The Drifter (Sanguine Hearts Book 2)

3 Hunger & Anger

A powerful wave of anger, stronger than any they had ever felt washed over them and filled them with malice as they sat in the back of the club and casually watched a beautiful boy approach the dark-haired and handsome one known as Grayson Darke. His reaction to the boy’s presence was profound and the most reaction they had seen in him with one exception. Grayson wasn’t known to them to have outbursts of any emotion, but the anger and hatred laced with a pain so fine it hurt them deeply, washed over them. The normal controlled and composed Grayson was the source of that tidal wave of angry energy. Just as suddenly as the anger appeared, it was gone. Grayson regained his composure and trapped his emotions within himself once more. Things could get out of hand when the people around him started to act on his feelings. Whatever conversation was held between the beautiful boy and Grayson was kept between them. They watched the exchange until it ended. They then watched as the elegant boy walked up to the stairs.

Up on the balcony, Michael stood next to Maeve, mortified. He had no idea how Grayson would respond to seeing Julien or how Julien, who had always been a touch meek but seriously crazy and unpredictable, would react to Grayson. He blamed Grayson for everything that had happened between them. What was Julien doing there? Why was he in L.A.? He was not supposed to be there. Confusion and worry swelled within Michael’s mind while Maeve stood next to him and closely watched the interaction between the sexy new boy and the gorgeous old one. Whomever that dark young man was, it was clear that Grayson didn’t like him. Grayson, the always cautious and carefully guarded, Grayson almost lost control. Grayson, her sweet and precious Gray. The one who loved quietly and hated silently with strength and conviction. Sweet and precious, stoic Gray, was coming undone. She smiled as she watched the sexy new boy walk toward Grayson. She noticed how Grayson struggled. Before he regained control of his emotions, his anger and hate seeped out of him. His negative emotions would have infected the people in the club. They radiated from him in dark pulsing waves for a brief moment. Just as suddenly as they came on, they were off again and Grayson was a closed book once more. The boy was beautiful, just beautifully handsome and smoothly elegant. Maeve’s mind wandered, and curiosity started to creep in. “Oooh, delicious,” she cooed as she turned to talk to Michael about the pretty little boy who had walked into the club. “He looks tasty. I just want to eat him up.” Michael turned to her and gave her a look of pure anger and malice. She instantly backed away from the subject.

“Don’t,” Michael’s jaw was clenched while he ground his teeth and growled at her. It was all the emotion she would get from him. He didn’t care about why Julien was there. Maeve needed to keep her claws out of him. He would not share. Not Julien. Unlike Grayson, Michael had time to prepare himself for the assault that seeing that boy was. He locked himself down, putting his emotions behind a wall inside his mind. Would it be enough? He returned his blue eyes to the beautiful boy and Maeve wisely changed the subject. She tried to sense Grayson. She looked for him and spotted him as he led the girl, Ari around behind the bar to a private area. She stowed that memory away for possible use later. He was with Ari, just plain old nothing interesting about her, human, Ari. She was plain, but even Michael couldn’t get the girl. She didn’t know if she was jealous or impressed. That plain girl had caught Grayson’s attention. Where so many had tried and failed, she not only caught it, she held it and held it well. Maeve was waiting for the day that he tired of her, but as they walked hand in hand with their fingers entwined, she wasn’t entirely certain that the day would ever come. Grayson just wasn’t one to play games. He never was, not like that. There had to be something special about that girl, Maeve was certain of that. Ari was the only person Maeve had ever met that she could not charm and could not read. So, the girl had resistance, but that was nothing worth Grayson’s time. She wondered what it was that he saw in that fragile little human. She turned to talk to Michael, maybe he knew, but he was nowhere to be seen. By the time she spotted him, he was close to the top of the stairs and the boy was approaching him with something of a smug and mischievous smile on his pretty face. She wanted to get in on that action.

Michael had stopped listening to Maeve and started to wonder how he was going to explain Julien to her or if he would even have to. It wasn’t like she loved him or anything. Yes, she was happy to be near him and let him have his illusion of love and tenderness, though they both knew differently. There were no two ways about it, they filled their days just to pass the time. He wanted the illusion of love she gave him. He wanted all the tenderness. She pretended. But it was nothing more than an empty act. Maeve was beautiful, likely beauty incarnate, yet her heart was an emotional vacuum, dark, empty, and devoid of any, and all things.

Michael’s feet carried him in Julien’s direction of their own accord. He wasn’t trying to make them move they just did. So many emotions filled him and wrapped him in confusion and fear. Being confused was perfectly okay by him, but fear? What did he have to be afraid of? Julien Russo? That was not likely the case. He wasn’t ever afraid of Julien, but he didn’t know him back then. Someone warned him, ‘put up your wall, guard your heart.’ Michael shook his head to clear it. How? Why? The concern, the warning. It could have only one source. Suddenly he felt so honored. It had been so long. That was a lot of energy to expend and it was spent on his behalf. He could never stay angry at him, not his Grayson. His cheeks flushed just like they did every time he let his mind wander to the tender and kind memories he had where Grayson was concerned. A small sad smile crept across his face. For a moment more, he thought fondly of Grayson. Then he braced himself for his reunion with Julien as Grayson had warned. He could see him with his perfect dark hair, tan skin, and deep rich brown eyes. Michael’s heart actually skipped beats in his chest. That was the exact opposite of what Grayson had warned.

Just as he had been when he met him, Julien was elegantly beautiful and full of grace. Michael licked his lips as he watched him draw near. A slow-burning hunger filled him. He was shocked to find that he still burned for the boy. He should not have been shocked. Even with Maeve by his side, he felt alone and empty. With Julien, he never felt that way, not even in the end. Michael fought back his urge to just rush the boy, uncertain if he would jump into his arms or knock him back down the stairs. The conflicting emotions that seeing him again caused tore at him and confused him. He stopped at the side of the stairs and waited with confused and bated breath as Julien closed the distance between them.