AllFreeNovel
Share Us
In the kitchen, Snowball sings a tune like a smoke alarm. TWEET-tweet-tweet-tweet-TWEET-tweet-tweet-tweet-TWEET-TWEET-TWEET—
“Snowball,” I shout over the racket. “It’s okay. Nothing happened.”
There’s a moment of silence, and then he singstweet-tweet-tweet-TWEET?
“Does he have seeds?” Lily furrows her brow. “Snowball? Do you have seeds?”
“He has enough seeds. It wasonenightmare. We haven’t been gone long enough for him to be out of seeds.” Her adorable frown says she doesn’t believe me. “Jesus. I’ll get him more seeds.”
“Not if I get them first.” She races for the kitchen, blanket swishing behind her like a cape.
A laugh creaks its way up to my mouth. Not great for my reputation as a terrifying kidnapper. Following Lily into the kitchen is like walking through concrete. I had a vague plan involving a flirty battle over the seeds, but my legs won’t cooperate in any kind of physical competition right now. Not even against Lily.
In the kitchen, I lean against the countertop next to Snowball’s cage and put my finger through the wires. He hops over to let me pet his head, then hops back to where Lily’s filled up his seed container to the brim. He hasn’t eaten that many, but Snowball fluffs his wings with her and does a cute, bright birdcall like she saved him from imminent starvation.
“Wow.” I give him a pointed look, which he ignores. “I’m the one who boosted you from that farm.”
Lily raises her eyebrows at me. “You stole him from a farm?”
“Ifreedhim from an abandoned research farm. Whoever brought him there left him alone in his cage.”
Her eyes fill with tears. “Oh,no, Snowball. I can’t believe anybody would’ve left you behind like that.”
“Shouldn’t you be crying about what a hero I am? This bird didn’t drag his cage here himself.”
Lily turns her eyes on me without blinking away any of the tears, and then she makes them even wider, huge and warm and sympathetic. I snort so hard it hurts my throat. She laughs back at me, a delighted belly laugh that makes her clap her hands over her mouth and laugh even harder. Lilith the cast-out angel is fighting for her life when she bends down to Snowball’s cage and struggles for composure.
“Of course you didn’t fly here with acage.How would you do that?” She runs a fingertip over the fluff on his crown. “You got rescued by Jameson, and he’s the best bird-dad in the world.”
My smile locks, a piece of the mask I’ve worn since last year snapping automatically into place. “It’s the only kind of dad I’ll ever be.”
Lily’s smile falters. “Jameson, I’m sure that’s not—”
“I’m heading to the shower.”
“Be right there.”
I’m standing under the stream when her words catch up with me. At the same moment, the bathroom door opens and Lily sweeps in, still wrapped in the blanket. I push my hands over my hair.
“Stalker, much?”
“I preferobserver,” she says.
“I didn’t watch you.”
“Well, you weren’t worried about me.” Lily delivers this so matter-of-factly that I take it as fact.
Wait.
“Why the hell are you worried about me taking a shower?” The water’s warm on my skin, but Lily saying it is a balm.
“It’s a more…” She waves her hand in a circle that encompasses all of me. “General. Worry.”
“Is this because you want more dick?”
“I don’t see how that would be relevant.” Fuck me. She turns prim so fast, and it’s hilarious. “This is only because we’ve called a truce.”
“Didn’t realize part of the truce was letting you stare at my cock in the shower.”
