Wicked Kiss
Page 43
I decided to go to Crave again. It was a good enough place to restart my search.
At just after seven o’clock I left the house and walked two blocks toward the bus stop at a clip.
“Going somewhere?”
I’d noticed him already, but he’d stayed silent and I’d tried to ignore him, hoping he’d go away.
“Out for a walk,” I replied tightly.
Kraven picked up his pace to walk next to me. “I’m stalking you. I know you like that word.”
“Suits you.”
“A job’s a job.”
The bus came along right when I arrived at the stop and I got on it. Kraven followed close behind me.
I took a seat at the back, as far from the handful of passengers as I could get. The demon took a seat across from me.
I eyed him warily. “Bishop’s busy tonight?”
“Giving Blondie his full and undivided attention. Jealous?”
Something inside me tightened unpleasantly at that. “Why would I be jealous?”
He casually stretched his arms across the seats and leaned back. “Oh, no reason, I suppose. True love dashed into the rocks below the cliffs of Teenland. It’s a heartbreaker. All I can do is witness it and shake my head sadly.”
I ignored the commentary and fell silent for a few minutes, staring out the window as the city lights rushed past. Finally, I couldn’t take it any longer. I twisted in my seat to look at him. “What’s the latest on the gray situation?”
“About five-two, never smiles. Quite miserable, really.”
I glared at him. “Other grays. Not me.”
He waved a hand flippantly. “Totally under control. In that ‘hard to find, we have no real idea what we’re doing, we’re going to be stuck in this city forever’ kind of way. Heard you witnessed a suicide yesterday.”
I cringed. “At the mall.”
“Friend of yours?”
“Acquaintance.”
“You don’t seem too broken up by it.”
“I’m broken up.” My throat thickened. “Nobody should go that way.”
He shrugged. “I’d like to push a few people off a high cliff if I had the chance.”
“Like Bishop?” I asked, watching him carefully for his answer. In the memory meld I’d seen how close they once were. That was probably my biggest surprise. By the way they interacted now, I would have thought they’d always been enemies.
Kraven had been willing to do anything to help Bishop restore his sight. And I believed at that time he’d meant every word.
He rolled his eyes then moved his attention to the road zipping past outside the bus window. “I can think of a few other choice ways he should go. But we’re one big friendly team right now, aren’t we? All for one, one for all.”
“Are you?”
That earned me a look. “Someone’s rather combative tonight.”
“Didn’t expect the company. Feel free to go back to a reasonable stalking distance when we get off this bus.”
“We’ll see.”
I stopped talking for another couple minutes. “Can I ask you a question?”
“You can ask. I might not feel like answering.”
My grip tightened on the strap of my leather bag. “How long ago was it that you and Bishop were grave robbers? A hundred years ago? More?”
His head whipped in my direction and for a second, his amber eyes glowed red in the half darkness of the bus. “Somebody’s been doing a little research.”
It was enough of a reaction to let me know I’d struck a nerve. I shifted in my seat and the vinyl squeaked. “You don’t seem ashamed.”
“Should I be?”
I almost laughed. “I just accused you of being a grave robber. Yeah, I’d think you’d be ashamed of that.”
“Dead people.” Kraven shrugged. “What do they need that they’re buried in? We needed it more.”
“You were poor?”
He didn’t answer for a moment. “Let’s just say we were underprivileged.” He went silent, studying me curiously. “How did you learn about this, anyway?”
“I have my ways.”
He snorted. “So cryptic. I’d normally appreciate that if I wasn’t slightly uneasy about you knowing stuff about my past.”
I’d struck gold when it came to serious information about the brothers. I couldn’t stop digging now. “You and him...you got along well. You wanted to help him fix his eyes.”
The amused look faded from his face. “Nearly forgot about that.”
“Did you help him?”
“Can he see now?”
I twisted a finger nervously into my hair, loose around my shoulders tonight since I’d taken it down from its tight ponytail the moment I’d gotten home. “I figure him being an angel kind of fixed any previous problems.”
“You figured that, did you?” There was now a sour note in his voice.
I lowered my voice. Even though we were far from the people at the front of the bus, it still made me nervous that anyone might overhear. “I know he killed you, but it doesn’t make sense. Why would he do that? You two cared about each other.”
His jaw was tight and he stood up from his seat as the bus came to its next stop. “Anyway. This conversation’s over.”
I followed him off the bus, quickening my steps to keep up with him. I wasn’t letting him get away now. “He killed you and sent you to Hell. He told me that much. I saw his memories last night, like I was reading his mind—saw them, experienced them. Then he freaked out and left.”
