Craving (4 page)

Christ
, that had to have hurt. We all sat frozen while Nanette leaned over Dante, rubbing his back with one hand and speaking to him in a low murmur. I couldn’t take my eyes off him, he lay so still.

I found my voice. “Is he okay?” He still hadn’t moved.

“I don’t know.” There was a note of panic in her voice. “He’s not back yet.”
Back?
Then as Tristan and Chaz stood, moving toward the bank of equipment, Nanette yelled. “Stop! Don’t break the circle.”

Tristan paused, but Chaz had already stepped outside the white line of salt. He looked back at us, eyes wide in the dim light.

Nanette looked up at Chaz. “Didn’t you hear me? Get back inside the circle.”

“But, we’re not holding hands anymore.”

There was a split second where we all just looked at each other, and then Dante rose, head snapping upright, back straight. He shrugged off Nanette and stood, swaying gently back and forth.

I leaned toward him, intending to speak, but Nanette shook her head at me. “No,” she mouthed, her face tight with fear.

Dante seemed to zero in on Chaz, his focus absolute. “
Hello, Chazzy. Long time no see
.” He was speaking, but not in his own voice. This was a woman’s voice. She sounded young, cultured—bored even. I stared in amazement.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Nanette beckoning to Chaz, trying to get him back inside the circle. Meanwhile, Dante stepped away from the table, mere inches away from the line of salt. The candles flickered, their flames were dancing as though caught in a breeze. If I’d thought it cold when the airman appeared, that was nothing in comparison to the chill encasing us now. I half-expected to see icicles forming. As Dante moved, a white mist trailed in his wake, tendrils spreading over the floor, reaching out in all directions. I instinctively pulled my feet back.

Chaz frowned, his face creasing up. “What’s going on?” With his eyes fixed on Dante, he backed up, bumping into the rack of portable shelving.

“
I used to visit you in your dreams. Surely, you haven’t forgotten me.”
Dante strolled across the floor, easily stepping over the salt line. Chaz just stared, fists bunched at his sides and mouth dropped open.

I wanted to say something, to call Dante back, but I couldn’t move. My lungs continued to inflate, but I could have been stuck in quicksand for all the control I had over my body. The woman’s voice continued to pour from Dante’s mouth.

“Together we planned how we’d kill your father. But then you had second thoughts.”
Dante had almost reached Chaz, one hand lifting as though to touch him.

I watched, frozen, until Nanette moved. Leaping up, she yelled, “For fuck’s sake! Get back in the fucking circle, Chaz.
Now
!” As if a spell had been broken, Chaz looked directly at her, then whirled back to the equipment. He started flicking switches, running his hands over the control panel, and Tristan shifted in his seat beside me.

“
I’ll find you, Chazzy. I’ll always find you
.” That unreal, girly voice coming from Dante. Last night, he’d joked about possession… This was no joke.

My heart raced. I’d gone from feeling anxious to petrified in an instant. I grabbed Nanette’s arm. “What’s happening?
Dante
?”

She covered my hand with her own. I felt her trembling. “I don’t know. But this is not good.”

“What the fuck?
He’s shutting down the fucking feeds!
” Tristan shouted, furious, but Nanette ignored him.

She gazed at Dante, and I followed her stare. He turned around slowly to face us and my heart nearly stopped. His eyes flashed bright red. It was as though I’d stepped into a Stephen King novel.

I dug my fingers into Nanette’s arm. “Do something.
Please
.”

Dante smiled at us. Or at least, his mouth moved in an approximation of a smile.

Behind him, Chaz groaned—a long shuddering gasp as he slumped over the equipment. Lucy scrambled to her feet, hands twisting as she wailed his name. Tristan stepped right up to Nanette. “What has he
done
? He’s killing
the fucking data
.”

For a few seconds, it was chaos. Anger and fear raged all around me, but my entire focus was on Dante. I thought I could see him—the
real him
underneath this macabre shell—as though he called to me. I heard him whisper my name.
Kitten.
My nickname.
His voice is inside my head
.

I snapped back to reality. Dante’s eyes rolled up and he staggered, then dropped to one knee and sprawled across the floor. He landed with a thump, scattering salt crystals over the floor. I held my breath. Was it over? Apparently, Nanette thought so. She dived for him, and again I followed.

“
God
, Chuckles. You gave me a fright.” Nanette dropped to the floor and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him to her body.

An icy chill surrounded him. Violent shivers racked his body, his teeth were chattering a noisy rattle, but when his eyes flickered open, they were his usual silver color. “Protection.” It came out as a whisper—
to me
. “Did you stay inside the circle?”

I nodded, my arms wrapped around myself. “But Chaz left it.”

“Shee-it.” His face was gaining some color, the shivers receding. “Is he okay?”

Tristan’s fury was evident as he yelled at Chaz. “I’m gonna fucking kill you, Chaz, you
arsehole
! You’ve wiped every fucking minute of tonight’s show. What the
fuck
were you thinking?”

As Chaz stammered a reply I couldn’t hear, Nanette rubbed her forehead and cleared her throat. “
Tristan.
Listen to me. It wasn’t his fault.”

The vicious argument faded into the background as though Dante and I sat in the eye of the storm, a tiny moment of calm between us. His eyes held mine, that unearthly translucence, and I couldn’t look away. When he raised one hand to me, I caught it in my own, squeezing his fingers. I felt connected to him in a way I couldn’t quantify, couldn’t explain.

I just needed to touch him.

Things were a little hazy. I lay on the floor of the control tower, Nan and Katherine were fussing over me while people shouted in the background. At some point, they half-dragged me out to a car—and fastened me in the passenger seat. When I tried to ask about my bike, Nan told me they’d load it into the van. I blacked out again, waking up when a blast of fresh air hit my face. Ker-
rist
, I felt rough, like I had a five star hangover. My feet refused to work properly, my tongue could have been glued to the roof of my mouth, and waves of nausea swept over me, racking my body with alternating shivers and sweats.

