Page 28 of Clouded by Envy

“Is that what you think of me as?” Bray’s eyes shifted side to side, trying to fight back tears.

“If that’s what you want to be.” He shrugged. She felt like she had been more than slapped. It was as if her insides had shattered into too many pieces to be put back together. Well, she shoved them together anyway because she felt angry.

“You know what, screw you!” she cried and ran for the door, throwing it open while transforming to fly back to her tree hole. She couldn’t believe he would say something like that to her. Bray was no one’s pet. Is that all anyone would ever see her as? Was that how Junah and Ruth had seen her and Brenik as—pets?

Both hammocks were empty, of course. She looked at Brenik’s and wished he was there because at least he knew they were the same—even if she could transform. Hurrying over to his hammock, Bray flipped to her stomach and let the tears fall and stream down her face.

Something shook her home, and the trunk groaned as she heard shuffling against the tree bark. Bray didn’t move, only waited to see who it was. If it was Luca, she would talk to him. If it was Wes, he could piss off as Ruth would have said.

Leaving the comfort of Brenik’s lingering scent, Bray sat up in the hammock as it gently swayed. Bray waited. A light came into view and shined directly in her face. She hissed at the brightness, angrily covering her face with a hand.

“Maybe you actually are a vampire.” Wes tried to smile as he lowered the beam of light. But more than anything he looked weary.

She needed him to go away. “Not funny. You can go back inside, because I don’t want to talk to you ever again.”

“Listen, I’m sorry for what I said in there. I didn’t mean any of it—I was just pissed and worried. I didn’t know what to tell Luca, who had gotten upset. This whole week has been extremely bizarre. Plus, I’m up here whispering to you in a hole inside of a tree. You have no idea how terrified I am of heights.” He glanced down. “My hands are shaking.”

Her eyes shifted to his hand holding the flashlight, and he wasn’t lying, his hand was trembling.

“Okay, I forgive you.” She may have forgiven him too fast. But if his hand was vibrating from his fear of heights, and he climbed up there anyway, the least she could do was forgive him. Brenik had said plenty of heated things when he was having one of his moments. She probably had, too.

“That’s it? I thought you weren’t ever going to talk to me again.” Skepticism spread across Wes’s face.

“I changed my mind—but just this once.” She grinned and stood from the hammock.

“Look, you don’t have to tell me where you come and go to. But if you need to go somewhere and Luca is right there, at least let him know. Please?”

“Agreed.” Bray understood that Luca was still young and didn’t understand everything in the world yet. She didn’t either.

As Wes climbed down the tree, Bray flew to his shoulder and told him about everything she had seen and heard at the crime scene.

“It definitely does sound like something a rabid dog would do, minus the choking part, but some people in this world are just completely off their rocker.” Wes rubbed at his chin as he looked up at the night sky. “The blood thing, though, when you’re frightened out of your mind, you don’t really pay attention to detail. Who knows what stuff the lady was imagining if her breathing was being cut off.”

“Yeah, who knows. I’m sure there isn’t anything to worry about.” Bray felt like she was lying to herself a little bit, because it still was strange.

“There’s someone I think you need to talk to, though,” Wes pointed out. Bray knew she needed to talk to him, too.

When Wes walked her inside, Bray hopped off his shoulder and transformed.

“Also, warn me about that next time, too,” Wes said with sarcasm. Then he headed to the living room without looking back.

The light beamed out from underneath Luca’s closed bedroom door. Tapping softly on the wood, Bray took a step back. “Come in,” Luca’s soft voice answered.

Bray opened the door to find Luca leaning against the headboard of his bed. Wet hair framed his face and a book was flipped open in his hand.

“What are you reading?” Bray asked as she took a few steps closer.

Unsmiling, Luca glanced up at her and then back at his book. “The Chronicles of Narnia.”

“I love that book!” That was one of the first stories Ruth had read to her and Brenik. She remembered almost all of it by heart.

“Me, too. It’s my favorite out of the series.” Hers, too.

She owed him an apology. “I wanted to say I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to leave like that.”

“It’s okay. I should be used to people leaving by now—they always do,” Luca whispered, not meeting her gaze.

Bray knew that feeling all too well, and her eyes started to glisten with tears. She didn’t want anyone else to feel that way. Especially not the little beast who had become a friend in such a short time.

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