AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But I'm also done with him. What he said wasn't acceptable, and yet at the same time, I needed to hear it.
I'm attracted to Victor, with his ugly, tusked mouth and his claws and spikes and his lion-like mane. Victor, with his feral, brutal attitude. And Riffin, with his politeness and eager-to-please attitude, is not doing anything for me. So it's time I cut the cord on that relationship. I'm sad, but I'm also relieved. Deep inside, I think I've always known it wasn't going anywhere. Maybe that was part of the appeal, too, that I could use Riffin as a boyfriend and thus keep all other men at bay.
I recognize that I'm a mess, and at least I can own it.
I tug my sleeves down my arms, making sure all the bruises are hidden, and head to the kitchen to pick up the baked goods I stayed up late last night making. As I do, I run into Melanie. She gives me a bright-eyed look and practically bounces over to me. "Oh my god, Bee, guess what! I got my farm! They told me it's ready and all I have to do is establish ownership with the Port custodians and I'll be good to go."
"That's wonderful." I smile at Melanie. I know she's been waiting patiently for her farm for a few weeks now. Lord va'Rin's people have been busy and I know she's been antsy. Normally I'd be jealous that another woman is moving out of the boarding house and away to her new life, but today my thoughts are full of Victor. "I'll miss seeing you. Will you write me?"
Melanie giggles and flings herself at me for a hug. She's the only person I've met that's more buoyant than me, personality-wise. "Of course I will! And you know I'll be back in Port all the time."
I'm not sure if she realizes how time-consuming farming can be. I had mine for all of a week before I developed my allergy, and I was intensely grateful for it. I'm most definitely not a farmer. "Just remember to ask for help if you need it."
"Oh, Bee." Melanie smiles, giving me another exuberant hug. "It's farming. How hard can it be?"
Poor, sweet Melanie has no idea what she's getting into. I just hug her back, pat her shoulder and tell her how happy I am for her. Maybe I'm wrong and she'll be a natural. Maybe she'll excel at farming and find that it gives her life meaning. I hope so. I want her to be happy. She deserves it.
Just like Victor does.
Wow, I've really got him on the brain today. I can feel myself blushing as I pick up the pan of waffles (my go-to when I don't have a lot of time to bake) and murmur excuses to Melanie about how I'm going to be late for work.
When I get to the garrison, something immediately feels wrong. The guards posted don't look me in the eye as I go in, and they don't seem excited about the food that I've brought, whereas normally the sight of me with breakfast brings all kinds of enthusiastic commentary. It makes me wonder if they've heard about the fight I had with Riffin, or if he's complained about me to the others. Surely he wouldn't tell everyone in the garrison that I'm attracted to Victor and not him? I can't help but wonder, however, because the mood is downright strange.
It grows even stranger as I go inside, and the hall outside of Victor's quarters is full of guards. There's at least six of them, armed with the stun guns, watching him through the window. They barely glance at me as I arrive.
My heart plummets at the sight. Immediately, I know something's wrong with Victor. I dump the package of waffles onto the snack table set at the far end of the hall and race back to the reinforced windows that allow the guards to watch Victor's movements from the safety of the hall.
Except…Victor isn't moving. His back is to us, his spiky, terrifying-looking shoulders hunched. He crouches low in the center of the room, and there are massive scratches up and down the walls, everywhere I look, as if he was clawing to get free. There are even furrows ripped into the floor, and as I stare in shock, his hands go down to the tile once more. He digs his claws into the floor and drags them, making a god-awful sound and tearing fresh furrows into the marble tile.
"What happened?" I breathe, horrified. Something's happened to make him regress like this, and I don't know what it is. Last night when I left, we were fine. He was good. He was even…teasing me. Flirting with me in that strange way of his. The feral man I see before me is very, very far from fine. "What's going on?"
