Craving (21 page)

“You mean Simeon?”

“No, silly.” She swung out a hand, and a teenaged girl appeared. “This is Eve.”

The spirit looked like a typical goth-girl. Ragged, black tights and a black leather mini-skirt, black and red lacy top with lace sleeves covering her hands, clumpy, black Doc Martens on her feet and enough eye liner to be a work of art.

She blew a gum bubble at me. “Who d’ya think
you’re
looking at?” A toss of her head sent a riotous wave of black curls flying.

“Hello Eve, I’m Dante.” I glanced to my left, conscious of Kitten’s curious stare, before turning my attention back to Ingrid. “Is there a reason you brought Eve to see me?”

She giggled and clapped her hands. “Eve’s new. She needs someone to hang out with.”

“Oh, right. You’ll be able to look after her, won’t you?”

“Not me, silly.” Ingrid huffed at me. “I want you to take care of her. Please, Dante.” My heart sank. Things were complicated enough without babysitting some newly deceased kid. Ingrid stood up, hands on hips, pouting at me.

“Look Ingrid—munchkin—I’ve really not got time at the moment.”

For a child, Ingrid could behave in very adult ways sometimes. She arched a finely shaped brow and assumed a thoughtful expression, one finger tapping her chin. “I thought you were my friend, Dante. And friends help each other, don’t they?”

“Yeah, of course, but–”

“But you’re too busy to help me?”

I knew when I was beaten. “Yeah, Eve can hang with me. Are you staying around too?”

Her face wreathed in smiles, she ran across and hugged me around my middle, little ghostly hands leaving a tingling chill. “Thank you, thank you, you’re the bestest friend ever.” Stepping back, she high-fived Eve. “Told you.”

Eve blew another bubble at me, snapping her teeth and shifting to stare sullenly at Kitten. “That your girlfriend?”

Was she?
“Yeah, she is. Her name’s Katherine.” I looked back at her, waiting patiently, huddled into my leather. Holding out a hand, I beckoned her over and laced our fingers together. “Kitten, this might sound weird, but I’m talking to a couple of spirits.” She immediately looked interested. “This is Eve,” I gestured towards the teen, even though Kitten wouldn’t be able to see her. “And this is Ingrid, one of my two spirit guides.”

Another surprise for me. Ingrid threw her arms around Kitten, causing her to gasp, shocked.

“What just happened?”

“I like her,” announced Ingrid. “Much nicer than the other one.”
Other one?
She whispered in Eve’s ear then waved to me, calling, “see you, Dante,” as she vanished, leaving a sullen-faced Eve scowling at me. Yeah, I felt the same.

“Ingrid just hugged you, she likes you.”

Kitten beamed. “What about Eve, does she want a hug too?”

“Eew, gross. No way.” Eve rolled her eyes then prodded an icy finger on my chest. “And I’m warning you, I want plenty of notice if you two are going to be making out. I’m too young to see stuff like that.”

I couldn’t help laughing. “Come on, didn’t you want to go shopping?” I dropped a kiss on Kitten’s hair. “Let’s go.”

* * * *

I had time for a shower before we met Josh. I luxuriated under the hot water and relishing the way it eased my aching muscles. Kitten was busy tinkering with her new mobile phone and sorting out replacement bank cards, otherwise I would have tried to entice her to join me. Was she still mad at me? How would she react when I betrayed Josh? Deep in thought, I stepped out of the cubicle and groped blindly for a towel, wiping the water from my eyes as I did so.

A towel was pushed into my hands, and I smiled—had Kitten joined me after all?

Apparently not. “
Holy crap
!” I yanked the tiny towel over my middle and glared at Eve, standing there grinning at me in the bathroom.

“Sweet inkwork, Tat-Boy. Nice pecs too.”

“Do you mind?” Sidestepping, I tried to grab the bath towel from behind her. Meanwhile, Kitten must have heard me.

“Dante? You okay in there?”

“Yeah, baby. All good.” I reached the sanctuary of the towel and tucked it securely around my body. “What the fuck are you doing in here, Eve?” I hissed at her, and she blew another gum bubble at me.

“Got bored. What’cha doing later?”

“Thanks for reminding me.” I ran a weary hand across my stubble. “I’m running a séance this afternoon, and I’d rather you didn’t watch. It might get nasty.”

She pouted, then winked at me and extended one slender finger toward my bath towel. “If I tug hard enough, will this fall down?”

“Eve,” I growled. “If you want to stay with me, you need to respect my boundaries. And they definitely include the bathroom.”

“How about the séance?”

I hesitated. Ingrid said Eve was new, so I assumed she’d only just died. No, my first thought was sound. “I won’t be able to look after you. It would be safer if you stayed out of the way.”

“Dante, who are you talking to?” Kitten again.

I groaned softly and wagged a warning finger at Eve. “Boundaries, Eve. Okay?”

“Yeah, whatever.” She vanished, and I sighed with relief, moving back to the basin to brush my teeth.

Babysitting a new spirit was akin to having a young puppy: lots of attention and constant interruptions. At least Eve was unlikely to pee on the carpet. Now I just had to explain it to Kitten.

10.4 Josh

Dante announced that we’d hold this second séance in the now empty dining room at Suki’s house. He spent a long time drawing complex chalk symbols on the walls and the floor—extra protection, he explained. After last time, he wanted to try to constrain Gabriel and limit what the angry spirit could do.

Suki was a bag of nerves. We’d quarreled earlier when I’d asked her if she was okay.

“Okay?” Her voice rose in pitch. “What do you think, Josh, really?”

When I tried to speak she had carried on over me. “Let me see. We’re about to talk to my dead husband for the second time. Keywords there are
Dead
and
Husband
. This is the man who tried to kill me—and you—and has been haunting me for the past month. In what way could that possibly be okay?”

