Deviants (Badlands 2)

I smiled to myself, losing it the second I thought about what he considered food.

If we were going to eat anything here, his ass better have some more peanuts.

Hell would freeze over before I added cannibal to my list of attributes.

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

She glowered at me from the other side of the fire. Her hypnotic blue eyes were lit up like the moon.

I knew I’d fucked up the second I called her jealous. If looks could kill, my dick would’ve been twelve feet in the air and incinerated. And she thought I was keeping a lead from her, of all things. Brock did in fact give me one, but what we were discussing wasn’t remotely related to that.

What came after being out of your mind? That’s what she made me.

She was under my skin like a parasitic poison. I fucking hated her. I was addicted to her. I fucking loved her. I think.

She was the one thing I couldn’t control, and it only made me want to control her more.

Her hand held one of the cans of tomato soup Brock had given to her and Arlen, who was right back by her side, blatantly avoiding Grimm.

If she wasn’t so loyal, I’d gut her and immensely enjoy it, but Cali needed at least one female friend that wouldn’t fuck her over.

It sure as shit wouldn’t be Dhal. She hadn’t said two words to me since getting knocked on her ass. I’d already told her we would never be a thing, not to mention that thing we were was years ago. I didn’t stick my dick in every hole available. I had too much respect for myself to do that. And Cali, she was everything to me. I would never give a bitch something to hold over her head.

But, how I felt on the subject was irrelevant. She still wanted to kill Dhal.

Most men worried about their woman killing an old flame in a metaphorical way. I actually had to make sure Cali’s crazy ass didn’t knife mine in the middle of the night.

Keeping my gaze locked with hers, I tore a piece of barbequed flesh from the finger bone I was holding and slowly sucked it into my mouth.

I couldn’t hold back my grin when her lips parted in shock. Human didn’t taste bad. It tasted strongly like pork, actually. The taste was sometimes so similar one could swap the two and someone who didn’t eat people wouldn’t know the difference.

It wasn’t something I’d go out and eat on my own, but I wasn’t not going to consume it because of a prejudice.

I was raised eating this shit.

Grimm, Cobra, and Dhal were all doing the same, used to the acquired taste.

Cali was so focused on watching me eat that she was oblivious to Brock staring at her.

Couldn’t say I blamed the man. He hadn’t seen his daughter in over ten years. The last time he had, she was crying because he was leaving, taking Grimm and I but not her.

She had no recollection of any of us. We never forgot her, the sad little girl in a pink nightgown who was so pale she looked like a ghost.

I’d tell her one day, maybe, but not that day. It would fuck with her head and lead to places I didn’t want to go just yet.

Brock agreed that it was for the best, even more convinced when she said something about Dhal being a midwife and he easily put two and two together.

I stood up and rubbed my hands on my jeans, ready to get the fuck away from this whole scene. I’d left it all behind for a reason. Brock wanted that whole deep father-son thing, and I gave him crumbs.

I couldn’t do any more than that. None of us ever had.

“We leave at three; that’s seven hours away. Arlen, Grimm will show you where you’re sleeping,” I announced and turned back to Cali, crooking a finger. She said goodnight to Arlen and came straight to me.

Even pissed and more than likely disgusted, she looked at me like I was the only man in the fucking universe. No matter how twisted or deranged I got, she was always right there, accepting every dark, vile part of who I was.

She let me take her small hand and lead her to the trailer we’d be staying in.

“Ladies first,” I gallantly gestured after unlocking the door.