Chapter 165: Halloween Night

Chapter 165: Chapter 165: Halloween Night

Chapter 165: Halloween Night

By around three in the afternoon, the Larkin living room had returned to normal after the morning’s games.

Cyrus Calder sat on one end of the couch with a comic open in his hands, while Faye Larkin sat at the other end reading her own book. Neither of them felt any need to talk.

The farther Cyrus read, the more he felt the artwork and story had improved. Maybe that was part of the appeal of a long-running comic. Watching everything gradually become better was surprisingly satisfying.

He turned another page, then glanced toward Faye.

She had fallen asleep.

Her book rested open across her lap, and her head leaned slightly to one side. Afternoon sunlight slipped through the curtains and softened her already gentle features.

Cyrus was not surprised she was tired. Faye had done most of the work preparing lunch, and Miles and Lena had dragged her around the house during their improvised Halloween game. Her family also seemed used to taking naps after lunch.

Still, Cyrus felt a little helpless.

He was sitting right here, yet Faye had fallen asleep without the slightest concern.

Maybe that was simply how much she trusted him.

Cyrus had never deliberately tried to earn that trust. He had not thought about turning Faye into another safeguard or dragging her into the problems surrounding his memory.

He did not plan to start now.

Faye was an ordinary, kind older sister already taking care of two younger children. There was no reason to involve her in his mess simply because she treated him well.

Her attitude toward him had barely changed since they became friends. She was still quiet, warm, and considerate.

Having a friend like that was already good enough.

If circumstances were different, Cyrus thought he might even want to steal Miles’s position and become Faye’s younger brother himself. He could show up occasionally, play games, relax, and eat something good.

That sounded wonderful for him and extremely unfair to Faye.

Cyrus quietly sighed.

"Faye, if you sleep here too long, you might get cold."

Her lashes moved, but her eyes stayed closed.

Cyrus waited before speaking again.

"I should leave soon. Thank you for having me over today."

Faye gave a sleepy response and, instead of getting up, curled onto her side against the couch.

Cyrus stared at her for a moment.

Had she not slept well the previous night?

He picked up the light blanket nearby and carefully covered her.

As the blanket settled, something silver seemed to flash behind Faye for a split second.

Cyrus paused.

The glimmer disappeared too quickly for him to see what it was. Maybe Miles or Lena had dropped some small toy between the cushions.

He did not think much of it.

After making sure the blanket would stay in place, Cyrus quietly left the townhouse.

On the way to work, he remembered the large Halloween cake still sitting at Faye’s house and sent her a message.

Remember to eat the rest of the cake. It probably will not taste as good if it sits too long.

Back in the living room, Faye’s phone chimed.

Perhaps the notification disturbed her sleep. Her lips turned down slightly beneath the blanket, and for a moment, she looked a little sad.

Around three-thirty, Cyrus was walking toward The Full Moon Lounge.

Halloween decorations had become much more noticeable in daylight. Pumpkins filled storefronts, fake ghosts hung from windows, and orange lights waited for darkness to make them more dramatic.

Cyrus ignored the people who looked at him as he passed.

Times like this made him miss his longer hair.

At school, showing his real appearance had solved the gossip surrounding Audra. Out on the street, however, being this noticeable made him feel less secure.

A small part of him still worried that Isolde might suddenly appear from a crowd and throw a bag over his head.

Then Cyrus noticed several women already looking openly in his direction.

If Isolde tried abducting him in the middle of a busy street, she would have a difficult time doing it without witnesses.

The thought made him smile briefly.

Crowds had their advantages.

When Cyrus reached The Full Moon Lounge, he immediately noticed that Malcolm Baird had transformed the place overnight.

Pumpkins, strange lighting, fake cobwebs, and a mixture of cute and deliberately creepy decorations filled the familiar room. The lounge felt far livelier than usual.

There was no special Halloween menu, though.

Cyrus was glad about that. As one of the bartenders working the event, he would have preferred some warning before being handed an entirely new list of drinks.

Only a few customers were inside this early.

Then Cyrus saw Malcolm and Helena Baird near the bar.

Their costumes were impossible to miss.

Malcolm wore elaborate old-fashioned clothing that made him look like a European nobleman. A black cape with a red lining hung from his shoulders, and two fake fangs showed when he smiled.

Cyrus recognized the costume immediately.

Malcolm had dressed as a vampire.

Helena wore a long dark-purple robe with a pointed witch’s hat. The outfit itself was simple, but on her it looked unusually refined.

Cyrus silently congratulated himself for recognizing both costumes so quickly.

He really had learned a great deal about ordinary culture since arriving in Grayhaven.

Malcolm noticed his expression.

"Well, did we manage to surprise you?"

"You surprised me a little."

Malcolm laughed.

Helena looked Cyrus over.

"We prepared something for you too."

Cyrus remembered the white suit he had tried on the night before.

"You prepared a costume for me?"

"Go change into yesterday’s outfit first."

Cyrus nodded and headed toward the changing room.

After he disappeared, Malcolm sighed.

"You prepared everything before even asking whether he wanted to wear it."

"He probably will not mind."

"You sound very certain."

Malcolm gave his niece a helpless look.

Helena showed no concern.

Malcolm did not continue arguing.

Elves were often slow to develop strong attachments. Their long-lived ancestry left many of them unusually calm about things that excited ordinary humans.

But once something genuinely caught their interest, the feeling could become much stronger.

