I meander through the city until I come across a much larger group of humans. They’re smoking meat. There are two long strings of meat hanging between two buildings, from cured to freshly hung. I nod in approval. That’s how to keep a group fed—keep adding to your supply.
Using the sun as a cover, I walk right into the center of their camp and grab a small hunk of dried meat before stepping backinto the sun. This time, when I step out, I’m back by the house we’re camped out in.
It’s a nice house. I might have really enjoyed it if it were still standing how it once had. There are three stories, the top promising to be something special since there’s a Juliet balcony on the side. I stare at the windows, wondering which one Rainer is behind.
This would be much easier if Notto and Drystan weren’t around. I could have him without any hassle. They keep making him uneasy.
They try to steal him away, butIfound him. He’s mine.
This one thing I indulge my monster on. The insistence that I mate the human is strong. Ineedhim. I need to keep him for myself.
Closing my eyes, I admit only to myself that I don’t care if I share him with Drystan and Notto. It was never about refusing to share him, but humans aren’t always open to the way monsters live, and Iwillhave him. They’re not getting in my way. He needs to choose me!
Maybe I can steal him away in the night while they’re sleeping. They’ll track me down as they always do, but I think I can get us far enough away that we’ll have a couple weeks alone. I know he’ll choose me if I can just get away from them for a while. They make me itchy and frustrated, and I’m not at my best self when I have to keep fighting with them.
I’m not at all surprised Rainer isn’t all over me right now. He’s not seeing my best side. I should have made sure he spent more time with Iska. Iska would talk me up like I’m a fairytale prince.
That’s what I need.
Sighing, I walk around the side of the house and walk through the door. I don’t see Drystan or Notto, for which I’mthankful. I follow the path that Rainer had taken until I hear his voice behind a door, talking to his lut.
I like the lut. She’s smart and protective. I bet she still has more secrets to unlock. Someday, we’ll figure them out. I’m sure.
My knuckles rap lightly against the door, and his voice stops. No movement follows until I hear the click of the lock and the door opens. He’s guarded when he looks at me. I don’t like that expression at all.
“I brought you food,” I tell him, offering him the hunk of smoked meat. “You don’t need to come out to eat it if you don’t want to. I know you’re frustrated with us.”
Rainer frowns, accepting the meat. “Thanks.”
“Do you still have water?”
He nods.
I mimic the movement. “Then… I’ll see you in the morning, precious.”
He stares for another beat then inclines his head before backing into the room again and shutting the door. I don’t see any bedding or mats or anything, but I suppose that’s a luxury, right? He’s probably used to not having any of that since that’s how he’s traveled most of his life.
The door shuts, then I hear the lock engage.
Sighing, I turn to the closest room and walk inside. There’s a bed in this one, but I’m not going to pretend it’s exactly welcoming. Even if nothing has touched it since the residents left a century ago, that’s a hundred years of dust and bugs.
My face scrunches. Ew. However, I always have one of those plastic mattress covers with a cloth top in my bag. They roll up nice and tight so they don’t take up much room.
With another glance at the door that separates me from Rainer, I head back into the kitchen to find my bag, the only one left, exactly where I left it. My eyes flick to the ceiling, wonderingif Notto and Drystan are upstairs. Did they already find rooms and settle in for the night? Probably.
Maybe they left. My chest tightens at the thought, and my traitorous lungs steal my breath.
No! That would be agoodthing. That’s what I want. I was just thinking about sneaking Rainer away in the night to get away from them. If they left on their own, all the better.
I’m going to tell myself that the anger I feel over it is because they left Rainer alone while I was gone. It’s dangerous, and if he doesn’t know he’s alone, he’s even more vulnerable. He wouldn’t have known that he needed to be more vigilant of his surroundings because there weren’t monsters here to protect him.
That’s bullshit.
At least he has Kaida. I’m sure his lut wouldn’t let him get hurt.
I would have much preferred to be the one leaving. That doesn’t make my chest hurt.
Only because I’m a damn adult, I don’t stomp my way back to the room I’m commandeering. I leave the door open so I can hear if Rainer needs something, then I shove everything off the bed, flip the mattress over, and cover it with the fitted plastic cover. Made for a larger bed, it swallows up the mattress, but I would much rather have a larger one than one that didn’t fit at all.
