Big Bad Wolf
A Miss Hyde Novella Volume 3
Kindra Sowder
Burning Willow Press, LLC (USA): 3724 Cowpens Pacolet Rd., Spartanburg, SC 29307
This edition published in 2016 by Burning Willow Press, LLC (USA)
Copyright © Kindra Sowder 2016
Illustrations Copyright © Loraine Van Tonder 2016
Edit Copyright © Edd Sowder 2016
All rights reserved.
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A Miss Hyde Novella
Series Order
Volume 1: Hello, My Name is…
Volume 2: Pain-Killer
Volume 3: Big Bad Wolf
Chapter 1
“Alright, guys, I need you to move a little faster. This showing is in a few hours, and most of Cyra’s paintings are still in the truck,” I ordered as people moved back and forth from inside the gallery to the truck outside.
Cyra was standing beside me, arms crossed over her chest and her freshly dyed pink hair up in a casual ponytail. I had told her she didn’t have to come in and help set up. That we would take care of everything, but she insisted and who was I to tell her no? She turned to me, her deep brown eyes inquisitive and earnest as I watched the men bring in painting after painting. We had a total of twenty we were showing tonight, each one of them gruesome and beautiful in their own right. I had to say it was still slightly unsettling to see the resemblance in each one, knowing what I know now.
“You’re back to your old self today. I take it you’re feeling better?” Cyra questioned.
I had told her about my run in with Kyle and the bartender from The Marquee. It had me out of sorts for days while I formulated a plan to deal with the bartender. Not just that, but to get more information on why Kyle and the bartender were working together. Did they know who I was? Did the string of missing girls have anything to do with it?
“Much,” I turned to her and felt Hyde flare up ever so slightly, but pulled her back in. “Just trying to figure out the next step.”
I had been drugged and taken to Kyle’s apartment, but what was the purpose of that? Rape? Hyde and I had both thought so until the memories of that night came flooding back from the depths of the drug induced amnesia. There was a deeper purpose, and I was going to find out what that purpose was, no matter what it took.
Not only was I still trying to piece together that night, but I was still attempting to learn as much about Cyra as I could. She knew about me, but how much did she know? How much could I learn from her? Could she use my affliction against me? Could I trust her? All critical questions that I still wasn't sure of the answer to. I sighed and continued to watch the work going on around me. Each painting was wrapped in brown paper by Cyra and myself and had a number written on it that stood for the position of the paintings on the walls of the gallery. I was the only one here that worked this way, and it was extremely efficient.
I spotted Hannah as she walked out of her office and down the stairs, dressed all in black and as pristine as ever. Her eyes focused on me with a small parcel in her hand wrapped in the same brown paper that we always used. The same brown paper that the last painting gifted to me by one of our most sought after artists, Emmett Adler. Lauren was following close behind.
“Looks like someone has an admirer. Not like I haven’t said it before,” Hannah stated as she handed the package to me, stopping in front of me and looking at me with a sideways glance. She was usually cheery. Except on days when we had a show and things weren’t moving fast enough for her. I knew that look well.
“We’re right on time, Hannah. No need to worry,” I said as I took the package. It was heavy, but not large enough to be as cumbersome as it felt.
“Open it,” Lauren ushered like an impatient school girl whose friend’s crush had sent them a note and stuffed it in their locker.
I rolled my eyes and slid a perfectly manicured finger under the edge of the paper on the back, tearing the tape as I moved my finger underneath it. There was the feel of rough canvas, hinting at yet another painting. I knew how much his paintings went for. I felt the urge to tell him to stop sending them because of the hefty price tag. It made me feel like I was stealing from him in some way. Once I slid the canvas out from the inside of the paper, a smaller piece of paper fluttered to the floor, which Cyra swiftly picked up, reading it with interest. Her eyes went wide and a blush made is way across her cheeks, and she read the note out loud.
“See you tonight,” she purred, looking at me as if I was hiding something from the rest of them.
Each pair of eyes met mine; Lauren’s being the most skeptical about my relationship with this artist. If I didn’t mention it to her, there wasn’t anything to speak of. Only one painting had been gifted to me and now a second and I had no idea what the letter even meant.
“I swear I have no idea what that even means,” I defended as I raised my hands in the air in a pleading gesture. “I swear.”
“Suuuure,” Hannah purred right along with Cyra.
With that, Hannah walked away saying that Lauren needed to help me get the place ready for the showing this evening. I stared at the small painting in my hands, about the size of a textbook, and couldn’t rip my eyes from the image on the canvas. A gasp passed from between my parted lips at the picture on the canvas. It was me in what looked like a moment of pure ecstasy. All in different hues of red paint. It was beautiful but entirely inappropriate. Definitely something I could not hang up with the other. I clutched it to my chest to keep anyone from seeing it, but Cyra got a quick glimpse and blushed an even deeper red.
