Roarn was making himself scarce, but he peered cautiously around the side of the cabin and saw the vehicle, which was making a loud snarling noise and blasting out clouds of evil smelling smoke that make him wrinkle his nose. Did the humans still use fossil fuels to power their transpiration? Didn’t they know that the byproducts of such an energy source were deadly to their planet?
Apparently not, because the big black vehicle roared and blatted smoke as it came, rolling down the hill past Christine’s cabin. It paused for a moment at the bottom of the hill and then turned, possibly onto a main roadway, Roarn speculated.
He was glad it was gone but for some reason, the black vehicle had given him a bad feeling—as though something evil had passed him by. To his dismay, Roarn realized the buzzing in his skull seemed closer than it had been. Slowly, it was creeping in from the corners of his mind, trying to take over.
No, can’t let it! Can’t let the Fury take me or I’ll be no better than a beast!
For a moment he felt panic, but then he remembered his plan.
He went back into the cabin and into Christine’s sleeping chamber. Being careful not to get any of the grease or rust on his chest and hands on anything, he knelt before the basket where she had put her used clothing. Leaning over it, he pressed his face to the garments inside and breathed deeply, inhaling her comforting, sweet scent.
Chris-teen, he thought longingly. Please come home soon—come back to me!
Smelling her clothing wasn’t as good as pressing his face between her breasts and breathing in her fragrance, but it was enough to help him. At last, the bloody static, which had been creeping over his mind, retreated again and he felt the Fury lessening until the red buzzing was barely there at all.
Thank the Goddess.
Roarn sighed with relief and rubbed his cheek against the pile of clothing once more. He didn’t want to return to the mindless state that had stolen the last five cycles of his life.
At least he thought it was five—honestly, he couldn’t be certain. The last thing he remembered was the Battle of H’zpath Five—but no, he didn’t dare think of it—didn’t dare remember what had happened to Toarn. If he did, the Fury would take him for certain.
Christine’s scent was so sweet, he was reluctant to leave her sleeping chamber—he especially liked the smell of the silky undergarments she had worn between her legs. There was a delicious, feminine fragrance there he longed to get to know better—right from the source. But at last, he reminded himself that he was only halfway finished fixing her water heater.
With a last deep breath, he rose and went out back to finish the repairs.
He just hoped Christine came home soon.
TWENTY-FIVE
Christine was glad the Food Lion didn’t seem too crowded today—surprising since it was a Saturday. But it seemed that she had chosen the perfect time, when most people were off doing something else, so she was able to shop in relative peace.
She got a lot more meat than was usual for her and it was pretty expensive, but she had the idea the big Monstrum needed it. He looked like a huge carnivorous predator, so unless he told her differently, she was going to feed him like one.
Bacon was indeed on sale, so she got plenty of it, and—after some consideration—several cans of tuna. If Roarn didn’t like it, she would eat it herself and give some to her feral kitties, who loved it.
She was just congratulating herself for getting her shopping done without meeting anyone who would ask questions, when she ran into Donna, the other vet tech at Whiskers and Tails, in the pet food isle.
“Donna—what are you doing here?” she asked blankly. “Why aren’t you at the clinic?”
“Oh, didn’t you know? Dr. Harris has the flu! Poor thing! So we closed down early and here I am, getting some shopping done before it gets too busy.” She peered at Christine. “What are you doing here? And why do you have so much meat in your buggy?” She peered curiously down at the pile of plastic wrapped packages in Christine’s cart.
“Oh, I…I’m trying that, uh, Keto diet,” Christine improvised quickly. “You know—the one where you eat lots of meat and hardly any carbs?”
“Well in that case, I think you’d better put those donuts back, hon,” Donna said, frowning. “That’s carb city, right there.”
Christine bit back a curse. Of course her friend would notice the glazed donuts she’d gotten from the bakery section. She had a bit of a sweet tooth and she’d thought Roarn might like them too.
“Well, I’m not starting right away!” she said, trying to laugh. “I mean, I have to have one last treat before I cut all the carbs and sweets out of my life for good—you know?”