The Things They've Taken by Katie McElhenney

Author:Katie McElhenney
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Entangled; Teen; YA; Young Adult; young adult romance; YA romance; teen romance; supernatural; paranormal; pnr; enemies to lovers; high school; coming of age; strong heroine
Publisher: Entangled Publishing, LLC
Published: 2022-11-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

When I Get Through With You

The sand, beveled by last night’s tide, guides us to the water’s edge. Looking out over the gray-green sea, I spy something cutting smoothly through the waves. With the effortless grace of its movements it could be easily confused with a playful dolphin. But even from a distance I know it’s a dangerous shark in flawless human skin.

When she spies us on the shore, Madame Q dives beneath the surface, reappearing an impressive distance closer to the beach. A large wave forms behind her and she rides it in, her body a pale streak in the dark water. Reaching the shallows, she walks toward us. Water streams down from her hair, coursing in rivulets over her naked body. Striding confidently out of the surf, she stretches her arms over her head and lets out a satisfied sigh.

She presses her lips to Shaw’s cheek. “A girl could get used to kissing this face every morning,” she says. “And if I didn’t know otherwise, I’d say you were well-rested.”

She deigns to give me a raking glance. “Though I guess that’s the way of it. Men just don’t wear their nights as poorly as some women do.”

My hands want to clench into fists, but I keep them relaxed. Taking a page from Shaw’s playbook, I say nothing.

“Perhaps a swim would help.” She rests her hands on her perfect bare hips and smiles. “Salt water does wonders for the body, don’t you think?”

My face is expressionless. A wrinkle of annoyance forms on the smooth skin of her forehead. It’s no fun being a cat without a mouse to play with.

She smiles sweetly at Shaw. “Shaw, darling, will you excuse us a moment? Jane and I need some girl talk.” I flinch as she takes my hand, but don’t pull away. Shaw’s eyes flit quickly between the two of us before he nods and backs away.

Her hand still griping mine, she angles us toward the surf. “Silence in a tracker is endearing. Silence in a teenage girl is just tiresome sulkiness.”

I say nothing. Madame Q lets out a huffed breath. “Stubbornly proving my point, I see. Fine, then. I’ll do the talking.”

We reach the water’s edge. The chilly waves lick at my shoes as I take sucking steps in the wet sand. Madame Q looks over her shoulder toward Shaw. “Gorgeous, isn’t he? And that stoic facade he puts up? There is just something about a man who knows when to shut his mouth when it’s not needed and more importantly, how to use it when it is.”

Her thin fingers are entwined with mine. I imagine squeezing them until they break.

“When I first met him he was thirteen or so. He was only just learning the tracker trade. His father brought him in tow when he came to me on a hunt. I’d like to think he wanted his son to see the more pleasant side of the business. It’s not all demons and hellfire, you know.”

Despite my dislike for this woman, I’m hanging on her every word.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.