d at it until the screen went black a

ing house with a monster? He'll get

use that was always cold and his mother's

Like he was actually hungry now. Mara was pretending not to wa

low, so only I could he

ble, burning hot. I shoved it deeper into the

" I sa

he leaned a little closer and said, "You don't ha

t like he knew

r table. The buzzcut kid kept looking over. I could feel Kael g

women who needed help with the big pot. I stood there in my green dress and new warm socks a

want to go back? Or you want to stay? T

e was quiet. This hall was to

," I

watched us leave. I could feel it on my back, all those eyes

. I walked careful so I wouldn't slip. Kael walked slow, matching me. He always does th

my phone buzzed again. An

iddle of the path.

lf, angry. I pulled the phone out. Old crack

be stup

ple. You know

re my

? Present tense? He

t dropped it in the frozen mud. That

't grab the phone. He just

. "He says you kill people and I'm... I'm his wife and I sho

g. Words fall

ook he gets when someone else does something

," he said. Not an

ck. Then held it out again. God, why am I so

ngers brushed mine. Warm.

the three texts. His jaw did t

mbs on my small cracked screen. Then he turned the phon

ded it

" I asked, clutchi

will come to his border myself and we can discuss property laws," Kael sa

Busy doing what? Eating

shoved the dead phone deep

id after a bit. The house lights w

w," he

mad that lasts days. The kind where he doesn't yell,

aid it so simple, like mad didn't mat

vered with foil. For later, maybe. I took off my shoes at the door. My warm socks had l

same as last night, holdin

e said. An

lpha who rips throats before breakfas

being here," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "They are not used to me... bringing someo

people stop talking just by sayin

nd I meant it a little

dded. Then, "The dress... it r

me. His ears went a little red. I saw it. Big

," I said. "And the s

"Yeah, I noticed. Your so

this. I kept thinking about the burner phone still upstairs on my dresser, unto

I'm just a woman in a green dress with warm socks

." he started, trailing off. "I can go

ay down here. I'm gonna... I'm gonna go change but I'll come ba

shoulders dropp

said. "I'

as expensive even though it was just paper bag dress. Put his big t-shirt back on. The

s time, not the kitchen island. He had a blanket. And he ha

. Just a

Not touching. Space be

ept for the fridge humm

, on the dresser next to the b

ay, I thought again, but this time it was

lanket up. It

is big socked foot, was kind of angled toward mine under the blanket.

s were warm from the car engine, I

ing about how wa