Page 1 of Primal

PART I

THE CALM

CHAPTER 1

HIM

My cock hardens at the sound of the lock turning.

We haven’t even entered the old lady’s house yet and I’m already getting hard.

Gavin pushes the front door open slowly, peering into the dark entryway before motioning for me to follow behind him. I turn the flashlight on and point it at the floor in front of us.

The old lady—Esther, an envelope on the coffee table reads—has been asleep for about three hours now. Even though she’s usually out like a light, we wanted to make sure she had fully slipped into a deep sleep before breaking in. The thought of her shriveled little body, white hair poking out from beneath her blanket, is enough to lessen the strength with which my dick strains against my pants, but knowing I’m about to tear this place apart sends the adrenaline straight to my member.

Gavin and I had been watching this place like hawks for the past two weeks. We usually wouldn’t go to that much trouble, but we figured an old lady living on her own had to have a house full of valuables.

After waiting a few moments to make sure we don’t hear any movement in the house, Gavin pulls out his own flashlight and quietly sets his duffel bag on the floor before the two of us separate. We’d already decided days ago that I would take the upstairs, and he’d take the downstairs.

My steps are quiet as I tiptoe up the stairs, cringing every time the old wood creaks and groans beneath my heavy boots. Finally, after what feels like an hour, I make it to the top without waking Esther.

There are three bedrooms in this house, and hers is to the right. Slowly and quietly, I ease the door open to reveal the old lady lying in her bed, her back to me as she sleeps peacefully. The blinds are pulled up, allowing me to see by the light of the moon. All I can see of her is the shock of curly white hair above the lump of her small, frail body underneath the covers. Her steady breaths let me know she’s fast asleep and not waking up anytime soon.

Perfect. I don’t want to have to hurt her.

Aiming the flashlight at the floor, I immediately scan the room for anything of value. I don’t typically care what I take from people, because it gets me off regardless, but tonight is different. Gavin really needs whatever we can find from the houses we’ve broken into tonight to pay his rent.

I don’t have that issue; I just like stealing shit. I’m not well-off by any means, but my job allows me to live comfortably.

When we first met, we realized that our partnership was mutually beneficial. He steals because he needs to; I steal because it makes my dick hard. I don’t need the valuables we take, but he needs an extra set of eyes and hands to help him get in and out of houses quickly.

Esther’s purse is sitting in a rocking chair in the corner of the room by the window. I quietly walk toward it and reach to grab it when I hear it?—

The sound of rustling sheets and a bed creaking grabs my attention.

But when I look at Esther, she’s still fast asleep.

CHAPTER 2

KIARA

I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep since Grandpa died last month. Living here in the house where my grandfather passed away is eerie because I can still feel his presence everywhere I go. Sometimes, I think I catch a glimpse of him in my periphery, but when I turn my head, there’s nothing—or, rather, no one—there. And I swear I can still hear the familiar sound of his slippers scuffling across the floor when the house gets really quiet. I usually don’t think much of it, because as disconcerting as it is to live in a house with the ghost of my grandfather, it’s comforting to know he’s still here to watch over Grandma while she’s grieving.

Tonight, however, is different. Because it’s not scuffling I hear, but the creaking of floorboards—the telltale sign that someone else is in the house. I know it’s not Grandma because her medicine puts her into the deepest sleep.

Shit! I panic, frantically throwing the sheets off me and jumping out of bed. I have to get to her to make sure she’s safe.

But how am I going to do that? At just five feet tall, I’m no match for any intruder; they’ll have me on the floor in seconds.

I have to do something, though, because Grandma can’t defend herself. And she’s such a heavy sleeper that she wouldn’t even wake up in the middle of an earthquake.

I look around my bedroom for any type of weapon, rummage through the drawers and closet, hoping to at least find a pair of scissors, but it’s pretty bare in here since I decided to purge everything I didn’t need.

Though I’m really wishing I’d at least kept a pair of damn scissors. Who the hell throws out scissors?

Pressing my ear against the door, I try to listen for the sounds of footsteps. If I can get an idea of where the intruder is, I can run to Grandma’s room and lock us in until the police come, but the other side is silent.

I go to the bed to grab my phone. After a minute or two of searching the sheets, underneath and behind the bed, I remember that I left it downstairs after I made dinner and was too lazy to go back down to get it.

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