Page 46 of Bloody Quarter

“So adorable when you’re feisty. How would you like to work for me today?”

“Doing what?”

I didn’t need to see her face to hear the trepidation in her voice. We still had a bit to go before she fully accepted what I was, but I was confident we were on the right path. If we weren’t, she would’ve grabbed the large knife I purposely left on the counter by her hand, and she would’ve tried to stab me with it. She hadn’t even glanced in its direction.

“I need a server for my event this evening.”

“Sure. I can do that, but I need my backpack from wherever you have it stashed.” Alora glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, and I shook my head at her. Bold, so bold, and I was really loving it. “I have my black pants and a clean T-shirt in it.”

“You can have your bag back, but you might as well unpack it since you’ll be staying here from now on.” I almost expected her to argue, but she nodded and walked around the kitchen, opening cupboards and drawers and taking out plates and utensils. “Also, you don’t need the clothes in it. I took the liberty of buying you a few things.” Alora leaned against the counter with her arms crossed.

“Did you now?”

“I did. You’ll find it all in the bedroom closet.” She ran her hand through her hair but didn’t complain. Flipping the meat and stirring the grits, I made sure to season everything. “Look around if you’d like.”

“This is really a beautiful home,” she said as she looked out the window and then wandered into the living room. “Are you shittin’ me?” I smirked, knowing what she was looking at. There was a framed aerial of the entire property. It was a great shot, but Alora would clearly be able to see she hadn’t made it halfway to the property line. “Do you seriously own the next property over in each direction,” Alora called out.

“I do.”

“So, I was never close to leaving the property?”

“Nope,” I said, chuckling under my breath.

“You’re an ass,” she said, but there was no heat to her tone, and I couldn’t deny it anyway. Alora walked in holding a family photo. “You have a beautiful family. Both you and Lennox look so young and happy in this picture. One would never suspect that you’d turn out…well…you know.”

“First, I’m still happy, more so now,” I said and loved how her face flushed a deeper shade of red. “Second, I was always like this, and believe it or not, I had a much harder time controlling the urges or rages then. It’s taken a lot of work to get to this point.”

“Your parents don’t come here anymore?” She looked around. “I don’t understand, why is that? This place is like a dream. Spacious home with lots of light and a massive porch.”

“They got spooked when a body was found on the property,” I said, checking on the biscuits to make sure they weren’t burning.

“A body? I’m going to assume this wasn’t a random, run-of-the-mill body that washed up on shore, type thing?”

“No. It was before I had control. I ended up killing my guidance counselor. She was concerned about my behavior in school. Not that I got into a bunch of fights, but I talked back, pushed the boundaries, and saw what I could get away with as the star of the school. At the time, I thought she saw what I was. Heck, maybe she did. Anyway, she was friends with my mom and came out to the property to talk to my parents. She found me instead. My parents were in town, and I thought she was going to ruin me, so I acted.”

“How old were you?” Alora seemed hesitant to ask like she couldn’t picture the sweet kid in the photo bludgeoning a person’s head in. She was having the same reaction as the police that day.

“Ten.”

“Jesus, Greyson. I’ll take it they thought you were too young?” I nodded.

“Yeah, I was supposed to be out riding my bike with Lennox, but his chain broke, so I’d come home to get him a spare while he stayed with his bike. I’d just walked out of the shed when she arrived. I didn’t even think that my parents might be accused, and thankfully, they were seen at the time by a number of store owners and a lady from church. They were cleared, but we moved out a month later.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure, but just be positive you want to know the answer,” I said, moving the bacon and andouille out of the pan before flipping the steak and making sure my grits didn’t burn.

“Why me?”

Turning around to face her, I ran my hand through my hair. “Honestly?” She nodded. “I planned on killing you at the start.”

“Oh.” Alora held the frame to her chest as she looked away.

I walked over to her and cupped her face, running my thumbs over her cool skin. She was always so cool to the touch. “I said that was all I wanted at the start, but why I want more is what’s important.” Alora looked up, her eyes locking with mine. “I claimed you because the fractures in your soul align with mine.”

“You want me because I’m broken?”

“I want you because we both are, but together we’re complete.” I placed my hand over her heart. “I am you.” Grabbing her hand, I laid it over my heart. “You are me.” I let my lips brush against hers, a shiver of need kindling and unfurling itself inside of me. “We are one.”