Page 15 of Lace 'em Up

That is entertaining and heartbreaking and has a ton of animals—of all shapes and sizes—on it.

Which means it’s totally up her alley.

Which means…

I don’t complain when one episode turns into another, and my eyelids grow heavy.

Because I glance to the side and see that hers are drooping even more than mine are.

And then I fall asleep to the sight of a barn full of happy cows on the screen.

Something wet and warm wakes me after what feels like five minutes.

I peel back my lids, see that Zeus has made it his duty to pull me out of sleep.

“Ugh,” I grunt when his tongue slides into my mouth. “And that’s entirely too much togetherness for this early in the morning,” I mutter.

Because it is morning.

I can see the sunshine sliding through the windows, sending slanted beams of light across the rug in front of my bed.

My…empty bed.

Or at least the space beside me is empty.

Is devoid of a certain woman who’s not supposed to be moving one goddamned inch.

I push up from the bed, look into the bathroom, peek through even though the open door already clues me into it being empty.

Which it is.

“Fuck,” I mutter then systematically search the rest of the house, Zeus at my side.

But even the fluffy version of the King of the Gods can’t produce Rory.

And I have the feeling I know exactly where she is.

And if I’m right…

I’m going to kill her.

Six

Rory

"Be brave and kind," I murmur as I get out of the rideshare, my socked feet aching as I stride slowly up to the front door.

Socks I stole from King's dresser.

As he slept through Dr. Pol delivering a bevy of infant cows that were breech, and thus saving more than a handful of mama cows.

A crime against humanity that.

Missing out on one of the greatest shows in television history?—

Either that or the drugs Dr. Halston gave me drove me to delusions.

Maybe both.

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