Page 6 of Primal

After dinner, I walk down the street to the store. I’m glad I chose to walk to the restaurant instead of driving, since I don’t have my license. Yolanda paid for my food and gave me money to buy a security system with no problem, but she’s done so much for me. I don’t want to feel like I keep owing her.

When I finally reach the store ten minutes later, I follow the signs hanging from the ceiling to the electronics department all the way in the back. A short, graying man with bifocals greets me warmly with a smile as I approach the counter.

“Hello there! What can I help you with today, miss?”

I smile—he has the same energy as Grandpa. “Hi. I’m looking for a security system for my grandmother’s house.”

He nods and immediately motions for me to follow him. We weave through the aisles of various electronics and accessories until we reach the section. I’m instantly overwhelmed by all the different kits available. I give him a very brief description of what happened last night, and that I want Grandma to be safe when I’m not home. He goes on showing me the best security systems on the market and explains the differences between them. I’m clueless when it comes to this stuff, so it sounds like he’s speaking a completely different language.

After deciding on the one I want to buy, I take the kit with me to the front to check out. On the way, I stop by the grocery department to pick up a few more things for Grandma. A chocolate pie in the freezer section is calling my name, but since I don’t have any money, I put it back and force myself to walk away.

Even if I did have money, spending eight dollars for something that’ll be gone in a few days is silly. I try not to frown as I go to the self-checkout.

My skin prickles like I’m being watched, but when I look around the crowded store, I don’t see anyone looking at me.

Stop being so paranoid, Kiara.

Before I leave the store, I stop by guest services and ask about my license, but the employee doesn’t find it in the lost and found. I thank them before turning to leave.

The walk back home is short, so I slow my pace so I can clear my head.

I can’t get him off my mind. He’d invaded my world so thoroughly that I can still feel him on me, still smell the smoke and woodsy scent that clung to his clothes and the coppery taste of his blood in my mouth. The grip of his fingers as he held me against him, the scrape of his teeth on my heated flesh, and the hardness of his cock sending ribbons of pleasure through my core as we ground against each other are imprinted in my memory.

I shake my head, clearing away all thoughts of him. As thrilling—and low-key terrifying—as last night was, I need to forget about it. I hope he and his friend don’t decide to come back to finish what they started, if only so the blue-eyed man doesn’t realize how much his actions turned me on.

By the time I walk through the front door, I’m exhausted.

“Kiara?” Grandma calls out from the kitchen. She sounds a little alarmed. “Kiara, is that you?”

I rush into the kitchen to find her standing at the sink. Her hands are in the soapy water, but she’s staring at me as I walk in.

“What’s wrong, Grandma?” I put everything down on the kitchen table and go to her side.

She looks at me for a moment and squints her honey-brown eyes, as if trying to process that I’m really here, before saying, “I’ve been feeling uneasy. I thought I heard Lester, but I didn’t feel him. And I couldn’t find my phone to call you.”

Unease settles in the pit of my stomach. “Do you need to lie down?” I ask, putting my hand on her arm and guiding her away from the sink.

She nods and wipes her hands on a dishtowel. “I want to go to sleep.”

I help her up the stairs and into her bedroom. Once she’s settled into bed, she falls asleep almost immediately. I close the blinds and shut the door on my way out. An eerie feeling creeps its way into me, and something is pulling me toward my room.

When I walk inside, I’m shocked by what I see.

There, resting on my perfectly made bed, is Grandma’s phone.

And my wallet.

“No,” I whisper, backing up until I bump into the doorframe. “This can’t be happening.”

I thought I’d lost my wallet, but here it is.

Sitting on my pillow. On my bed, that I know for a fact I didn’t make when I woke up this morning.

How the hell did he get back in here? Is he still here?

After checking under the bed and in the closet, I run back to Grandma’s room and start shaking her awake. After what feels like an eternity, she finally opens her eyes and looks at me, alarmed.

“Was someone in the house?” I ask her, not apologizing for waking her up so soon.

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