Consume (The Devoured Series)

Consume

A Devoured Novel

Book Two

Shelly Crane

Copyright @Shelly Crane 2012

This publication is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws, and all rights are reserved, including resale rights: you are not allowed to give or sell this book to anyone else.

Any trademarks, service marks, product names or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if we use one of these terms.

The names and events in this novel are fictional and not based on anything else, fictional or non-fictional.

Editing services provided by Jennifer Nunez.

Printed 2012 for paperback, Kindle and E-book format through Amazon, Create Space and Barnes & Noble.

Cover models: Shali and Jason Geiger

More information can be found at the author’s website

http://shellycrane.blogspot.com/

Acknowledgements

A gigantic, humungous thank you to

Jennifer N, Gloria G, Mandy A, Amanda C, Shali Geiger, Georgia Cates, Quinn Loftis, Angeline Kace, Samantha Young, Amy Bartol, Catherine Moore and my Twitter and Facebook pals for always being available, for always being real and upfront with me, for always saying 'That sucks, dude!' or 'That's awesome!' because an author definitely needs to hear both at certain times. For being helpful and sweet and the cherry on top of the sundae that is my life!

I love you and need you. Ever grateful!

To my hubs, Axel, you're still amazing and I love you.

Infinity

"A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it."

-Jean de La Fontaine

One

I felt wretched as I walked away from Tate's house. His mom hadn't let me in to see him, which really was fine with me. I just wanted to drop off some pamphlets. Last night at the carnival, Tate just seemed distraught on a new level. So I researched a recovery program for kids who were having problems with drugs or steroids that didn't have any support from family or friends. I thought that fit Tate's situation pretty nicely.

So I went down to the center this morning, picked up some pamphlets and put them in an envelope. I knew that Tate had told his parents I dumped him. Or he probably said it was him who had done the dumping. I'm sure the story was something ugly that I had done because his mom basically snatched the envelope - that I said was a school project - and then slammed the door in my face.

I asked Eli to let me go alone, for obvious reasons; an altercation with Tate right now wasn't going to solve anything for any of us. I wasn't trying to give Tate false hope by helping him; he just used to be my friend. He used to be my boyfriend. He used to be a good guy, and he had helped me through the worst time in my entire life. So, I thought it was only fair and right to try to help him, though I doubted he was going to take the advice. I could hope.

I twisted my dark hair to the side of my neck and let the spring sun beat down on me. It was almost summer, almost prom, almost graduation, almost a new life for me in every conceivable way.

A face suddenly nuzzling my neck from behind and arms around me made me smile. I turned in his arms to see the purple eyes that looked at me with love that we never spoke out loud. "Hey."

"Hey, you," he said and with a hand on my jaw, he pulled my face up to kiss me. "How did it go?" he asked, but he covered my lips with his again refusing to let me answer. He knew just what to do and how to do it to render speech an impossibility. I leaned back, forcing him to groan in complaint. "I don't really care how good old Tate is doing," he informed me. "I was just being polite."

"I know that," I said. "And I'm grateful that you
allowed me
to see him," I spouted sarcastically. "But I felt I owed it to him."

He sighed and rubbed his hand down my arm to my wrist, to the bond. He caressed it lovingly, and whether he knew what he was doing to me or not wasn't clear. "I know, and as much as I hate to admit it, I'm pretty grateful to Tate for taking good care of you before I got here."

I knew what he meant. I told him all about Tate last night and how he helped me when my parents died. We rode the Ferris wheel with Patrick a couple of times, and then by ourselves. We didn't get off. It was as good a place to talk as any, so we just kept riding, over and over. We talked about everything, but the Horde and Hatch. Well, I talked.

Eli was interested in what my life had been like without him, without Pastor and Mrs. Ruth's influence and care for me. I told him all about my parents and my sister and how I was a mere shadow of the girl I'd been before.

He held me as we watched the city make a loop under us, the Ferris wheel the only thing that seemed to hold us to the earth. He hummed a nameless song that deliciously haunted my dreams last night. I eventually had one of those epiphany moments this morning in the shower and realized it was 'Paradise' by Coldplay, and got shampoo in my eyes as I stood there trying to remember the words.

