If I ran, would it chase me?
Admittedly, my first thought was to run to the other dangerous creature within the house. This must be why he thought he smelled someone else on me, because someone else washere. The question was for how long?
I closed the drawer slowly as I gripped a knife and a syringe, trying to be inconspicuous and not let the thing in my kitchen know I had spotted it. It was extremely hard to walk when you were trying to convince yourself to act inconspicuously and to travel at a calm pace.
Between the pounding in my head and the heartbeat in my ears, there was only so much I could focus on. Stars appeared in my vision. I could throw up. I was stuck between being killed by the thing in my house or by the predator who waited for me upstairs, an impossible situation. It was like I had to pick between butchers. It was just a matter of which one had the sharper knives.
My steps up the stairs were slow. How fast was a normal pace? Was I moving too slow? Possibly too fast? The shadow moved out of the corner of my eye, looming in the kitchen’s entryway. As I ascended, Silas’s figure appeared at the top of the second flight of stairs. I stopped where I was.
“I thought you had run. Turns out you decided to turn into a sloth. Where is that pep in your step from our first encounter? Surely the red stain on the stairs would inspiresome quickness to your pace,” he joked, glaring hungrily in my direction.
“I-I don’t remember,” I said shakily. My anxiety was restricting my breath. “You must be thinking ofsomeone else.”
He looked offended at my words. “You mean to tell me that you memorize every binomial nomenclature of every plant, but you don’t remember our first night together? You would make a poor romantic, Alina,” he said cruelly.
How did I let him know without saying anything? I didn’t plan on being slaughtered by either of them today, but he was my best hope between the two.
I smiled shakily. “Silas,my love, please can we settle in for tonight? I am very tired. You must be as well.” I attempted to take a deep breath, but it just turned into a swallow, every word taking precious air from my lungs under the weight of the panic.
Alarms must have been ringing in his head, his cold demeanor becoming apprehensive.
Out of all the adaptations I wish he had, I would have hoped for some form of telepathy. “We have both had such a long day. Maybe we should spend some time together.Justthe two of us.” I broke our eye contact only to shift my gaze toward the kitchen and then back to him.
A shattering noise exploded in the kitchen.
Silas’s eyes flicked toward the sound, then slowly moved back to me. There was no telling what he was thinking, but it could not have been pleasant.
The kitchen was empty when we entered, the remaining pieces of a wineglass scattered across the floor. We didn’t speak, not even a glance in each other’s direction.
The silence was painful. Not a word was said the rest of the night.
Silas would not leave.Ever since that night, he’d been like a leech firmly attached to my side. Not one single moment to myself.
What was worse, not being able to sleep from the fear of the unknown or having my every move openly watched? For goodness’s sake, he would not even let me bathe without him sitting in the corner. If it was not for my protests, he would watch me sleep from my bed. It was like I was a child who could not be left to their own devices. It was infuriating, and it only made me loathe him more.
Everywhere I went, my hellhound followed.
He gave me space when I interacted with customers at the shop, but that was about the only privacy I was allowed. I figured he did it to avoid people getting distracted by the celebrity in their midst, but the rumors were already spreading. He was always with me, so naturally people speculated. Whenever a new rumor surfaced, I could count on Phoebe to tell me about it over the phone or at the shop. I was not allowed to see her much either. Excuses after excuses were made to keep it to phone calls or drop-ins.
“No, I told you nothing’s happened. I’ve been commissioned for something I can’t say,” I lied, hanging close to the telephone on the wall.
Silas was in the corner, glaring out the window, his leg bouncing nervously as I chatted with Phoebe.
“I told you he isn’t any good,” she muttered through the static. “He’s caught up in all sorts of bad business. I don’t care how good the sex is. It isn’t worth it!”
“How would you know?” I jested, though I was curious about her answer.
“Alina! Disgusting! I do not know him likethat! Though we have had some displeasing encounters. I am always the one people complain to when he misbehaves!” she explained. “I never understand why girls keep returning to that he-devil. He is shameless!”
“I get it, I get it.” I looked back at him, his mind lost in that blond head of his. “We should get away to the country this weekend. What do you say?”
Silas’s eyes snapped to me when he heard my words.
“You don’t have to ask me twice!” Phoebe squeaked. “Shall we head to Sussex?”
“Yes, maybe we invite a few people? Have an intimate gathering? Something relaxing and fun,” I said, as if trying to convince Silas that it would be fine and that I would be surrounded by people. Not that I needed his permission, but it was more my way of asking him to keep some distance.
“I’m on it. I’ll ring you in about an hour with the details. I’ll get tickets for the train. Oh, this will be so good for us!” She hung up the phone in all the excitement.