“Wow,” she breathed, then awkwardly stated, “I’m going out to the truck.” She walked away as hastily as she dared, nearly tripping over the bare floor.
“I’ll set up the glasses. You,” Lauren pointed at me, “delegate. You’re good at that.” Good grief, she was angry. She thought I had been keeping a secret from her when I wasn’t. I would never do that. She walked away from me and towards a long row of tables with boxes next to them. I tagged along to explain myself.
“There isn’t anything going on. I can tell you that much,” I explained.
“Not yet, Blythe. Not yet.” She smiled at me. “You know, you deserve happiness. After losing your parents, and all. If you like him, go for it. He obviously likes you. I caught a peek at that thing, and I have to say he definitely wants you. It’s too perfect for him not to have studied you.”
I felt all of the blood leave my face, and I hugged it to my chest even tighter.
“I don’t even know if I like him,” I confessed.
She tilted her head to the side and stared at me, “What’s the harm in finding out?”
Oh, if she only knew the half of it. I wasn’t even sure what had kept me from telling my best friend about my murderous alter ego, but something had.
“I’ve only met him once to look at his work,” I replied. “Then saw him at his showing, but we never spoke.”
“And that matters, why? You obviously made an impression.” She
motioned towards the painting in my hands.
I wasn’t even sure what to make of that, just like everything else that I had been faced with lately. Kyle and the memories Hyde had showed me after causing me to come so close to taking the fall for his death, and then meeting Cyra and what little I truly knew about her. There was way too much going on for me to be comfortable with. Hell, when did I not make an impression one way or another?
I sighed and began to make my way to the trucks outside, waving a hand at Lauren and saying, “You just go ahead and set up the glasses. Keep your advice to yourself.” All with a smile on my face.
She beamed back at me. “You need to get you some. That much I know.”
“Damn it, Lauren,” I muttered under my breath as I felt heat creep into my face. I had never been shy before, but speaking about Emmett in this way turned me into a teenage school girl with a crush. What the Hell was that?
Chapter 2
The gallery was full to capacity; each person dressed to the gills in some of their best attire. An hour before the show I had taken a cab home to change into a little black dress that showed off just the right amount of thigh through a slit at the right leg. I wore a lot of blacks mostly because it went together fabulously with my pale skin and auburn hair, which was hanging in loose curls around my face and past my shoulders. The dress was strapless, starting in a sweetheart neckline and ending so that it hovered over the floor. I was wearing my favorite heels. My Loubitans that I wore to all of our functions. Every time I wore them we sold every painting, which led me to believe they were my good luck charm, even though I really didn’t need the shoes to sell an artist’s work. All it really took was my beauty and the love for the work itself.
I typically tried to stay away from alcohol during a gallery showing, but the stress of the prior events, as well as the frustrations surrounding this show, in particular, made me crave the relief of the elixir. A couple of paintings had somehow been left in the back of the truck, and I had to call them to get them to come back with them, which they nearly refused to do. Now I was sipping on red wine trying not to spill it on anything as I made my way around the gallery floor, watching spectators as they viewed the work of Cyra. She was a fantastic artist so I was confident they would sell and sell well.
“Is someone nervous tonight?” Lauren’s voice drifted from behind me.
I turned to her and was shocked to see her in a crimson dress that stopped mid-thigh, exposing way too much leg and almost uncovering something not meant to be seen in public.
“Think your dress is short enough?” I quipped.
“I’m going to try not to take that personally,” she answered as she waved a hand, taking a glass of white wine from a tray that waiters carried around the room. “You need to loosen up.”
I tipped the glass in her direction. “Hence the wine glass in my hand, dear.”
“No, that’s not the kind of loose I meant.” She giggled as she took a sip of her wine, eyes never leaving me once as I took in her words. She wasn’t being subtle about what she thought I needed, and while I did agree, Hyde made it next to impossible to sleep with anyone.
She stirred inside of me, and I knew that this was her way of telling me that I needed to indulge in her urges whether I wanted to or not, or suffer the consequences. I knew all too well what that meant. It would happen either way if I refused her or gave in.
“You might be right,” I glanced around the room, pretending to look at each and every man within a twenty-foot radius. “We’ll see how that goes.” I looked at Lauren and grinned, taking another swallow of the warm, deep red wine.
The place was full of people of all age ranges, but most hovered around their late twenties to mid-forties and men and women equally dispersed within the group. Not a single individual I was attracted to jumped out at me, making me believe this would be a long night where the only people I’d have to talk to were Lauren, Hannah, and Cyra. They were great company, but not exactly what I was looking for. Not what Hyde was looking for.
I had previously tried the celibacy bit, but that did nothing to tie Hyde down. After Dax’s death, I was having difficulty coming to grips with what I was and the fact that I would never find happiness and contentment because of her. What was there that I could do besides give in to her urges to calm her now and then? Nothing. I had learned that lesson and learned it fast.
