Hearing the streets were quiet, she poked her head up and double-checked. There was no one there, and she eventually crawled back over the fence with her boots in hand. She refused to don them, even with her protective companion who followed beside her, hugging them to her chest instead.
As much as she found this situation alarming, and that she was being protected by a weird rodent that scuttled next to her footfalls, a thought came to mind.
Despite everything, the first and only person she’d thought about in this fucked-up situation for help was... Mr Tentacles.
She was afraid of what that meant for her.
Why did she get this overwhelming sense that she was doomed for life because of it... because of him?
Not once did Oliver enter her thoughts.
Chapter
Seventeen
Leaning down in her pantry, Skylar pushed away expired herbs, spices, and jars of sauce in search of something she could feed the little weird rodent patiently waiting for a treat on her kitchen counter. It’d flown itself up there, pointing to its fanged maw with its horn tendrils.
“I’m sure I have some cat treats in here from when I fed that stray,” she said, as glass jars clanked against each other when she pushed them aside.
She crouched down to a lower shelf in her pantry. “Eureka!”
She grabbed the unopened bag of treats and checked that it was still in date – she didn’t want to make it sick.
Ripping open the packet, she turned to it and found it on the ground behind her. She subconsciously pressed the back of her skirt against her ass, unsure just how sentient this creature was and nervous that it’d likely seen her black panties.
When it reared back onto its hind legs, its noodle body surprisingly agile and sturdy, it made grabby hands at the packet. She tore it open, crouched down, and held out a piece of cat food.
“I hope you like chicken flavour,” she said, as it gingerly accepted the morsel with sharp black claws.
It sniffed the treat, then took a little nibble. Seemingly satisfied with Skylar’s offering, it gobbled it down and then looked up at her expectantly with tendrils raised. She gave it another, and it happily chomped it down.
“Thank you again for helping me,” Skylar said, then braved reaching down to scratch it behind the ear as it ate.
It curled its neck towards her as its fur puffed in acceptance of her scritches before reaching up for another treat. She gave it one, since it’d been a good ferret-bat thing.
“Even though I could have protected myself with my magic if push came to shove, it was still really fucking scary.”
It looked up at her, blinking its glowing red eyes, then lifted its limbs towards the packet.What a little glutton!
“No more,” she said, pulling it away. “Four is– Hey!”
It snatched the packet with its horn limbs and ran off with it. Skylar couldn’t be bothered chasing after it, instead rising to stand.
She looked down at herself. Twigs, leaves, and dirt clung to knee-high white socks, and she imagined her make-up had smeared from her earlier crying.
“What a terrible day,” she grumbled, grabbing her phone from the counter.
She went to text Kaylee about what had happened, so she was informed, only for her thumb to hover over the message bar. Hesitating, she wondered if worrying her friend was the right thing to do.
It’s not like I can’t take care of this myself.She lifted her gaze to where the creature had run off to, which just so happened to be around the corner in the direction of her bedroom. Why did she get the distinct feeling it’d hidden under her bed?
“It’s fine,” she said, closing Kaylee’s text chat to open another.
S: Guess who broke up with her boyfriend last night?
A grin lifted onto her face when three dots appeared, showing that the recipient was already answering. A new message from Malcom popped up.
M: Get out. Really?
