Craving (23 page)

She is everything I ever wanted… and it feels as though I’m playing a part. Acting the role of Dante, ardent lover. Holding back.

“Harder, baby,” she gasped, meeting every movement.

I complied, loving her more with every stroke. The realization hit me at the same time as her climax. She reared up, hips lifting from the bed as she clung to me, raking her fingers through my hair.

It would be easy to fall in love with Kitten
. I held off a moment longer as she slowly came down, barely moving inside her, trembling at the spasms that racked her body and mine. I was close.

“Angel,” she whispered against my lips, and I shattered, coming with a ferocity I’d never experienced before. The dam burst and all my emotions flooded out.

I could fall in love with Kitten.
I tried out the phrase in my head. It felt…amazing.
Terrifying
. Reality slammed into me, and I groaned as I slumped over her. No matter what I felt, I couldn’t be so cruel as to tell her, not when I’d be walking out on her in a matter of days.

11.4 Katherine

Dante persuaded me we’d be okay to go out on his bike. He smeared dirt over the number plates to obscure the registration, lent me his leather jacket, and off we went. We explored tiny country lanes, found several deserted beaches, watched fast jets taking off from the nearby air force base, and fed the remnants of our picnic lunch to a band of noisy ducks. I couldn’t have asked for a nicer day.

Our hands tightly laced together, we strolled along the deserted beach nearest to Josh’s house. Even the weather had been perfect. Cool and dry, it had been a beautiful late autumn day. The sun cast tantalizing glints of gold on the calm sea, and we picked our way over the damp sand, dodging the odd wave that crept further up the beach.

Every time I looked at Dante, my fallen angel, my heart expanded a little further. After all the crazy shit we’d been through in the past few days, it meant so much that he was trying to keep me lighthearted, to keep my mind from the problems at hand. And Christ knows, he had enough crap in his life at the moment too, although we might have some of it fixed soon. If Josh gave him the money, he could repay the amount outstanding and get straight for this month, at least. And then there was Suki’s idea.

I squeezed his hand and snagged his attention. Stroking his stubbled cheek, I laughed softly. “I can’t believe you might be a household name soon—on the TV with Suki. Her show is going to be massive, and you might play a part in it.”

His smile was a long time coming. “Yeah, I guess.”

Maybe he’s just nervous.
“Suki said they’ll love your image. It’s not as though you need to start dressing up or anything.”

“Uh-huh.” We started walking again. Dante kicked at a piece of driftwood.

Yes, he’s probably shell-shocked at the idea
.

“You don’t need to do the camera test for a few weeks, and we’ll have your name cleared by then. The camera will love you.”

He stooped to pick up a flat stone with his free hand and skimmed it across the waves.

I paused and watched. “And if you get the job, and I mean come on, you’re perfect for it… if you get it, you’ll have a regular paycheck. Enough to pay for your gran’s home.” I tugged him to a stop and threw my arms around him. “You can start over, Dante. And you know, maybe it’s a chance for us. If you want to.”

His body stiffened, and I caught my breath.

Stupid,
stupid
. We’d been together a matter of days, what the hell was I doing making long-term plans. I didn’t want to scare him off. I wriggled to see his face and my heart plummeted. Something in the far distance kept his attention. He wouldn’t look me in the eyes.

“Angel?” I kept my tone soothing. “I’m not trying to… I just meant we could maybe see each other. Sometimes. I know you’ll be busy.” Oh Jesus. He’d be living in London for the TV show, while I’d be studying in Manchester, or living with Sam and Ellie in Cornwall.
He’ll be surrounded by gorgeous, skinny girls.
I swallowed hard and looked at him.

The bruises stood out vividly on his pale skin, and now I examined him closely, I realized his shoulders were taut, and fresh lines had appeared round his mouth. Clamping down on my fear, I caressed his cheek, feeling a shard of relief when he rubbed against my hand. “Dante—
Angel—
something’s troubling you. Talk to me, baby. Let me share it.”

His arms fastened round me so tight, I could barely breathe.

I could feel the way his heart raced, and I clung to him, listening as he sucked in one deep breath and then another. “Please tell me.” My voice was very small.

Time hung between us.
Please trust me enough
.

Moments later, he nuzzled my throat and nibbled my earlobe. “I guess I’m nervous about the camera test.”

The tightness inside my chest loosened. “It’ll all be over soon.”

His reply took a long time. “Yeah, it will.”

11.5 Dante

To say I felt uncomfortable would be an understatement. I’d gone along with the invitation to Alex and Sylvie’s since Kitten was so keen, but it wasn’t for me. Yeah, they were nice people, but loaded didn’t begin to describe them. Kitten fit in just fine, but she was used to this lifestyle. I felt like a poor relation.

At least it wasn’t a formal dinner. People milled around clutching drinks and nibbles. Josh and Suki disappeared into the crowd and left me trailing after Kitten.

She snagged me a beer, and we wandered round. Rock music blared out from hidde
n
speaker
s
system. We didn’t have to make polite conversation with the other partygoers, and I gave myself a stern talking to. I’d stick it for an hour, and then persuade Kitten to leave with me on some pretext or other.

She disappeared to the bathroom, leaving me alone for a few minutes, and I watched idly as our hostess, Sylvie, stood chatting with a woman at the bottom of a vast staircase. Sitting a few steps up, I saw a spirit lurking behind her.

That was odd, he’d been at Josh’s house the day before. As the two women walked away, I moved toward the spirit. I hadn’t seen Eve for a while. Perhaps he was connected to her?

He looked to be in his mid-30’s, tanned skin, and dark hair that tumbled onto his forehead above deep-brown eyes. Casually dressed in faded jeans and a plain T-shirt, I noticed a bulldog tattoo peeping out from under one sleeve, and I frowned. I recognized that from Ash’s design list. I gestured to his arm. “US Marine Corps?”

