How To Hide Your Heart — Deborah Coates

Max hunts nightmare Things in the dark and mostly alone. Then, he meets Beth who's too skinny and too shy and no one ever notices her. Beth knows about Things. She doesn't want to. She pretends she doesn't. But both Max and Beth know that sometimes you have to do what needs to be done. And sometimes you don't have to do it alone.

How To Hide Your Heart is a pre-quel to the story What Makes A River, originally published at tor.com and also available for the Kindle.