Page 31 of Primal

I cringe at her dark humor but agree, anyway.

CHAPTER 24

KIARA

The air is electrified with the buzz of excitement. Yolanda and I got a late start this morning, so MusicFest is already in full swing. The ground vibrates from the heavy bass of the many performances going on, and I swear I can feel it in my bones, too. The sun is high in the sky and blazing, and now I’m kicking myself for not putting on more sunscreen before I left the house.

“Phew, it’s burning up out here,” Yolanda says as she wipes her forehead. A light sheen of sweat is already forming on her body. She looks like a goddess with her dark brown skin glistening in the sunlight—and I’m definitely not the only one who notices. A group of guys stop in their tracks with their mouths quite literally hanging open; give them some heart eyes and they’d look like something straight out of a cartoon.

Yolanda and I laugh and leave them standing there, mouths agape. We head to the main stage, where our favorite artist, Anthony Banks, is performing. He’s already almost done with his second song, but I don’t even care.

The past month went by in such a blur. I worked, attended therapy—at Yolanda’s behest, but I have to admit it has helped my mental health tremendously—went to the grocery store… and that’s about it.

I’ve ached for Zyran to come back, but I know that having him back in my life would only prolong all the problems I’ve been having.

If I’m being honest, I’ve grown bored. I need the kind of excitement only he can give me, but I know that once I let him back in, it will be game over.

So, I blocked his number—and all the others he’s called and texted me from. Then, when that didn’t work, I just got a new phone.

But I didn’t stop there. I had an old tech-savvy friend from high school put protection on it to keep from getting hacked again. I don’t know what he did, but I haven’t heard from my stalker since getting it.

A part of me wonders if Zyran ended up losing interest in me. He has ways of getting into my house, even when the doors and windows are all locked and the security alarm is set. He could have come any time he wanted, and yet, he hasn’t come once. I should consider myself lucky, should feel relieved that I can finally live in peace, but I don’t.

I want all the chaos in my otherwise normal, boring life.

Lifting my hands high over my head, I dance to the music. When Anthony points the mic to the crowd, we all scream the lyrics at the tops of our lungs. Yolanda grabs my hand and we dance together.

When the song ends, Anthony spends a minute talking to us. That’s one of the things I love most about him. He doesn’t treat us like fans, but friends.

He has just started his next song when I feel something warm against the back of my neck.

I whip my head around quickly, but I’m only greeted by a confused-looking guy just trying to enjoy the show. We’re pretty cramped out here, so it’s not unusual for us to be breathing all over each other.

Get it together, Kiara. You’re here to have fun.

Yes—fun.

But why do I have the strongest feeling that I’m being watched?

CHAPTER 25

ZYRAN

First, she blocked me. Then, she got a new number. And when I continued to blow up her phone, she turned it off and completely disposed of it. I’ve been hacking since I was in middle school, and I consider myself to be the best, but whoever Kiara got to encrypt her phone is better than me.

I’ve been trying to give her the space she needs, but I’m beginning to lose it. Even though she exists all around me, every single day, without her even knowing, I still give her space because I know she needs it. I feel horrible about Esther’s death, and the knowledge that I’ve hurt my butterfly so deeply makes me crave her nearness to comfort and console her.

The urge to leave that cramped closet space and show myself to her has been strong, but I’ve suppressed it. Every night after she falls asleep, I creep up to her room and stroke her face. I’ll sit there for hours, watching her sleep, until I feel like I can’t keep my own eyes open anymore. Only then do I reluctantly break myself away from her and crawl back into the space before the sun comes up.

I’m definitely feeling the lack of sleep now, because as I scan the crowded area for my butterfly, I feel like I’ll pass out from exhaustion.

But then I spot her watching Anthony Banks on stage.

Downing the rest of my drink, I push away a half-drunk girl who’s trying to get my attention and go follow Kiara. She’s with her friend, so at least she’ll be safe, but I won’t know peace until I’m next to her again.

Slithering my way through the crowd, I ignore the dirty looks I get as I push past people in my haste to get to my baby.

I’ve given her enough space—I’m done waiting. I knew she was helping her friend deal with being raped, and I wanted her to be there for her, but I’m not a patient man. When I want something, I take it without a second thought. I meant it when I said she is mine, and I fully intend to make her see it.

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