Page 36 of Mara
The woman flinched and shook her head, the metal of the leash tinkling on the bars of the cage. “No…I…I just wanted to be free.”
I gave her a sympathetic smile. “And so you shall.”
In death.
Her eyes were too focused on my hands as I signed the words slowly. She didn’t notice my palm-sized friend crawling over to her. He followed the scent of her blood and fear.
You only have yourself to blame. Fluffy is not naturally attracted to humans. But like any good predator, the taste of pain and fear is too much to deny.
Horror cemented into her eyes right as his stinger plunged into her side. I watched the scene before me, the paralytics, the pain, and finally the death.
I let Fluffy gorge on her flesh while I headed back upstairs to get cleaned up for this fucking double date. I didn’t want to watch Trapp fall all over himself for Mara, any more than I wanted to entertain whatever dumb ass conversation Gigi was hell-bent on having.
Sighing, I took a quick shower, missing the loss of Mara’s sweet scent as it washed away. I had an undying urge to replace it.
I got dressed in my black button-down and jeans. I didn’t care if this restaurant had a dress code. I was not about to wear a fancy tie. That shit was not my style. They could throw me out.
I sent off a message to Trapp to be sure he didn’t bitch out, and one to Gianna letting her know her dog was on his way. I grabbed my helmet and walked out the door.
Watching my sister sign on the live video from my phone made that festering guilt sink deeper.
So, will you come? I really need Jinx in one spot. Please Mara. I think he is worried about you.
It was like someone digging their nail into a fresh cut, that ache you had when you were first injured, nowhere near the pain that the itch and burn of mistreatment had caused.
I let my hands work before I thought better to fucking hide and never come out.
I didn’t want to see Jinx at all, much less with my sister and whatever poor schmuck they set me up with…
But I owed Gianna this.
She was clearly wound tight with some information she was near bursting to explain. I tried to pressure her into telling me,the annoyance of her keeping secrets just a testament to how far apart we had actually gotten.
She wouldn’t budge. She just kept repeating, “You will know soon.”
The endless possibilities that she could be hiding made me feel sick.
Did Jinx propose? Was this some secret announcement for their happy lives together? I squeezed my thighs together and tried to focus on my sister.
I will be there, Gigi. I just…I feel like this could end badly. I won’t stay long. I just want to lie in bed with a book. This is my day off, and I have had enough excitement for this week.
Gianna’s hands went flying, fluttering like a butterfly, making me blink to try to catch up with her frantic signing. She thanked me and ensured I wouldn’t regret it, but the sinking feeling in my gut when I hung up the phone told me the exact opposite.
“Cheese,” I called, sheepishly shuffling my feet over to his tower in the corner of my living room. “I have a double date tonight.”
Cheese perked up, yawning from his nap and hopping onto the highest point to be above me.
“With…Jinx and Gianna,” I continued with forced enthusiasm.
Cheese tilted his head and turned his body around before ignoring me.
Great, even my ferret knows this is a bad idea.
I sighed, flopping onto my couch and flipping through social media on my phone. I hadn’t opened that dating app since the masked psycho tried to murder me and my fur baby. To do so now felt weird, but I didn’t want the consistency of my sex lifeto involve my sister’s fucking boyfriend. I needed to get laid so I could close my legs when needed.
When I went to look for the profile to report and block the masked asshole permanently, I couldn’t find anything on him. It was like a ghost. No messages between us, no match history, nothing—just a blank slate, as if I made it all up.
“Fuck you very much.”
