Page 23 of The Hunger
Fenris: I know you’re hungry, Eliana. Don’t run from this.
Fenris: I’m starting to think I’m going to need to cause a little trouble to see you.
I called Jenna.
“I’m here. She left me at the first pool.”
“Head back to the one he took me to the first time.”
“Okay. I’ll take the torches on the way. Wish me luck.”
“Good luck.”
As soon as I hung up, I blew out a nervous breath and sent a new text.
Me: Fine. I’ll meet with you. How close are you to the caves?
Fenris: Fifteen minutes.
Me: I’ll have Mrs. Quill portal me there in two.
I hugged the phone to my chest for a minute then set it on the bed to search for a distraction. Something, anything to keep me from thinking about what would happen in a few minutes. But there was little to do. My bag was packed and ready in case I needed to run, and I didn’t have the focus to watch a movie.
So I paced and waited, glancing at my phone each time I reached the door and again when I reached the window. The silence was torture. But so was my imagination. There could be only one reason for the quiet. I could imagine them in the cave. Naked. Bodies entwined. Moans filling the air.
I stumbled, my hunger twisting inside of me, and caught myself on the bed. The hunger wasn’t a surprise, but the unexpected surge of anger was. Mom had warned Adira never to get between a succubus and her meal. Is that what I’d inadvertently done? Put Jenna between me and Fenris?
Straightening, I resumed my pacing. Maybe I should call Megan and tell her what I’d done. I cringed. Oanen made it clear that he wasn’t okay with her discussing Fenris with me. Not that I blamed him. Before they’d left, Fenris had been pretty handsy with her.
I turned the phone in my hand then frowned down at it, unable to remember picking it up. Another cramp of pain rippled through my stomach. How messed up was I? Desperate in too many ways to even know which way was the one crippling me at the moment. Hunger? Anger? Fear? Guilt?
Sighing, I moved to toss the phone onto the bed again, but it buzzed with a new message.
Fenris: Looks like you’re the one causing trouble now. See you soon.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Crap on a cracker!” I scooped up my bag and bolted out of my room.
Mrs. Quill looked up in surprise when I raced through the kitchen. I didn’t stop to explain my rush when she called after me and hoped she wouldn’t default to calling Adira due to my odd behavior. Since that colossal pain in my backside didn’t appear beside the car as I slammed it into reverse, I knew Mrs. Quill had held off. For now. How long until she broke, though?
Using the hands-free option, I called Mrs. Quill as I broke some kind of record leaving the property.
“Eliana, is everything okay?”
“Yes and no. I’m fine, but Fenris is on his way over again, which is why I left in such a rush. I didn’t want you to have to lie to him when he shows up. Now you can honestly say I’m not home, you don’t know where I am, and you don’t know when I’ll be back.”
“Are you sure this is what you want to do?”
“Positive.”
After we hung up, I called Jenna.
“Hey, Eliana. Sorry I didn’t call sooner. I don’t think it worked.”
“What happened? Did he smell you?”
“No. That part did work. He walked right in and called your name. I didn’t answer but moved around so he would hear someone was in there, you know? I couldn’t see a thing, so I know he couldn’t either. When he entered the cave, I grabbed him and kissed him.” She let out a slow breath. “He kissed me back, so I know it was good. But then, when he pulled away, he said, ‘Tell Eliana it didn’t work, but the clothes were a nice touch.’ Before I could say anything, he took off. I’ve been searching the trees for him since then.”
