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This woman is in a category of her own, like there’s something inside her that recognizes me more deeply than prey seeing predator. The way her bright green eyes scan me make me feel as though she can see to the bottom of my soul, and what she finds doesn’t scare her. There’s a sense of kinship, like she knows I belong to a different world and wishes to join me.
Or maybe this damn pull is making me imagine things. That’s more likely.
“No need to thank me,” I say. “Just doing my civic duty. It’s not that safe out here, you know? Dangerous things go bump in the night.”
Her green eyes widen, and she sucks in a breath. I can’t help a tiny grin at her reaction.
If only she wasn’t the next sacrifice, she’d make a delicious meal.
“Trust me, I’ve seen more of those than I can count.” By the way she pulls her lips, I’d venture a guess that she didn’t mean to say that. “I don’t know why I’m speaking to you.”
You shouldn’t, I think. You should’ve left when you had a chance. Because now I’ve found her, her destiny is sealed.
“Because I’m an upstanding citizen who’s trying to help?” Even I can’t manage to be serious when saying that.
She rolls her eyes again, but there’s a small smile on her lips. “Right.”
Her body is on constant edge, weight shuffling from foot to foot, like she’s considering flight. It would be a smart choice. Just when I think she’s going to flee, she surprises me by leaning against the pillar of the makeshift tent and raising her gaze to the sky, baring her neck to me.
“Well, you can keep speaking to me. I’m happy to listen.”
She clenches her fists. “You say that because you don’t know what’s going through my head. If you did, you’d find me just as miserable as the lot of them do.”
I don’t know what or whom she’s referring to, but I feel a sense of kinship toward her, like she belongs to this world as little as I do. Maybe a one-way-ticket to the Beyond would be a small mercy for this soul. Or maybe that’s just me trying to make myself feel better with the thought of what I’m condemning her to.
Her scent changes, and I have to clench my jaw when I inhale it. There’s still despair in it, more of those bitter almonds, but it’s mixed with a deep longing — that sweet smell from earlier, which I can now pick up very clearly. Apricot marmalade and rosemary. It’s the smell of a sunny Mediterranean afternoon, and it reminds me of days long gone, lazing in a Barcelona bedroom with my biggest regret.
I fist my hands to keep myself from jumping her. With a scent so delicious, I could feast on her until not an ounce of emotion is left in her body.
“Sorry,” she says after I’ve been quiet for a while. “I shouldn’t have said any of that.”
I have to hold my breath when I answer her. “Don’t apologize to me for your emotions. Or anyone else, for that matter. Your feelings are valid.”
And mouthwatering.
Spending months with her will be the undoing of my self-control.
She studies me, taking in my expression as if something in it can cue her in to a lie. When she seems satisfied to have found none, she sighs. “That’s not what life has taught me.”
The curiosity burning in my gut leaves my throat dry. What are you hiding, little prey?
“And that would be...?”
She shrugs. “You wouldn’t understand.”
For some inexplicable reason, I crave to peel back all her secrets. I reach a hand for her shoulder. “Try me.”
With the contact, I prod her mind. Her eyes gloss as I snake my way inside, but her thoughts are as much of a fortress as I’d imagined. With the other sacrifices the curse has chosen over the years, it took me minutes to figure out what desires to appeal to. But she’s guarding them closely, disguising them. Maybe even from herself.
I let her go and her eyes refocus on me. She scrunches her nose, eyebrows pulled low, as she studies me. Like she knows I’ve crossed a line. Finally, she pushes from the pillar. “I better go.”
I’m quick to follow. “Would you like company on the way home? Things that go bump in the night, remember?”
She smiles at me, but it’s distant, guarded. She’s chosen flight, and I won’t get anything more out of her tonight. “I’m okay, thanks.”
I force my features to remain neutral. “Have a great rest of your night, then. Get home safe.”
She nods. “Thanks, you too. And thanks for checking on me again. It was a nice thing to do.”
