Page 225 of Trick or Stalk

He stands with Penny against his chest, then offers me his hand. I take it, toss the blanket aside, and stand.

He intertwines our fingers, and we head out to his truck. He hands me Penny while he grabs a duffel bag from beneath his seat.

“Quite the Boy Scout,” I tease as he shuts and locks the door.

He snorts. “No one’s ever called me that before.”

Once we're back inside, I set Penny down and show Hades to the bathroom so he can change. Then I head upstairs, Penny right at my heels.

The closer I get to my bedroom, the more nervous I become.

I flick my bedroom light on and look around. Everything’s the same. And no masked man lurks in the corner.

Even so, I quickly change into my pajamas, then practically run back downstairs to Hades. To safety.

I curl up beside Hades on the couch. Penny climbs onto me, settling with her head on my lap and the rest of her stretched across Hades. He grabs the remote, and I blow out a relieved sigh when he puts on Hocus Pocus instead of a slasher film.

My eyes grow heavy, but I fight it.

Somehow, when I wake later, my head is on his chest. His fingers slowly move through my hair.

Penny is curled against his leg.

The fire has burned low, leaving the room wrapped in soft orange light.

For the first time since I saw that mask outside my window, I'm not listening for noises. I'm not wondering whether someone's outside. I'm not checking the locks.

Hades is here.

Somehow, that's enough.

I close my eyes.

For the first time in days, I fall asleep feeling completely safe.

CHAPTER 31

Presley

I wake up really warm and comfortable. Which is strange considering I'm sitting mostly upright on a couch with my neck bent at an angle that should require medical intervention.

I blink at the dying fire. For a few seconds, I don't remember why I'm here.

Then something moves beneath my cheek.

My eyes widen.

Hades.

I'm sleeping on Hades.

My cheek is pressed against his chest. One of my legs is tangled with his, and sometime during the night, his arm ended up wrapped around me.

Penny is wedged between his thigh and the back of the couch.

Apparently, we've become a family of fucking sardines.

I slowly lift my head. Hades's eyes are closed. Good. Maybe I can extract myself with some dignity.