Their family had lived among humans long enough to participate in human holidays without thinking twice about it. Malcolm had his own reasons for enjoying nights like this.

Helena had apparently found hers too.

He looked toward the changing room.

The only questionable part was that Helena’s current source of interest was a person.

A few minutes later, Cyrus returned wearing the same white suit from the previous night.

Because of the heating inside the lounge, he had left off the jacket. A fitted vest sat over the white dress shirt, and the tie gave the outfit a clean, restrained look.

Cyrus still could not see what any of it had to do with Halloween.

Helena followed him behind the bar carrying a bag.

Then she removed two white, fluffy accessories.

Cyrus stared at them.

Wolf ears and a tail.

Before he could ask, Helena placed the ears carefully on his head and moved behind him with the tail.

Fortunately, the tail attached through a simple belt-like piece around his waist.

Cyrus immediately dismissed the stranger possibilities that had crossed his mind.

Once everything was adjusted, Helena stepped back and took a picture.

Cyrus touched one of the soft ears.

"What am I supposed to be?"

"A wolf. It looks good on you."

Helena turned the phone around so he could see.

Cyrus studied the picture.

The white ears and tail actually worked well with the pale outfit. The costume was simple, but it finally looked like something prepared for Halloween.

Still, he had the distinct impression Helena had been planning this longer than she admitted.

He touched the ear again.

The fur was surprisingly soft.

As soon as Cyrus lowered his hand, Helena reached up and touched it herself.

Her eyes brightened slightly.

Cyrus noticed, but he let her continue.

He was being paid to work tonight. A harmless costume accessory was not worth complaining about.

When Helena moved as if she wanted to examine the tail too, Cyrus simply turned around for her.

For some reason, Helena found the ears and tail much more satisfying to touch while Cyrus was wearing them than she expected.

Only after she had looked enough and touched enough did she return to her seat.

She felt unusually pleased.

She had been the first to see Cyrus in the suit last night, and today she had personally put the costume pieces on him.

Still, something seemed to be missing.

Helena rested her chin lightly against one hand and continued watching him work.

Cyrus had long since become accustomed to that.

As evening arrived, he finally noticed the sign Malcolm had placed near the entrance.

All purchases were thirty percent off for Halloween.

That explained why the lounge expected a larger crowd.

Once darkness settled outside, customers arrived steadily.

The usual warm background music became a little more lively, though the lounge still never turned into anything resembling a nightclub.

The costumes were far more varied than Cyrus expected.

Pumpkin heads, mummies, exaggerated makeup, strange wigs, ghosts, and characters he did not recognize appeared one after another.

It almost felt like a costume festival.

Not everyone dressed up.

One familiar female customer who seemed to visit almost every day arrived in normal clothing. When she saw Cyrus working behind the bar with white wolf ears, her expression became even more absorbed than usual.

She ordered a drink and quietly moved to her usual spot, where she could watch the room and occasionally look toward him.

Cyrus did not have time to wonder about her.

His hands barely stopped moving.

He mixed one drink after another, and whenever he finally had a moment to rest, another order appeared.

Several customers kept staring at the ears and tail with an obvious urge to touch them.

Cyrus became newly appreciative of the bar counter separating him from everyone else.

Without it, he suspected the costume would have been rubbed bald before the evening ended.

Helena remained seated directly in front of him.

Oddly enough, the seats on either side of her stayed empty.

Regular customers already knew who she was. New customers only needed to look at the elegant woman dressed as a witch to decide that other seats were safer.

Helena never actually told anyone to stay away.

Her presence alone did the work.

Most people were there to relax anyway. They could drink, enjoy the costumes, and admire the unusually attractive bartender without creating trouble.

The busiest period lasted for quite a while.

By around eight, some customers had moved on to other plans while others remained. The lounge was still half full, but Cyrus finally had more breathing room.

Then the entrance bell rang.

Several conversations stopped for a brief moment.

Cyrus noticed the change and looked up.

A woman with ash-gray hair and golden eyes walked openly into the lounge.

Her striking face carried light makeup, and a faint smile rested on her lips.

Vera Sable had arrived in her true Bloodborn appearance.

Cyrus had to admire her nerve.

On an ordinary night, walking around Grayhaven like that could raise dangerous questions. Tonight, however, everyone already looked strange.

Her ash-gray hair could pass for a wig.

Her golden eyes could be colored contacts.

People were more likely to stare because she was beautiful than because they suspected anything supernatural.

Vera approached the bar and sat naturally beside Helena.

"You look surprised."

Cyrus ignored the teasing.

"Would you like another Bloody Mary tonight?"

Vera laughed softly.

"I learned my lesson. Give me a Carnival instead."

She glanced at the menu and chose another red drink.

Then she lifted her golden eyes toward Cyrus.

"Make sure you add ice."

Cyrus thought drinking something iced on a cold late-October night sounded unpleasant, but he kept that opinion to himself.

"I will make it for you."

He turned toward the bottles.

Before he finished preparing the drink, the entrance bell rang again.

Another woman stepped inside.

She wore neat professional clothes rather than a Halloween costume.

Her eyes moved around the lounge once before settling directly on Cyrus behind the bar.

She chose the closest available seat.

Then Vera’s surprised voice came from beside her.

"Ms. Whitlock?"

Daphne turned toward the sound.

Her eyes widened when she found herself looking directly at Vera Sable.