“Umm,” Diablos perks up and scurries forward, getting down on his hands and knees to stare at it. “Oh, you are pretty. Are those your babies? I’d love to talk to you about potential career options.”
Kit stares at him.
“Do you want to play with the Sirens?”
The cat’s damn tail swishes. “Meow.”
“Oh, I like you. Okay. Boot camp it is, Kit has spoken.”
“How do you know his name?” Becky shrieks, throwing her arms wide.
“He told me,” Diablos says blankly. “How else would I know it? I’m not a mind reader, Becky.”
“Queen Becky,” Puppy snarls.
The witch walks past us all, opens a cupboard, climbs inside, and pulls the door shut. My temper spikes, and I pace towards it, wanting nothing more than to yank it open and hurl her out.
“What’s she doing?” Diablos asks.
“Sleeping,” Lirin says with a bored flick of his fingers at the rest of us. Without another word, he walks out to the water and swims off.
“Sleeping?” Diablos says. He scratches his head and opens his mouth like he wants to say something, but he can’t think of what to say.
Leaf creeps towards the door and crouches in front of it, staring intently. The cat joins him.
“Well, this is…” Wilder scratches his head. “Creepy is the only word that is coming to mind.”
Yes. Yes, it is.
Chapter 6
Mei
The cupboard door is yanked open, and before I can lash out, I smell the omega. Her scent is unnerving in how familiar it is. So much like my mother’s scent. I don’t want it near me; I don’t want to remember.
It hurts too much.
“Hey, Mei.”
I wrap my arms around my knees and bury my head under my arms so I don’t have to face her.
“I’m sorry Diablos did this to you. But I think, perhaps, on thinking about it, that maybe it might help you.”
I laugh bitterly and scratch my skin until it bleeds.
“The boot camp will be fun.”
“One step closer, fish, and I will gut you and mount you on a wall,” Puppy growls.
Being this close to the Grim is not at all pleasant. He’s bringing back a whole lot of memories that I really want to forget. A sliver of anger ignites as I remember all those years of running.
I shove out of the cupboard and find myself face to face with the creature the Sirens threw me to all those years ago.
He smells the same, but it’s the feel of him and that strange teal magic that flares to life in my mind that has me hesitating over destroying him, or trying, at least.
He makes an excited chirping sound, and something wet is shoved into my hands.
“Oh…” Becky whispers, and I hear the disgust in her tone.
