Page 19 of To Crave Darkly
That sounded ominous. At least I knew it wasn’t my time to die. That was comforting, I guess.
“And besides,” he continued, “it’s not my responsibility to claim souls. That task is beneath me.”
That remark suggested he was rather full of himself, but also important in whatever hierarchy existed here. The more he spoke, the more I was interested in him. He was nothing like I had ever met before, and I was curious about him.
“What is your responsibility then, if collecting souls is not worth your effort?”
He chuckled. “Now that is for me to know and you to find out.”
My companion flashed me a lopsided grin. It added to the darkly attractive air that surrounded him. His smile seemed to promise secret joys and carnal pleasures and I couldn’t help but be tempted to ask what his secrets were. There was something dangerous about him, something wicked lurking beneath the veneer of his smile. He was… intriguing.
“What are you?”
“That is a very good question. You will find out in time.”
I groaned in frustration. He was as bad as Jasper… Oh, Jasper. I hoped he was ok, but I suppose if I was here waiting to die, I must have saved him. Sorrow washed over me in a sudden wave. It seemed some part of me missed the overbearing oaf. I chuckled. It seemed I had liked him after all.
“Why won’t you tell me your name?” I asked.
“I want to. I really want to.” He caught his lips between his teeth, and a giddiness emanated from him as he held back the secret. I was getting sick of secrets.
“Why can’t you tell me?”
“Oh, Lori, it isn’t time yet.”
I had the feeling that this man, whoever he was, liked to play games. I knew there was something sinister about him and I bet I was only scratching the surface.
I looked back at the man sat next to me. He must have some purpose here, but what that was, I didn’t know. I really should call him something. It was annoying to have to think of the man as “him” or “he” all the time.
“Fine. Since you won’t tell me your name, I will have to make one up for you.”
He smiled gleefully at me and cocked his head to one side. “No one has ever done that before. Usually people run screaming the other way.”
That wasn’t difficult to imagine. There was something crackling in the air around him that spoke of dark yearning and it settled uneasily on my skin. I glanced around and wondered if I could escape this place, but as soon as I had the thought, I knew it to be impossible. I didn’t know how I knew that. It was like the rule was branded into my mind, and it was forbidden to even think of breaking it.
I glanced down at the Mai Tai in my hand, forgotten since I woke. Was it even real? I took a sip and the flavours burst along my tongue.
“God, that’s good,” I murmured and took another sip. My skin prickled as I delighted in the drink. He was watching me. I turned to him again and gasped at the hunger I saw in his gaze. His lips curled and the fire burned brighter in his eyes. A sensation of dread set my heart racing, like my mind knew I was staring into the face of my own destruction.
Then in a flash it was gone. His face returned to that mischievous grin and the fear I had felt vanished. It was unsettling how quickly his expressions changed.
I thought back to the task I had given myself: what to name him? He was too unusual for something ordinary like Roger or John, and he certainly wasn’t a Jimmy or Bobby. No, those names were far too boyish for him. He needed something that suited him. I had known him for all of five minutes and I knew he was larger than life. In a crowd of people, he would stand out and all eyes would be drawn to him. There was a magnetism about him that was irresistible. Like the stars in the sky that burned brightly just because they could, he sat beside me with all the power and beauty of one of the brightest constellations.
“Orion.” As soon as I said it out loud, I knew it was perfect for him.
A genuine smile broke out across his beautiful face, but a flash of surprise ghosted across his eyes, almost like he couldn’t believe he was really smiling. It was sad to think that he could be so tormented that joy wasn’t a natural state for him. It tugged at my heartstrings and I felt sorry for him. No one should feel like that.
“It’s perfect, almost better than my real name. Orion. I love it.” His warm grin morphed into something more threatening. “Oh, Lori. Beautiful, sweet, naïve Lori. You have no idea what you’ve just done.”
My stomach dropped. “What do you mean?”
“There is power in a name. And you have named me as yours.”
A tugging sensation burrowed deep in my chest and I gasped at the sudden pain. Something was gripping my heart. I clutched my chest and watched as Orion mirrored my actions. Oh, God. What had I done?
“Undo it. Whatever I have done, undo it. Now.”
Orion just laughed but it sounded manic. The harsh sound was twisted with the same pain that burned through me. “I can’t. This is old magic and much older than me. I do not have the power to stop it. And even if I could, there is no way in Hell that I would.”
