Page 34 of Bonding Beasts (Bonding: The Ultimate Guide #3)

Ben is currently leaning on the table with both hands, inhaling deeply over one of the plates and growling low in his chest. The darkness surrounding him has seeped to his elbows, so I can’t see his face.

I know that growl, though. That’s the kill it and eat it, not necessarily in that order, growl .

“Ben?” I hurry forward, dropping Mitri’s arm to stand between Ben and King, placing my hand on his shoulder through the chilled miasma surrounding him.

“Tremaine,” his voice is echoing as he says it. He’s very close to shifting into his normal form, which is nothing but bad news in a room of people. I could be wrong, but I think both Mal and King flinch back from him, eyes straining for a place to look that isn’t directly at him.

“What about – oh,” I trail off quietly as my eyes finally take in the display on each plate.

The one closest to me has a pile of cooked bacon so big it’s overflowing onto the table. At least, I hope it’s bacon. I’m choosing to ignore that and make a mental note to not eat it, just in case.

The second has a headband with drooping rabbit ears, two tennis balls, a dog collar with a sparkly name tag I can’t read, and three rawhide bones.

But the third plate. Oh, man. That’s just…

It’s a silver plate, sans the utensils and napkins of the other two, with one item on it. A distinctly feminine hand wearing a gold ring with some kind of blue stone surrounded by diamonds. It’s so big it takes up the first digit from knuckle to nails.

Nice manicure. The burgundy color brings out the blue in the ring nicely. I digress.

I feel my mouth drop open in a mixture of surprise and horror, barely quelling the urge to laugh hysterically. Breakfast is ruined for me, that’s for sure.

My seesaw begins a downward tilt that I suddenly don’t mind at all.

I turn in a circle, stupidly looking for the rest of the body.

“Who did…” Maybe I can finish a sentence at some point in the distant future. So far, I’m batting two to three words with no hope of finding more .

To say the morning has gone a little sideways would be the understatement of the century. It’s such a lovely day outside, too.

“I did.”

I hardly recognize the voice as he speaks. As I look up, my eyes meet Kimi’s. But this isn’t Kimi. This is someone else inhabiting Kimi’s body.

Are pod people real, or is that a scary story?

If so, I’m looking at one. He’s missing everything that makes him…

him . No smiles, laughing eyes, mischievous wiggles.

Nothing. His face is set in a blank expression I can’t read, reminding me eerily of Mitri.

He isn’t even the Kimi in my nightmares right now.

He’s a blank slate, watching me with an intense obsession that gives me chills of unease.

It’s like staring into the eyes of a predator and thinking, well, goodbye, cruel world.

He makes no move, holding himself entirely still and focused. He refuses to break eye contact, and I’m helpless to look away. Everything in my body is screaming to run, my knees shaking with the urge to flee.

“You did this?” I point feebly toward the plate with a shaking voice filled with terror.

“Is it not good enough? It’s not good enough.” He replies and casts his eyes down to look at the offending hand. Although the words are Kimi, the flat tone definitely is not. What happened to him?

Not good enough? Is this his idea of a gift?

Oh, crap. What will he do if it is, and he thinks this isn’t good enough? Old Kimi would have laughed it off, calling me spoiled and desperate for more.

New Kimi might just bring in a whole host of people to kill right in front of me. I’m convinced. No words are necessary .

“This is perfect,” I rush to say, holding both hands up in a stop motion before he can move, even though he looks like a frozen statue.

His eyes snap back to mine and somehow gain even more intensity. Enough that I cringe back a bit and slide closer to King. I have no idea why I think he can, or even would, save me from the terrifying new Kimi. My sanity packed up and left with a ‘good luck bitch’.

“You don’t sound like it’s perfect.” I could swear he’s accusing me, but with the monotone and lack of expression, I just can’t tell!

“I’m surprised.” Boy, am I surprised. “It’s such a thoughtful thing to do, and I wasn’t prepared for it. At all. Like, not at all, ever.”

His head tilts the barest amount, and for a second, it’s like watching a Mitri clone.

Oh shit. Please. Not another Mitri. One is enough.

Whatever he sees in my face pacifies him enough to look back down at the hand, and my eyes slowly drift down to do the same. I study it mindlessly and vaguely notice I’m reaching up to touch King’s face. Might as well fix that shit while I’m stupefied.

“Is she dead,” Ben’s voice is part snarling beast, part man.

“No,” Kimi looks up at him. “You catch and release trout. I’m enjoying fishing. It’s not as boring in real life as it is on TV.”

He doesn’t sound like he’s enjoying anything. Did he get lobotomized while no one was looking?