"I know," I told him. "But you're here now, and I've done my deed for Tate. Now we just have to worry about trying to finish high school."

"You mean
you
have to worry about finishing," he corrected and grinned. "I'm not even technically registered here."

"So," I thought, "how many times have you technically graduated?"

"None," he said and grimaced. "I always left before graduation. Dresses and I don't mesh well."

I laughed and shook my head. "It's not a dress. It's a gown."

"And what's the definition for 'gown' in the dictionary?"

"Ok, fine," I surrendered. "Are you at least going to watch me in my dress?"

He gave me a puzzled look. "Of course I am. I wouldn't miss it for anything, and I'm not going anywhere without you."

"Good," I whispered. I watched him lace our fingers between us; the barbed string attached to us both seemed to hum at his attention. He slowly inched his way back to my lips, pulling me up as he did so. He captured my mouth in a slow and lazy motion that had me digging my fingers into his shoulders. Something seemed to change between us last night. After he saved me, after all the Horde and carnival stuff, we seemed different. For one, I'd never been so caressed and devoured with someone's eyes before without even touching. And when he added the touching…like now…it was a whole new ball game for me.

I slipped my hand into the collar of his black button up shirt and inched my hand to the back of his neck. When his lips left mine, I was sure I whined, but then I didn't do anything at all as his mouth made it to my chin, and then my jaw, and then the side of my neck. I felt the warm metal of his tongue ring and exhaled an embarrassingly loud breath into his hair. I swore I felt his lips smile.

And then an annoyance worse than an alarm clock blared near us. "Eew! Seriously?"

Eli growled his irritation against my skin and turned to look at Deidre. No matter the differences that were so blatantly attached to Eli and me, Deidre apparently hadn't changed. My little speech hadn't broken any barriers of her conscience. Eli spat his words to her. "I suggest you walk on."

"What? Done with me, so now you think you have to protect Clara?"

"I had to have you first to be done with you," he rebutted. "And Clara didn't need any of my help dealing with you last night."

Deidre huffed. "You weren't even there. Hearsay doesn't count."

"Oh, I was there." He laughed softly and pulled me closer, his arm possessive and intimate around my waist. "Better scurry along or you'll be late," he told her as he turned back to me. He smiled before kissing me once more on the lips. We heard her shiny flats padding away angrily on the sidewalk. "We better go, too."

"Yeah," I agreed. We started to walk and he grabbed my hand as we crossed the street. The sun was bright and overly warm for so early in the morning. It beat down on my jacket and then crested in a blinding arc over the top of the school as we approached as if welcoming us in.

High school. Only a few weeks to go and it would all be history. Good riddance.

~ ~ ~

The bell came and went as I slammed my locker shut. Math book in hand I looked up to Eli and smiled as I saw his face etching a path to mine. I accepted his easy kiss and smiled as I turned to head to homeroom.

Floating on a cloud I felt lighter than I'd felt in days. I sank into my seat in homeroom, not even glancing Tate's way, and said my 'Here' when roll call was in full swing. I rested my chin on my hand and tried to act normal, when all I really wanted to do was crash through the door and get back to my Eli.

What was wrong with me?

This was pretty crazy. I definitely had to label myself as the boy-crazy girl I'd been borderlined as before. I was no longer borderline. I was full-fledged, dreamy sighs and proneness to daydreams included.

The bell jerked me from my thoughts and I looked up at to see everyone piling out of the classroom. I grabbed my stuff and stood, only to bump into someone…Tate. Great.

"Hey, Clara," he said oddly.

"Tate," I answered back evenly. I wasn't looking to get into an altercation, and if he was fishing, I'd throw the bait back at him.

"I got your envelope this morning…and, uh…" He cleared his throat exceptionally long. I looked up at his face and tried to keep the pity to a minimum. "I just… What were you thinking?"

"What?" I asked in a flurry as his sudden change in tone.

He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at me. "My dad could have intercepted your little
present
and then I'd have really been in it deep."

"I was trying to help you. You helped me…when I really needed it." My voice went all soft and sympathetic. I reined it in as his face lost some of its tightness. "I just wanted to return the favor. You need help, Tate."

"I…I know," he admitted to the floor. "I just… I just don't know where to start."