Page 20 of Insatiable Hunger

The startling presence vanished immediately, my body exhaling in relief. Alastair stopped, his ears raised high, a seemingly different noise pulling his attention away. I glanced at Alastair, my brows scrunching in confusion. “What is it?” I whispered. The sounds of footsteps crunching against the dry autumn leaves could be heard in the distance.

The steps increased, as if someone was shuffling towards us, closing in. I became anxious, my hands glowing as my magic reacted to my emotions. Alastair surprisingly didn’t growl. He didn’t change his posture or act defensive in any way, only observant.That’s odd; usually Alastair only acts this way if—

A tall, dark silhouette appeared, catching my attention as it moved through the graveyard, heading in our direction. Before I could mutter a word or even think, I rotated my hand and aimed a ripple of my magic in its direction. The shadow weaved, theblue fire missing its target, slamming into the torso of a nearby statue as the flames fizzled away.

“Holy shit!” I knew that voice.

“Lazarus?” I lifted my other hand, my magic illuminating the features of his face as he slowly approached us, his eyes wide and perplexed. Alastair immediately flounced to him, licking his hand.

“Man, I know I’ve seen that trick before, but hell, being on the other end of it is pretty fucking terrifying.” He pointed to the still-smoking impact mark. “Talk about power.” A heavy sigh of relief fell from my lips. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to scare you,” he stroked Alastair’s head, “but I rushed this way after I heard you whistle. When your voice cut out, I assumed your radio died—”

“I thought you were the one who whistled?” He lifted his head, an odd expression across his face.

Lazarus shook his head, sighing. “This is the last time I listen to Cain and let you just wander off to investigate alone.” I completely agreed with him. My eyes examined him, admiring his physique when I realized he had trekked all this way in darkness.

“What happened to your flashlight?” I asked.

“Oh.” He pulled it from his bag. “It randomly just shut off on my way up here. It was really weird, ‘cause it started glowing green? I’ve never seen it do that before. I know I replaced the batteries in all of them after what happened in the last investigation.” Strange. It seemed something indeed was messing with us both.

“We should probably head back and find the rest of the group. It’s been an interesting night, but I’m ready to get out of these woods.” I gripped the straps of my bag, uncomfortable with all that had occurred in the last twenty-four hours, particularly uneasy at the idea of being toyed with. Something about this cemetery seemed off.

“Did Ruby and Jinx not show up?” He asked. I shook my head. “That’s odd. They said they were heading your way when I started walking back, I figured they would have found you by now.” He glanced around the cemetery. “They probably got lost in this maze. I’m surprised I was able to even find you.”

“This whole place is odd.” Lazarus turned, glancing at me. “I can’t shake the feeling of being watched.” My eyes looked all around, taking in the scenery. “There’s something different about this place. Not just this cemetery, but the woods, the cabin, the whole town of New Bedeville.”

“Well that’s not ominous.” His smartass tone pulled me back as he tried to shift the mood of our conversation. “On a lighter note, have you had any luck with the investigation?”

Part of me wanted to tell him about the memorial for the Hemlock victims, but I also wanted to respect their peace and, despite Cain’s ghost story, I didn’t think there was any relevance on the matter. So, I decided to keep their existence to myself. “The only thing I’ve experienced all night is bad luck. Both my radio and flashlight died. Seems as ifsomethingin these woods doesn’t want me here.”

“Or,” he crossed his arms, “Cain’s been messing with our equipment again. I’m telling you, after what happened with the last investigation, he’s purposely—”

“You really think Cain is sabotaging our things?”

Lazarus shot me a look. “He does seem to enjoy watching the rest of us suffer.” He wasn’t wrong; Cain always did seem amused by any displeasure or misstep we seemed to experience. “Oh, I have something for you,” Lazarus said, reaching into his bag. “I was able to photograph a fox tonight.”

My entire demeanor lighted. “Really?” He nodded, shuffling through a stack of prints. “I know you take photographs in hopes of capturing a ghost, but your nature prints always make mesmile.” Our eyes locked for a moment, the moon peeking from behind a layer of clouds, its light revealing his handsome face.

Lazarus smiled, his expression warm yet playful. “You know,” he returned the stack of photos to his bag and stepped closer, “since we’re all alone out here,” his burned hand gently glided along my cheek, tucking my hair behind my ear, “we could easily slip away into the shadows.”

I swallowed, my cheeks burning at his delicate touch. His face leaned towards mine, his hand gripping my jaw as my mouth dropped open. “What do you say, darling?” he breathed into me. “Want to join me in the darkness while I make you howl at the moon?” My hands slowly began to glow, the obvious blue light reflecting in his chestnut eyes. Lazarus smiled. “I’ll takethatas a yes.”

Chapter

Nineteen

LAZARUS

Alaska’s powder blue eyes sparkled, burning like kindling against the darkness, her magic radiating from her hands, mimicking her irises. It was the visual confirmation I needed to whisk her into the shadows and unleash my devilish desires.

Her mouth remained open, her poppy-colored lips inviting mine to join them. As I leaned in to kiss her, she turned her head away, my lips landing on her soft rosy cheek. My jaw clenched, knowing where her thoughts lingered.

“We can’t,” she whispered, her breathing slightly raised. I lowered my head, reluctantly releasing her chin. Her hands clasped mine, pulling me back to her. “You know how I feel about you, Lazarus, but Cain—”

“Don’t.” I cut her words off at the sound of his name. “I’ve respected your choice to keep this what it's been for a long time,” I looked at Alaska, her colored fringe framing her face perfectly, “but it’s agonizing having to watch you with him. You spend your days pretending with him but fill your nights tangled with me. You can’t just keep dragging us both along.” I lowered my head disappointed in myself. “I thought I could handle being yoursecret, but after everything you said last night…” I hesitated for a moment, remembering her words. “You possess my thoughts and my dreams, always there in my mind. My heart aches for you, Alaska. Every beat is this unbearable craving I have but can never fulfill because you choose to stay with him. I can’t stand being apart from you. It drives me insane.” She stared at me, eyes wide. “I am yours, Alaska… but you are not mine. You're his, and I want more. Ineedmore.”

“I can’t give you more.” Her voice was weak and pained.

“Why?” I pleaded, clutching her hands. “Why can’t you just leave him?” Alastair snorted, reminding me to pull my temper back.

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