I self-consciously grabbed my bag and left the fondue restaurant. The distance back to campus wasn’t too far, maybe seven blocks, and the night was that perfect temperature that only occurs in the summer. I was glad I was alone. My dates had a tendency to end poorly, and I needed time alone to gather myself before I had to face Leanne and Oliver, who undoubtedly would want the scoop.
Damn siren genes. I bet they were responsible for my tendency to attract men and then rip them apart.
I turned onto the cobbled street that led to the campus grounds. A short distance away I could make out the remains of the Viking castle. From here Peel Castle was only a decayed, hollow shell. I now knew it was meant to trick the eye.
A thick fog rolled in from the ocean, and the blissful summer evening almost immediately transformed into a misty, cold one. I pulled my coat closer to me. The wet chill of the island seeped through my jacket surprisingly quickly.
The evening fog rushed inland from the ocean, gliding across the beach and over the small stone wall that separated it from the coastal road, before slithering down side streets. It looked like a living, breathing thing. I watched, transfixed, as it moved through the streets of Peel.
A cackle rose from the mist, and the hairs on my body stood on end. The most intuitive, primordial part of me knew that it was coming for me.
For a moment I was frozen, captivated and frightened by this force of nature. Then briefly, the fog thinned enough for me to see a man striding towards me.
The man in the suit. Damn.
The trance was broken, and I turned on my heel and sprinted towards my the dorms. My boots were heavy as I ran, and the ragged breaths I drew burned their way into my lungs. I really needed to run more often.
I passed through the campus gates. The dorms were less than a quarter mile away.
Behind me I heard another chilling cackle—much closer to me now—and I pumped my arms faster and pushed my legs harder. My building was rapidly coming closer. The doors were so tantalizingly close, yet it felt as though an ocean’s worth of distance stood between them and me. My heart thumped heavily in my chest.
My ear tickled as someone whispered next to it. “Gabrielle …”
I let out a choked scream and used the last of my adrenaline to push my body to the doors. I barreled into the hallway and crashed into Doris, taking us both down.
“Hey! What the hell? Get off of me!” Disgust curled her upper lip as she tried to push me off her.
“Did he follow me in?” I frantically looked back out the doors. Was it my imagination or did I hear faint laughter?
“God, you are such a freak!” Doris exclaimed. Belatedly I noticed the guy on duty in our lobby.
I got up, brushed myself off, and took a deep breath. I smiled at him, but fear and embarrassment made the corners of my lips waver. “Hi, uh, sorry about that. Someone was … following me,” I finished lamely. He eyed me like I was crazy. At this point, maybe I was.
I cleared my throat and said to Doris, “Thanks for cushioning my fall. That really would’ve hurt had you not been there.” Her face flushed in anger. I decided sticking around was a bad idea and booked it up the stairs.
I staggered into my room.
“What happened to you?” Leanne asked at the same time Oliver said, “Looks like you had a good date, you frisky little thing!”
I pointed at Oliver. “Commentary not needed. And no, I did not have a good date.”
I turned to Leanne. “Someone chased me,” I said before I could stop myself. I bit my tongue before I mentioned that it was the man in the suit. Inwardly I cringed. My phantom was becoming bolder, and I didn’t know how long I’d be able to keep my encounters a secret.
“What?” She looked shocked.
Oliver was still hung up on the date. “How can you fail two first dates in two weeks? You know that’s really difficult. And by the way, you look like a wet dog.”
My eyes shot daggers at Oliver, and Leanne chastised him. “How can you even talk about dates when someone followed Gabrielle home?”
“Well fine, look at me like I’m the bad guy.”
Ignoring his comment, Leanne turned to me. “Are you okay? Were you hurt?”
“Other than tackling Doris on my way inside, I’m fine.”
Leanne snickered. “That’s what she gets for trying to seduce our freaking security guard. She’s been down there for the past thirty minutes.”
Leanne looked me over. “You sure you’re okay? This is the second time that someone’s been after you. We should report this. And where is Caleb? What an A-hole, letting you walk home alone!”
I decided to sidestep the Caleb comment. “I didn’t get a good look at the guy, so I’m not sure what use a report would do.” I didn’t want to go back to the police station and deal with them all over again, especially since there was no way they were going to find the man in the suit. I’d seen him disappear right before my eyes.