Chapter 25. The Real Monster

Riley POV

I couldn’t make words come out of my mouth anymore. They were stuck somewhere deep inside my chest, trapped by the fear that had taken control over everything.

Even after the lady left, even after she wasn’t looking at me with those eyes that seemed to see right through me, I couldn’t stop shaking in fear of what just happened.

The restaurant felt like it was closing up on me and I couldn’t breathe. People were still staring at our table, whispering to each other behind their hands watching me, as some looked like they were sympathizing while some looked amused with what they were seeing.

I wanted to disappear, to curl up into a ball so tiny that no one could see me anymore.

“Riley?” Xenois’s voice was soft now, it was different from when he was yelling at the pretty lady. “Hey, buddy, it’s okay. She’s gone now.”

I tried to nod, tried to show him that I heard him, and I was listening but my head felt too heavy to move.

Every