She could even imagine the headline—“Woman Last Seen in High School Being Weird Is Hot for Her Former Enemy.” And came very close to running back out the door at the thought. In fact, it was only imagining another headline that stopped her: “Town Weirdo Dashes Away to Perv Some More over Local Man.”
Because true, that sounded bananas. But so were all of Marley’s articles.
And worse: they were smart. They were very smart.Marleywas smart.
Her black eyes glittered as she took Cassie in.
“Good to see you again, Cass,” she said, cool as anything.
While Cassie did her best to avoid saying a single self-incriminating word. She smiled and nodded and walked over to the shelf, heart hammering for two reasons, now: the thought of Marley guessing about Seth, and the idea that Marley would somehow know about the supernatural guidebooks she wanted to grab.
Despite suspecting that Marley probably wouldn’t.
And sure enough, when Cassie turned around with the book she’d selected—Weird Terms and Wonderful Definitions—both Marley and Nancy had that blank look about them. Neither seemed to register what she held in her hands.
Though was it Cassie’s imagination, or did Nancy’s gaze seem to linger on the book? Like a witch’s might. Or maybe a cobble’s. And after a second, a frown even slid between Nancy’s soft brown eyebrows. Like she was trying to identify someone through a thick fog. “You okay, Nance?” Cassie found herself saying.
But Nancy answered as though Cassie had been asking about something else altogether. “Oh well, you know. Things are kind of tough at the minute,” she said, in a way that tugged at Cassie more strongly than she could have imagined, for someone she still didn’t know that well.
But before Cassie could ask what she meant, Marley swooped in. “Better than you’re doing, huh, Cass?” she said. “What withthat dipshit hanging around you all the time. My sources say he stops by your place every morning. So, you know, just gimme the word and I’ll write something scathing about him, until he leaves you alone.”
All of which should have felt nice. It kind of put Cassie in the clear, on the question ofcan they see how horny I am for him?But unfortunately, Cassie kind of suspected that Marley was really saying something else. Like she was maybe wanting Cassie to know that she knew. Or trying to make Cassie feel like she was being watched by whoever these sources were. Or possibly she just wanted to press Cassie until she broke.
And sure enough, a second later, here it was.
“Unless he’s not bothering you at all,” Marley said.
Then she raised one already pretty arched eyebrow.
While Nancy looked back and forth between them, visibly uncomfortable. “Here’s your purchase, Cass,” she squeaked as she handed Cassie a carefully wrapped parcel. Because, bless her, she clearly wanted to get Cassie out of this, as much as Cassie wanted to be out of it.
And now all she needed to do was say a quick “Gotta run,” and she was free.
She was out the door, and down the street, as fast as her bike would take her.
SHE CRACKED THEbook as soon as she got through her front door. Stood in the hallway, flipping the pages, until she found a clue about the mysterious molloch. But it took cross-referencing the book’s mention with a site she found online—one that seemed to stutter in and out and randomly showed her some very weird things—to get the answer she needed.
Then it was just a matter of waiting for Seth to show up.
Though he took his sweet time doing it. It was around four in the afternoon by the time he clomped up the porch steps. Much later than whatever Marley’s spies had told her. Late enough, in fact, that Cassie was starting to worry.
But as soon as she laid eyes on him, she could see there was nothing to worry about.
Or maybe everything to worry about, depending on your point of view.
Because he looked like someone who had been recently fucked. And so thoroughly that he appeared to be half asleep while standing up. His gaze was lazy, satisfied. His movements kind of lax—like someone had oiled all his joints. And he let out the most contented sigh as he swung into one of the kitchen chairs. Like he had turned into the opposite of everything he’d been for the last week. Formorethan the last week, if she was being honest.
God, seeing him in this state made her realize just how fucked up he had been before.
How skittish, how jerky and jittery.
So it was heartening to see.
But at the same time,fuck. She wished she’d managed to make that anti-horny potion for herself. Something really strong, to take away the urge to ask him questions she probably did not want to know the answers to. Questions that, truthfully, she already knew the answers to, anyway.He’s like this because he probably spent all night and all day coming his brains out, she thought, before she could stop herself.
And all she could do after that was plunge into a different topic, to give herself some kind of fighting chance. “Okay, so I think I’ve figured out what molloch is for this cure. Dragon scale. Which I am very much hoping is just a fancy supernatural weed, and does not require me to don a suit of armor and find myself a lance,” she said, as firmly and funnily as she could.
And if her voice shook as she did?
