42. Janie
Chapter 42
Janie
W e pulled apart, and his tentacles stood me on the ground. “Are you hungry?” he asked as he turned to the kitchen.
“It’s only been a few hours,” I mumbled, but my stomach betrayed me by gurgling loudly. I winced.
“I can cook for you. Perfect way to grovel,” he said with a chuckle.
“No. Well, maybe,” I said. A tentacle pushed me into the kitchen after him. His shadows were like bossy assistants, always veering me in the direction he wanted me. They pushed me into a chair and he swanned through the kitchen.
“Over the years, it’s astounded me the evils of humanity but this was a new one for me. Probably not for all of my kind. We all see different things throughout the world. There are some things that are universal.”
“Yeah, except I don’t want to be in the middle of it again.”
He turned in front of the opened fridge door. “I . . . I don’t think I would have found him as quick without you. Usually, we work with rumors and chance meetings. This was one of the first times I searched for a killer. Thank you. You saved some lives.”
As the whole situation unfolded, I couldn’t help but frown, overwhelmed by a sense of discomfort. “I don’t know. Can we talk about something else? I don’t think I’m going to work tomorrow.”
“I could look around with the paras if you want a new job. I know you hate this job.”
“What?”
“I can feel your emotions. You hate this job.”
“I need the insurance.”
“Let me take care of you. Follow your dreams and all.”
“I . . . don’t know.”
“Please let me in?”
“You let yourself in,” I muttered.
“You know, as much as I did, you had a void in your life before me. Let me fill it.”
I giggled nervously. “That sounds perverted.”
A tendril darted around the side of my cheek and caressed the tip, gliding against the edge of my lip in the briefest touches. “You’re the only one thinking of the things I can fill you with, my dear,” he said in a husky voice. He turned back to the food he was preparing.
I swallowed as the tentacle eased back, and I relaxed into the chair. What happens now? The last few days had been full of tension at his stalking and scaring me, and then Tana’s disappearance. I had done things I never imagined I could do, but here I was. I helped solve a mystery and saved my friend’s life.
“What are you making?” I asked.
“Fajitas. Is that okay?”
“I didn’t know we had those ingredients,” I said as I tugged at the bottom of my shirt. There was dirt and blood on my shirt. Everything had happened so quick, I forgot what happened to me. “I . . . I’m going to change and take a shower.”
“Do you want dinner in bed? Make a nice nest?”
My head titled. “A nest?”
“Something cozy and comforting? Some girls like that?”
I stood up. “I . . . I just need to shower.”
I grabbed a clean set of pajamas and walked to the shower. Blood and dirt covered my hair. More bruises were blooming on my skin and emotions warred within me. I hated what happened to me, but I know Tana had it worse. He didn’t hurt me as badly. She’d forever be haunted by his actions. Silent tears streamed down my cheeks as the water hit my body. Dried blood and dirt filled the tub as it swirled down the drain. I don’t know how long I watched the water swirl down until Meical’s voice filled the room.
“Are you okay, my light?”
My head snapped up and my wet hair stuck to the sides of my face. “What?”
“The food’s been done for a while. I know you’re not okay. Can I come in and help you?”
I blinked as I tried to figure out what I wanted to do. “I’m coming in,” he whispered. From the shadow in the corner, he emerged as a blurry black blob and a tendril snaked around to turn off the water. The curtain fluttered to the side and Meical wrapped me in a towel. He picked me up and carried me to the bed. As he dried me off, he slipped a pair of panties on me, my pants, and slipped a shirt over me. Meical propped me up, surrounded by all the couch pillows and a few blankets from the couch. The tray of food sat on my dresser and the lamp sat on the floor. My fingers brushed against an old stuffed animal that I had lost a while ago.
“Where’d you find this?”
“In the shadows under the bed.”
I looked at him and smiled weakly. “You’re the monster under the bed.”
He leaned forward. “Only yours. Forever and always. What’s wrong?”
“You know.”
“Not really, but can you vocalize it? I have the feelings but not the why. Please don’t let my abilities prevent us from communicating with each other. I came to help you when I realized you weren’t coming out.”
“I don’t want to feel bad for feeling like this wasn’t awful. Like . . . Tana had it worse. The others had it worse. It was only a few hours, but I feel broken.”
He pulled me into his arms and sunk back into the makeshift nest, as he called it. More tentacles wrapped around various parts of my body like a soothing weighted blanket. I curled into his chest. “I know Tana had it worse than me. Compared to her, I felt like my pain was negligible, barely anything. It doesn’t mean I didn’t get hurt. What if you didn’t help me in time? And why did you let me get taken?”
He sighed as his fingers combed through my hair, the tips of his claws dragging against my scalp in a calming motion. “Your feelings are just as valid as Tana’s. I should have sent a whisper in the shadows. I’m sorry. I failed you in that way,” he whispered. “I will do better.”
I nodded as I laid down, listening to his heart beat in his chest. A few minutes passed in silence until I fell asleep.