Chapter 8

I’ve been weeping nonstop for almost an hour.

Every time I think about Tati’s bloodied body, it feels like my heart is being crushed. I didn’t mean for it to happen—I lost control. But no matter how many excuses I try to come up with, it doesn’t change the truth: I killed him. These very hands of mine ended his life.

“It’s just a dog,” Brix mumbled for the nth time.

I wiped my tears and gave him a death glare.

After everything that happened, I let Brix drag me away. I couldn’t think of anything else but escaping, and he was the closest way out. He took me to a beach, one that revealed a stunning stretch of blue sea. It must have been a remote part, rarely visited by people.

“How long are you going to cry over that dog?”

“You don’t get it, Brix. I killed an innocent—”

“Dog,” he interrupted.

“He’s not just a dog!” I snapped.

“Then what? Your freaking boyfriend?”

I grabbed a small rock nearby and threw it at him. It hit his chest, but he didn’t even flinch. He just brushed off the speck of sand on his white shirt like it was nothing.

“I don’t know what to do anymore, Brix,” I said bitterly, swiping away fresh tears. “When Tita Ophelia finds out Tati’s gone, she’ll kick me out for sure. I’ve got nowhere else to go.”

“Wait. Who’s Tati?”

I winced. I couldn’t even get dramatic properly around this guy. I’d been sobbing in front of him for a while now, and we still weren’t on the same page.

“Use common sense, Brix. I said I killed Tati. Who else do you think I was talking about?” I tried not to roll my eyes, but he was seriously testing me.

He paused for a second, then furrowed his brows. “Tati… is the dog? That freaking animal had a name?”

I nodded. What is with this guy? Isn’t he supposed to have been in this world for a long time? He was acting more clueless than a newborn.

Then he laughed softly, clearly mocking me.

I scowled at him. “This is all your fault! If you hadn’t turned me into—”

“Whoa! Stop right there. Are we really going back to that again?” He tilted his head and crossed his arms. His hair fluttered slightly in the breeze. He stood straight and firm, completely unfazed by the strong wind.

“Anyway, poor Tat—whatever his name was. But hey, I bet he’d be proud. That an animal like him managed to save you.”

I started crying again.

No one would greet me when I got home from school.

No one for me to bathe or feed.

No more excuses for sneaking out.

No one to share my stories with.

“Forget Tati. We’ve got more important things to deal with.”

“Forget?” I raised a brow at him. “Maybe killing is just normal for you, Brix. But not for me. How many times do I have to explain that I was human before all this? There are still things I can’t do. Can’t you give me time to process all this bullshit?”

I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. My nose was running from all the crying. I probably looked like a complete mess in front of him—but I didn’t care. As if I’d waste time trying to look good for him anyway.

“Fine!” He let out a deep sigh, clearly trying not to snap at me. “I promised to be gentle with you this time, but you’re making it really hard.” He gave a dry laugh and shook his head.

“What do you want me to do, then?”

I sniffled. “I... I don’t know, Brix. I just need time. I just killed—”

“Tati. Right,” he cut me off, shrugging. “Then what?”

I frowned and looked down, playing with the fine sand by my feet.

Eliyah would probably go looking for Tati the moment he got home.

And then there was what happened at the market—when I shoved Tita and ran off.

It really seemed like I couldn’t go home now.

“If only you weren’t so damn stu—”

I looked up sharply, and he stopped mid-sentence, clearing his throat.

“As I was saying,” he continued, “I sent you a bag of blood. And what did you do? You flushed it down the toilet. You could’ve used that to satisfy your thirst. That was the whole point. How long are you going to pretend you’re still the same?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Are you spying on me?”

“That’s not the point,” he said, biting his lip in frustration. “The point is—you’re so damn stubborn. You act like you know everything. And look what happened! You killed Tita. Who’s next?”

“Tati,” I corrected firmly.

He cursed under his breath, but I heard it. “Yeah, okay. Tati. Now what?”

I didn’t answer. My tears had finally started to dry.

In some strange way, this guy actually helped.

If I’d been alone, my thoughts might’ve gone to darker places.

“Hey. I have an idea!”

I looked up again and met his bright expression.

“How about we find you a new dog? One that looks exactly like Tati. Didn’t you say your family would go ballistic if they found out he was gone? What do you think?”

He looked so proud of the idea.

He walked toward me, and when he stood right in front, I had to tilt my head to meet his eyes.

The wind blew in his direction, and his cologne wafted toward me again.

“What? Don’t like the idea?” he asked when I stayed silent.

I wanted to scream that he could never replace Tati—but I knew this might be my only shot at going home.

Even if I hated it, I had to do it.

Because if Tita kicked me out, I had no place left to go.

As for the mess I made at the market earlier... I could figure out a way to get out of that later.

“Deal?” he grinned.

I sighed heavily and nodded.

“Wait. Tati has a scar on his leg. The fur never grew back in that spot,” I said. That’s how we recognized him.

“And he’s kind of aggressive toward strangers,” I added.

“What else?” he asked.

I shook my head. “That’s it…”

“Cool. Now—can we talk about us?”

His face turned serious.

I frowned. “Us?”

“What? You want to talk about the dog again?” he asked sarcastically.

I smacked his leg, but he didn’t even budge.

“Stop being such a smartass! There’s no ‘us’ to talk about,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“We need to talk about it, Astra. Do you want what happened earlier to happen again?” He raised an eyebrow like he was challenging me.

“I told you—you’re just getting started. If you can’t control yourself, it could get worse. You could end up killing your whole family.”

I shuddered.

No matter how complicated things were with Tita Ophelia and Eliyah, I never wanted anything bad to happen to them—especially not by my own hands.

Finally, he said something that made sense.

“I think we finally agree on something. So... shall we?”

He held out his right hand.

I looked down at it.

“Can we go without holding your hand?”

“There we go again,” he muttered, already looking annoyed.

“Look, Astralla Martin. Don’t forget—you’re still my slave, and I’m your master. I shouldn’t even be doing this, but fuck it. I’m helping you here. Can’t you just be a little grateful?”

“May I remind you that you need me to make your father proud,” I said with a smirk.

His hand remained extended, and he didn’t respond.

A few seconds passed before it started to lower—but I grabbed it before it fell completely.

He pulled me up quickly—too quickly—and our chests bumped.

I gasped when I caught a stronger whiff of his cologne.

Damn. His scent lasted longer than most relationships I knew.

“I know I smell good, but…”

I shoved him away.

“You pulled me—!”