Evelyn's POV
I hated the way Luke Vale looked at me.
Not because he was handsome.
Although he absolutely was.
Not because he was mysterious.
Because every urban fantasy novel apparently required one annoyingly attractive man who knew more than everyone else.
No.
I hated the way he looked at me because it felt like he knew something.
Something he shouldn't know.
The rain continued falling as our eyes met across the street.
For a second, the city seemed to disappear.
The passing cars.
The flashing lights.
The investigators moving behind me.
Everything faded.
There was only Luke.
And that smile.
Then he turned and walked away.
Just like that.
Gone.
"What the hell was that?" I muttered.
"Director?"
I jumped.
One of the investigators looked at me strangely.
"Are we going in?"
Right.
The haunted building.
The demon case.
The thing that could actually kill me.
Somehow that felt less terrifying than Luke Vale.
I adjusted my coat and nodded.
"Let's move."
---
The building smelled wrong.
Not rotten.
Not moldy.
Wrong.
The moment I crossed the entrance, a cold sensation crawled across my skin.
My stomach tightened.
Even though I had never hunted demons before, every instinct screamed danger.
The lobby was covered in dust.
Broken furniture lay scattered everywhere.
Dark stains covered parts of the walls.
The flashlights barely pierced the darkness.
A younger investigator swallowed nervously.
"People really lived here?"
"Years ago," another replied.
"Before the disappearances."
The silence felt heavy.
Like something was listening.
Waiting.
I suddenly remembered something important.
I wasn't reading the novel anymore.
I wasn't sitting safely in my apartment.
If a demon attacked me—
I could actually die.
Again.
Wonderful.
My second life was going great.
---
The first floor revealed nothing.
The second floor revealed nothing.
By the time we reached the fourth floor, everyone's nerves were stretched thin.
Then someone screamed.
A flashlight crashed onto the floor.
I spun around.
"What happened?"
The investigator pointed toward the end of the hallway.
His face was pale.
"There."
Everyone aimed their lights.
At first I saw nothing.
Then I noticed it.
A figure.
Standing motionless.
A woman.
Long black hair.
White dress.
Head lowered.
Every horror movie cliché imaginable.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
The figure slowly raised her head.
Her eyes were completely black.
The lights flickered.
The temperature dropped instantly.
And every investigator took a step backward.
Including me.
Especially me.
Because unlike them—
I had absolutely no idea how to fight ghosts.
The woman smiled.
Her jaw opened.
And opened.
And opened.
Far beyond human limits.
"Nope."
I immediately stepped back.
"Absolutely not."
The ghost lunged.
People shouted.
Equipment crashed.
The hallway exploded into chaos.
Then—
A gunshot echoed.
The ghost froze.
A silver bullet pierced its forehead.
Blue flames erupted.
The creature shrieked.
Seconds later it vanished.
Silence.
Everyone stared.
Including me.
Because I definitely hadn't fired.
At the opposite end of the hallway stood a familiar figure.
Black coat.
Dark eyes.
Annoying smile.
Luke Vale.
Of course.
Of course he was here.
"You're welcome," he said.
---
Ten minutes later I was trying very hard not to strangle him.
"What are you doing here?"
Luke leaned casually against the wall.
"I could ask you the same thing."
"I'm investigating."
"So am I."
"You're not with the Bureau."
"No."
His smile widened.
"I'm freelance."
That sounded suspicious.
Everything about him sounded suspicious.
I crossed my arms.
"Who hired you?"
Luke looked directly into my eyes.
For one brief moment his expression changed.
The teasing vanished.
Something darker appeared.
Something ancient.
Then it disappeared again.
"Nobody."
That answer somehow made me even more uncomfortable.
---
Three hours later we reached the top floor.
According to the reports, every disappearance originated here.
The door opened slowly.
The room beyond was enormous.
And completely covered in symbols.
My heart stopped.
The walls.
The floor.
The ceiling.
Thousands of symbols.
All painted in dark red.
"What is this?" someone whispered.
Nobody answered.
Even Luke looked serious.
That wasn't a good sign.
In the center of the room sat a single chair.
And someone was sitting in it.
A man.
Motionless.
His skin was grey.
His eyes were closed.
Dead.
Very dead.
The air felt heavier with every second.
Then the corpse opened its eyes.
Several investigators screamed.
The dead man smiled.
And every symbol in the room began glowing.
---
The next few minutes were a blur.
Darkness exploded from the walls.
People were thrown across the room.
The floor cracked.
The building shook violently.
The corpse stood.
Something black emerged from its chest.
A creature.
Not human.
Not ghost.
Not demon.
Something in between.
Its body twisted unnaturally.
Its mouth stretched from ear to ear.
I couldn't move.
Fear rooted me to the spot.
The creature turned.
Its empty eyes fixed directly on me.
Why me?
There were so many people here.
Why me?
The thing smiled.
Then charged.
Fast.
Far too fast.
I was dead.
Again.
I was absolutely dead.
A shadow flashed between us.
The creature slammed into something.
Or rather—
Someone.
Luke.
The impact shattered nearby windows.
The floor cracked beneath his feet.
For the first time, the playful smile was gone.
He looked annoyed.
Very annoyed.
The creature hissed.
Luke sighed.
"You're making my night difficult."
Then he punched it.
The monster flew through three walls.
I stared.
Everyone stared.
Because normal humans couldn't do that.
Luke glanced over his shoulder.
Our eyes met.
And then he smiled again.
"Oh."
He looked entirely too pleased.
"I wasn't supposed to do that in front of people."
My jaw dropped.
"What are you?"
Luke laughed.
The sound echoed through the ruined building.
And for the first time—
I realized Luke Vale might be far more dangerous than the monster we came to hunt.
Luke's POV
She was fascinating.
The soul inside Rayen Morris wasn't the original.
I had been certain of that from the beginning.
Tonight confirmed it.
The real Rayen would never have looked so shocked.
Would never have looked so terrified.
Would never have stared at a ghost like she was reconsidering every life choice that brought her here.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
I watched her from across the room.
She didn't know how to hide herself yet.
She didn't know how obvious she was.
And she definitely didn't know what kind of world she had entered.
The creature was gone.
The investigators were busy.
Nobody paid attention to me.
Good.
Because my attention was entirely focused on one person.
Rayen Morris.
Or rather—
Whoever was pretending to be Rayen Morris.
I smiled.
This mystery had just become much more entertaining.
And I intended to uncover every one of her secrets.