Now she was on the prowl, and I could feel her rolling inside of me, purring insistence at male companionship. Did I want to give in? Absolutely not. Did I want to kill and maim yet another man? No. Did I want to have some fun too? Yes. Why, yes I did. Unfortunately, Hyde got to tag along, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. That bothered me, but I couldn’t fix it. She was attached to me, to my soul. It was the small amount of information I had learned not only from my parents but my own inner demon. What else was there that I needed to know? What other information could I divulge from those around me? Cyra knew more than she had told me during our first meeting and I would get more out of her one way or another. I just wasn’t sure how yet.
“Blythe, dear,” I heard Hannah’s voice bellow from behind me, drifting through the space as if the wind carried it to my ears.
I turned to find her walking towards me in a lovely sky blue dress that accentuated her curves in all the right places. There was a glass of the same red wine in her hand that I had in mine, but she wasn’t alone.
Emmett Adler followed close behind her, filled with stunning grace and power, his brown eyes roaming over me in one quick motion. You could see the predatory power moving underneath his suit jacket as he walked. My breath caught in my throat, and my hand went to my chest on instinct as I took a very deep swallow of the wine in my hand to calm the buzzing energy running rampant through my body as I reacted to his stare alone. Hyde thrummed at the edge of my consciousness. I shook my head and attempted to ignore her, which didn’t do much good at all. Another swig of the wine would have to do, and its slightly woody taste and aroma seemed to dampen her a bit.
“Hannah, hi,” I greeted.
I wrapped my arms around her in a soft embrace, making sure I didn’t spill any wine on her dress. I would’ve hated to be the one to ruin it even though Hannah could afford to dry clean it or buy another. Not like I couldn’t afford to do it for her.
“Blythe, you look incredible as always.” Her eyes scanned over me, and a grin spread across her lips. Her glance then shifted to Emmett at her side. “As you know, this is Emmett Adler. He’d like to speak to you about seeing more of his work for another showing here at the gallery.”
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. The unspoken promise in his note he left inside of his painting for me to find when I unwrapped it was something all of us must have imagined. Hannah included. The thought didn’t stop the humming within my body, causing my muscles to vibrate with it. My face flushed as I held my hand out towards him, expecting a handshake since this would be a business transaction, obviously.
“Sure, yes. I’d love to.” I then realized he hadn’t actually asked and blushed again. I was getting ahead of myself as usual. And I normally didn’t blush either. There was something about Emmett that made me act like a damned teenager.
“I’ll leave you two to talk,” Hannah said as she walked way, making her way towards Lauren, who had walked away when I wasn’t paying her any attention.
She was now off with Cyra whose shock of pink hair made her stick out like a sore thumb. It definitely took the attention off of the little pink number she was wearing, which was a shame because it was stunning on her. I pulled my attention from her and back to the handsome man in front of me. He was more beautiful than I remembered. His dark brown eyes were deep and penetrating, and his smile was broad, lighting up his entire face.
“Thank you for the paintings,” I said. It was the first through to cross my mind.
He waved his hand in a dismissive motion and replied, “No need to thank me. I want you to have them.”
�
�Mind me asking why?”
The question hung in the air between us, almost causing me to think he hadn’t heard me ask it. He took in a deep breath and smiled even wider, his eyes lighting up with it, but he didn’t answer.
“Never mind. You don’t have to tell me.” I took another sip of the wine and felt it warm my body from the inside out, the slight buzz working its way through my system.
“I’d rather show you, but first things first,” he said as he took a step towards me, his fingers caressing mine. I froze. I couldn’t breathe. Then his hand closed around the glass in my hand. “You need more wine.”
I let the glass slip from my fingers and watched him walk towards a waiter, placing my empty glass on the tray and removing two full ones from it. He made his way back towards me with a colossal grin on his face that I feared couldn’t even be slapped off of it. His perfect and white teeth gleamed in the lights while his brown eyes smoldered. The smile was adorable, but his eyes spoke of only sensual encounters. They burned me up from the inside out, but I kept it professional. The most unsettling thing about this entire experience with Emmett so far was that Hyde was completely silent. No rolling, no purring, and no complete takeover. I was still me.
With a quiet sigh of relief, I took the glass from him, our fingers grazing. Electricity ran through my hand and into my gut, almost causing me to gasp. I held onto the impulse and choked it down.
“So, what do you do besides this?”
Did I want to tell him about my extra-curricular activities? No, but what did I tell him? That I was a club hopping slut with homicidal alter-ego? The truth, even coming from me, stung quite a bit. This situation would require the entire glass of wine Emmett just handed to me, but I settled for a delicate sip instead. Considering where we were and who we were around, I had a feeling chugging the entire glass would be a problem.
“Well, not much of anything really. I’m actually quite boring.” That would be good enough.
Big Bad Wolf (A Miss Hyde Novella Book 3) Page 1
