STRANGER IN THE RAIN 2

Chapter Two – The Stranger in the Rain

The rain hadn’t stopped since yesterday. It drummed against the cracked windows of Elena’s apartment, slipping through the gaps like icy fingers that refused to let her forget the city’s chill. She pulled her sweater tighter around her frame, though it did nothing to keep the shiver from crawling up her spine.

The nightmares had been worse last night. Screams. Shadows stretching toward her, whispering things she could never quite understand but always felt too close, too intimate. When she woke, her heart had been pounding like she’d been running for her life.

And maybe she was.

Elena pushed herself up from the couch, ignoring the half-empty wine glass on the table. Work was in less than an hour, and the bookstore didn’t exactly forgive lateness.

She threw her hair into a messy bun, grabbed her bag, and forced herself out the door.

---

By the time she reached the corner of Sixth and Willow, the streets were nearly empty. The city never slept, but it did pause—right before dawn, when only the desperate and the dangerous prowled the sidewalks. She wasn’t sure which category she fit into anymore.

The storm-washed street shimmered with neon reflections, casting violet and crimson across the pavement. That was when she saw him again.

The man.

Tall. Black coat tailored too perfectly to be casual. His presence bent the air around him, as though the storm itself was reluctant to touch him. He stood at the end of the block, motionless, eyes locked on her.

Silver eyes.

She froze, clutching her bag strap until her knuckles ached.

“Elena,” he said, his voice carrying through the rain as if it knew her name, her soul, her secrets. He didn’t shout—he didn’t need to. The sound of it wound around her like smoke, deep and steady.

Her pulse stuttered.

She had never told him her name.

---

Her mind screamed at her to run, but her body betrayed her. Every step he took closer dragged her deeper into something she didn’t understand—an orbit she couldn’t break free from.

“You shouldn’t walk alone this late,” he said, stopping just a breath too close. The rain slid down his sharp jawline, catching in the collar of his coat. His hand rose, not quite touching her face, but close enough that she swore the air between them burned.

Elena swallowed hard. “Do I… know you?”

His lips curved, but it wasn’t a smile. It was darker, something closer to possession. “Not yet. But you will.”

Lightning split the sky, illuminating the strange glow in his eyes. Not human. Not natural.

Her stomach flipped, heat clashing with fear. She should have backed away. Instead, her breath hitched, and her body swayed toward him like it belonged there, in his shadow.

For a single, reckless moment, she thought he might kiss her right there in the rain.

But instead, he whispered, low and dangerous, “They’ve found you.”

Then—before she could demand who they were—his hand closed around her wrist, firm but not cruel, pulling her into the darkened street.

And the city around them seemed to change.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***