Page 44 of Molt

August grabs my wrist. “No.”

The skin separates slowly as something hard pushes through.

I scream.

August holds me as a small white shape works its way from beneath my skin and drops onto the floor.

For a second, neither of us moves.

Then I look down.

A tooth.

Not mine.

Not his.

Different.

Old. Yellowed. A tiny hole drilled through the root.

August makes a sound I’ve never heard from him before.

Not fear. Recognition.

He backs away.

“What?”

He doesn’t answer.

“August, whose fucking tooth is that?”

His eyes lift to mine and whatever he sees when he looks at me scares him. “I don’t know.”

“You’re lying.”

“No.” He shakes his head.

“Then why do you look like that?”

“Because...” He looks down at the tooth again. “Because none of the others had this.”

My skin goes cold. “Had what?”

August stares at the thing that just crawled out of my body. Then whispers “Someone else’s pieces.”

Chapter 4- August

Someone else’s tooth just came out of Lenora’s hand and all I can think about is kissing her.

There’s something seriously wrong with me.

One hundred and seventy-four years alive. Eight times watching the same woman tear me apart simply because I couldn’t stop loving her.

And apparently none of it taught me a fucking thing.

“August.”