Curse And Craving

29

Nothing like the way I felt when Lochlan was near. Was that evidence of Lochlan manipulating me? If I found one human man more desirable than another, I wouldn’t have to question the reasons, but my thoughts were riddled with doubt when it came to the Fae. Why are you even thinking about this? They’re Fae, Becca. Would you really consider a relationship with a Fae man? I was surprisingly unable to formulate an answer. Was it smart to reject them because of their magic? Or was that the fear talking? Surely, I wouldn’t reject any form of friendship merely because a person was Fae. That seemed narrow-minded and ignorant—two things I refused to be.

None of it would be an issue if I wasn’t in the middle of some twisted game of tug-of-war between Lochlan and Ronan. Hormones were confusing enough. Throw in magic and their warnings about one another, and I had no idea who to believe. RONAN WAS WAITING NEXT to his car outside the museum when I left work for the day. The rain had let up, but ominous clouds still shrouded the evening sky in a heavy darkness. Ronan held open the passenger door for me, then hurried around to the driver’s seat. “You going to tell me where we're going?” I asked, using a teasing tone to keep the mood light. “To a warehouse over by the docks.” “Um … should I be worried? You’re not going to hack me into pieces and feed me to the fish, right?” I gave a nervous laugh. He glanced over at me out of the corner of his eye and spoke with a sly smile. “Rebecca, I doubt cutting you into pieces would further my goal of winning you over.” His continued pursuit was flattering, but it put me in an awkward position. I could sense he wanted more than just my trust. “You don’t have to win me over. Just be yourself.” He didn't respond, and we spent the remainder of the short trip in silence. We were both somewhat on edge, each for our own reasons, and it made the atmosphere in the car thick with anticipation. We pulled up to a large metal building set back a good distance from the waterline. The parking lot had deteriorated to gravel and weeds, and the building hadn’t fared much better. After we exited the car, Ronan led the way to a side door that opened into the main room of the warehouse. The first thing I noticed was the rancid odor permeating the cool air. I covered my nose and mouth with my hand in a pointless attempt to escape the awful stench. I scanned the area but saw no hint at the odor’s source. Empty pallets were stacked in various locations throughout the room, and at the far end of the building, a staircase led to a set of offices upstairs. Ronan continued to lead us to the back corner of the building behind a large pile of pallets. The farther we went, the more overwhelming the smell and my fear of what lay hidden. “Holy crap, it stinks,” I groaned as I lifted the collar of my blouse to cover my nose. When we rounded the pallets, I witnessed something that would have turned my stomach even without the awful stench. As it was, my already rebelling gut couldn’t handle the additional strain. I leaned over the pile of wood and retched. Ronan hurried to my side and helped with my hair as I wiped off my mouth and tried to regain control of myself. “What happened to him?” I asked, referring to the corpse sprawled on the ground. He was coated in dry blood from a number of open wounds across his body. His wrists, neck, and belly were all slashed with deep cuts, and the escaping blood had formed a dark, sticky pool beneath him. “He was a sacrifice. We don't fully understand how these portals are being opened, but we know they're using dark magic, which requires a high price. You can see the remnants of the markings beneath him that were used as part of the spell. We discovered it early this morning, though the ritual was performed during the night. We don't know what came through, but we were able to capture the Fae man working on this end of the portal.” “Does this mean that every time a portal is opened, someone has to be sacrificed?” The nightmare was even more horrific than I could have imagined. “Unfortunately, yes. Has Lochlan told you anything about the portals?” I shook my head absently, unable to draw my eyes from the gore in front of me. “He and I have never been particularly close, as you know, but lately, he's been even more erratic and short-tempered than usual. I've been keeping an eye on him. The Hunt can't afford to question the loyalty of one of its highest-ranking members.” “You think he had something to do with this?”

Conflict and uncertainty aged his boyish features. “I don't know what to think. We were able to capture the individual working on this side of the portal and were hoping to get more information from him. Not only will Lochlan not allow anyone near the prisoner for questioning, but I have no idea where Lochlan was last night when the portal was opened.” “I don't know how the Hunt works. Is it normal for you to work independently, or do you usually work together?” “There are no secrets within the Hunt.” His voice dropped, and his eyes shone with intensity. “Has Lochlan given you any information about his whereabouts or what he may be up to?” “No, he hasn't told me anything.” “I have a bad feeling about all of this. Each portal seems to allow more Unseelie through, and we are no closer to finding the source.” “Could you tell how many came through this one?” “We're estimating about a dozen.” My mind flashed to all the people who would be totally unsuspecting and defenseless. How much worse would the nightmare get? How many would have to die before it was over? Saying I was in over my head was a monumental understatement. “Will the Hunt be able to stop it?” “I'm afraid that if someone inside the Hunt is allowing this to happen, there will be no end in sight. The culprit will always be one step ahead.” It couldn’t be. I couldn’t imagine Lochlan behind this. This was a senseless s*******r—something performed by a monster. “I wanted you to know the danger, Rebecca.” He stood in front of me and lifted my hands to hold them between us. “I want you to be safe.” My tear-filled eyes met Ronan’s, overwhelmed with everything he had revealed. “I think I want to go home now.” He pulled me into his arms, and I was so confused and upset from what he had shown me that I clung to him. Questions about friendships and feelings were irrelevant. I desperately needed his strength and support. The gory vision of the dead man would be forever seared in my mind. “Come on, sweet Rebecca. Let’s get you home.” With his hand around mine, he led us away.