Page 47 of Haunted Nights & Savage Sins
As if on cue, the second I make my way into the section, a witch explodes upward from a seated position, cackling with flashing green eyes. I yelp and jump back into Cormac’s chest. He grunts but keeps me steady.
So much for being the brave one of the two of us. I stick my tongue out at the silly witch before I stick up my middle finger.
I’m surprised when I hear Cormac chuckle lightly behind me.
He’s relaxing. I’m getting through.
I want to jump and clap in victory, but the last thing I want to do is make a big deal.
A group of young girls, maybe college age, comes walking from the other direction, and Cormac turns his body even more to keep from being in their sight line.
“You know, you think everyone is going to be so scared of you, but I’m more than sure that any one of these women is going to want to take you for a ride.”
“What?” he asks.
I turn to face him. “Cormac, you’re hot. Sexy. Gorgeous. A catch. Wet dream material. In the old days or in smaller towns, the women may be a little skittish, but in big cities like this the women are way more forward. I’m the one who should be on the lookout, not you.”
He opens his mouth a few times as if he wants to disparage what I’ve just said, but nothing comes out.
We continue walking through the statue section of the store, and as I’m moving, Cormac stops, forcing me to stop right along with him.
He’s focused on a large gravestone-like statue; it’s obviously for decoration. It’s nearly five feet tall. It’s supposed to look like cracked marble, though I can tell it’s a cardboard-foam mix. There are snakes and spiders crawling over the door, and in the main large crack in the middle is a disfigured man trying to crawl his way out. Fake blood leaks from its mouth and head. His eyes are black and his mouth is open in a permanent scream. Definitely not for children, but Cormac seems captivated by it.
The statue itself is a little too gruesome for me, but I’m not going to stop him from browsing.
“Do I just…” Cormac clears his throat, the nervous tension still present in his words, but he’s doing his best to work through it. “Do I just pick it up and walk it to the checkout line?”
“You want this? Really?” My voice goes up a notch. I didn’t expect to do any real shopping today, but I’m all for it.
“It’s interesting.” He shrugs.
“I think this is just the display, but they should have more in the back.” I look down at the small plaque posted on the floor right in front of the statue. Three hundred and fifty dollars for this.
I come from money, but I’ve always had a budget. Spending nearly four hundred dollars on a statue is a shock to me.
“Um… you realize how much this costs, right?” I lean back and whisper. I don’t want to embarrass him.
His eyes drop down to the price tag. “Okay.” His brow furrows as he turns to look at me, confused as to why I would be making a big deal about the price.
I laugh and shake my head. “Okay, if you say so.” I put a hand up and wave to one of the workers, requesting that they come over.
A woman with streaked purple hair makes her way to us. Her face is devoid of any emotion until she gets a better look at Cormac. Cormac tenses behind me, but I don’t let him move. He needs to see that the judgment may come, but it won’t break him. And it may not even be the judgment he is expecting.
The employee scans Cormac’s body and facial features slowly, her gaze moving up and down. Even though her mouth barely moves, I see her mouth the words, “Yes, please.”
Annoyance squeezes its way into my body. She has yet to look in my direction.
I snap my fingers once in her face to get her out of her daze, and she suddenly jerks her eyes to me.
“Sorry. Yes, how can I help you?” Her cheeks flush with blush as she tries to stay focused on me, but every few seconds they dart over to Cormac.
“We would like this. Do we just take the floor version, or do you have to get it from the back?”
“Oh, we have to get a boxed one from the back. I’ll bring it to the counter to wait for you.” She smiles at me before looking back to Cormac. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”
I step forward. Only Cormac’s hold on my hand keeps me from getting any closer to the woman’s face. “No, we’re fine,” I snap at her.
I storm off in the other direction, determined to get away from that woman before I end up in jail.
