humorlessly. “Yes. And yes.”
“What the hell is he thinking? And what did he mean about turning
off your computer and leaving? Is he threatening you?”
“He’s thinking about making money, Lucy. What else? That’s what
men in power do,” she said sarcastically. “And yeah, that was definitely a
threat. Clearly he’s been monitoring my computer use, though just turning it on
shouldn’t have prompted him to call me. There’s something else at stake here. I
bet something went wrong on his end.” Eva stood up and began pacing. “I can’t
believe I ever trusted him.”
“He bought you a house,” Lucy said, glancing around. “That’s a lot
of emotional currency. It’s not surprising that you trusted him. And he married
your mom.”
Eva followed Lucy’s gaze around the living room. She hadn’t even
unpacked yet. “I can’t stay here.” Her eyes landed on her willow tree. Was it
only a few years ago that Greyson had given her the tiny cutting?
“Well, obviously not.” Lucy stood up. “You can crash in my
parents’ spare room tonight. We’ll surprise them at breakfast. It’ll be fun.”
Eva smiled tiredly at her friend, but before she could thank her,
an ominous scritching sound came from the windows.
She whipped her head around. Oh shit. “Lucy, I think our luck just ran out,” she said, her heart seizing up. The mass
of Spiders on the glass of her front window looked obscenely pretty, but she
knew they wanted her blood. She reached out and yanked Lucy down just as the window
cracked, then exploded inward. A wave of Spiders flowed inside like a
crystalline carpet of bugs. Only way more frightening, she thought
frantically, trying to figure out what to do.
“Oh God, not again,” Lucy moaned, scuttling back with her. They
ended up crouched at the far end of the couch. The Spiders were almost on top
of them and it had only been a few seconds.
Eva scrabbled at her shirt, yanking on the chain to expose the
ring. “I hope this works,” she muttered, holding it up for the second time in
less than twenty-four hours. A prickling of energy flowed through her arm, and then
the first Spider hit the dark shimmer of her ring-shield and shattered. “Crap. This
isn’t going to hold them off long,” she said, still inching backwards. “Greyson
had to recharge it after the last time.”
“Shit, that’s not good,” Lucy said, hauling her to her feet. “Maybe
we can go out through the kitchen.”
Eva nodded and slowly backed away, but then something sharp bit
her ankle and she stumbled. She looked down and stomped her foot, trying not to
panic. “Get off,” she muttered, stomping again. It didn’t budge. When she
glanced around, looking for something she could use to dislodge it, her breath
skipped. More scratched against the back window.
“Oh Jesus, girl. Hang on, I’ll get it off,” Lucy
said, crouching down.
“No! Don’t touch it,” Eva said, but it was too late. Lucy grabbed
it with her hand, then flinched back, screaming.
“Oh shit,” Eva muttered, moving forward. She shoved her ring
against Lucy’s wrist but it was too late. The Spider had already burrowed into
her arm like a horrible glass parasite.
“Oh God, Eva, what’s happening to me,” Lucy moaned, clutching her
elbow. The Spider in her arm swam under the skin like a razor on steroids. Lucy’s
legs suddenly gave out.
Eva hauled her up and dragged her back, wedging them into a corner
for protection. “Hang on, Lucy. Just hang on.” She held the ring out, praying
for help. “Greyson, if you can hear me, now would be a good time,” she
muttered, willing the ring to keep working. The shield wavered, then went darker as the energy began to wane.
“I don’t want to die, Eva,” Lucy whispered, sliding down the wall.
“You’re not going to die,” Eva said, sagging down next to her. “Neither
of us is going to die, not if I can help it.”
“It hurts…” Lucy’s voice trailed off.
“Lucy?” Eva shook
“What the hell is he thinking? And what did he mean about turning
off your computer and leaving? Is he threatening you?”
“He’s thinking about making money, Lucy. What else? That’s what
men in power do,” she said sarcastically. “And yeah, that was definitely a
threat. Clearly he’s been monitoring my computer use, though just turning it on
shouldn’t have prompted him to call me. There’s something else at stake here. I
bet something went wrong on his end.” Eva stood up and began pacing. “I can’t
believe I ever trusted him.”
“He bought you a house,” Lucy said, glancing around. “That’s a lot
of emotional currency. It’s not surprising that you trusted him. And he married
your mom.”
Eva followed Lucy’s gaze around the living room. She hadn’t even
unpacked yet. “I can’t stay here.” Her eyes landed on her willow tree. Was it
only a few years ago that Greyson had given her the tiny cutting?
“Well, obviously not.” Lucy stood up. “You can crash in my
parents’ spare room tonight. We’ll surprise them at breakfast. It’ll be fun.”
Eva smiled tiredly at her friend, but before she could thank her,
an ominous scritching sound came from the windows.
She whipped her head around. Oh shit. “Lucy, I think our luck just ran out,” she said, her heart seizing up. The mass
of Spiders on the glass of her front window looked obscenely pretty, but she
knew they wanted her blood. She reached out and yanked Lucy down just as the window
cracked, then exploded inward. A wave of Spiders flowed inside like a
crystalline carpet of bugs. Only way more frightening, she thought
frantically, trying to figure out what to do.
“Oh God, not again,” Lucy moaned, scuttling back with her. They
ended up crouched at the far end of the couch. The Spiders were almost on top
of them and it had only been a few seconds.
Eva scrabbled at her shirt, yanking on the chain to expose the
ring. “I hope this works,” she muttered, holding it up for the second time in
less than twenty-four hours. A prickling of energy flowed through her arm, and then
the first Spider hit the dark shimmer of her ring-shield and shattered. “Crap. This
isn’t going to hold them off long,” she said, still inching backwards. “Greyson
had to recharge it after the last time.”
“Shit, that’s not good,” Lucy said, hauling her to her feet. “Maybe
we can go out through the kitchen.”
Eva nodded and slowly backed away, but then something sharp bit
her ankle and she stumbled. She looked down and stomped her foot, trying not to
panic. “Get off,” she muttered, stomping again. It didn’t budge. When she
glanced around, looking for something she could use to dislodge it, her breath
skipped. More scratched against the back window.
“Oh Jesus, girl. Hang on, I’ll get it off,” Lucy
said, crouching down.
“No! Don’t touch it,” Eva said, but it was too late. Lucy grabbed
it with her hand, then flinched back, screaming.
“Oh shit,” Eva muttered, moving forward. She shoved her ring
against Lucy’s wrist but it was too late. The Spider had already burrowed into
her arm like a horrible glass parasite.
“Oh God, Eva, what’s happening to me,” Lucy moaned, clutching her
elbow. The Spider in her arm swam under the skin like a razor on steroids. Lucy’s
legs suddenly gave out.
Eva hauled her up and dragged her back, wedging them into a corner
for protection. “Hang on, Lucy. Just hang on.” She held the ring out, praying
for help. “Greyson, if you can hear me, now would be a good time,” she
muttered, willing the ring to keep working. The shield wavered, then went darker as the energy began to wane.
“I don’t want to die, Eva,” Lucy whispered, sliding down the wall.
“You’re not going to die,” Eva said, sagging down next to her. “Neither
of us is going to die, not if I can help it.”
“It hurts…” Lucy’s voice trailed off.
“Lucy?” Eva shook
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