Page 115 of Family: Posy 4

Shh. Calm down,he cooed.What upset you like this, hmm? Did someone scare you?

He here!I finally managed to choke out.

Who's here?

He going to hurt me!I shook harder.He going to hurt me, then he going to kill me!

Never. No one will touch Sid's darling,my mate murmured in a quiet voice, as if he knew I would shatter at anything louder or harsher.Tell me his name.

I not know it!

Then show me, darling,he crooned.Show me his face and he will trouble you no more.

Unable to bear the burden alone any longer, I selfishly and weakly let the memory pour out of me, not knowing Sid would share it with the others.

15: Burnt Oil Man

~Two years ago~

Lark

I lay on the blood-stained floor of our dark room. The only light came from under the door, a thin sliver of silver.

I shuddered. I did not like silver.

Silverhurt.

My eyes stayed fixed on it, though, because footsteps approached - and that never resulted in anything good.

Thank the Goddess Posy sleeping,I thought. My poor girl.

Father beat her badly yesterday for asking a question, and I managed to heal the worst of the injuries before I gave out. Now she was trying to sleep off the rest of the wounds while I kept watch in her human body, too hurt and drained to shift into my own.

Mate will come soon and we leave Father. Survive two more years till mate find us.

I clung to that belief. It was all that kept my spirits up, and I used it to keep Posy's hope alive, too.

Sometimes, she and I imagined our mate. We weren't so concerned about his appearance, but we hoped that he would be kind and good-humored, that he wouldn't beat us too often and could overlook the scars. Those daydreams may have been simple and naive, but they gave us something to live for, a reason to keep getting up and going on.

A kind mate, Moon Goddess. That not asking too much, is it? A kind mate who might even one day come to love us.

My thoughts were cut short when, from the other side of the door, Alpha Kendall Briggs' low growl made my heart stutter in fear.

"I don't know why Calvin told you about her! He was only supposed to hire a supplier, not spill secrets!"

"That's a matter for you to take up with him," replied a man with a voice like rough cotton. "All I know is he thought you might need help administering the correct dosage due to her unique size."

I took a deep inhale of his scent, confirming he was a stranger, and I did not care for him already. It reminded me of the time Posy accidentally burned the oil in the skillet while frying chicken.

That was the day I discovered burns were hellaciously painful and a bitch to heal.

It not have been so bad if Father no dumped whole pan on her as punishment, I thought bitterly.

"If I find out you've said one word to anyone, especially to someone at the royal pack, you'll pay with your life," Father threatened the stranger.

"It would not be in my best interests to tell anyone. I'd lose my new customer, wouldn't I?" Burnt Oil Man sounded amused. "I'm only curious as to what sort of beast requires such ... special treatment."

"Beast?" Father laughed. "She's a runt. Weak and useless. Put on this earth to serve her betters without complaint. Stubborn thing that she is, she constantly needs to be reminded of this. That is where you and your "special treatment" come into play."

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