The Hunt (By Kiss and Claw #2) - Melissa Haag Page 0,122

your friends to Club Blayz,” Adira said, interrupting my escape. “I’ll give her my blessing for tomorrow night. Make sure you enjoy yourself.”

“Hateful hellcat,” I muttered under my breath before slamming my door.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Trying to sleep proved useless. I desperately wanted to talk to someone. But I didn’t even know what, exactly, I wanted to talk about. No, that wasn’t true.

Rolling to my back, I forced myself to face the truth. I couldn’t stop thinking about what I’d done to Fenris. Guilt and fear were carving a gaping hole in my chest. It ached with each beat of my heart until my misery felt like a tangible thing.

Rather than trying to close my eyes, I checked the time yet again. It was barely past the witching hour.

The heat kicked in, a reminder that the window remained open. It’d been a risk with the brownies flying around out there but a necessary one until their stink cleared. I slipped from bed and went to the window. With my hands on the lower sash to close it, I looked outside and paused. Something familiar moved in the yard, and my breath caught.

Fenris lifted his head and howled, the long, mournful sound breaking my heart.

“You need to stay away, Fenris. For both our sakes,” I whispered before shutting the window.

He stared up at me a long moment then trotted away.

I broke down and grabbed my phone.

Me: I’m awake and okay. But I could use a talk as soon as you’re up.

My phone rang almost immediately.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Mom asked.

“Nothing. Everything.” I took a slow breath, struggling not to cry. “I think I broke Fenris.”

“Why do you think that? Is it because of what Raiden said?”

“No. I was still blissfully ignorant then.”

“Ignorant of what?”

“Remember how I said that Fenris and Dad were alike? That they both liked to say things that lead you to believe one thing while they actually meant the other?”

“Yes.”

“Since Megan left, Fenris has been spending more and more time with me. You know how it is when our kind spends too much time with one person. They stop acting like themselves and start acting like they’ll die without us. Fenris wasn’t acting like that. He told me he was immune, and I believed him. When he asked me to be his girlfriend, I thought it was out of desperation for his dad to stop pushing females at him. I thought Fenris just wanted me to be his decoy. But that wasn’t it at all.”

My voice broke and I sniffled.

“The earthquake woke me. Fenris was there, sleeping with me. I didn’t know what I was doing. He tried picking me up to get me out of the house. I just…took control. I commanded him to give himself to me and he said he already had, that we belonged together. He meant it, Mom.”

“Oh, Baby. Your pain is my pain. I’m at the Club, preparing for tonight. Come join me.”

I wiped my nose and shook my head.

“No. That’s the last place I want to be. There was some middle of the night drama with Adira. She didn’t like that I passed up feeding on Eugene and that I admitted to avoiding Fenris. Her parting comment was that she was giving her blessing for your teen night.”

Mom swore under her breath.

“One tiny murder couldn’t possibly get me kicked out of Uttira.”

“Mom, it’s fine.”

“It’s so far from fine you can’t even see it. You just told me you’ve been avoiding spending time with people because you’re afraid of what you do to them. I thought you were just having a hard time making friends, baby. Is that why Megan was your first real friend here? Because she’s truly immune to everything that makes you so special?”

“Megan was my first real friend here. She treated me like a person, Mom. Not a freak. Not a project. Not someone to pity. And not a little sister.”

“You’re not a freak or someone to pity. You’re too strong for either of those. And I’m very close to finding a troll to seduce into snapping Adira’s neck for making you feel like a project.

“One day you’ll realize how wonderful you are. When you do, Adira will see the same and fall to her knees.”

I withheld my exasperated sigh as I closed my eyes. I didn’t want anyone on their knees for me. Ever. Yet, even as I thought it, that dark thing inside of me preened at the idea.

“If you don’t want to come to the club, and you’re