Page 317 of Trick or Stalk

He's gone.

My smile disappears.

I search the trees.

Nothing.

“Shit.”

Penny starts running toward the back door.

“Oh no you don't.”

She ignores me. Obviously.

I follow her through the kitchen.

She's dancing in front of the back door when I reach it.

“Do you remember our conversation about unauthorized entry?”

Her tail thumps against the floor.

“Of course you don't.”

I check the latch. It’s locked.

My phone buzzes again.

Psychopath: Good girl.

Heat shoots through me.

I stare at the message, then immediately look through the glass in the back door.

Nothing.

“You're such a fucking creep.”

Another message.

Psychopath: You like me.

Me: Debatable.

Psychopath: You love me.

My smile comes back. Unfortunately, also true.

Me: What do you want?

The response takes longer this time.

Psychopath: You.

My stomach flips.

Three months of trying to figure out what loving a man like Hades actually looks like.