An Unseen Attraction

An Unseen Attraction (2017) K.J. Charles (Sins of the Cities)

Look me in the eyes, boy! had been a constant refrain at school, but they said the eyes were the windows to the soul, and Clem didn’t feel comfortable peering into people’s windows.

Rowley had thought at first the beast had no name; it had taken him a while to understand that it had a perfectly good, descriptive name to which it was as likely to answer as any other, and that name was Cat. There was something terribly Clem about that.

Clem came out first and stood, hesitant, as if he was reorienting himself, though they were no great distance from Talleyfer’s;

It was too many instructions, and it did what that always did, which was to leave Clem trapped in a jangling mass of things to do, each one clamouring for attention. “Uh—”

“But, but—” Clem flailed a hand. Mark snatched his pint out of the way.

Rowley couldn’t. The prospect of an argument froze him, in mind and body. He felt only the sensation of shoulders hunching, spine crunching, locking him in place; he couldn’t think for fear of what might happen. …

He knew he looked like an automaton, staring blankly and answering furious shouts in a featureless voice, and he well knew it didn’t ever make anyone less angry, but it was all the defence he had against the awful spectre of violent, murderous rage.

Publisher: Loveswept

Rating: 9/10

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