Page 2 of Paper and Passion
“Oh, come on, Sheet-y!” I run across the field to the front door of the shop. “The Wonder Balls are gonna be pissed if they can’t practice because you’ve taken up residence in the middle of the stadium. What the hell were you thinking?”
Of course the shop can’t think, and it doesn’t answer.
I go for my purse to get the keys, only to realize that I left my dumped out purse at the visitor center in my haste to get here. “Fuck!”
“Open up, Sheet-y!” I pound on the door, confident that the shop can unlock itself, because it always locks the door when it moves, so anyone inside can’t fall out. A small courtesy, I guess.
After a solid five minutes, I sink to the ground and drop my head in my hands. Grandma never had these kinds of problems with Sheet-y. The place just doesn’t like me.
“Why?” I whisper, tears springing to my eyes. I wipe them on my sleeve just as the baseball coach comes running onto the field, face red, cursing the whole way.
Great. Here we go.
Chapter 2
Alex
Ghostlight Falls is exactly what I’d hoped. Quaint, but not so small that it’ll be impossible to find what we need. Best of all, the town is just strange enough for us to let our hair down—or rather, our tentacles.
“What’s got you smiling?” Adrian asks.
Rather than answer, I take off the thick wig that hides my true glory and toss it out the car window. Though I have yet to see “monsters” openly walking around, I can sense them nearby.
As we turn onto Main Street, the first comes into view. A man with wings wrapped around his body and a face like a cocky god leans against a pole near the visitor center. Hewaves as we pass. Hmmm, delicious to look at, but not what we’re looking for.
To my knowledge, my mate and I are the last of our kind. Once there were more of us, but our mating habits are… peculiar. Only being fertile once every decade, and needing a human to conceive, makes it difficult for our species to thrive. Add to that the innate fear humans have for anything other or different, and it’s nearly impossible to find a willing partner to help us. Most humans throughout history attack and kill on sight. They definitely don’t want to become our mates. So, it’s no wonder we’re so scarce.
“Tell me what’s going on in that brain of yours.” Adrian turns down the music. “Any idea where we should start looking?”
One of my purple tentacles traces his arm in a gentle caress. “Not yet, but I’ll figure it out.”
He throws me a concerned look. “We don’t have much time.”
The comment throws ice on my eager excitement. If only we’d found Ghostlight Falls sooner. Instead of being somewhere we could openly court a partner, we’ve spent the decade since my last heat hiding who we are. Occasionally we risked telling someone,hoping they’d understand, accept us, and become our mate. But it’s never gone well.
Especially when they found out about the life bond.
I don’t get it. Who wouldn’t want to be bonded with us? We’re both gorgeous. It’s practically sinful how attractive Adrian is. We’ve been mates for more than a hundred years, and he can still make me swoon with just a simple look.
Like the one he’s giving me right now. All gooey and sweet.
“You know we don’t have to do this, right? We can just relax here. Let down our hair, as you said.” Without removing his hands from the steering wheel, he pushes off his wig with his tentacles and lets it fall to his lap. “We can take our time, and maybe during your next cycle, we’ll?—”
“No. It’s timenow. I’m ready.” There’s a soft whine in my voice that he knows is intentional. He might melt me with a look, but I have this man wrapped around my little finger, and he knows it.
“Alright, we’ll look, but no pressure. Okay?”
I smirk and return my gaze to the window. My preferred method is seduction, notpressure. I have a lot of tools at my disposal and I plan on using all of them to capture our mate.
Watching the people walk past, a warmth fills my chest. She’s close. There’s an innate, instinctual pull in my chest unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. I’m certain she’s here in Ghostlight falls.
We just have to find her.
Chapter 3
Tillie
Alright, well, that was a bust. Three applicants and all of them turned jittery the second Sheet-y moved, which of course happened right in the middle of each interview. It’s not like it was even a bumpy ride this time. Nothing fell off the shelves or broke. Sheet-y is usually better behaved when there’s company.
