‘Lynx!’I say through our link out of habit as I rush over to him and immediately reach out to hug him, but get a zap as soon as we touch.‘Fuck!’
‘I’m sure it has something to do with my new accessory,’Lynx soberly says, as he shakes his ankle. The tiny tinkling brings my attention to the strap with a metal clasp around it.
‘Well fuck that! We need to get that off of you,’I say confidently, reaching out to unlock it. A sharp jolt hits me once again, but I try to push through the ache as I fumble with the lock. The intensity increases, locking my fingers in pain as a burn sears in the middle of my hand, making me cry out.
‘Rez!’Lynx yells as he pushes me away in fear and I land hard on my ass.‘Are you okay?’
‘Yeah.’I wheeze out, catching my breath.‘Just a slight burn,’I confirm, looking down at my hand and completely lying to him. It’s a pretty bad burn, but I don’t want to waste my time here with him freaking out and fretting over something he can’t help with.
Keeping my hand against my chest, I stand back up and give Lynx a small assuring smile. Lynx scoots over in his small bed to allow me to sit down next to him. Being this close yet not being able to touch him physically hurts as the tears start burning behind my eyes.
‘Don’t even start, Rez,’he warns, but it’s hopeless as I start crying.‘Damnit, Rezzi. Stop it.’
I sniff and wipe at my tears.
‘I’m going to kick you off the bed if you don’t stop and catch me up on what I’ve missed so far,’he teases and it does the trick. I catch him up on the nothingness of what I’ve been doing without him for the past two weeks.
‘You might as well stab me in the ass with an acidic spoon,’Lynx pouts.
‘Oh my God. It’s not that bad, Lynx.’
‘Not that bad? Are you kidding me? You practically just admitted to sleeping with the equivalent to the mailman.’
‘Take that back!’I squint my eyes at him. ‘Mr. Darby is ninety years old and needs a fucking walker for his route. They should have retired him ages ago.’
‘And you think Knots is any younger?’Lynx gives me a pointed look.
‘Well, he doesn’t need a walker to move what he’s got,’I retort.
‘How in the hell were you able to sleep with him anyway? Were you desperate to throw yourself on his knob? His doorknob? Do you know how many people have touched his willy? Eww. Not to mention the sanitation issue. I know you don’t carry around sanitizing spray, and you just had that up your hoo-ha.’He shakes his head and curls his lips in disgust.‘I can’t leave you alone for a minute, can I?’
‘You are horrible, Lynx.’
He just stares at me for a moment before giving me a concerned look.‘You might want to get yourself checked. Who knows what he’s been spreading around.’
‘Ugh!’I throw up my hands in defeat. I shoot him a concerned look of my own. ‘Have you been able to get any clues about this place?’
Lynx blows out a frustrated sigh before he sits up and places his wrist in his lap.‘No. And it’s getting extremely frustrating, Rez. Little things are starting to disappear. In my mind—”he jabs at his head forcefully, making me wince. I reach out to grab his hand but he jerks back.‘No! You can’t touch me!’
‘Then stop trying to hurt yourself,’I snap back. I pull my knees to my chest and rest my chin on top while I look up at Lynx.‘I’m sorry. I don’t mean to get upset. I just miss you, and it’s killing me that I can’t touch you now that we have this connection back.’
Lynx gives me one of his wide grins.‘I know what we can do since we can’t touch and cuddle,’he wags his eyebrows.
‘No! I’m not doing the mutual masturbation game you’re always trying to get me to play.’
Lynx inhales sharply and brings a hand to his chest.‘How dare you insinuate that I would eventhinkthat?’My ‘really’ look is the only response I have for that, and he laughs and rolls his eyes.‘Well, miss pervert. If you must know, I was thinking about doing our tradition and spending the rest of our time naming what we’re thankful for with each other.’
My heart fills with so much happiness that a few tears burst free before I can hide them.‘I would love that.’
Moni comes crashing into my room bright and early, acting as my alarm clock. Flying around my head, she sings, “Buzz, buzz, buzz. Wuzz, wuzz, wuzz. It’s time to get up, Miss Fuzz, fuzz, fuzz.” I swat at her and hear a shriek, bringing a smile to my face. “Hey, that's not fair. Get up! Did you hear? Our classes have changed. We’re doing combat training all morning, so get up, put on your workout gear, and get some grub. I have to put on my armor,” she says cheerily and pats her bark like that’s not armor in and of itself before flying out of the room.
After taking a quick shower, I dress in some yoga pants and opt for a long sleeve shirt. Déjá vu creeps in as the sensation mingles with my nerves at the thought of returning back to school especially without Lynx by my side. To top things off, Zeke is still missing and we’re still at a loss of what to do for him. We don’t even know if he’s been taken. I try to shake off the unease, but it continues to cling to me as I walk out of the closet. Knots lets out a low whistle as he enters the bedroom. My skin heats as a flush climbs my neck to rest on my checks.
“I love the outfit, Rez, but where’s the armor for battle? I thought Moni said you’re going to Combat Classes.” His pinched brows and look of confusion almost makes me laugh out loud.
“This is what we wear, Knots.” I place a chaste kiss on his lips before walking out to the kitchen.
JP is serving breakfast when I enter and slides a plate in front of my seat. “Bon appétit, ma chérie.”
