Page 21 of The Hunger
I took a slow, calming breath.
“I asked her to come over. Thank you for checking, though.”
“Are you all right?”
“No. Fenris was in the yard, arguing with Conall.”
“Conall?”
“One of his pack, who was telling Fenris to go home. That there was nothing for him here.”
Mrs. Quill studied me for a long moment.
“Is there nothing for him here?”
“I’m not my mom. I won’t take everything he is by continuing to feed on him.”
“You’ve continued to feed on me.”
“You’re bonded to Mr. Quill. It makes you safe.” I knew I hadn’t managed to keep every trace of doubt from my voice when I felt her pity swell.
“It would be better not to keep Jenna waiting,” I said.
“Of course. If you need me for anything…”
“I’m fine. Thank you.”
After she left, I closed my eyes and wrestled that thing inside of me into submission. By the time Jenna knocked on my door, my vision was back to normal.
“Hey, Mrs. Quill said to call her if you wanted something to eat. Are you hungry?”
I shrugged slightly. “If I’m honest, I’m always hungry.”
The admission didn’t seem to bother her as she sat on my bed, completely at ease.
“Being around Fenris couldn’t have been easy then,” she said. “I don’t have your ability to sense sexual energy, but I do have a nose. That boy smells like moonlit nights and a run through the trees.”
She sighed slightly.
“Raiden let me know what you told him. It didn’t work, though. I stayed at Fenris’s house in case he showed up, but he never came home. He wasn’t at the cabin in the woods either. Raiden checked. He said the place reeked of you, though. He wasn’t happy.” She gave me an apologetic look. “He has someone watching your house, too. I saw Conall on my way in.”
“I saw him when I came home this morning, too. Fenris was here, and Conall told him to go home.”
“Did he? Go home?”
“I don’t know. He shifted and took off, though.” I sat beside her. “I’m so sorry for what I did to him. I thought it was just a mild infatuation, easily broken by a kiss. Now, I’m not sure. I was feeding on him in my sleep, Jenna. I didn’t know. I swear I didn’t. Not until he kissed me last night.”
I stared down at my hands.
“He needs to stay away from me. And he needs a distraction.”
“You still want me to kiss him, don’t you?”
The memory of his lips against mine clawed at my mind. My stomach twisted at the idea of Fenris doing the same to Jenna, but I pushed that feeling aside and nodded.
“He keeps texting me. Asking me to meet up with him so we can talk. I want you to go in my place.”
“That won’t work.”
