Page 48 of Dark Surrender

I nod, trying hard to soak up everything they’ve said, to pull from later, when I’m not overwhelmed by the last week.

And Dark…

I wonder how he’s doing…

Nope.

Not again.

I can’t go there.

This is about Dee. Finding her a safe space to land.

Needing to know how she’s gonna get her needs met, I address the room. “Soooo, I know it might not be the right time to talk about this, but I’m sure Cell told you that Dee has… erm…”

“She needs to kill men,” Sola fills in.

I nod like an idiot. “Uh. Yep. That.”

“Yes. We know. We have a plan for that as well. Once you settle in, Creature will walk you through how that will look going forward.”

“Oh. Um. Okay. Sure,” I blather, unsure what to say. Thank you? That’s cool, so glad you’re not mad my sister likes to chop men’s dicks off.

“Hey.” Sola steps forward and rests her hand on my shoulder. Giving it a squeeze, she stares at me with a kindness I’d never been shown before. “We know this is a lot. So why don’t you write down whatever questions you might have for us to answer later, and we’re gonna leave you to get settled. Don’t worry about dinner. Mama’s cookin’ enough. I’ll have either Doug or Creature deliver the food.”

When I open my mouth to say they don’t need to go to the trouble, Rot waves me off. “They do it for Mia every night. Adding two extra plates isn’t a problem. Just save the Tupperware it comes in, so he can reuse it,” he explains.

Like some caricature of I-am-out-of-my-element, I bob my head. “Yes. Um. Okay. We can do that. Yep. Thank you.”

Rot winks and waves for his wife to go. Sola pulls me in for a tight hug that damn near brings tears to my eyes before joining her husband. He dips his head to kiss her hard on the mouth, and I have to look away. On their way to the door, Sola yells, “I’m glad you’re here, Dee,” and offers me a little wave before they depart.

Searching for my sister, I find her and Doug in one of the two bedrooms. He’s standing by the door, and she’s next to the bed, which now has four opossums passed out on top of the buttercup-yellow comforter.

Great.

They’re in the house.

We do not need this.

They do not need this.

Doug offers me a kind, patient smile as I step into the room with them.

“I’m gonna build these guys a house by my cabin, so they have a place to live,” he says, talking about my sister’s pets.

Dee glares at him and steps in front of the bed, arms wide, daring him, without words, to try and touch her furry friends.

“You live in a cabin?” I ask to defuse the tension.

“In the woods behind the church, I garden, keep bees, and care for Sola’s chickens. There’s plenty of forest to keep these guys happy.”

That sounds perfect, but I don’t say it aloud. Dee wouldn’t like me choosing sides, even if I secretly am. We’ll make it work. The opossums will be well cared for one way or another.

Slotting myself between my sister and our visitor, who smells a lot like wood smoke, I face Doug and give my sister my back to protect him from her, should she get another burr up her crazy ass and try to attack him for offering a solution. “Thanks, Doug.” I play the even, diplomatic tone to a T. “That’s very nice of you. I’ll talk to my sister about it, and we’ll get back to you.”

A cocky smirk claims Doug’s lips as humor dances in his eyes, and he, taking the hint, bids us goodnight with a slight bow before he leaves my sister and me alone in our new home.

Moving to stand in front of Dee’s door, I melt against the wood and breathe a loud sigh, relieved it’s just us again. Meeting new people is exhausting. Meeting them as yourself, not playing a part, is even more so. You don’t care what someone thinks when you’re fake. It’s not really you they’re bonding with. It’s a façade. But when you’re you, that’s… rough.