Page 109 of The Hunt
“I didn’t think you’d show up until after I had a chance to clean up. I-I’m sorry, Fenris. I didn’t mean to—”
“Protect me?” He looked at me finally, gracing me with a huge smile that made me want to grin back. “You have no idea what this means to me.” He indicated the underwear he was holding, and I made a face. He chuckled, the sound dangerously melting my insides.
“So about my tears,” I said quickly changing the subject. “After my nap here yesterday, I drove home and asked myself how you would approach Adira’s dinner. You said that the more I fought against her, the more she would push. The few times she hadn’t pushed had been due to the assertive and irreverent way I’d responded to her authority.”
Fenris arched a brow. “That sounds promising, but out of character for you.”
“It was. But at the time of those incidents, I wasn’t thinking of what was right or wrong; I was only reacting. Truly being me.” I offered a small shrug.
“The suspense is killing me,” he said, sitting on the bench. “What happened?”
“I decided to be the version of me they said they wanted. The hungry succubus who fed without care. I fed on them all, Fenris. Well, not Adira. She disappeared before I could. But she was ready. I could sense it, and so could she.
“She knows I was proving a point that no one likes to be forced to do things they don’t want to do. I left the house while Mr. and Mrs. Quill were still making out. I have no idea what happened with the boys Adira brought for me. I left one kneeling on the floor and the other one touching himself.”
Some of Fenris’s humor faded.
“I’m sorry you had to be something you aren’t.”
Seeing the compassion in his gaze almost brought on a fresh wave of self-pity and tears. I barely held it back.
“But I am that. No matter how much I don’t want to be, I’m a succubus, and I need to eat if I want to live. I’m not human. I can’t afford to have human sentiments. I know all of that. I’m just having a hard time accepting it.”
He gave me a small smile.
“You don’t see it, but I do. You’ve come so far and accepted so much already, Eliana. Have faith in yourself. You’ll find who you’re meant to be and when you do—”
A sudden shiver ripped through him with such ferocity that I jumped from the bed, certain he’d sensed something.
Was it the thing that had stalked me last night?
“What?” I asked, my gaze going to the windows. “What is it?”
When I glanced at him, his eyes were on me, but they looked odd. Wolf eyes in a human face, pupils unnaturally large. He closed them and rubbed a hand over his face.
“I’m sorry, Eliana. I’m not myself. Long night.”
“It’s okay. Do you want to lie down? I was going to visit my parents today, so I’m not crowding your space.”
A humorless chuckle escaped him.
“I doubt I’ll be able to sleep.” He looked up at me hopefully. “Do you want company? I wouldn’t mind officially meeting your parents.”
The thought of Fenris in the same room as my mom while he was smelling like sex on a stick turned my eyes black.
“No. It’d be better if you went to class today.”
He tilted his head at me.
“What’s going through that head of yours that brought out the predator? That was an amazing selfie, by the way. You should consider building more photo evidence in case you ever need it. Are you worried I’d hurt your dad? Or are you worried your mom’s going to hurt me?”
The rapid subject changes confused me enough that my vision flickered.
“Your sleep deprivation is showing. Seriously, go to bed.”
He slowly shook his head.
“I’m wound too tight. I know I won’t sleep. Are you going to tell me why you don’t want my company today?”
