Page 12

No, no, no. That is not safe at all.
“I’ll be back.”
Shade lets out a growl, and I smile at the huge stripe of ginger down the left side of his face. He’s predominantly black with ginger paws, a chest blob, a teardrop stripe on his left eye, and half his tail. It’s like someone splattered orange paint on his long hair. He hates everyone, including me, but, for some reason, he’s been unusually nice since we came home.
Like we’ve reached a truce.
“Be good, little psycho, and I will get you a mouse.”
Mael shudders.
“Why does it have to be a real one?” he whines.
“Because he needs to be a hunter, and I can’t let him out of the house. Got to keep his instincts sharp.”
“You’re revolting.”
Kingston just blinks at me. “He’d prefer cat treats from the supermarket. The dead and processed kind.”
“Nonsense. He’s a killer. Look at him.”
Shade flops onto his side and kicks his chin.
“Yeah, totally deadly attack cat, right there,” Mael snorts and shifts away from the cat, despite his derisive tone.
I salute them both and leave, pulling the door shut behind me. I trot across the road, watching as she climbs up the ladder.
“Sel?”
She doesn’t even look at me when she lobs the water balloon in my direction. It bursts, and I almost vomit. I think it is vomit. I gag and stumble back.
“What the fuck!” I mean to say those words, but they come out in belches and between dry heaves.
I gag and finally throw up, which just makes everything worse.
I can’t stop. I end up on my knees, shaking on her patch of weeds, feeling woozy.
I have never, ever in my life been rendered so useless so quickly.
The worst part is she doesn’t even turn, she just keeps working. I stagger to my feet just in time to get a face full of water out of the hose.
The smell goes, and, though I’m freezing cold, the relief is instant.
I stand there, fighting to breathe as the water clears the stench away. When it turns off, I’m dripping and can still smell the lingering scent of whatever she hit me with, but I’m no longer rendered useless.
I give a white face Luna a nod of thanks and turn towards the object of my ire.
“SELENE CYBIL FISHER, WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?”
She finally glances back and looks me up and down. “Leave my neighbourhood.” It is said with such a haughty command that, at once, I get back up, ready to do exactly the opposite, come hell or high water.
Fuck this.
I walk over and kick the ladder hard. It breaks in two, leaving her clinging to the roof. I glower up at her, waiting. She drops right into my arms.
I lock her limbs down and glare into ice cold, furious eyes.
“Hello, Sel, you’re being a real pain in my ass. Why don’t you say hello properly and stop throwing your cute little tantrums?”