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The woman was looking at him again. Niall had first felt her eyes on him halfway through his first pint. It was unsettling, the feeling of being watched. Even after years of fame, the stares still caught him off guard.
He didn’t want to be spotted tonight, especially since Lewis, Shawn, and he had dressed up for Halloween. He’d hoped his big pirate hat and fake eye patch would be enough. But it seemed the beautiful woman, dressed in a slim black dress with furry, pointed ears tucked into her long hair, had recognized them despite their costumes.
Niall tried to shake off his uneasiness. He turned back to his drink and downed the last swallow. He slid his second empty glass of the night to the center of the table with the others.
“I’m gonna use the loo,” Niall dismissed himself over the booming base of the music.
“Another round?” Lewis asked.
“Sure, mate,” Niall replied as he slid out of the booth.
Niall weaved his way through the crowded pub, dodging caped vampires and sexy referees. He glanced over his shoulder. The woman had moved from the bar to the dancefloor, where she swayed her hips to the beat, drink held in hand and eyes locked on Niall. He shivered and picked up his pace.
He passed a long line of women in the dark hallway, his eyes adjusting to the dim red glow from the exit sign. Luckily, the men’s line was shorter, just one person before him. He leaned against the wall and sighed. He’d been looking forward to Halloween with his friends for weeks. He couldn’t help but feel disappointed that his night out was ruined by the anxiety of being spotted.
Under the flickering fluorescent lighting of the toilet, Niall tried to calm his nerves. As he washed his hands, his pirate persona stared back from the dingy mirror. He shook out the tension in his shoulders, closed his eyes, and breathed slowly. So what if a fan noticed him. He could handle it. He straightened his eye patch and was ready to get back to his drink.
He opened the door, nearly colliding with someone on the other side. A sharply manicured hand braced on his arm to catch their balance.
“Sorry,” he apologized.
“Excuse me, love,” a syrupy sweet voice replied. Niall froze.
“You,” he gasped incredulously. Niall immediately recognized her as the woman that had been watching him all night. Her dark stare pinned him against the wall. Red lips curled into a wolfish grin. Niall held his breath. There was nowhere to run or hide.
She moved passed him in the narrow hall, her hand brushing down his arm. It might have been seductive, if she wasn’t so terrifying. Her heels clicked as she walked away. She pushed open the back door, moonlight flooding into the hall. She turned back, stare locked on Niall once again. The moon shone bright and golden in her eyes. “Call me,” she purred. And, then with a wink, she disappeared into the night.
The door slammed shut, the hallway again plunged into the red darkness. He unfroze, shaking away a tremor of fear.
He hurried back to his booth, ready to put the strange encounter with the woman behind him. The night was still young, he could have a few more drinks and forget it had ever happened.
Niall slid back into the booth and grabbed his fresh pint. “Thanks for the drink.” Niall raised his glass in a fake toast to Lewis. Niall took a sip of his pint.
“What’s that?” Shawn asked.
“What’s what?”
“There on your arm?” Shawn nodded at Niall.
Niall set down his pint and turned over his arm. There, just above his wrist, was a black mark. Not sure what it was, he inspected further. Niall pulled up his sleeve, revealing ten numbers in an unfamiliar blocky handwriting. It was a phone number, scrawled up the length of his forearm in dark black ink.