Chase
As I blearily opened myeyes, my bedroom ceiling melted into view.
I groaned. My body was sore all over. I felt like I’d been hit by a truck.
Happy fucking birthday, here’s some aches and pains.
Then the memories from last night crept back.
The birthday party. Jared’s house. Hot Stranger.
Heat flooded my cheeks. Instantly, I felt alert and wired. And upon the mental image of Hot Stranger, a little hard.
But then I remembered the poor betta fish.
Gasping, I leapt out of bed. What happened to him? Was he safe? I couldn’t remember anything after that weird pulsing black energy shot out from Jared’s book... the book that Hot Stranger was so insistent I snatched away.
But I didn’t care about that. I needed to know the poor animal was okay.
Groaning, I rubbed a hand through my bedhead. I had a vague memory of Hot Stranger running towards me, his hand outstretched in concern. Had he taken the cup from me and kept the fish safe? I hoped so.
My gaze slid over to my twenty-gallon aquarium, sitting pretty on a stand in the corner of my bedroom. Its only resident was my red betta, Demetrius, and his underwater forest of live plants. It was only fair he lived like a king after his rough start in life. Last winter, I found him abandoned in a parking lot. Bettas were tropical fish. If I hadn’t spotted his cup sitting on the snow-dusted asphalt, he would’ve been a goner.
A fresh wave of anger constricted my stomach when I remembered Jared’s bullshit last night. What the fuck was he thinking trying to ‘sacrifice’ an innocent fish for some stupid prank? I reallyshould’vekicked him in the nuts.
As I grew more lucid, I started to worry. Somebody brought me home last night. The only person who saw me pass out—and was sober enough to do anything about it—was Hot Stranger. I flushed briefly as I imagined him picking me up and calling an Uber.
Had he come home with me? Was he in my apartment last night?
The idea made me horny for a split second before a different train of thought made my stomach lurch in fear.
How much did Hot Stranger know about bettas? If he carried me home and brought the blue betta with him, could he have mistakenly placed the fish inside the aquarium with Demetrius?
Male bettas were territorial as hell. It would’ve been a bloodbath.
But as Demetrius swam up to the glass to greet me, I saw he was alone and there was no evidence of a fight. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Hey, bud,” I said.
I grabbed his bottle of predator bites and tipped in a few pellets. Demetrius raced after them like a dog chasing a tennis ball, his long tail flowing behind him. I’d never get tired of watching him.
“You’re luckyyoudidn’t have to go to that party,” I complained.
Demetrius wolfed down his pellets, then looked up at me, his eyes hungry for more.
“Oh, was the party really that bad, darling? You got to make out with a hot guy.”
A startled shout escaped me. I stumbled backwards, nearly tripping on the carpet. The bottle of predator bites flew from my hand and rolled across the floor.
What the actual fuck was that?
My heart raced as adrenaline coursed through my veins. I narrowed my eyes at my fish.
“Demetrius...? Is that you?” I asked.
“Ha! You wish.”
I spun around. The room was empty. It was only me and Demetrius.
