Page 81 of (Mostly) Human Resources

Nic’s long strides easily brought him alongside her.

“Sounds like I’ll need to buy you coffee. I’m sure those double shot, sugary chai abominations are anything but cheap.” He snorted a laugh.

She tucked her hands into the sleeves of the too-big sweater, feeling ridiculously bashful given the circumstances.

“And how exactly do you know my coffee order?”

For the first time since she’d met him, Nic looked embarrassed. Color crept down from his ears before spreading down his neck.

“They write the order on the cup,” he said matter-of-factly. “You’vealwaysgot one.”

Alexys smiled, pleased to finally have one over him. “Uh huh.”

“We should, um …” He gestured toward the creek. “We’re losing light. We should keep going.”

“Should we?” She teased him. She was enjoying watching him squirm. “Are you sure you don’t want to keep discussing our new friendship status?” He rolled his eyes, but the blush didn’t fade. It was so deep, she was willing to bet his skin was hot to the touch. She was almost tempted to check.

“No, I don’t,” he grumbled.

“Are you sure,best boy friend?”

He huffed and finally looked at her. His attempted glare fell short and only made her smile broader. “Don’t we have an employee to recover?”

“Yes, of course we do,” Alexys said. “I can’t help that you’re cute when you’re embarrassed.”

She hadn’t thought it possible, but Nic’s blush actually intensified. He muttered something that sounded an awful lot like “insufferable” under his breath and increased his speed. It really …wascute.

She followed after him, suppressing a giggle. It was a nice respite, their flirting, this feeling. It’d distracted her from the inevitable: night was coming, and they were no closer to finding Elliot.

CHAPTER 42

“Should you encounter a Class C or higher:do not engage. Contact your Human Resources expert and give the necessary information to your assigned Reaper.”

Entity Employee Handbook: Warden Edition

As the last glow of sunlight vanished, they pulled out their flashlights.

The darkness was so thick it was oppressive, and with it, all remaining warmth had also vanished. Alexys felt the cold more than she wanted to admit. She clutched her flashlight a little tighter. It gave her a false sense of security. As if the thin yellow light might chase away anything lurking in the shadows beyond.

And if she had learned anything about these woods, there was always something lurking.

Every now and then, thin slivers of dull moonlight would slip between the dense canopy of trees and branches around them. It created little pockets of illuminated forest floor like blue stepping stones amidst the dark.

They continued to walk along the creek, just as Waylan instructed, following the gentle upward slope until they reached abend in the creek. It was at that point, hyper aware of every sound, every movement around them, that she began to wonder how long they should follow it.

How long would Elliot have walked? Would he have taken the path along the side of the mountain where Mill Creek turned, or would he have continued up toward the peak? He was still new to her team, and that made it even harder to predict what kind of decisions he would make.

“Sorry, I need a second.” Alexys paused at a large rock near the creek bend and sat down under the guise of needing water.

Nic checked his compass. “Where do you think he would have gone from this point?”

“I’m not sure.” She figured honesty was the safest option. Less blame to shoulder when they inevitably ended up as monster chow. “It’s a bit of a toss-up, really.”

He rubbed a hand over his stubble and hummed in agreement. He scanned the trees on the other of the creek with his flashlight.

“I’ve been keeping an eye out for any signs of human disturbance, but I’ve not seen anything yet. You?”

“Not yet,” Alexys said. Not that she’d been looking—she was too busy keeping her eyes peeled for an actual body (Elliot, or even Silas), or worse, the Hollow Walker. “Which direction do you think we should go?” Alexys asked.