Chapter 23

The eyes he met weren’t the friendly blue from inside the bar. These were the blackest obsidian, glittering like polished jewels from between folds of decaying flesh. The lipless mouth curled into a mockery of a smile, baring dozens of barbed teeth like chiseled ice in its maw. It had the shape of a man, but with gnarled claws instead of hands and clubbed stumps instead of feet.

“Are you okay?” The thing spoke with John’s voice. “If he’s hurting you, I can call the police.”

“No,” Calvin croaked. He stared at the creature’s claw. That had been touching him. He hadn’t pushed it away. He’d even agreed to leave the hotel with the man. What the hell had he been thinking? Swallowing, he forced himself to add, “I think you better go.”

The thing that had been John licked its mouth. “He can come along, if you want. He’s even better looking than your picture.”