A Want So Wicked (A Need So Beautiful #2)(9)
Author: Suzanne Young

Our father leans toward her, his expression sympathetic, but unwavering. “I’m not trying to, Lucinda. I just want to keep you safe.”

“Or locked away in a tower,” she retorts. She tosses her half-eaten slice back into the box before leaving for her bedroom. We wait, and when her door slams shut, my father takes off his glasses to press his fingers into the corners of his eyes.

“She has a point,” I offer. “It’s not like she’s going to sell her soul just because it’s after midnight. Not when she can do it any old time.”

“Not funny,” my father says. I know how much he hates cracking down on Lucy, but ever since that incident with the cops, he doesn’t trust her judgment. I wish he’d bend a little more. I hate when they argue.

We’re silent as we eat, and when I’m done, I kick my sneakers off under the table, sore from my shift.

“You’re tired,” my dad says. “Why don’t you get some sleep, and tomorrow I’ll start gathering some information. I’ll make an appointment with the doctor, have them do a workup. Maybe have a peek at that arm.”

So he is worried. I nod, touching his shoulder as I stand to leave the kitchen. When I get to my room, I collapse on my flowered comforter—still in uniform. I’m so drained. I want to think about my day, try to put together the pieces of what happened, but I can’t keep my eyes open. And soon I find myself drifting away completely.

I’m on the rooftop of a high-rise building. The sky is dark and starless around me, the air thick with the promise of rain. I’ve never been here before, I’m sure of that. I take a few steps and the cement floor is cold on my bare feet.

It’s then that I notice my skin, glowing softly in the city lights. I turn my hand over, studying the gold, when the rooftop door swings open and startles me. I’m about to hide, but the man who walks out doesn’t see me. Instead he saunters over to the edge, putting his boot on the raised ledge as he surveys the city.

How did he not see me?

My heart thumps in my chest, and I take in my setting once more. From here, I can’t even tell what city this is. I just know it’s not Arizona, not with this humidity.

The man adjusts his stance, catching my attention once again. He’s tall and very handsome. He’s wearing tight black pants, a white shirt. His long dark hair is fastened with a band low on his neck. But as attractive as he is . . . I take a step back. It’s like I’m repelled by him.

The door opens once again, a figure standing there as she’s lit from the lights behind her. I can’t make out her features, but I notice her long blond hair as it cascades over her black jacket. The spiked heels of her leather boots.

“Rodney,” she calls, her voice holding the slightest hint of a Russian accent.

The man on the roof tilts his head toward her, a smile on his face. “My beauty,” he says. “What brings you back here so soon?”

When neither of them notices me, I know that this is a dream. Only this time, it doesn’t belong to me. I’m inside someone else’s head.

“You said you could help,” the woman whispers. “That you could stop this. How? Tell me what I have to do!”

Rodney laughs, finally turning fully to her. His dark eyes and chiseled jaw are stunning, his arms outspread as if for a hug. “Just come to me, Onika,” he says simply. “I can make it all go away. All you have to do is take my hand. It’s your decision.”

The woman hesitates, choking as if holding back a cry. She casts one more glance behind her before moving slowly forward. Halfway across the roof, she breaks into a jog. She runs into Rodney’s arms, sobbing the moment he wraps them around her.

Rodney’s mouth twists into a sinister grin; his skin cracks. I want to scream for Onika to run. That something is wrong. But before I can, Rodney leans to her ear, his lips touching the skin there and turning it gray.

“Shh . . .” he whispers as she begins to struggle. “Welcome to the Shadows, my beauty.”

* * *

My eyes fly open, the ceiling fan spinning slowly above me as the chain clinks against it rhythmically. For a second I don’t move, only process. The Shadows . . .

“Did I wake you?”

I jump, finding Lucy standing in my doorway, holding a cup of coffee. “I thought I heard you talking,” she says, “and I wanted to make sure you were all right.” She takes a long sip.

I push my sweaty hair off my forehead. “I was having a nightmare.”

Her blue eyes narrow. “About?”

“It was—” I pause as the dream starts to slip away. “There was a building, a man . . . no, a woman.” I exhale when the rest evaporates. “I don’t remember.”

“I hate when that happens.” Lucy fights back a yawn, then takes a big gulp of her coffee.

“Did you just get home?” I ask, glancing at the clock. It’s after five. How did she get in without my help?

“Yep. Out with a friend.”

“The same friend from yesterday? A guy?”

“Ew, are you Dad right now?”

“No. It’s just weird that you’re not telling me about it. You usually overshare.”

“Weird like getting attacked in the parking lot of Santo’s? That kind of weird?” She takes another drink from her cup. I wince, not used to Lucy sounding so mean-spirited. Her shoulders slump.

“Sorry,” she says. “That was jerky. I heard you talking to Dad last night. I’m just really tired, I guess. You know I’ll hunt down any old lady who tries to mess with my sister.”

I tell her I understand, although the sting from her comment still lingers.

“And yes,” she adds. “It was a guy. A sometimes-boyfriend-slash-friend that Dad doesn’t need to know about.”

“That sounds sketchy.”

“Yeah, well. We can’t all be saints, Elise.” Lucy yawns again, and looks longingly toward her room. “I’m going to bed. I’ll see you later?”

“Sure.” She starts to walk away when I’m suddenly struck with an intense worry. It’s not unusual for her to sneak out two nights in a row, and yet my stomach twists with a sharp anxiety. “Lucy,” I call. She glances back over her shoulder at me, raising her pierced eyebrow. “Be careful,” I say.

My sister grins. “Why start now?” Then she turns and leaves my room.

CHAPTER 6

My father wakes me up early for my doctor’s appointment and tells me to ask Lucy to go with me because he has morning services. And since he’s the only pastor, he can’t exactly reschedule.