Page 31 of Shifted Desire

“I’m fine. Besides, I’ll be out of here in no time,” I say lightly.

Dad smiles, but it doesn’t quite meet his eyes. “You don’t have to rush away. We love having you here with us, and you can stay as long as you need. Might be good to save up for a bit.”

Shit, I can’t tell him how much Nathan is paying me or he’ll be suspicious. There go my plans to look for apartments and use the first month’s paycheck as a deposit.

“Thank you,” I say, smiling back as best I can. “I really appreciate everything you and Mom have done for me. It’s nice to spend time with you.”

Even if Mom keeps barging into my room in the morning.

Even if I feel like I’ve regressed back to an angsty teen.

Even if now every time they mention Nathan, I’ll have to lie to them.

“We love spending time with you, Buttercup. Speaking of which, I could use an extra set of hands with the project I’m working on…”

Dad tried for years to get any of his kids interested in tinkering and enchantment spellwork, but I followed my older sisters’ lead when they said it was too dorky. My knee-jerk reaction is to fall back into that, but honestly, I’ve always been into doing crafts and making weird things, and I’m pretty guilty about what I’m planning to do for the foreseeable future.

“Sure, I can help. Just let me get changed.”

I can work on the contract later. If I send it immediately, I’ll appear too eager, anyway.

Dad blinks at me, taken aback, before a broad smile spreads his lips. “Amazing! I’ll be in my office. Come on in whenever you’re ready.”

My heart squeezes at how happy he is.

Dammit, if I’m going to sneak around with his best friend, I need to balance it out with being a better daughter.

I end up working with Dad until it’s time for dinner. Mom finds us both completely absorbed as Dad shows me the incantation for imbuing a pin with a charm to make it so wings don’t destroy clothing when a monster shifts from their human form.

Turns out, my dad is a secret badass, and I might not be completely hopeless with enchantments like I am with any other magic. I’m pissed with myself that I never let myself try it out. I pretended I was too cool to learn about enchantments for fear of embarrassing myself.

Gods, what else could I have done with my life if I hadn’t lived it like every potential failure would be my ruin? It’s depressing.

After dinner, I pretend I’m worn out from spending so much time with my dad, then immediately feel like a dick for making him think I didn’t love spending time with him. But I’m itching to get the contract done.

When I send it off to the personal email Nathan provided me, I attach a customized kink checklist with my answers and blank spaces for his. I’m annoyingly turned on thinking about him and all the things we might do together, and impatient for him to reply. I try rubbing one out, but it doesn’t assuage my hunger.

With a groan, I check the shared calendar I made with Max to make sure we both don’t go to The Vault on the same night. I need to get out of the house and find someone to fuck, even if it won’t be as good as Nathan.

Maybe his friend will be there. He was good enough.

I’m changing into a slutty dress to wear to the club when Nathan’s reply comes. When I read his answers to the questionnaire, I don’t think. I just text.

Samantha: I’m going to The Vault tonight.

12

I pace my apartment, all the relief from earlier gone after filling out the kink list and signing the contract. I’m so restless I’m considering another one of my brutal runs when my phone pings.

Unknown: I’m going to The Vault tonight.

My pulse pounds in my ears, the hairs on the back of my neck raising.

It has to be Samantha. No one else knows I’ve been to The Vault other than Declan, and I have his number saved.

Samantha texted me.

She got my information and sent me a text not ten minutes later.