We were back at the farm. Katherine helped me out of the car, her arm snug around my waist as she led me into her apartment. “Bed, I think.” Her voice was cheerful. Next thing I knew, I was sprawled on her bed while she tugged off my boots. I heard them drop to the floor with two loud thuds. The sounds rattled my brain.

“Nan’s here. Do you want her to sit with you?” Katherine sounded nervous as she hauled a duvet over me. “I really think you need medical attention.”

I gritted my chattering teeth and forced a few words out. “No doctor, just you. Please stay.” Her voice,
her
touch,
soothed me. Irrational and dangerous as it was, I didn’t want to be apart from her. I gazed helplessly as she retreated into the lounge and returned with Nanette. A wave of exhaustion swept through me as I closed my eyes.

* * * *

The next time I surfaced, my headache had receded to a dull thump–a set of tom-toms were playing inside my brain. I cracked my eyes open, letting them get accustomed to the dim lights as I scanned the room. Someone sat in a nearby armchair. Kitten. She was curled up with her legs beneath her, immersed in a book, the bedside lamp illuminating her profile and making her look mysterious. Unexpected shadows played over her face, and her sharp chin looked fierce and determined. Her hair looked different too. Previously, she’d tied it back in a tight ponytail, but now it fell loose around her face, reddish glints sparking like little flames. I watched unseen for a long moment, enjoying the sight of her and waiting for my brain to kick back into gear. This had to be a very nice dream. I’d been angry with her earlier, hurt by her attitude, but here and now, things felt good between us.

My mouth didn’t feel good though, more like a small furry creature had crawled inside and died there. I licked my lips and Kitten glanced at me, her eyes widening when she saw me staring.

“Hey, how do you feel? Can I get you anything?”

“Drink?” My voice came out as a croak. Kitten produced a glass of water and held it steady while I sipped. “Thanks.”

Sinking back against the pillow, I raised my hands, rubbing my face and trying to wake up properly. My memories of the night had great gaping holes. “Kitten, did I hurt anyone?”

She moved to kneel on the bed beside me, the glass of water still in her hand, shaking her head in reply. “No, we’re all fine. But it was kind of scary. What happened to you, Dante?” Kitten inched closer and stared, intent on the answers I couldn’t give her.

I felt like a bug under a microscope.

“Dante, I need to know. Is this normal for you? And why were you adamant I didn’t call a doctor? Is there something you’re not telling me?”

There was tons of stuff I wasn’t telling her. “It’s happened a few times. It wipes me out.” I hesitated, unsure how much to say. “I don’t want to end up in hospital with no protection.” I swallowed, my throat still dry and scratchy.

“Protection. D’you mean the salt lines? And the herbs?”

I nodded.

“Nanette said she took care of that here.” Lines of worry creased her forehead, a flicker of something in her eyes. “But it didn’t protect you very well in the tower, did it?”

“That was different. I summoned the spirit, and it was stronger than I expected. Then Chaz broke the circle. That didn’t help.” I stretched, feeling warm and comfortable, and strangely safe. “Is Nan still here?”

“I sent her home.” Kitten held the glass to my lips while I drained it. “Do you want anything else?” She distractedly ran a hand through her hair. “We need to talk about this. Will you feel up to it in the morning?” Her eyes cast left and right around the room, avoiding me.

“Yeah, no, I’m good. Thanks. And we’ll talk tomorrow.”

An awkward silence fell between us. Kitten pleated the edge of the duvet with her fingers, and I suddenly realized this was her bed. “I’ll go back to the sofa. This is your room.”

Her eyes finally locked with mine. “No, it’s okay. It just feels a bit weird, that’s all. It’s not like we’re a couple or anything.” She fiddled with her hair some more as a hint of a smile crept over her face. “I’ll stay here and read, you get some sleep. And if you need anything, let me know.”

“Talk to me,” I blurted. Her eyebrows rose, and I softened my tone. “I like the sound of your voice. Read me your book.”

Her lips twitched up at the corners. Yes, that was a smile. “Read to you? You might not like my choice of material.”

“Try me.” I made myself comfortable and half-closed my eyes, watching through thin slits as she settled back into the chair. She picked up a slim paperback and flicked through the pages.

“It’s
Pride and Prejudice
. Should I just carry on where I got up to?”

“Uh-huh.” The pillows were soft beneath me. I wriggled my shoulders as I relaxed, enjoying the sensations, a far cry from my usual bed.

“
Elizabeth turned away to hide a smile. “Your examination of Mr. Darcy is over, I presume,” said Miss Bingley, “and pray what is the result?”

The words washed over me, meaningless, yet gentle. It felt as though she was stroking me inside my skin. I focused on her mellow tones, wallowing in the luxury of feeling like a small child again. Gran used to read to me in bed. She alone didn’t worry about my talking to people she couldn’t see, and she understood my fears of the bogeyman. Would I ever have her back?

I realized something with a start. Kitten made me feel safe in the same way. I mulled this over, noting belatedly that she’d gone quiet. I cranked open my eyes, wondering if she’d nodded off. She hadn’t.

“I thought I might have sent you to sleep. Should I carry on? Or am I boring you?”

“What’s it about?”

“
Pride and Prejudice
?” Her voice rose, and she sounded scandalized. “It’s a classic piece of literature. You’ve never seen the film? Or the TV adaptation?”

“Nope.” I turned to lie on my side so I could watch her more easily. From here, I had a lovely view of her breasts, generous curves lurking beneath a tight pink T-shirt. Very sexy. And very off limits.