Page 35 of To Crave Darkly
I needed some time away from her to get my head on straight. Every single thought I had right now involved her and considerably fewer clothes. I could smell her all over me. The need to mate with her was insatiable. I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes, trying to stop the stem of pure need roaring through me. If I didn’t leave now, I was going to fuck her. My gums prickled as my fangs grew.
Oh, god. I needed to leave.
Right now.
“Levi, I have to go.” My voice was a growl. My chest tightened as I realised I was barely holding on.
Levi looked over to me and frowned. He knew something was wrong but thankfully he didn’t say anything. “Ok, I will look after Miss Monroe. Take care of whatever you need to do.”
Lori’s worried gaze met mine, and she took a step toward me. “Are you ok?”
I put a hand up to halt her progress. It wasn’t safe for her to be near me. I was very far from ok. “I’m fine. I’ll be back shortly. You’ll be safe with Levi.”
And with that I turned I ran. I ran away from her like a coward and my beast screamed painfully in protest. He wasn’t going to forgive me for this.
Chapter 16
LORI
I watched as Jasper practically ran out the room, disappearing into the darkness on the other side of the huge glass window. What was eating him?
I turned to the friendly-looking guy that Jasper had called Levi. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, but for all I knew, he could be hundreds of years old. Large round glasses perched on the bridge of his straight nose, which on another man would be a harsh feature, but on Levi it seemed to add to his pleasant demeanour. Perhaps that was because his wide smile overshadowed all his other features. His bright red hair stood up in all directions like he spent most of the day tugging it in frustration and his green eyes glowed with his thirst for knowledge.
“Do you know what that was about? It looked like he couldn’t wait to leave.” I was concerned. Jasper had looked like he was struggling with something and I felt like it was my fault. If it was, then I wanted to put it right.
“I have a theory, but I don’t think it would be right for me to tell you.”
I turned back to Levi and caught the sheepish look in his eyes. He definitely knew something and as much as I wanted to wheedle the answer out of him, I knew it was probably something that I should speak to Jasper directly about. I’d leave it for now, but I wasn’t going to let Jasper get away with running away from me.
“Shall we sit?” he asked, his voice pleasant and soft. I still wasn’t sure I could trust him. I didn’t know him, but his eyes seemed kind and Jasper had said that I could. I eyed him warily as I took a leap of faith and sat down with him.
“How are you feeling?” His voice was sincere, and the question felt genuine.
“Honestly, I’m overwhelmed.”
Soft lines appeared around his eyes as he smiled. “I imagine it’s a lot to take in.”
I snorted. “You’re not kidding.” I leaned back against the wall and stared at the ceiling. Weariness was finally starting to settle in my soul. “How is any of this real? I just…”
Words failed me. How was I ever going to understand any of this? Everything still felt so far-fetched and beyond belief that I couldn’t even begin to start to wrap my head around it. Vampires were real, the demons were real, magic was real. Hell, I wasn’t even human any more. I was a Sin Reaper, whatever the fuck that was. A thunderstorm swirled round my mind, drowning my sense of normality and understanding of the world. I felt lost and adrift with nowhere to turn. I looked to Levi, my eyes desperately pleading for help.
“I just want to go home.” God, that sounded pathetic, but I missed my little house. It was mine. I’d worked damn hard to own that pile of bricks and mortar and I had filled it with all my things. I was proud of that space. I belonged there. What would happen to it now that I wasn’t there to take care of it?
I didn’t belong here in this world full of vampires and demons. I felt like an outcast.
“It’s ok to feel overwhelmed, Lori. You’ve been brutally thrust into this world. It’s alright to feel like you don’t have a sure footing. You just need to take things one step at a time.”
“I don’t want to. I never asked for any of this.”
Sympathy spread across his features. “I know, and I am sorry, but you can’t go home. Until we figure out who is trying to harm you, this is the safest place for you.”
“But that’s what I don’t understand!” I yelled. “Nobody is telling me anything. Why is someone after me? Why did Orion mark me? I’m just a bartender from the middle of nowhere. Tell me, Levi, what makes me so special?”
He looked to the floor and guilt sat like lead in my stomach. I hadn’t meant to shout at him. He was being nice and I’d been an asswipe and snapped at him.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “That was a bitchy thing to do.”
Levi’s warm gaze met mine, and I was struck again by how compassionate he looked. A glint of amusement sparkled in his green eyes and a small smile played about his mouth.
