Curse And Craving

14

Something odd had been going on ever since I stepped foot in Belfast. It felt as though I had a doppelganger and had fumbled my way into her life by mistake. Could that be the case? Would that explain the odd encounters? I tried to analyze the possibilities, but the waning adrenaline and alcohol made my thoughts fuzzy. I felt Lochlan enter the room before I saw him as if my body was tuned to his frequency. He folded his large frame into a chair across from where I sat, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. I hadn’t been onehundred-percent certain he would come in or if I even wanted him here, but now that he was across from me, I realized I was relieved to see him. “How’s your friend?” he asked, breaking the silence. “Don’t know. They haven’t come out to tell me yet.” “What did the Draug want with you?” I sat up taller at his unexpected offering of information. I glanced around, seeing that we were still alone in the small waiting area with a television playing a late-night talk show softly in the background. “What's a Draug?” I whispered. “I’ll tell you about the Draug after you tell me what it wanted,” he said with a raised brow, clearly implying that he was the one running the show. “What makes you think it wanted something?” “There's no way a Draug would make a scene so close to the Huntsman unless it had a very good reason.” The club? What did it have to do with anything? “Why would he avoid the Huntsman?” “Woman, just answer my question.” His exasperation was evident, and I didn't want to piss him off. He had information that I desperately wanted, and the Draug had been scared of him—both good reasons not to make him angry. However, I didn't know what Lochlan's role was in all of this, and if the Draug was willing to kill me for my necklace, that could mean Lochlan might be similarly motivated. I wanted more information, but I wasn’t going to hold out at the cost of my life. With a sigh, I offered him some of what I knew. “The creature said something about give it to him and that it wasn’t mine to have. I think he was just trying to rob me. What was that thing? Please, tell me what’s going on.” He sat motionless, arms crossed in a stance that I was beginning to associate with his interrogation mode. “Draugs are extremely dangerous, and it should not have been here. It's not the first creature to find its way into Belfast, and we are investigating how they are getting here.” His statement generated so many questions, it was hard to know what to ask first. “We?” I blurted, letting my mouth think for me. “Me and my colleagues.” Apparently, I wasn't the only one answering questions with vague generalities. I grunted in frustration and stood with my hands on my hips, pacing in front of the chairs. “What is going on? Why are you being so cryptic? I want to know exactly what that thing was. Some kind of mutant? An alien? I want some answers, or I’m going to go crazier than I already am!” I threw my arms in the air, my voice rising the longer I spoke. By the end of my rant, I was breathing heavily and had stopped in front of Lochlan's chair. He stood, forcing me to take a step back. He placed his hands on his hips and mirrored my stance. “What I can tell you is that you aren’t crazy, and the world is not as simple as you may have once believed. For most people, the unseen … complexities of this world aren’t an issue, but you’re not most people. I would demand an explanation, but I’m starting to realize that you're somehow clueless about your role in this mess, so I doubt I'll get any answers.” “Well, you certainly aren’t a wealth of information either,” I snapped back. Instantly, his face was inches from mine, his eyes blazing. “Was saving your life not enough?” Recognizing that I sounded ungrateful, I calmed my voice and spoke softly. “Maybe if I knew more about what was going on, I wouldn’t have needed saving.” Our eyes were locked on one another, mine pleading and his fathomless. Suddenly, I was achingly aware of just how close our chests were from touching, and I could feel the air around us shift. Ignite. Electric anticipation snapped and crackled around us. But the moment was cut short when a man in scrubs entered the room. “Family of Ashley Moore?” All arguments fled from my mind as I rushed toward the doctor. “Yes! Well, I’m her best friend, but she has no family here. She’s visiting me from the States.” Hope and anxiety both swelled in my chest, battling for dominance. “Is she okay?” My voice cracked on the words. “She’s good. She has a concussion that we’ll need to monitor for a day or so, and her humerus bone in her right arm is fractured. The orthopedist is currently setting it, but other than that, she just has some minor scrapes and bruises.” “Can I see her?” “The others are still working on her arm, and she’s on some heavy pain medicine. My suggestion for you is to go get some rest and come back to see her in the morning.” My lungs deflated with relief that she was okay and frustration that I wouldn’t see her tonight. Something about seeing her awake with my own eyes would have gone a long way to reassure me that she was alive and well. Resigned, I nodded and told the doctor how much I appreciated his help. As the man left the room, I turned back to Lochlan, who was still standing in the same spot with his head tilted down in contemplation. “Come on, I’ll take you home,” he offered. I was too tired to argue, so I fell into step behind him as he made his way to the hospital parking garage. I didn’t give him my address. We both were aware he knew exactly where I lived. The drive wasn't long, and while I still needed so many answers, I couldn't seem to form a single question. I was pretty sure shock had set in and shut down my brain because not only were my thoughts suspiciously quiet, but I couldn't seem to summon any emotion either. Instead, a peaceful numbness enveloped me as the city lights flew past my window.