LITMIR.BIZ

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as sane as Grace, Allie’s deranged sister from her first life. When you talked to yourself and answered in full conversation, that was a sure fire sign of impending insanity.

      Having the animal in check would do me no good if I was crazy. And it was only the morning of day one.

      Sitting alone in this room, pining away over her for two weeks, would be counterproductive. To save me from myself, I would have to be active. I needed to get my mind straight and be in places where every second wasn’t the misery of Allie tempting me beyond my limits. I needed a balance between her and my primal instinct.

      I also needed food and lots of it, so if I couldn’t hunt, I’d have to go human and eat the way they did. The way I would be able to, if I could reintegrate myself into the human world.

      * * * *

      A nearby diner on a lightly traveled road looked inviting enough. I slid into the darkest booth in the back corner of the restaurant. A white and black sign on the wall near the entrance boasted a 93.5 sanitation grade. It wasn’t the highest I’d ever seen, but it was better than what I was used to in the forest.

      Dining at The Greasy Spoon had to be healthier than feasting on dead animal flesh on the floor of dirt, pine needles, and bugs.

      “A meat-only omelet, I don’t care what kind you throw in. Surprise me. A waffle, hash browns, and a gravy biscuit.” I handed the menu back to the attractive waitress and stared out the window.

      I would have to consume an enormous amount of food to sustain my ever-increasing metabolism, and today I would indulge in excess to keep up the energy my will power would need.

      The waitress brought the load of food balanced on each arm and set the plates down with ease. Her nametag read Sage.

      Sage had long brown hair and a sweet smile, but the interested perk in her brow would have to be vanquished.

      “All this for you?” Her flirty tone curdled my stomach.

      I hated to dash young girl’s hopes, and for some reason, I had to do it a lot. I had a decent structure for a guy, I supposed, but I wasn’t much better looking than the upper half of the male population. Maybe it was some animalistic attraction the women couldn’t overcome.

      “Um, yeah. I don’t know where I put it, either.” I tried to sound dismissive.

      She leaned on the opposing seat with one knee.

      I dipped my head and focused on lightly salting the buffet before me.

      “So, you can seriously eat all that? What do you do to burn it off?” She gave me an appreciative grin and a onceover.

      “Triathlons and long distance swimming.” I took a sip of water. If my mouth was full, maybe she wouldn’t expect me to talk.

      “If you’d like some assistance with that, let me know. We stay in the same place. I saw you this morning when I left for work.” She slipped into the booth across from me.

      So she was at the Starlight Motel too. Great. Another woman to hide from.

      Unbothered by my silence, she continued. “I rent by the week. I’ve been staying there since I got this hole in the wall job. I go to school nearby, and my family isn’t the most supportive. Will you be staying long?”

      “Not long. A business trip.” Lies had become my life.

      “Really. I can’t imagine your girlfriend would let you go anywhere alone.” She ignored my obvious disinterest.

      “She had no choice.” I picked up my fork. “You have ketchup anywhere in this joint?”

      “Sure. And if you need anything else, you know where I am.” She gave me a quick flirty smirk and turned to fetch the ketchup. Finally. But her thoughts did exactly the opposite of flattery. “The things I’d do to him, given the chance.”

      Scraping the food into a pile, I shook my head. That’s why I stayed on a remote property in the country. Other than the fact that being there created a sense of closeness with Annabeth. It kept me from having to face the normal male stresses.

      Staring out the window, I dodged the girl’s unwanted affections for the rest of the meal. Dust rustled up behind a car outside.

      A happy couple holding hands entered the establishment. After choosing a seat nearby, they absorbed themselves in cheerful conversation and leaned close to each other.

      They could show their affection without the threat of a bloody murder scene. Must be nice.

      I finished off the food and paid for my bill, leaving an unusually scant tip. It was still more than what most customers would have left her, but a larger tip might lead her on.

      A mall nearby held all the shops I could ever need for my two-week stay. With a bag of only the bare essentials, I fled the mall because every store had something that either looked like it would look great on or off Allie.

      Shutting the real world away behind the ratty hotel room door, I leaned against it. Maybe the waitress wasn’t off work yet. I could only hope.

      The room phone rang as soon as I put my bags on the long scratched dresser.

      The night before, Thomas had promised he would check in.

      “For a recluse locked in a room, you sure haven’t been in today.” His voice bordered irritation.

      “I’ve been out getting supplies. And as much as I thought being by myself in a motel would help me, it’s done very little. But it is day one.” I sat on the bed beside the phone. Not sure if I wanted to know, I took a chance on the next question. “So how irate is she?”

      “She’s better than I thought she’d be.” Thomas cleared his throat and made a funny noise.

      “Is she extremely mad, or is she just sort of mad but understands?” Dreading the answer, I pinched the bridge of my nose.

      “I wouldn’t say she’s angry, just frustrated and on the verge of driving us all nuts with questions. I think she ran a rut into the marble between the windows overlooking the driveway in the vestibule and the rear entrance of the house facing your cottage.” Thomas chuckled. “But she’s definitely not without spunk. You’re going to have to get home soon.”

      “I don’t know how soon I can come, Uncle. I have to keep some distance between us for a bit longer. I want to be sure I’m safe for her to be around before I come. Please do your best to make her understand.” I leaned back against the headboard and pulled my feet up onto the bed, shoes and all. It wasn’t like my lounging on the comforter could do it anymore damage.

      “If she demands to know your exact location, how should I respond?”

      “Honestly, you don’t know my exact location. And you can’t give her the phone number because if you don’t let it ring once, hang up and call back, then I won’t answer.” New determination I’d gained from staying away for even one day made me feel a little stronger.

      “I’m proud of you, Son. It takes a true man to back away like this. I can say she’s never looked prettier since the threat of Grace has been diminished. She’s got a new glow. Even when she’s frustrated with you.”

      “Don’t stroke my ego too much. I can’t promise you won’t find me on the doorstep in an hour or less. Every second is touch and go. I never had this much problem staying away from her in any other life.” Even hearing about how gorgeous she was gave me the uncontrollable urge to touch her soft cheeks and kiss her stubborn chin. I tried not to crush the phone with a bear’s grip.

      “You also never had the chance to be with her without Grace’s involvement in any other life. You focus on the job at hand, and I’ll keep everything under control here. At least as much as possible. This woman is a force to be reckoned with. Once she has her mind set on something, it’s hard to knock her off course.” Thomas sighed.

      I tried to slow my breathing. “I’m sorry I’ve put

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