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farmers. I helped them manage their input and output of crops.”
    I bit my lip, and he squirmed in his chair. He leaned over and wiped whipped cream from the side of my mouth. My breath hitched, and his green eyes burned into mine.
    “Bloody hell, Kitten,” he whispered, backing away. He cleared his throat. “Will you excuse me for a minute?”
    I nodded breathlessly.
    “Don’t leave without me,” he said, rising to his feet.
    “Never even crossed my mind.”
    I watched as he made his way to the bathroom. I sat alone and people watched. There were mostly couples enjoying each other’s company. I picked up my mug and relaxed back into my chair, sighing as the warm liquid filled my belly. I eyed the coffee beans while I waited for Oli to return. Then the atmosphere in the room changed, and there was a burning sensation on the back of my neck as if someone was staring a hole into me. I scanned the room. No one was paying any attention to me as they conversed and laughed. Movement from the corner of my eye near the entrance caught my attention, and I looked over to find Cayden. His eyes were glued to me, and he smiled when our eyes met. My heart skipped a beat. This was like a bad comedy movie turned real life. Great.

9
    Fabricated Feelings
    A weird darkness grew tightly around my thoughts as Cayden glided from the entrance and closer to me. It consumed me until it felt like my thoughts were secluded, and something fabricated took their place. He reached the table and sat down in the seat across from me. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. I was frozen in place. A smile tugged at my lips against my own volition. Where are you, Oli? my thoughts cried out. Please help me. I screamed his name repeatedly in my mind, but not once did my fear reveal itself on my face. This wasn’t the same Cayden from the other night. Something was off with him. Was he doing this to my thoughts?
    “Hey, babe. Why are you sitting all alone?” Cayden asked. He took a seat across from me and leaned back in his chair, a cocky smile on his face.
    “I’m waiting for you, silly. What took you so long?” The words weren’t mine, and my voice was hollow instead of its normal lilting.
    “I had some things to take care of, but I’m here now,” he said, smiling. “What do you say we get out of here?” He stood up and held his hand out to me as if he were certain I’d go with him. I had no intentions to whatsoever.
    “Okay,” I said, my voice robotic.
    Not okay. Not a single protest escaped my lips, and I didn’t even hesitate when I placed my hand in his. Stop, Callie, My subconscious screamed. You don’t want to do this. It’s a terrible idea. What was he doing to me? Why was I leaving Oli? It’s not what I wanted to do. Where was he, and why wasn’t he stopping this? My mind struggled as it tried to regain control of my body. We reached the door, and my mind battled with the darkness that held it captive. There was a zap inside of me, and I twitched reflexively. Everything went all slow motion when I peered over my shoulder. Oli stood by our table, his fists balled at his sides. For a few seconds I was able to gain some control. I frowned at him as tears filled my eyes, threatening to spill over. He scowled at me. I tried to yell out to him, but the darkness prevailed. The last thing I saw before I gave my attention back to Cayden was a faint glow radiating from Oli’s skin.
    We stepped into the cold night air. It danced around me in a taunting way, reminding me of how frigid I felt inside for letting the darkness take over. But did I really have a choice? I tried so hard to command myself to drop his hand, but my mind grew darker, almost suffocating my thoughts. Cayden grasped my hand tighter and pulled me along the sidewalk toward Ardmore Memorial Park. The street grew quiet the farther we walked. Why was Oli letting me leave? He saw me and could have stopped me. I tried once more to order myself to drop his hand, but my