Feral Darlings

Chapter Nine

I ’ ve been fighting to stay awake ever since my little friend took off.

She refused to listen to anything I had to say, instead choosing to wander off into the daylight after telling me that we weren ’ t friends anymore.

It hurts.

The only friend I have, or had, is a seemingly seven year old, and she ’ s officially called it off.

I know she ’ ll end up forgiving me eventually, and I hope by then, it won ’ t matter.

Selfish bastard, I think as I rub my face tiredly.

Nothing but Elyse seems to matter to me anymore, but I know that once we ’ re together, everything will make more sense. Everyone will matter in their own way—except for the ones that took her from me.

They won ’ t exist to care about.

A tired smile creeps across my lips as my eyes flutter closed, and I stifle a yawn by clenching my teeth together.

“ Do you ever wonder what life would be like if things were different?”

“ No,” I lie as confidently as I can. I give Elyse a grin to try and convince her that the thought has never crossed my mind, even though it has more times than I can count.

“ Liar,” she replies with a small smile. She tucks her hair behind her right ear and steals a glance at me with her hazel-grey eyes shining brightly before she looks away again.

It always manages to enchant me how she and Clemmy have almost the same color eyes. Strange in a way because no one else I ’ ve encountered has them.

“ But I haven ’ t either,” she finally says as she blows out a breath and gets to her feet. Elyse holds a hand down toward me, and I shake my head with a laugh as I take and let her pull me to my feet.

While her frame is small, while she looks so fragile that she might break if the wind blows too hard, I know way better than to believe it. Her looks are as deceiving as they are intoxicating, and the only other being I know that ’ s almost as strong as her is little Clemmy Hunn.

Probably because they ’ re the same kind of monster, I think as I rake a hand back through my hair. A very rare hybrid born of enemies that became lovers against all odds. Elyse was born from a frenzied passion of madness, and Clemmy was turned, though I ’ m not entirely sure how.

But that ’ s why I ’ m so damn sure that Elyse and I can make whatever it is that we have work.

Elyse smiles as she places her hands on my shoulders, then pushes herself on her tiptoes. My arms find their way around her waist as I pull her close, and just as I ’ m ready to kiss her soft, luscious lips, she makes a face.

I throw my head back and laugh.

I get it.

It ’ s been a day or two since we ’ ve seen each other, so I probably smell like the bastards in Crescent Oak.

“ Take a bath, Mason. You smell,” Elyse teases with a laugh.

As she tries to pull away, I pull her even closer and crush my lips against hers, assuring her that even though I smell like them, I ’ m not.

And that I would never do her any harm.