Page 28 of Dark Obsession

“Yeah. I mean, something’s going on around town, I am more sure of that than ever. But Zenona definitely didn’t want me to pay much attention to the woman getting blood.” He released Demmy and clasped his hands tight before him. “I caught a glimpse, but that was enough, you know? The blood looked so dark and red and…thick.”

Demmy stood and walked around the table, standing behind Cody’s chair. He put his arms around him and rested his chin on Cody’s shoulder. “Tell me about it. What happened?”

Cody held on to his forearms and tipped his head slightly to rest against Demmy’s. “It wasn’t too bad. Jugs called me out on it, so I talked with him a bit. When I saw the bag of blood, I was right back in the DPW basement, you know? I could practically feel the damp and smell the concrete and dust. I could feel…” His throat tightened around the words. He swallowed hard.

Demmy held him tighter. He kissed the side of his head. “You’re okay. We’re both okay. That’s all over and we’re here and we’re healthy.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s just sometimes, all of a sudden, it feels like I’m still in it.”

“I know. That’s when you need to do your grounding work, right? And talk with me, that’s what I’m here for.”

“You know that works both ways, right?”

Demmy kissed the side of his head of his head again. “I know. I love you.”

Cody smiled and closed his eyes. “I love you, too.”

Sitting in the chair beside him, Demmy took one of Cody’s hands in both of his, holding tight. “What do you think we should do?”

Cody put his head against the chair and rolled it so he could look at Demmy. “I think we need to have a talk with Zenona.”