Heretics book 3 - The Apocryphile Press

166 :: JOHN R. MABRY
Before long it appeared as if he were sleeping peacefully,
and Kat took up vigil beside him, chewing at her nails and
stroking his hand.
“Well, I’ve got a husband to tend to,” Terry said. “I’m
going to head out for the cottage.”
“Thank you, Terry,” Kat said, grabbing his hand and
holding it to her cheek. Terry smiled and in moments they
heard him clumping down the back stairs.
Richard had already disappeared, though he hadn’t said
anything to anyone. Dylan and Susan paused at the door to
the guest room. “Just call us if you need anything,” Susan
said. “Honestly, anything.”
Kat nodded, so overwhelmed with their generosity that
she couldn’t speak.
“Want to make some cocoa, baby?” Susan asked her husband
as they approached their room.
“What Ah need is a doobie,” Dylan replied. “It’s been one
fucked up day.”
“Why not have both? Chocolate and Mary Jane—sounds
like a winning combination to me.”
“You don’t even smoke.”
“Well, it would sound good to me...if it sounded good to
me.” She grinned and kissed him. He touched her cheek so
she wouldn’t pull away, and cherished the intimacy for a
long moment. “How did Ah ever get so lucky as to meet you,
baby?”
“That makes two of us,” she said, grabbing his hand and
leading him down the front stairs.
“Ah think Ah got the better end of that deal,” he said,
smiling.
Once in the kitchen, Tobias ran to Dylan, tail ablaze. He
sat down at the table and gave the lab a good rub while
Susan lit a burner under the saucepan.
She poured in some milk, and Dylan grabbed the old cigar