Page 51 of The HalloQueen

I shrugged, “It seems like he doesn’t care. He said to have fun.”

“Awesome. Then let’s finish up and head out. Don’t change, you look amazing.”

I grumbled, “Okay, but then I have to redo my makeup again.”

“Boohoo. The boss is definitely going to fire you.”

Shannon’s phone rang and she put it on speakerphone, “Hey Trae, you’re on speaker, Bels is coming out with us tonight.”

“Oh yeah? Awesome!”

“Don’t cause any trouble for me tonight, Trae, alright?” I hollered toward the phone.

“You’re no fun!”He chuckled,“Alright babe, I’m leaving work now, you want to meet there in an hour?”

“Yeah, Jake should be getting the girls from daycare, so let me make sure he didn’t forget, and then I’ll see you there.”

They chatted for a few more minutes while she texted her ex to make sure he had indeed not forgotten their children, and I reapplied some simpler makeup. I shut down my computer, then headed to the closet to grab a leather jacket and a pair of my boots that I’d left behind once. I’d take a night. It seemed like a good solution to the chaos in my head. I’d just take one night away from him being in my house, cooking my food, and sleeping in my bed. I wasn’t going to let myself get put under some kind of spell where suddenly I was begging him to claim me and effectively ending my life as a normal woman. If I went to him with these feelings he could just suck them away, but then how would I ever know what I want? What did I want? I wasn’t some emotional blood bag - I had plans.

“Ready, Bels?” Shannon called from the front of the suite where she’d begun turning off lights. I quickly checked my phone and saw that my post was already at 2000 likes and it’d only been a few minutes. Perfect.

“Yep, let’s get out of here.”

20

THOMAS

Something was wrong. That morning when I’d left Annabel she’d been grinning from ear to ear and kissed me passionately before telling me she’d see me later. We’d spent the early hours of the day slowly making love and laughing together and suddenly the only responses I was getting were things like,“Nah, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I needed to see her. If I could see her, we could talk, and if we could talk, I could fix whatever was bothering her. Maybe it was my fresh wounds from Monique and Yusuf leaving, but not knowing what was wrong was driving me insane. I’d spent the afternoon sitting in my office area tapping my pen against the card table anxiously when my phone notified me that she’d posted a new video, which could have made a man rise from the dead. Her curves had been hugged tightly in serpent-covered mesh and when she rose her leg over her head to land on the ground beside her you got a view of the bottom curve of her ass and the exquisite jiggle of her plush thigh. The same thighs that had been around my head only hours before. Tightly. When the night manager came in for his shift and asked me about my day, I’d almost ripped his face off. Literally.

I’d met her a week ago. I knew I was being insane, but I also knew she was mine. I also knew thatsheknew she was mine. But the smallest fraction of my brain that said she didn’t know was trying to break down the walls inside of its cage and go get her.

I’d gone to the house anyway, if for no other reason than to feed Tim and see if she came by before going out, but once the clock rolled over to seven, I knew she’d gone straight from work. I considered staying, but that seemed odd, then I’d considered just going back to the shop, but I didn’t feel like being there during store hours while I was so antsy.

I knew I needed to find her - if for no other reason than to keep her safe. She’d agreed to be my primary source for the time being and if anything happened to her, my harvesting could be impacted. I knew how alluring her scent was and she was going to attract every sleazy monster in whatever dive she’d decided to go to.

I walked until I found an empty area and then in a blink of an eye, I’d turned into my raven, spreading my wings wide and taking flight toward the bar she’d been at the week before. On my flight, I could imagine every person pleasuring themselves to her image tonight and her just preening over the boost in sales she’d see over the next few days. She’d told me she did this for her job, but shit, the way that serpent wrapped delicately around her breast… it was too much to see and then not claim her and peel it off her. She hadn’t been wearing it when she went in that morning - she’d been wearing a checkered sundress. I knew exactly what she’d been wearing because I’d imagined flipping the damn thing up over her hips as soon as she got home at least fifteen times throughout the day.

I approached the bar district and caught sight of her, her friend, and the tall man sitting at an outdoor table, laughing over a large basket of chips and salsa, a margarita placed in front of her. I landed in a tree across the street, making sure to disguise myself in the thick foliage of the middle branches - the size of a raven was never subtle - and watched. She hadn’t changed back into the sundress.

She was immaculate. Her purple hair shone brightly in the setting sun in a large knot on her head with loose strands drawing attention to her perfect smile and green eyes. She threw her head back in laughter, arching her chest out, stretching the snakes over her bust, and I felt lust radiating off the male, while the blonde friend, Sharon? Shannon? She snorted into her drink.

The man leaned onto the table, seemingly the one to tell the hilarious tale, and mimed an animal taking a bite and shaking something, clearly imagining his head in between Bels’ breasts. I wanted to peck his eyes out. A few moments later, Shannon raised a finger and headed into the restaurant, leaving Bels and the man alone. He moved into Shannon’s seat and put his hand on Bels’ leg, making her laugh and she grabbed him by both shoulders and shook him exaggeratedly. He laughed with her and brushed some hair off her face, resting his hand on her neck. I saw red. I wanted to storm over there, shift before his eyes, and rip her away from him. I was just about to plan his murder when the wind picked up and I noticed a scent. I froze, tilting my black head around, trying to figure out where it was coming from.

There was something Other in the area, and I couldn’t place it. It didn’t smell like any one species. It didn’t smell like someone I knew that lived in the area. Then a familiar scent wafted by after the stranger.Yusuf.

Where was he? I frantically took flight, soaring over the busy street, searching for him, a hawk, anything. He scented of chai tea and cinnamon - I could place him anywhere. I’d fallen asleep next to him for two centuries, I’d loved him. If every person in the city was stuffed in a room and I were blindfolded, I'd still be able to find him. So why couldn't I see him now? Where was he?

I swooped back over the area, noting that Annabel locked onto my form with a quizzical expression on her face, the jovial one from a few minutes ago was gone and she said something to Shannon and the man before indicating they should leave.

Follow Bels, or find Yusuf? Follow Bels or find Yusuf? Where the fuck was he and why was he would he turn up here now? How did he even know where I was? Did he know I was in Quaker's Wharf or was it some kind of fucked up coincidence?

As quickly as the scent appeared, it was gone, and I desperately continued to circle the area, losing sight of Annabel and her friends. I’d thought I’d lost them both until I saw Annabel’s friend wrap his hand around her waist, pulling her tightly against him and pressing a kiss to the top of her head, and then Shannon’s.

I had to get home.

21

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