‘Madi?’ He spoke softly at first, afraid of startling her. Her lack of response made his pulse beat faster as he stepped closer, raising his voice...‘Madi?’ She still failed to respond. He sank to his knees beside her, his hand falling to rest on her shoulder, stopping her rocking. The break in rhythm seemed to be all she could take. Eyes darted around nervously, finally falling on Dimitri. ‘What happened?’ He hoped she would answer, instead she simply started bawling. It was all he could do not. “Wait,” Debbie said, holding up her hands to settle him down a bit. “What did he look like, this ‘martial artist?’” When George gave a disturbingly accurate description of Jake, Debbie swallowed uncertainly. Was this pudgy, awkward guy more than he seemed? “Uh, thanks for the update, George,” she managed as her brain spun with questions. Just who had they assigned her to? “You sure you’re okay to drop off the pizzas to him?“Uh, yeah!” George scoffed. “I want him to teach me some of his moves. ” He spoke with deliberate slowness, his voice flat but insistent. I thought I saw his eyes glint mischievously. What was he up to? Smiling again to hide my confusion and nervousness, I did as he said. He looked me up and down, his face inscrutable as he took in the short black dress with a low scoop neck that clung to my curves, my long dark hair set in loose curls and my red painted lips. He narrowed his eyes and smiled. “Now take off your dress.” “What?” “Take off your dress. Do you have to. The hike up the mountain was pleasant enough, and had been a wonderful suggestion. Behind her, she couldn’t hear a sound, but could definitely smell the Arachne’s presence. Velvet moved with an ethereal grace through the forest, and Dana couldn’t help but wonder just how fast the Arachne could run.“So you usually hunt alone?” Dana asked.“I do,” Velvet replied. “Well, if you don’t count Emery. He usually comes with me just in case something happens, but with you here, it shouldn’t be a.