Page 17 of To Crave Madly
“Lori.” My name was short and sharp from his lips. He was agitated over something and I got the feeling that poor Levi was to blame.
“Oh, my sweet Lord,” Levi exclaimed as he stood from his chair and cautiously walked towards me. Wait. Why was he looking at me like that? Did I have cake on my face?
Levi’s curious green eyes focussed on Torsten behind me and he looked mesmerised. My Shadow Fiend was certainly garnering a lot of attention and it worried me that it might make him feel uncomfortable. My mind flew back to what Rae had said about taking him under my wing and I had a feeling that this was what she meant. I did want to protect him a little bit because, in a way, I did feel responsible for him. He was only here because of me and I wanted to make sure that he had an enjoyable time topside, and I didn’t think that being stared at by an inquisitive mind was all that enjoyable for him.
Instinctively, I blocked Levi’s advance towards Torsten and that seemed to shake him from whatever trance his mind had wandered him into. Jasper noticed my step and I saw his frown deepen. I could sense his anger from all the way over here. Was that something to do with the barriers he spoke of earlier? Perhaps I could sense his moods better now that our minds had connected?
A sheepish look fell over Levi’s face and a nervous laugh bubbled from his mouth. “Forgive me, I meant no offence. It’s just that… well, I’ve never seen a Shadow Fiend before. I didn’t believe it when Jasper said you had one guarding you.” He stared openly at Torsten, marvel and curiosity etched into his features. “He’s fascinating.”
“His name is Torsten,” I replied sharply. I liked Levi but it annoyed me that he spoke of Torsten like he wasn’t in the room. Shit, I needed to take it down a notch. I was getting protective and, in the back of my mind, I knew that would most likely end in disaster.
Levi blanched at my tone and I suddenly felt like an asshat. What was wrong with me? I took a deep breath and tried to get my thoughts into some sort of semblance of order. I was here for a reason, might as well find out what it is.
“Jasper said you had some questions for me?”
Levi’s face morphed back into that excited curiosity that always seemed to make him look like he was buzzing with energy. “Yes. He told me about your little manifestation in the meeting room. Come. Sit down.”
He spun on the spot and pulled some chairs out from under his books.
I eyed the mess warily. “You need to invest in some bookshelves, Levi.”
He chuckled. “But I know where everything is. If I decided to put things on a shelf, I’d never find anything.”
I raised a brow. How he thought this chaos was organised, I would never know. I sat in one of the chairs Levi had rescued and Torsten positioned himself at my back.
“You’re more than welcome to sit,” Levi said, indicating the other chair to Torsten, but my shadow just folded his arms and scowled menacingly back at the poor doctor. “Um… or you can just stand. Standing is also fine.”
Torsten clearly made Levi nervous, and I could see why. He was ridiculously intimidating. He radiated menace without even trying. Maybe it was because he was so tall and broad and loomed over everyone else in an imposing manner or maybe it was the ever-present deep and malevolent frown permanently fixed to his features that had everyone eyeing him with a wary nervousness. It certainly had a sudden thought popping to the forefront of my mind that perhaps Rae was right. He would be absolutely terrifying to see in action.
Levi fixed me with his curious stare. “So, Jasper said your demon is manifesting.”
“Yes, my fingers turned into claws and made the table look like Swiss cheese.”
“Is she still talking to you?”
“Yes, but not as often as she used to.” It had worried me that she had been quieter than normal recently and I didn’t know what to make of it. I felt empty without her presence in the back of my mind.
Levi pursed his lips as he disappeared into his own mind. “My concern is that if you don’t assimilate fully, she will take control and we will lose you.”
Well, shit. Talk about a punch to the gut.
“And um… How do we do that?” I was suddenly nervous. Strike that. I was scared shitless.
“I’m not sure,” Levi mused. “This isn’t something I’ve ever come across before.”
Jasper was still frowning as he took in Levi’s words. The fact that Levi seemed out of his depth wasn’t very comforting, to say the least. Nor was the fact that Jasper looked just as lost. For God’s sake, was anything ever going to be easy?
“I have.”
All eyes snapped towards Torsten, including mine. His deep timbre sounded ominously loud in the silence following Levi’s words.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
His bright, vibrant eyes met mine and I lost myself in their emotionless depths for a moment. Rae had said he saw both the world of the living and the shadows of death and, as I stared into those mystical eyes, I wondered what he saw when he looked at me. Did he see me alive or did he see me cloaked in shadows, waiting to be claimed by the icy hand of death?
His brows dipped into a dark frown as I continued to stare at him.
“I mean that I have seen what happens when a demon fails to unify with their other half.”