“What are you doing,” Mitri’s voice is just as dead as Kimi’s, and I glance up at him. Oh, he’s talking to me.

At that point, I become aware that King’s face is all healed, and I’m petting his cheek like he’s a good boy. Mal’s scowl has become a look wavering between surprise and laughter but not settling on either one as he watches me over the top of King’s head. Man, he’s tall.

Everyone else turns to admire what Mitri noticed as I freeze up. Then I jolt away from King like he’s a hot pan, and I burned myself, holding the appendage out and shaking it as if it’s on fire. King turns to me, eyebrow still raised, seemingly delighted at the display.

“I’m sorry! Ben broke me of the whole personal space bubble thing months ago, and I haven’t gotten it back yet.” That explanation lacked something. I need to quit waving my hand around, too. It’s just gotten weird.

Speaking of hands…

Somewhere on Ben’s body, a shrill ringing sounds out. My mind flounders in a what the fuck now state before I realize it’s my phone.

He must have started carrying it again. Otherwise, it would have been dust after the whole crushing thing. He acts like I can’t answer the phone without supervision and scowls whenever I do it.

He reaches into his back pocket, pulls out the obnoxious noise, and glances at the caller ID. With a quick inhalation, his darkness sucks back into his eyes faster than I’ve ever seen, and he turns his head towards me in creepy slow motion, eyes wide.

“It’s Mom.”

“Shit.”

“I’m going to be in so much trouble.”

“No, you won’t,” I snap angrily. “I’ve got this one, sunshine.”

I take the phone from him and walk a little bit away from the table of horrors. We could just take it out back and burn it, right?

When did Scilla change her contact name to Future-Mother-In-Law? It has an octopus on either side, with three laughing emojis following. I doubt I’ll ever get this female’s humor .

“Slaughterhouse, head supervisor speaking,” I answer, trying for a nonchalant tone. I cringe at the unintended reference to the severed hand on the table. I’m blaming insanity.

“Yes,” her voice purrs across the line soothingly. If a porn actress crooning in your aural canal could be called soothing. “I’d like to lodge a complaint. You’re the perfect person to speak with.”

“A complaint, ma’am?” For some reason, I keep up the false business voice. I think it’s in self-defense. I have absolutely no control anymore.

“Yes,” she draws out the E, somehow making the word menacing. “I see on the news that a Delegate lost her hand in a home invasion last night.”

“Uh-huh,” I guiltily turn to see said hand lying innocently on the table while Ben cringes.

“I’m wondering why this is news station worthy and not a tiny obituary in the bottom of today’s Dunmas Times.”

“Uh-huh,” my voice wobbles as Ben emphatically starts shaking his head no at me.

“I understand that we all have our methods, sweetmeat,” the menace is replaced by a loving maternal voice again. “But you should have simply killed her. I don’t believe this is an acceptable punishment for what she did to my pet.”

My eyes land on Kimi’s, and I don’t know why I say it, but it seems like a good idea at this point. “We’re catching and releasing. It’s not as boring.”

There’s a long silence on the other end of the line, and Ben raises both hands with his fingers crossed, looking up at the ceiling as if he’s praying to whatever God he claims.

“I find that intriguing. Go on.”

Oh, shit, I have to go on?

“Um,” I look at Kimi again in desperation .

He leaps over the table with an agility I envy so hard, landing without a sound and takes the phone from me, putting it on speaker. I’m frozen in place at his approach, eyes wide with fear.

“It’s fishing,” he explains flatly. “Everyone says it’s fun, but I never believed it. You should try it.”

I see Ben mouthing the word no in horror as he stares at Kimi with terrified eyes.

“Oh my,” Scilla’s voice perks up with interest. “And who am I speaking with?”

“Us, you’re on speakerphone.”

“Ah. With my sweetmeat present I will have no sway over you. Pity. You understand that releasing the fish allows it time to escape, correct?” She isn’t even thrown by his tone or the random direction this conversation is taking.

“Yup,” I’ve never heard that particular word said with no inflection. The P is mostly silent without emotion. I never knew. “She won’t. I like hunting. I won’t stop.”

“That’s very good of you. Admirable even. What race has such good genes; I wonder?”

“Any race,” Kimi glances down at my denim pants absently. “Do you never go shopping?”

A delighted peel of laughter follows and sends a chill down my spine. It’s not Kimi obsession-level fear, but it’s pretty damn close to it.

“Charming and witty,” Scilla schmoozes across the phone lines, and my brows begin to furrow. I don’t think I’m going to like where this is going.