Claws in the Dark | ✔

III

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As soon as he moved off, sharp silver claws swiped at the open air, barely missing the back of his ankle. Since Miles felt nothing, he just went into the house.

"So, what do you think of the house?" Miles asked, helping Gina fix the bedsheet; they were preparing to go to sleep.

Gina fluffed a pillow and rested it on the bed where her head would rest. "I think it's...nice. I didn't expect it to be so big," she said.

"It did look small from the outside, didn't it?" Gina nodded. "Do you think the kids like it?"

"Yeah. I mean, I know George does. Becky just had this go-with-the-flow face when we came through the door."

Miles pouted and lifted the sheet, crawling under it and lying in bed. Gina did the same and snuggled in close to him. He wrapped his arms around her.

"Mmm," Gina sounded. "It's so comfortable, this bed. I bet we'll sleep a lot better."

"Yeah," Miles answered. "You know what else we could do a lot better?" He smirked and ran his hand under her nightgown and up her leg.

"I have a fair idea." Turning around, she kissed him and squealed as he picked her up roughly and put her to sit on him, legs on either side of his body. He gave her a quick kiss on her lips and said, "I love you."

Gina giggled. "I love you t--" She stopped as a thudding sound coming from closet captured her attention. It caught Miles' attention too.

He got out of the bed after moving her aside, and slowly walked over to the closet. Looking back at Gina, he saw her hugging her legs to her chest.

His hands reached out and pulled aside the double-folding doors of the closet. Nothing but hangers were on the rod running across the wide space. He flicked on the light switch that was on the wall next to it and observed it.

The hangers dangled, and the light flickered. A lonely cockroach crawled along the back wall and to the floor, in a corner. A hanger lying on the floor caught his eyes and he furrowed his brows.

"That's weird," he mumbled.

"What is it?" Gina called from behind him.

"Just...this hanger."

She got up and went over to the closet, while Miles picked up the hanger. "Maybe it just fell?" she suggested.

"I don't know." He put the hanger back on the rod with the others, then closed the door. Unexpectedly, he swooped Gina off of her feet and held her like a newlywed couple entering their new home. She laughed as he spun them around in circles, before placing her on the bed, crawling over and kissing her passionately.

She gripped the sides of his face and kissed back, wrapping her legs around his waist.

As they continued to kiss passionately, something sat on the branch of a tree just outside their bedroom window. It just sat there, staring, growling lowly, as they stripped down to nothing and consummated.

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◀ MARDAIS ▶