Water’s Edge (A Series of Sharp Edges #1)

15. Ripp

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

ripp

I watch Mattie’s hips sway in her tiny denim shorts from where I crouch in the tree just outside the roadhouse. The cheeks of her plump ass dip just below the fabric, and I long to run my tongue across them and taste her distinct sweetness again. I’ve tried to keep my distance, but her darkness grows every day. I can see it trail and swirl behind her now as she jumps to each needy patron who demands her attention.

Liquid rage pulses through my veins with every look the men at the bar disgustingly throw her way. They don’t deserve her. My teeth are bared watching the action inside the roadhouse, but my lips pull up in a tight grin each time my little bug’s eyes narrow. I know she’d happily drown every one of them. I imagine her hand around their throats, and my cock throbs in time with the last beats of their hearts against her thumbs.

Agitation squirms inside my chest as I see her body tense. A blond man sits at the bar, tapping his empty glass. His shirt is stained dark in the armpits, his hair plastered to his head underneath his hat. He rises slightly, and his body presses tight against the bar top as he spews words in Mattie’s direction. Drunken sweat rolls down his temples, and even at this distance, his soul smells sour. Mattie crouches slightly, a cat about to pounce on a stupidly brave mouse, before Tally whisks her away. Rage fades from her eyes, but she still casts violent glances at him as she serves others who are desperate for her attention. He has met whatever prerequisite she keeps for taking lives out of this world, and an opportunity opens. I’m going to leave a gift for my little bug.

The moon shifts in the sky until its light shines over the parking lot. Finally, the backward hat asshole stumbles from his seat at the bar and heads for the door, slapping the backs of the few people who acknowledge his exit. I slink down from the tree and make my way to the tree line, just beyond a row of parked cars. Waves of alcohol roll off the man, mixing with his putrid stench as he grumbles and digs through his pockets. Finally, he pulls out a jingling set of keys.

“Hey,” I call out, mimicking Mattie’s sultry voice. His head snaps up, and he drops the keys into the dirt. “Hey,” I call again, and he lurches towards the noise.

“I knew you’d change your mind, sweetheart,” he slurs, bobbing his head to look for me. I giggle with the same tinkling sound I love to hear escape from Mattie’s throat and run further into the woods. He huffs, quickening his steps. Sweat pools on his skin, weaving its way through the goosebumps on his flesh. His body senses the danger, but his mind hasn’t caught up. “I knew you’d change your mind. A little slut like you couldn’t resist,” he spurts through labored breaths.

Once he’s hidden by the trees, I let the shadows swirl around me, and my bones crack and groan with my transformation. My hunger is ready to erupt and flow through me like lava and ash, destroying everything it touches. He’s close now, just a few more steps. I reach out and grab his throat with a bony hand. The moss and flesh hanging from my arm sway in the wind surrounding me. The blond meat sack’s eyes widen, and he gurgles, twisting his body against my grasp. His lips silently sputter as he fully takes me in, and his eyes roll to the back of his head.

“You’ve upset my little bug,” I snarl, my voice low and inhuman. The words are just for me, though. His pulse is thready, his body limp, and his dead weight sags against my hold. I release him, and he tumbles to the ground, a pathetic end to a pathetic life. I fold down until I’m crouching on all fours above him, inhaling deeply. Wisps of dark grey smoke emerge from his pores and it tastes just as foul as his scent. His head lolls to the side, and I take one final inhale before I hear his pulse stop. I long to tear the flesh from his bones, but I don’t want to spoil my gift. A howl rips through me, the frenzy of blood and death pumping through my being as the wind stirs around us.

I crack open my jaw and sink my flattened teeth into his fleshy neck. The length of my mouth fully covers it, making it easy to drag my kill through the dark foliage. The woods go silent around me as I make my way back to Mattie’s cabin. The symphony of insects and other creatures of the night ceases in my presence and makes the thrashing and crunching through the underbrush echo around us. My shadow traipses behind, covering the tracks.

Mattie’s cabin comes into view, appearing beyond the scattered trees. Moonlight pools in front of the porch, a spotlight for the present I’m about to leave her. Her scent is heavy around this clearing, and I let it envelop me. Everything about this place makes me ache for her. Empty bottles hang from the porch rafters, reflecting the moonlight. A bundle of rosemary is nailed above her door, but it won’t protect her like I can. Breeze blocks hold up the wooden structure, but several are missing, exposing the structural beams. I climb the steps of the wrap-around porch and hoist the body onto a lonely, old rocking chair. It sways with the added weight, creaking in protest.

I step back to admire my work. The noise has returned to the woods around me, and an owl softly hoots somewhere in the distance. Mattie will be home soon, and I’m eager to see her face light up when she finds my offering. Mattie is my god now, and this won’t be the last time I sacrifice a soul in her name.