“Bonnie, you are born to this life, and everyone can see it. You are capable and talented, and despite all the near disasters, you are killing it,” I purr in my most soothing tone. Vale says I scare people, but I don’t scare her. She leans closer to me, her eyes completely focused on mine. I don’t dare look away.
“So you think I can do this?”
I shift so I’m standing beside her and bump her shoulder with mine, hating the contact, wishing I dared to hug her properly. “I know you can do this.”
Our gazes clash, hold; I count the heartbeats. She’s going to be ours; I’m not walking away from her this time. Bonnie is forever.
She looks away, letting out a tiny sound that I hope is positive. But me, I’m reeling because everything in me is changing. I need her; I want her. It’s imperative that I know what she looks like first thing after she rolls out of bed and the last moment before she sleeps. I want to crawl inside her dreams, unravel her thought process, learn her hopes, conquer her fears. Bonnie Sanderson has stolen possession of my broken mind completely.
And I don’t care at all.
I’m hers.
Bonnie
Cyn put the spider on Kevin’s back. He put…the spider on his back. Actually reached out in stealth mode and placed it there.
I watched him do it.
The longer I think about it, the madder and more amused I get.
Even with Rory distracting me, I clearly saw it. Clear as day. I am such an idiot. I knew they were bad, but I didn’t realise they were like this, and yet, as frustrated as I am, I still want to just sit down and laugh myself stupid.
I grind my teeth and gesture for everyone to get moving. Today, I lead the group, keeping to a pace that keeps everyone away from me so I can think. It presses on me all day, and no matter how I think about it, I cannot stop seeing him reach out and leave the arachnid on Kevin’s back.
But thinking about that leads into this fascinating little rerun of the last couple of days and all the sudden and uncomfortable memories of the accidents that have happened. Which leads into now, where I’m a cauldron of rage, wondering if stabbing them with a branch is something I could get away with.
The more I think about it, the angrier I get.
I try desperately to ignore the attraction, and I do not at all acknowledge how aroused I am, but they are full of bullshit, and this situation is absolutely fucked.
I wish I could talk to Meg or my father. I mean, if they want to kill people, they can do it anywhere else, but why are they trying to ruin my family business? Are they trying to ruin me? Is this about me? They were surprised to see that I was working here, so maybe it’s about something else.
“Bonnie? Should we set up camp?”
I smile at Kendall, who anxiously plays with the drawstring of his jumper.
“Yes, thank you. Let the others know I’ll be back. I’m going to get some firewood.”
I stalk off before he can stop me. I get far enough away and sit down on a rock, putting my hands on my knees and trying the meditative breathing techniques that Desi taught me.
It starts to work, but then Dakota finds me, and I want to punch him in the face, and all the zen I found disappears.
I want to shout and scream at him, rage. Throw a fucking rock at his head and howl at his stupidity. Except, how do you accuse someone of attempted murder without either getting murdered or looking crazy?
I don’t have the answer, but worse, in the face of this horrible discovery, I find the shocking and appalling revelation that it doesn’t change their appeal at all. Not even a little bit.
I still want his knot in me. Maybe more than I did before because it’s kind of a little hot. I am a sick, sick omega.
Maybe I could put a bag over his head so I don’t get tempted to stab him.
“Bonnie, you look like you fell-”
“Finish that sentence, and I’ll put bugs in your tent,” I grumble, disgusted with my traitorous body.
His smile widens, deepening with something more. It’s intense, like rolling grey storm clouds or a rapid. His smile is exciting. God, I want to play with him.
“Bonnie, love, are you ever going to let me win you over?”
