Page 16 of Sheltered By Love

I’m not compromising safety for a rodent, so I turn and walk out of her bedroom. “Then expect a lot of drop-ins from me,” I say.

Felicity

I’m too rattled to say anything as I hear him clomp down the stairs not bothering to switch any lights on.

I don’t suppose he needs lighting. This was his family home after all. He probably knows it better than I do.

I pick up Roger, support his hind legs and listen to the thunder outside. “He can’t be serious.”

Roger doesn’t seem to mind Zane was just in my bedroom, half naked and dripping water all over the floor.

He just snuggles in and carries on rubbing his back teeth together creating a purring sensation.

I walk down the stairs, purposely not turning on the lights just to make a point that I know the house well too.

It’s bad enough he burst in here like a maniac, wearing nothing but his jeans, but suggesting I move out is ridiculous.

If I thought I had a leg to stand on, I’d take him to the tenancy board or whatever they’re called but how can I when it was a genuine error on his part.

Not so much on mine.

Nicki would have a fit if she knew Zane was in my bedroom in the middle of the night.

For a moment I think about calling her, just to hear the sound of someone’s voice, but she’ll think I’m giving her a juicy tidbit and I’d rather not start the rumor mill up again.

I have enough of them circulating about me already.

I take a deep breath and put my palm on the handrail running down the stairs.

Like everything in the house, it’s solid, well made, and carries the scars of being a well-loved family home.

I run my fingertips over the wood, trying to work up the courage to climb the stairs and get back into bed.

But as I’m finding, even on nights when a half-crazed man doesn’t appear in my bedroom, my nerves are getting the better of me.

Mrs. Davis understood.

She even gave me a set of keys so I could let myself in.

Instead of walking up the stairs, I wander aimlessly through the house, ready to light the fire and just wait out the storm in the safety of the living room.

As another crack of thunder rumbles almost overhead making Roger squirm in my arms, the red lights beside the front door flicker and then disappear.

I glance at the nightlight I keep plugged in beside the hall table and groan as I see that’s also gone.

“At least he can’t blame me for the power going out,” I grumble.

Rather than face another unwanted visit, I turn around and head toward the kitchen so I can call him and let him know.

Clutching my ball of fluff with one hand, I reach for the flashlight, just as a flash of lightning illuminates the back window.

I suck in a breath and open my mouth to scream as I see a grotesque creature peering in at me.

Zane

I’m dreaming about rabbits and a faceless guy with a machete hacking into the front door when my cell rouses me.

I don’t know when he did it, but Levi has changed my damn ring tone again. This time LMFAO’s ‘Look at That Body’ plays.

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