Against my better judgment, I went to the kitchen and opened the fridge. It was pretty bare. I had little selection so I chose a can of Pepsi and headed back down the stairs. Arys had already vacated to the lowest level of the house as the sun beams started to creep in.
I gathered myself, prepared to take on Arys and, hopefully, get more out of him than I had from Shaz. Was my curiosity unnatural? Maybe, but it was driving me nuts to know they had shared an intimate moment, hunted and killed together, and I didn’t know any of the details. Arys was more likely to share things that Shaz would gloss over. And, I had all day to get it out of him.
Chapter Thirteen
I stared uncertainly at my reflection in the full-length mirror on my closet door. The Little Red Riding Hood costume did wonders for my physique. Unfortunately, it also nagged at my insecurities. I didn’t mind showing a little skin, but I usually had a higher clothing-to-skin ratio than this.
My cle**age was more than impressive in the black, strapless corset dress. The red lace trim grazed the top of my thigh high fishnet stockings in a barely there way. I decided to pair the costume up with leather knee-high boots that had killer five-inch heels, sharp enough to take out an eye.
My few accessories included silver bracelets that jingled when I moved and a black ribbon tied like a choker around my neck. The little red hooded cape was my final accessory. Kylarai assured me that it wasn’t too short from where she sat on my bed, watching me do my makeup. I’d gone a little heavier than usual on the dark eyeliner and, after hesitating, had even added the red lipstick Jez had insisted on when I bought the outfit.
Things hadn’t been as awkward with Kylarai as I’d expected. I had said a prayer of thanks when I arrived home to find that she was there alone. We hadn’t said much about the fight between Julian and Shaz. Shaz was Alpha, and there wasn’t much more to be said about that.
I was dying to see him. After getting virtually nothing out of Arys, I was frustrated and ready for an evening out. All Arys had been willing to share was that he and Shaz had formed an unspoken understanding and that I would be wise to stop picking at it.
Well … fine then.
I so rarely got the chance to enjoy some cheap entertainment. I had also come home with a ton of ideas and plans for redecorating Raoul’s house. It was still hard to think of it as mine. That would come with time.
I’d enjoyed being there, more than I’d thought I would. I had expected to feel out of place in the house filled with both good and bad memories. Instead I had felt calm and at peace. Strange but true.
I turned to face Kylarai, loving my height in the high-heeled boots. She was dressed as the green fairy, better known to some as the absinthe fairy. Clad in a long, forest green cocktail dress with a slit from floor to hip and the cutest sparkly green wings, she looked like she’d just stepped out of a fantasy novel. Green eyeliner would never have looked so perfect on me. Her grey eyes were dazzling.
“Should I leave my hair down or put it up?” I asked, ignoring the part of me that felt guilty as soon as I met her eyes. Some combination of Julian’s loss and the kiss I’d shared with Kale nagged at me.
“Leave it down but use some mousse and blow dry it upside down to give it that wild look with lots of volume,” she said. “That would look sexy.”
“Are you sure you don’t mean trashy?” I laughed and scrutinized my appearance one last time before ransacking the bathroom for mousse.
“You look amazing. Now stop fussing. The trick-or-treaters will be coming soon.”
She slid off my bed and smoothed her skirt down. “They’re going to be so cute, all dressed up.”
I couldn’t help but smile in response to her enthusiasm. She genuinely adored the innocence of children.
“Alright, just let me find my blow dryer, and I’ll be right out.”
The doorbell rang then, and a chorus of small voices called out, “Trick or treat!”
Kylarai let out a little squeal and ran for the door. Her inner child really came out during holidays of any kind.
After blasting my hair with the blow dryer to increase the volume, I arranged the pieces of red and blonde around my face and called it done. I left my bedroom before I picked apart my costume any further.
In the kitchen, I poured myself a glass of red wine. The excited chatter of kids reached me along with Ky’s exclamations. After savoring a long sip, I joined her at the front door. She waved goodbye as the small group exited the yard.
Groups of kids could be seen down the street heading this way. Ky’s genuine joy made me wonder if she wished she’d had kids of her own. I wanted to ask, but now wasn’t the time.
Children weren’t something that I thought about much. Since the attack as a teen, it was something I’d come into adulthood accepting wasn’t for me.