Page 64 of His Pet

LORENZO

Avoidance.

A weak man’s game.

Something I never do.

Something I’m doing right now.

My breath comes in heavy pants, and my shoulders are heavy, begging to slouch, as I shuffle through the forest. I stand tall and walk with what I hope is a confident gate, but it’s for no one’s benefit except my own. And it’s a lie.

Clearly, my body is not ready for so much physical exertion. A stroll would’ve been one thing, but once Amelia turned to go back to the cabin, I ventured deeper into the woods. I couldn’t seem to stop. My mind swam with everything I never knew was possible for me to think and feel, and my legs took on a life of their own. I didn’t realize how sore and tired my body was until I found myself at the bank, in the spot the brown-eyed vixen saved my life.

A life for a life. That’s what I’ve decided is the reason I have to let her go. I owe it to her. Imustgive it to her.

But I don’t want to.

And she doesn’t even want it.

I stop for a moment and push back the wet hair over my forehead. It falls back and hangs just above my eyes a moment later, and I ignore it.

My mind searches for some other way to handle this situation, one in which Amelia is in my arms and in my bed when I go back home. The thought of her simply staying here while I visit her occasionally crosses my mind, not for the first time, but I dismiss it like all the other times.

If she stayed here, she would be my prisoner. She’d always be my prisoner, regardless if she thinks she wants to be with me.

I don’t want her as a prisoner. Not anymore.

The hurt that filled her irises flashes through my memory, and I’d be a liar if I said it killed me. It elated me. There was the proof I needed to confirm my suspicions weren’t all in my head. I hadn’t created some fantasy where my beautiful and fierce captive desired me.

It’s real. And it felt so fucking sweet to confirm it. For all of a moment, I had everything I wanted.

And now it’s gone.

I notice my steps have shortened and my pace has slowed when I get closer to the cabin, and I grit my teeth before pushing forward. What a fucking coward I’m becoming. All because of a girl who might love or hate me, it’s a tossup which one right now.

I step into the clearing and point myself in the direction of the cabin only to stop in my tracks. My mother’s red Jaguar is parked in the driveway.

“What the fuck?” I mutter, taking off that way. Now my pace picks up. I’m unsure whether I should run toward it or run away like the coward I’m acting as, but I hurry up the steps onto the porch and fling the door open.

My eyes sweep the room and pin to my mother and Amelia on the couch. My mother’s hand is to her chest, and her mouth is open in a laugh.

Amelia whips around toward me, and her expression goes from amused to nervous in an instant. My mother doesn’t look at me until I kick the door shut with my foot.

She frowns. “Did you get lost?”

I resist the urge to narrow my eyes and try to determine what her intention is right now. Of course I didn’t get lost. She knows this.

“Good to see you too, Ma.”

She stands and hustles over to me, her eyes scrutinizing every inch of me. The hairs on my arms raise, as they always have when she does this. It’s like she can see all my sins with a sweep of her eyes.

When her gaze meets mine, it’s clear what she’s thinking. Disappointment, and maybe a little bit of worry, flash in her irises before she takes me by my arm and pulls me toward the couch where Amelia still sits.

“Amelia was worried sick about you,” she admonishes. “And frankly, so was I. You’ve never missed Sunday dinner, Enzo. Not a single one, and you didn’t bother to call.” She stops in front of the couch, and I sit next to Amelia when Ma urges. She waves her hands over me. “And now you’re gallivanting through the woods whileinjured? And without your nurse, no less. You should’ve told Amelia what you were doing. And you should’ve toldmewhat you were doing. What were you trying to do, give me a heart attack?”

My mother drones on, and I exchange a look with Amelia. She doesn’t appear hurt like she did earlier. Her shifting and big eyes suggest nervousness, but there’s also a slight pinch of her lips that show amusement.

“I thought Settimo would—”

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