He nodded.

“I saw you yesterday. Are you following me?”

“No. I’m looking out for Sylvie.” His voice held a light accent.

“Does she know? Would you like me to tell her? Pass a message on?”

He smiled and shook his head. “I’d rather she didn’t know. But,” he paused a moment and reached out, placing one icy hand on my arm. The smile disappeared. He now looked tough and uncompromising. “I want you to stay away from her, Dante.”

“You know me?”

He cocked his head to one side and regarded me intently. “I know of you. And I know that darkness surrounds you.”

What the fuck?
Simeon had talked about the darkness too. The spirit pointed to a mirror on the wall. “See for yourself.”

I wasn’t sure I wanted to look, but I turned and stared into the ornate mirror—and recoiled. It looked as though I’d been crawling through mud. Black, oily smears adorned my head and shoulders. “What the fuck is it?” I tried to wipe it off, but the damned stuff just smeared even further… I had some on my face, near my mouth, on my freaking eyelashes.
Jesus
. I turned back to the spirit, trying to keep hold of the fear bubbling inside me. “What’s happening to me? How can I get rid of it?”

He touched my arm, and the reflection reverted to normal. My heart raced.
Who is this guy?
“You need to make a choice, Dante. Choose wisely. Things are not always what they seem.”

I opened my mouth to ask him what the fuck he was talking about, but it was too late.

He’d vanished.

These fucking spirits, all talking like frigging Yoda. Why couldn’t they ever give a straight answer? I stared back at the mirror, looking for the black marks, but they’d vanished too. Oh
God
, I’d never feel clean again. Panic was a tight ball in my chest. I heard Kitten call me, and with a wrench, I dragged myself away and fixed a brittle smile on my face. I sucked in a deep breath and braced myself for her questions. She’d know something was wrong, I couldn’t keep fooling her.

“There you are.” She slipped a hand into mine, lips curving upwards as she met my eyes. “I know this is fun, but I was wondering…” Her smile widened as my heart started to crack. “Would you mind if we left now? Josh and Suki will be here for ages yet…” She hesitated, her amber eyes sharpening, and I braced myself for her interrogation.

One more night wouldn’t hurt. Tomorrow, I’d tell her… something. Christ. What was
wrong
with me? I was being
selfish
. Thinking of me and what I wanted. Not giving a thought to how I was going to hurt Kitten, the only girl to ever mean anything to me.

“Dante, you look spooked, is everything—”

I bent and moved her hair, kissing the nape of her neck, feeling her sharp intake of breath. “I can’t wait to be alone with you. Let’s get out of here.”

Our hands linked, we strolled back along the sand, Kitten talked about the night sky, pointing out stars. Deep in my pocket, I felt my phone vibrate, and I groaned silently.
Please God, not Alistair
. I had to check, even though it was the last thing I wanted to do.

The little screen flashed a familiar name.
Nanette
. I stared in disbelief for a fraction of a second, before relief came wading in. I pressed the ANSWER button before she hung up. “Nan,” I breathed, “where are you?” Beside me, I heard Kitten gasp, but my sole attention lay with the terrified voice in my ear.

“
Dante
… Oh thank
God
. They attacked Ash. You’re the only one who can help me.” She stumbled over the words, and I froze. A thin, reedy squeal came down the line, and my hand tightened around the phone.

I ignored Kitten standing open-mouthed beside me. Oh please,
no
, not Nan as well. A wave of nausea swept over me, my knees went weak and threatened to collapse.

“Dante…
they’re coming for me nex—
.” Her words cut off abruptly.

I gulped and tried to draw in some air, trying to form words. “Where are you?” A muffled noise made me strain to hear her, it sounded like claws scratching against wood. “
Nan
, where
are
you?” Kitten tugged at my arm, but I turned away. Had Nan hung up?

I was about to dial her number when Nan’s voice whispered in my ear. “
Armageddon
. I have to go.” Her voice tight with fear, a sob barely held back. “Please, don’t let me down.”

11.6 Josh

I stood in the kitchen doorway and watched Suki talking to Alex. He carried their sleeping baby with a look of such paternal pride that I felt overwhelmed. That could be me. It didn’t matter in the slightest if it was Gabriel’s baby, it would be
our
child. A few years ago this would have terrified me and sent me running for the hills, but now I reveled in it.

With a great measure of reluctance, Suki took charge of Joseph, holding him carefully so Alex could attend to their other child.

Their older boy looked to be maybe three years old. He’d come downstairs in brightly patterned pajamas, his dark hair ruffled and sticking out at odd angles.

Alex lifted him to sit on the counter while he poured a drink of water, looking completely at home with two small children.

I stayed silent as Suki gazed down at the infant she cradled.

A clatter of footsteps sounded behind me, and I dragged my attention away to see Katherine, wild-eyed and pink cheeked as she burst into the hallway. “Josh!” She leaned over, breathless and I hurried to her side, conscious of Suki following me.

“Katherine? What’s happened?”

“It’s Nanette, the girl that went missing. She’s just phoned Dante.” Katherine flushed and dropped her voice to a whisper. “She said the people that, uh, attacked Ash, are coming for her.”

“Where is he? Dante?”

“That’s why I came to get you. He’s trying to call her back, but her phone’s switched off.” She hesitated, and then continued in a rush. “He says he’s going to start looking for her. I told him it wasn’t safe, but he won’t listen to me.”

He appeared now, white faced and vibrating with tension, one hand gripping his phone, the other hanging in a fist at his side. “Josh, can we talk?” He bit out the words, and I nodded assent.