Page 52 of Darkness Defined

“Yeah, maybe,” I echoed, though my heart wasn’t in it.

“Where are you all going?”

I shrugged. “Some place in town.”

“Well, I hope you have fun. You’ll have to tell me all about it.” He stepped to the side into an adjoining hallway. “Well, this is me. I have some prep work to take care of before the group tutoring tonight. I’ll catch up with you later.” He waved and turned away before I could say anything. Past him, Rubio stepped out of a classroom and greeted Alex with a huge smile.

Irritation prickled the back of my neck while I squeezed the straps of my backpack within an inch of their life. I spun sharply on my heel and stalked out of the building. Looked like I’d be grabbing dinner on my own tonight.

Seven o’clock rolled around, and I wandered over to the benches where Lucas was already waiting. His eyes caught the setting sun and flashed yellow.

“Hey, you made it. We’re still waiting for Sam. I’m convinced that guy couldn’t be on time if he was an actual clock.” Lucas chuckled.

I shoved my hands in my pockets and leaned against a nearby tree. “How long have you two known each other?”

“A year or so. Met in Language Studies our first year and sort of hit it off. This your first semester at Arminius?”

I leaned my head back and gave him a crooked grin. “What gave it away?”

“Nothing. Just a guess. I heard a lot of the Shadow Demons had no idea what they were. Made sense.”

I appreciated the way Lucas had a way of asking questions without it feeling like he was prying. “I’d never even heard of this place until Vera scooped me up.”

Lucas let out a low whistle. “Damn. For real? She as scary as everyone says?”

“Not by half.” Lucas’s eyebrows shot up, and I reconsidered my answer. “Well, not as a person, anyway. Demon-wise, she’s kind of terrifying, but if you tell anyone I said that, I’ll deny it.”

He crossed his heart and grinned. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

“What secret?” Sam asked as he popped up out of nowhere. For all I knew, he had.

Lucas tilted his head in my direction. “Just that Matt’s new to the whole supes thing.”

“That has got to be wild, man. I don’t envy you. So glad I had a coven looking out for me. Right,” Sam clapped his hands together, “what do you say we get this show on the road? I’ve got a pretty brunette waiting for me.”

Lucas snickered and leaned over to whisper. “In his dreams.”

I smothered a laugh as Sam spun around and eyeballed us. “Lead the way.”

A twenty-minute walk later, we approached what could have been a condemned building if it wasn’t for the flashing neon sign that said “Open”. Trusting that my new friends weren’t taking me somewhere to off me, I followed them inside. Luckily, the inside bore little resemblance to the crumbling exterior.

An oval bar sat in the middle of the large space, surrounded by bar-height tables and stools. On either side was an array of pool tables bustling with people. A quick count brought me maybe a dozen total. At the back of the joint was an assortment of vintage pinball machines and dartboards. Overall, I had to say; I was impressed.

“What do you think?” Sam asked over the ambient noise.

I swept the space once more, noting that all the patrons at least appeared human. “Not bad.”

Beside us, Lucas took out his wallet to pay the host the cover, and I reached for the cash I’d shoved in mine earlier. He noticed the move and waved me off. “This one’s on me. That way, if Sam chases you off, the night’s not a total loss.”

“Hey!” Sam shouted in outrage. “Why am I the one who’s running him off? I’m not the one that smells like wet dog.”

Lucas snorted as the host gave him his change and pointed at a table that had just opened up. “You sure about that? Because that new cologne you’re so proud of is fucking awful.”

“It is not.” Despite his statement, Sam still pulled up his shirt and took a sniff. He frowned and turned to me. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s weird you’re asking me to smell you.”

Sam’s mouth fell open, and Lucas guffawed loud enough to grab a few people’s attention. “Oh, I like you. You can stay.” Lucas slung an arm around my shoulder and guided us to the table while Sam slunk off with a pout to secure three cue sticks.