Holly

The Puddle

Atticus is annoying the hell out of me. We haven't spoken since I came to this town, but he is waiting for me to do something about the curse. He knows our curse is connected. Now that Kaia fixed it on his end, it is my turn.

I thought I missed my brother. Honestly, I want to punch his annoying ass face every time I see him now.

I help Holly downstairs as she rambles about how I need her to break the curse or whatever. She has no idea how true that is.

Before we leave, Holly tells Megan she is going home. I sense something off in the air. It isn't the sweat or the horny people but something predatory and threatening. I feel the need to stay closer to Holly. I know there is another devil at this party, and it isn't Atticus. I have been picking up its scent around town for a while now.

Holly and I walk across town, and I relax when the smell of the other devil fades. I will have to ask Atticus about it later. I could tell at the party by how close he was standing to Kaia that he wasn't happy either. My kind is solitary. Usually when we interact, it is violent.

Especially towards our mates.

"I hope my Abuela isn't awake. If she sees you, she might hang you in her doorway and leave you there for any other boy to see."

I look at her with a weird look, finally listening to what she is rambling about. "What did you just say?"

"My Abuela. She doesn't like the guys I date. Not that we are dating but she will think that."

"Don't worry. I can take an old woman."

"Not Abuela. She is a force to be reckoned with. Trust me, you will be hanging by your balls before you can count to three."

Again, I give her a weird look. Holly is so unfiltered and says the weirdest things. It sounds like her and her grandmother are a lot alike.

We approach her house, and she leads me around back where the ocean is visible. "I have to sneak in through the porch or she will hear the front door. She might be in REM sleep, but she will wake up the second the door squeaks."

I roll my eyes and watch her climb the stairs. She fumbles the keys from her purse, and I begin to walk towards the ocean. I don't lose sight of her until she stumbles into her house and closes the door.

The sky rumbles and the dark clouds thicken above me. I got her home just in time for the storm. She didn't even notice that I was rushing her because of the storm.

The thought of someone spiking her drink makes me furious. I want to find that fucker and drown him. The storm rolls in and it starts pouring almost immediately. In just a few minutes, the storm is raging around me.

The pull to go to her grows stronger. I already find myself obsessing over her. She knows that I stalk her, but she has no idea how much. When I ran into Atticus the first day in town, he told me what it is like to find your mate. They are all you think about. Holly is beautiful. Her eyes are gems that I want to keep forever and her laugh forces me to smile every time. When she swears and curses at me, I feel myself becoming aroused. She is adrenaline for me, the high I never knew I needed.

Taking off my jacket I shove it in the bag. My clothes are soaked from the rain, and I only take off my shoes before I give up.

"Fuck it."

I walk out on the rocks that disappear into the water. The waves crash against the rocks, and I can feel the slippery seaweed under my feet. I love the feeling of the waves crashing against my ankles. The danger of the slippery rocks and black sea. A danger that cannot hurt me.