At just after seven o’clock I left the house and walked two blocks toward the bus stop at a clip.
“Going somewhere?”
I’d noticed him already, but he’d stayed silent and I’d tried to ignore him, hoping he’d go away.
“Out for a walk,” I replied tightly.
Kraven picked up his pace to walk next to me. “I’m stalking you. I know you like that word.”
“Suits you.”
“A job’s a job.”
The bus came along right when I arrived at the stop and I got on it. Kraven followed close behind me.
I took a seat at the back, as far from the handful of passengers as I could get. The demon took a seat across from me.
I eyed him warily. “Bishop’s busy tonight?”
“Giving Blondie his full and undivided attention. Jealous?”
Something inside me tightened unpleasantly at that. “Why would I be jealous?”
He casually stretched his arms across the seats and leaned back. “Oh, no reason, I suppose. True love dashed into the rocks below the cliffs of Teenland. It’s a heartbreaker. All I can do is witness it and shake my head sadly.”
I ignored the commentary and fell silent for a few minutes, staring out the window as the city lights rushed past. Finally, I couldn’t take it any longer. I twisted in my seat to look at him. “What’s the latest on the gray situation?”
“About five-two, never smiles. Quite miserable, really.”
I glared at him. “Other grays. Not me.”
He waved a hand flippantly. “Totally under control. In that ‘hard to find, we have no real idea what we’re doing, we’re going to be stuck in this city forever’ kind of way. Heard you witnessed a suicide yesterday.”
I cringed. “At the mall.”
“Friend of yours?”
“Acquaintance.”
“You don’t seem too broken up by it.”
“I’m broken up.” My throat thickened. “Nobody should go that way.”
He shrugged. “I’d like to push a few people off a high cliff if I had the chance.”
“Like Bishop?” I asked, watching him carefully for his answer. In the memory meld I’d seen how close they once were. That was probably my biggest surprise. By the way they interacted now, I would have thought they’d always been enemies.
Kraven had been willing to do anything to help Bishop restore his sight. And I believed at that time he’d meant every word.
He rolled his eyes then moved his attention to the road zipping past outside the bus window. “I can think of a few other choice ways he should go. But we’re one big friendly team right now, aren’t we? All for one, one for all.”
“Are you?”
That earned me a look. “Someone’s rather combative tonight.”
“Didn’t expect the company. Feel free to go back to a reasonable stalking distance when we get off this bus.”
“We’ll see.”
I stopped talking for another couple minutes. “Can I ask you a question?”
“You can ask. I might not feel like answering.”
My grip tightened on the strap of my leather bag. “How long ago was it that you and Bishop were grave robbers? A hundred years ago? More?”
His head whipped in my direction and for a second, his amber eyes glowed red in the half darkness of the bus. “Somebody’s been doing a little research.”
It was enough of a reaction to let me know I’d struck a nerve. I shifted in my seat and the vinyl squeaked. “You don’t seem ashamed.”
“Should I be?”
I almost laughed. “I just accused you of being a grave robber. Yeah, I’d think you’d be ashamed of that.”
“Dead people.” Kraven shrugged. “What do they need that they’re buried in? We needed it more.”
“You were poor?”
He didn’t answer for a moment. “Let’s just say we were underprivileged.” He went silent, studying me curiously. “How did you learn about this, anyway?”
“I have my ways.”
He snorted. “So cryptic. I’d normally appreciate that if I wasn’t slightly uneasy about you knowing stuff about my past.”
I’d struck gold when it came to serious information about the brothers. I couldn’t stop digging now. “You and him...you got along well. You wanted to help him fix his eyes.”
The amused look faded from his face. “Nearly forgot about that.”
“Did you help him?”
“Can he see now?”
I twisted a finger nervously into my hair, loose around my shoulders tonight since I’d taken it down from its tight ponytail the moment I’d gotten home. “I figure him being an angel kind of fixed any previous problems.”
“You figured that, did you?” There was now a sour note in his voice.
I lowered my voice. Even though we were far from the people at the front of the bus, it still made me nervous that anyone might overhear. “I know he killed you, but it doesn’t make sense. Why would he do that? You two cared about each other.”
His jaw was tight and he stood up from his seat as the bus came to its next stop. “Anyway. This conversation’s over.”
I followed him off the bus, quickening my steps to keep up with him. I wasn’t letting him get away now. “He killed you and sent you to Hell. He told me that much. I saw his memories last night, like I was reading his mind—saw them, experienced them. Then he freaked out and left.”
