
was