Shadow's Kiss (Monstrous Hearts: Fleur's Story)

Chapter Nineteen

The shrill ringing of a phone pierced Fleur's consciousness. She blinked against the waves of hair falling into her face, trying to understand why it sounded so loud. She didn't have one in her room. Then she remembered: she and Dario had moved to the guest bedroom for the night because of the bigger bed, and they had slept together even after his hunger and her lust had been satisfied. Weirdly, she had liked having his body against hers in the darkness. It had felt comfortable, not awkward. Comfortable and... reassuring.

Now she was alone in the bed, but the hiss of water from the shower in the connected bathroom told her where he was. Despite the phone's insistence, she half-considered joining him. Then she finally shifted enough to answer it, mumbling, "Hello?"

"Fleur?" Her mother's voice crackled through. "Then you are back home."

Shock jolted her upright. "Mom. Why are you calling here?"

"I heard from Jodi Martinez that the house lights have been turning on as though someone was inside. Why aren't you at Hayley's?"

She tried her best to sound indifferent instead of defensive. "Things didn't work out."

The surprise had already left her mother's voice. Now it held that one tone that meant she already suspected the answer to whatever question she was about to ask. "How long were you at her house?"

There was already too much to lie about. Adding one more to the pile wouldn't help. Still, she couldn't help but wince while admitting, "About a day."

"Oh, Fleur. Did you even try to be friendly with her?"

Arguments rose in her throat and faded just as quickly. "This wasn't my fault. Neither of us wanted to reconnect. If you don't believe me, talk to Hayley's mom. Or Aunt Fiona. She's already back from Italy, so there's still someone to check on me if that's what you're worried about."

"I'm glad to hear that, but a few visits won't stop you from sinking into an unhealthy cycle. Sweetheart, you still sound half-asleep and it's already past ten o'clock there. Have you kept up with your laundry or the dishes?"

Maybe a non-answer would be better. Remembering Dario's advice at the party about pushing attention in a different direction, she said, "I'm doing fine. How's the cruise? Your first stop was Honolulu, right?"

"Yes, and it was breathtaking, but don't try changing the subject. We really need to talk about this."

"Why?" She couldn't keep from sounding sullen while looking down, gaze straying to the suck marks on her chest. Last night, they had felt sensitive and hot in the best way—her whole body had—but now she felt the same as usual. Trapped in her own skin and hating it. Unable to get away from herself.

Her mother sighed. "Fleur, you can't give up whenever you feel like it. There are too many hard things out there to avoid them all, and hiding away in your bedroom won't help you face all the challenges in life. What about once you're off at college? There'll be no one around to make sure you keep up with everything. You'll find yourself in so many new situations and with so many new responsibilities. You'll be treated like an adult, which means you have to start acting like one."

"Mom, I really don't want a lecture right now."

"We're just worried, that's all."

The words slipped out before she could stop them. "You're not worried about me. You're worried because I'm not like you."

"Fleur." Her mother sounded hurt.

Hearing it felt as bad as everything else, and Fleur closed her eyes, hating how she couldn't talk without turning things into a mess. "Look, I promise to keep up with the house and everything. I just don't want to be around people any more than possible. That's all. So can we please talk about what happened with Hayley later?"