Tough to argue with that. I suppose a lot of things in life and love come down to showing people your true colors. And learning to understand that you can’t control how they will respond to you. That’s what makes love such a tricky thing. You both rip open those doors to your insides and show each other your goods, like you’re peddling your wares. Sure you shine it up real nice, but we all know that a frying pan is a frying pan. We just need to find the person who is looking for a new frying pan, is all.
I shook my head as I parked the car, surprised to feel a wave of melancholy wash over me as I trudged up the steps. Perhaps being deeply introspective about life wasn’t the best thing for me to do at the moment. Didn’t we all just want to be loved and accepted?
My thoughts distracted me from the fact that Hank’s ears weren’t poking over the edge of the windowsill.
I opened the door and immediately crouched down to pet Hank.
Except there was no Hank to be seen.
What the heck?
“Hank?”
Worry ratcheted through me as my eyes darted around the room, looking for Hank.
Finally I saw him. His body was stretched out flat and his nose was pressed to the window, his hackles raised. A low growl emitted from his throat and he didn’t even look away to glance back at me.
So, you know, not a typical welcome home.
My backyard was dark and the switch for the light wasright next to the back door. If I crossed the room and turned it on, I would reveal myself to whatever Hank was growling at.
See, here’s the part about me not being so great in emergencies. What I probably should have done was gone back outside and called Cash. Instead, I strode right across the living room and flashed the backyard lights on.
And shrieked when they illuminated Horace, standing a foot away from the glass sliding doors, the ram horns still on his head and his eyes seething with rage.
Yeah, okay, I could see why Hank had been growling now.
I froze.
The only thing that came to my mind was my white bubble and I surrounded myself with it right before Horace reached out and slid the door open.
You’d think a girl would’ve checked the locks to all of her doors when a murderer was on the loose, wouldn’t you?
Deciding to take the offensive, I stepped out onto the porch, forcing Horace to take a step back in surprise. I’d seen too many horror movies where the girl gets cornered in her house and flees upstairs. At least this way, I’d be out in the open and my neighbors would hear me scream.
I circled around Horace forcing him to follow me a little further out into the yard, while Hank paced beside me. I really hated that Hank was with me. I didn’t care if I got hurt, but I’d lose it if Hank got hurt.
“Horace, lovely to see you again. May I ask why you’re hanging out in my backyard?” I asked, easily,keeping my eyes trained on his as I worked to keep the protective bubble intact.
“You left quite suddenly the other night,” Horace said slowly, his voice sounding different, more guttural almost, as if he’d smoked six packs of cigarettes and then screamed at a football game all day. I tilted my head and looked at him oddly. Curious now, I reached out and brushed against his mind.
Whoops, probably shouldn’t do that. I winced as what sounded like the screams of a thousand people filled my ears and flashes of serpents and flames filled my thoughts. I couldn’t decide if this was better or worse than the emptiness that had greeted me the last time I took a little dip into Horace’s thoughts.
“Yes, well, things went a little downhill during your ‘draw down the moon’ ceremony thing, if you’ll remember,” I said, keeping my distance from Horace but not really sure what to do.
“I’d argue that, and say things actually went exactly the way they were supposed to have gone,” Horace said softly.
Frustrated, I shrugged.
“What’s your point, Horace? Why are you here creeping in my backyard? You could’ve called, you know. Super rude,” I said.
So about that whole self-preservation thing…
“I like that you have some spunk to you. Your powers benefit from it. It’s just too bad I’ll need to take them from you.”
I held up my hands in front of me to pause him as Icircled, not sure what I was going to do about this little tidbit of information.
“Why do you keep trying to take my power from me? You’re clearly so much stronger than I am. What do you need with mine?” Flatter the crazy man. At least I was trying to be smart here.
