Page 42 of The Hunger
“Exactly.”
“Do you want to tell him? I know you’re nervous about the run, and I can text Mrs. Quill to come get me really quick.”
Jenna gave me an are-you-serious look.
“I’m not trading time with you for extra time in the woods. So we better figure out what to tell him or he’ll be sneaking in through your window like he did mine.”
I gave her a small smile.
“I’m open for suggestions.”
She took her phone and entered a new message, showing it to me before sending it.
Jenna: Fenris, I’m saying this with love. You need to stop. Even if you’re too far gone to realize that what you’re feeling is nothing but her succubus sexiness, you’re not the kind of person to completely disregard someone else’s feelings. You’re upsetting her with your persistence. Give her some space. Okay?
“Thank you,” I said.
“Any time.”
I took another bite of my cake, letting the chocolate flavor soothe me. While Dad had made an incredible dessert, it was nothing like the real thing. Nothing like Fenris. I struggled with the knowledge that I’d been feeding on him for so long. No, that wasn’t my struggle. I’d already accepted that part. The part I still fought was the knowledge that he was the best meal I’d ever had in my entire life, and I had to walk away from that. From him.
My hunger stirred in response, worrying me. What if Fenris finally did get the hint and left me alone, but I didn’t have the same strength?
Jenna’s phone buzzed, and we read the message.
Mr. Grr & Purr: Remind Eliana about our talk in the car about secrets. I told her I was keeping some. She learned one and is freaking out. I need to tell her the rest of them so the one she knows makes sense.
Mr. Grr & Purr: Tell her how I was last night.
I looked at Jenna. “What does he mean?”
“He wasn’t himself. He was impatient. Agitated.” She sighed and gave me an apologetic look. “Desperate.”
I groaned, pushed my plate away, and let my head thump down onto the table.
“This is so messed up. Why me?” I lifted my gaze to hers. “Megan says he was only hugging her and Oanen because they were hugging me. So why me? What about me drew him in before I ever fed from him? I can’t think back to one specific moment and say, ‘There. That’s why.’”
Jenna gave me a pitying look. “I guess that’s only something that Fenris knows.”
She typed out another quick message.
Jenna: I’ll tell her. In exchange, you need to go home. Your Dad is making everyone miserable.
Mr. Grr & Purr: I’ll go home when Eliana stops ignoring me.
I grabbed my phone.
Me: This is me not ignoring you. Keep your word. Go home. You’re making my head want to explode.
Fenris: I’m going. When you’re done hiding and ready to face the truth, call me.
I read the message twice, trying to tell myself that he wasn’t angry.
“You know he’s not thinking straight right now. He doesn’t mean it the way it sounds,” Jenna said.
Except, I felt sure he did. Hadn’t he been telling me to stop running for weeks? To face my problems? But now that I knew he’d been obsessing over me well before he’d started telling me all his words of wisdom, I couldn’t help but wonder why? What exactly had he hoped to accomplish with all of his coaxing?
Thanks to Megan telling me about the hugs, I was even more lost and confused now than before.
