Five thousand dollars.
I swallowed hard, squeezing my eyes shut as relief raced through me. I dragged the chair from the table, the noise loud and echoing in the quiet room. I sat heavily in it, trying to control my breathing.
Ragged, wheezing breaths were all that I could muster. I sat in the silence of the dining room and sobbed, wracking, heaving sobs that shook my entire body. Something I hadn’t allowed myself to do since my father died.
CHAPTER 17
Krusk
Ishoved my hand through my hair as I paced in front of my door, worried that my Emma wouldn’t show up. I ignored Ribbon where he was sitting behind me, panting heavily while switching between slobbering on the floor and slapping his tongue against his eyeballs to keep them wet.
We’d scheduled a private walk together so she could ‘teach me some tips and tricks’ about owning a newdog. I eyed Ribbon before rolling my eyes. Ihatedlying to her, but I didn’t know any other way to approach her.
The chime for the doorbell sounded and I froze where I was, staring at it in shock and terror.
If itisEmma, then—
But if itisn’tEmma, then—
I stood with complete indecision at the door, until Ribbon hopped toward it, his huge tongue slapping out and gripping thedoor to turn the handle. I stared in horror at it as it swung open.
Emma blinked down at Ribbon from where he’d opened the door. His long tongue retracted into his mouth before he panted at her, wearing what could only be described as a smile on his face.
Her eyes were wide and confused before they moved to me, where I stood inside the door, just standing there and staring at her like an idiot.
“Y-your dog just opened the door with its tongue,” she said in a slow, baffled voice.
“Yes,” I agreed, nodding as though it was completely normal. “What a good boy,” I added, leaning down to pat the top of its fluffy head. It released a noise that sounded likequark, and bit my hand, swallowing the entire thing inside its mouth and swinging off the edge of my wrist.
Horror crossed Emma’s expression from where I hadn’t stopped staring at her and I lifted my hand—that Ribbon was still dangling off of.
“Excuse me for a moment. While I get him settled on his leash,” I told her with as much aplomb as I could muster while having a fuckingmountain toadhanging off my fist.
I walked away, wiggling my arm wildly to get him off as I took him in the direction of my bedroom.
“Get off my fucking hand,” I hissed at him in a low voice.
Emma called, “Are you okay? Do you need me to call animal control?” in a high voice.
“I’m fine,” I called back, struggling to pull the latched toad off while he happily sucked at my hand with his tongue wrapped around it. “This is just something he’s started doing,” I forced a laugh, grabbing him under my arm and tugging harder.
By the time I got him off—with a huge plopping noise that I wascertainEmma heard from where she was still near the door. Ribbon panted happily up at me and I scowled down at him,giving him my best, firmest expression.
“Donotdo that,” I said, and he leaned backward in my arms until I was forced to release him. He flipped as he fell, landing on his hind legs before sitting on the floor as if he was as innocent as could be and hadnoidea what I was talking about.
“Don’t fuck this up for me,” I warned him, whispering the words so Emma couldn’t hear. “I’m doing that enough on my own.”
He blinked up at me as if he understood completely. I shared a moment of silence with him before he lunged for my hand again and I cursed, dodging him.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Emma asked again, pressing her hand to my wrist—the one that Ribbon had almost swallowed again three times before we’d left the apartment.
I looked down at the spawn from hell, feeling benevolent and grateful toward his eccentricities. He blinked up at me as he meandered down the path, one scuttle after the next.Notthe huge hopping I was used to from other mountain toads, but definitely not awalk.
You’re welcome, he seemed to say, before snapping his tongue out and snatching a fly from the air in front of us.
I nodded at Emma, praying she hadn’t noticed. “I’m fine. It’s one of his new quirks,” I explained, and it wasnota lie, because while it might not be new to him, it was definitelynew to me.
“He seems to have a lot of quirks,” she said, looking down at where Ribbon had just stopped in front of a fire hydrant to sniff at it before jumping—in one huge leap—to sit on top of it and stare up at us, still panting heavily.