I sneaked a look at her now as she stood by the window, staring out at the garden. Walking up to her, I touched her shoulder gently. “Suki? Baby? We don’t have to do this. We’ll just tell Dante to leave it.”

Her shoulders twitched, her face turned resolutely away from me.

“It was your idea,” I reminded her.

“God.” She rolled her head slowly from one side to the other. “And then what? Put up with him haunting me? For how long?” She twisted in a sudden movement and nestled into my arms, burying her face into my chest. “How is he doing this? How, Josh?”

I could only hold her close, trying to give her strength through my touch, and listen to her heart pounding like a caged bird beating its wings against the bars. We had to fix this. It was tearing her apart.

The séance started the same as the last one. I felt the temperature drop and squeezed Suki’s hand tight as the candles began to flicker. Dante alone seemed calm.

“Gabriel, I call to you. Come and show yourself to the circle.”

The candles flickered again, but this time, stayed alight. The temperature dropped another few degrees, and Dante started humming.

Suki had her eyes screwed shut and her face contorted. I realized she was trying very hard not to cry.

My heart broke some more.

“Gabriel.” Dante’s voice was soft. “I thank you for showing yourself.” Katherine’s sharp intake of breath startled me, and I looked up—to see Gabriel standing just outside the circle.
Fuck me.
He looked the same as he had alive, just fainter, as though he stood in a cloud of mist, all his edges blurred. That cocky, sneering smile was the same though.

He leaned back against the wall, arms folded, surveying our group. I prayed Suki kept her eyes closed.

“Suzu,” he murmured. “You’re looking good, babe.”

I knew the exact moment she saw him.

Her hand went limp in mine as though all the blood had drained from her body. “
Gabe
.” Her agonized whisper cut through me, and she swayed alarmingly.

“Keep the circle intact.” Katherine’s warning snapped me out of my stupor.

Suki trembled so hard her teeth chattered. She was fixated on the sight of her one-time husband, and he noticed.

“Suzu, my darling.” He moved closer, pausing by the outer salt line. “I know how much you’ve missed me, how you dream of me night after night.”

“
No
.” Her voice faint.

“I need to be closer to you.” The spirit frowned and then beamed at her again, before skirting carefully around the edge of the circle to stand behind her. “Oh dear, can’t you see me from there?” He sounded puzzled but I saw the cruel smile. “If you let go of Joshy-Boy and turn around, you can see me, babe. Go on, you know you want to.”

Suki whimpered but clung to my hand, fixing her gaze on the floor in front of her.

Dante interrupted, his voice hard. “Gabriel, it’s time for you to return to the spirit realm. You are no longer needed here.”

“Return? You’re fucking kidding me. Not while Suki’s here. Not now.”

Beside me, Suki whimpered, tears running freely down her cheeks. “Please don’t,” she cried, “just
don’t
.”

Don’t what?
Dante’s next words were squashed by Gabriel’s peal of laughter. “He doesn’t know, does he? Suzu, you really should have broken the news by now.”

Her head snapped up, and she yelled over her shoulder, “Shut up,
shut up
!”

The laughter continued.

Anger burned in my veins.

“
Oh my
.” Gabriel mimed shaking my hand. “Congratulations, Joshy-Boy. You’re going to be a father.”

“Shut up! Just shut…” Suki howled, her breath coming in great shudders as she sobbed. “Please Gabe, just shut the fuck up.”

His words slammed into me.
A father?
I narrowed my eyes at him. Gabe yawned, the image of boredom. “You’re quiet today, Joshy-Boy. Not going to bother threatening me?”

I turned to look at Suki, her body racked with sobs.
A father?
Was she
pregnant
? How the fuck could Gabe know that?

“Oh hang on.” He looked immensely pleased with himself. “I forgot to mention one tiny, little detail.” I realized what he was going to say. Oh
God
, please
no
, not that.
Anything but that
. Suki wouldn’t hide something so amazing from me, unless…

“Sorry to break the news, Joshy-Boy. That’s my baby she’s carrying.”

10.5 Katherine

The séance was falling apart. Suki yelled, and burst into a weeping fit while Josh just looked bewildered, like a child offered a favorite toy only to have it snatched away again.

Dante raised his voice over the noise, trying I think, to get Gabe’s attention, but he was ignored.

Even shimmery and a little fuzzy, Gabe oozed power and confidence, and I stared, awestruck, as he strolled around the salt perimeter.

“It’s a shame you’re already dead, I want to kill you.” Suki’s voice rasped as she screamed, twisting her head to see him over her shoulder. She was a hair’s breadth from breaking the circle, and I yelled to Josh to hold her tight, but it was no use. Seconds later, wrenching both hands free, she struggled to her feet and focused on Gabe. He leaned against the wall examining his fingernails while Suki ranted at him, hurled insults, and told him to keep out of her life.

“Grab her, Kitten. Don’t let her leave.” I was already half way up, and I snatched at her arm, holding tight as she tried to shake me off.

The argument continued between them, Suki yelling and bawling while Gabe sneered back.

Jesus
. If this was symptomatic of their marriage, no wonder she’d been so unhappy.

In the middle of the chaos Dante shot to his feet, staring at the corner of the room. “
No
, Eve. Stay away.”

I followed his gaze and saw a young woman walking toward us. Like Gabe, she glistened as though wrapped head to toe in pearls—quite at odds with her goth appearance—and my eyes were drawn to her heavy boots. They made no sound on the polished wooden floor.

A giant pink bubble of gum emerged from her lips as she approached.

Dante spoke again, his voice stressed. “Eve,
go back
. This is too dangerous for you. Turn around and walk away.
Now.
” She rolled her eyes in response and plucked the gum from her mouth, pinching it between her fingertips and drawing it out in a long strand.