20. Daisy
Chapter 20
Daisy
“ Y ou’re not real,” I said. “You can’t be.”
“I’m real, princess. I’m home.”
There was a beat of silence. A moment when I was so stunned I was frozen in place, my feet rooted to the floor, my mind spinning like the wheel of death on my laptop when the Wi-Fi was being temperamental.
Then emotion rose in my chest all at once like a flash flood. Out of nowhere. Not happiness, not relief.
Anger. Fury.
I launched myself at him, punching and scratching and shoving him against the wall, pushing him back into the shadows like that would rewind the last couple minutes, like that would propel me backwards in time to a place that made sense.
He took what I dished out, standing with his arms at his sides as I landed blow after blow, sobs tearing from my throat, tears streaming down my face.
“What the… How dare you… How could you…?”
I cursed. I slapped his face. I clawed at his clothes and skin like an animal.
My words became more unintelligible as time passed (seconds? minutes?), my blows growing tired as they met the resistance of his body, like trying to move a mountain with my bare hands.
Finally he grabbed my wrists, quick as a viper, holding my hands in midair.
I was panting, breathless from the work of trying to hurt him.
To make him suffer like I’d suffered.
His eyes glowed an eerie green in the moonlight, and for a split second I thought he might actually be a figment of my imagination.
A ghost I’d conjured. A fever dream.
We stared at each other for a long moment, my shallow breath the only sound in the room.
Then his mouth crashed into mine.