Lesser of Two Evils by K. S. Martin Page A

sex with her, maybe he didn’t
want her close. “ So I can fuck you when I want to.” She’d said no, that
she didn’t like it. Of course he didn’t want her in his bed if he couldn’t have
her. She didn’t need to be there. If he couldn’t have her, she was just in the
way and taking up space.
    Kerry lay awake in the dark,
watching the shadows shift on the ceiling. Hours passed as she listened to the
house. Listened to the sounds, cracking, popping, her mother used to say they
were the sounds of the house settling. She wondered how her mother was and how
she could find out. There was no phone at her house. She would have to call
Luke, and she didn’t want to talk to him. Tomorrow, she would ask Ethan if they
could visit. Maybe she shouldn’t. He would think the worst since she told him
she wanted to go home earlier. Kerry bit down on her lip hard. She shouldn’t
have said that. It hurt him. She’d hurt his feelings.
    She got up and slipped from the
room, making her way to the kitchen. There was milk in the fridge earlier, and
she hadn’t finished her dinner. Her father would beat her for sneaking into the
kitchen after supper, but Ethan wouldn’t mind. He’d said that he could afford
it. It was strange not to worry about where the next bite would come from. It
was stranger to come into the kitchen after dinner. A small shiver of joy raced
over her skin, and she felt her nipples harden. It felt naughty. She grabbed a
glass from the cupboard and padded to the fridge. The milk poured into the tall
glass, and she licked her lips in anticipation.
    After putting the gallon jug back
on the shelf, she twisted the lid and stepped out of the way of the door.
Startled by the huge bulking figure standing there when the door was clear,
Kerry screamed and dropped the glass.
    Ethan.
    “Sorry. I…shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t
know you were here. I heard a noise.” He seemed flustered. There was shattered glass
everywhere. Ethan scooped her up and carried her to the safety of glass free
floor. She mourned the loss of her milk and walked slowly from the kitchen.
“Kerry, are you going to help me clean this up?” Ethan called after her, and
she spun around, hurrying back to help. “Get shoes on first. I think there’s a
pair of flip-flops just outside of the door there.” He pointed.
    She opened the door and found a
screened-in porch. Kerry turned on a light and stepped out. The floor was
covered in bright green plastic grass that pricked her feet, but the sensation
wasn’t unpleasant. There was a swing and a glider out there. She scented cigars,
but it was very faint. She wondered who the flip-flops belonged to. They were old.
They had worn green soles and the white insole was faded to gray. These could
be bought in any drugstore for a couple of dollars. She’d spent many summers in
shoes just like these. They couldn’t be Ethan’s because they were too small.
His feet were bigger, much bigger. “What’s wrong?” He was in the doorway now.
    “Nothing. I found them, but I was
looking around, I didn’t know this was here. Can I sit out here and draw?”
    “I don’t think that’s a good idea
until you get control of your wolf. Come.” He held his hand out, and she took
it, following him. He had a paper towel roll in his hand and had started
working on her mess by picking out the big pieces of glass.
    “I can do it.” Kerry pulled off one
paper towel and pulled the trash can over to where she would be working. He
stood back and watched. She worked with one paper towel, scooping glass and
shaking it out, then wringing the towel out in the trash can. Ethan would’ve
used all of them and cleaned it up quickly. By now, he would’ve been back in
bed, but he let her do it her way. She expanded her circle until she was sure
that she had all of the glass. She rinsed her towel and started wiping the
floor. Ethan shook his head and yawned.
    “You don’t have to wait,” she said
on one of her trips to the