“Human territory?” she repeated dubiously, and I nodded. “For some reason, I didn’t really think about that being a thing. I suppose it makes sense.” She tilted her head to the side. “Whydoyou live in human territory?”
That wasn’t exactly an easy answer, yet at the same time, it was. “I think to get away. From shifters, from the past. I can’t really say. I just needed...” Words failed me, as they so often did lately. It was like I’d gotten out of the habit of talking.
“Space?” she murmured softly.
How did she know exactly what I was thinking when I didn’t?
“Yeah. Space.” I took a deep breath, but when that wasn’t enough, I followed it up with a big spoonful of ice cream.
The sharp sting of cold on my tongue and the roof of my mouth, the spikiness of the sugar crystals, the creaminess of the ice cream itself, and then the saltiness of the peanut butter all helped center me.
Did... did Giselle think about all of that or had she just reached for the highest sugar and calorie thing? Giselle had already proved to be so insightful that it was entirely plausible that she’d been that sneakily considerate.
God, she deserved the moon and more. Throw in some stars on top of that.
“Did he challenge me to a fight? One last chance to avenge his brother?” Despite the balm that Giselle was to my soul, bitterness stabbed through me. I had loved Charles, and all of this was making my many wounds grow even deeper. How could he keep hurting me even though he was dead?
“No. Nothing like that. He apologized and said you never have to worry about him again.”
What?
“He just got a little lost along the way.”
A little lost...
I didn’t consider myself an insightful person, but life was drawing the parallels between him and me with neon markers, then beating me over the head with those lines.
Melton could possibly lose his eye or have permanent damage, could havediedbecause he was so trapped in what had happened that there was nothing outside of it. He’d let it become his everything, hisraison d’être.
Pot, meet kettle,I thought to myself.
I had a lot to think about. Like checking in with Benny’s doctor to see if he knew a shifter therapist. I could probably go to a human one, but that would be less productive when I had to hide so much of myself. At least, that was the experience I’d had during the few sessions I’d had right after I’d gotten my revenge.
“I see.”
I didn’t know exactly what to say to that, so I focused on eating the ice cream. One bite, then another. Be in the moment and don’t let the deluge overtake me.
Silence settled over us, and I got the impression that it was beginning to become awkward, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to speak.
I expected Giselle to finish her ice cream first considering she had less than me, but I didn’t know if it was the tension, the fact that she’d had to tell the story, or just because she was a sloweater, but I had polished off my entire bowl while she was still going at hers.
I waited, not sure what to do, but she noticed almost immediately. She took one last lick of her spoon, which a chunk of my brain was inappropriately enraptured with, before setting her bowl on the coffee table.
“Well, I suppose I should be going now. I didn’t mean to crash on your personal time, but I’m sure you can see why I thought it would be better to tell you in person.”
“Yeah, totally,” I said like an idiot even though I completely agreed with her. While I’d grown used to human technology like smart phones, internet, and music on demand, it still would have been incredibly uncomfortable and unnatural to have such an important conversation without seeing her face. Without smelling her scent. Without having her in the moment with me.
“I’m glad we’re on the same page.” She clapped her hands on her legs and started to rise. “I’ve spent enough time invading your space. I’m gonna take my bowl to the kitchen and heat you up that pasta before heading out.”
My mind made no conscious decision, but suddenly my hand wrapped around her wrist. It wasn’t a tight grip, in fact, it was far gentler than a handshake. More of a whisper of a touch than a hold. Nevertheless, Giselle froze in place.
“Stay,” I croaked, and I wondered if that was a sound an alpha was supposed to make. “Please?”
I watchedsomuch march across her face, smelledsomuch blending into her scent, but I didn’t dare not speak. I had no right to demand more of her time, and yet I was. Because, for some reason, the thought of her leaving made me physically sick.
I definitely had no right to ask her to stay, not when my head was already so mixed up. I really needed to pick one lane or another. I couldn’t stay in this limbo forever. But when I lookedinto those big, hazel eyes of hers, set in a face full of sharp, striking features, I couldn’t help myself.
I wasn’t ready to make that leap, yet somehow, it seemed less scary to think about it around her.
