Page 99 of Lethal Attraction

Chainsaw—a Madagascar hissing cockroach.

Absolute Unit—a massive Western Hercules beetle.

Widow—her only female praying mantis who cannibalized her partner to nourish their children. (Wish I could have been here to see it in action.)

Butterfree Loading—a Monarch butterfly with gorgeous orange wings.

We spend so much time in her study that we don’t realize hours have passed until her stomach growls with hunger. We both stare at each other for a beat before chuckling at how deep we’re lost in our work.

“I’ve never had anyone to do this with before…” she trails as she closes her journal and sets it aside. “It was nice.”

“Same time tomorrow?” I ask.

She nods quickly before taking my hand and leading us back downstairs. The whole time, my heart feels like it’s going to beat out of my chest.

How did I get blessed with someone like her?

I must have done something extremely good in a past life to afford something so rich now…

Thalia pulls the stuff to make sandwiches from the fridge, and I watch her the whole time we work beside each other to construct our meals. My eyes brush tenderly over every curve and dip of skin I can. She holds my whole fucking heart in her hands and has no idea that I would do anything for her. Anything.

We eat together, her sitting on the edge of the counter with me between her thighs as I stare out of the sliding glass doors that lead to the shed and the dense, heavy forest beyond it.

“Weird question,” I say past a mouthful. “Where are we, exactly?”

Thalia crunches into the chips of her sandwich (a touch I added for both of us) as she turns her chin over her shoulder to follow my eyes. “Columbus, Ohio. On my family’s compound.”

She’s staring at me as if she’s expecting a major reaction.

I surprise her when I only nod. “Where are Taryn and Emma?”

Her eyes roll up to the ceiling as her head tilts. “Pretty sure they’re staying with Bailey, Dom, and Theo.”

I connect the faces with the names, humming. “Are they all…together? They seemed rather close.”

Thalia’s eyes widen. “You get that vibe too? I’ve known Theo and Dom since I was a kid, and I’m more than certain they’re together, but Bailey has always been a weird topic for them. She’s the South branch leader and the one Brooks is actually trying to kill. She took over after killing her brother a year ago. It was a whole mess, and since taking over, some of her team have made the decision that they would rather revolt against her.”

My head is reeling as I blink. “Branch? There are branches to this?”

She waves a hand. “Oh, yeah. Our grandfather is over the Western Branch. Never met him and don’t care to. Addison’s…dad? Uncle? Whatever. Is over the Northwestern branch. Rowan, in all his overbearing glory, is the leader of the Midwestern branch. Yada, yada, yada…”

“Huh,” I say slowly. “That…makes more sense.”

“I could go into all the rules and stuff, but that’s boring.” Thalia snorts.

I scrub a finger over my chin, deep in thought. “Well, I mean, we should probably know the rules and regulations of this since we are here. Wouldn’t want to go against anyone. And besides, I’m sure we’ll have to know them in the long run—” I stop talking when I notice her shocked expression, her sandwich stopped halfway to her mouth. “What’s wrong?”

She blinks, lowering her food. “Reed, are you staying?”

My head rears as I scratch the back of my neck. Fuck, I haven’t even discussed this with her yet. “Well, um, I would like to—”

She grabs my cheeks, dragging me so close that our noses brush. “You’re staying, right?”

I look into her pale eyes, completely enraptured by the urgency and hope that surges in them. Clarity washes over my consciousness as I swallow. “Yes. I’m not going anywhere, Little Devil. I’ve told you this already.”

One moment she’s intense and begging, the next joy lights her features impossibly bright as she smiles. My chest constricts at her relief as she crushes me to her in a tight hug. “Oh my god! I don’t have to lock you in my basement after all!”

“What?”