Ravenous (The Ravening #1)(22)
Author: Erica Stevens

“All of the people are gone.”

“If you don’t take better care of yourself you’ll be gone too,” he muttered so quietly that I almost didn’t catch it all.

“I’ve been taking care of myself for awhile now,” I retorted, trying not to lose my patience. I’d thought that he was different than Bret, that he had a little more confidence in me. Apparently I was wrong.

His midnight eyes raked me as his black eyebrows furrowed. Then, his face relaxed and a small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth as he moved toward me. It was so rare to see him smile that I’d forgotten how sweet and melting it could be. Stretching behind me he pulled the blind apart to peer outside. My heart kicked up a beat; I could feel the blood rushing through my ears. His arm was near my head, the heat of his body pressed against me as he took a step closer.

His gaze came back to me as he released the blind. I stared up at him, hoping that he wouldn’t kiss me again, praying that he would. “I know you can take care of yourself, but wandering around alone isn’t safe. For anyone.”

I swallowed heavily and managed a nod. “I didn’t want to be in that room.”

“I know.”

It unnerved me just how much he seemed to understand me. “Where did you get the guns?”

Those raven colored eyes gleamed beautifully in the dim illumination as they focused on me again. “I’ve been collecting them for awhile now.”

I swallowed heavily as I nodded slowly. I’d hated driving in cars after my father was killed; it had been torture for me. Cade’s parents had been killed in a home invasion; it seemed he had been trying to make sure that nothing like that ever happened again. I’d dealt with my aversion to cars by exposing myself to short rides that became gradually extended over time. I’d never grown completely comfortable with them, but at least I was able to stay in them for a half an hour or so now. Cade had dealt with the aftermath of his trauma by stockpiling guns.

“How did you get them?”

His mouth quirked. “You can get anything you want if you have enough money, and know the right people.”

“And you know the right people?” I retorted.

“Yes. Or at least I did.”

Of course he would. That’s who he was after all. Rumors of dangerous and illegal activities ran rampant about him; apparently at least some of them had been true.

“But the aliens…” I started.

“Can’t take what they can’t find."

“That’s why you had to go back to your house?”

“Yes.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, what to do. I was out of words and he was so tantalizingly close to me. My fingers twitched, I ached to rest them against his solid chest and feel the muscles I knew ran under his shirt. My skin tingled with the anticipation of the possibility of his kiss, but Bret’s words echoed in my ears. He loved me, and Cade was a puzzle that I didn’t understand.

Then Cade was closer to me, over me. He was all that I could see or think about as his eyes filled my vision. His hand was on my cheek, in my wet hair as it slid around to the back of my head. My mouth parted involuntarily. My head was telling me that this was a bad idea, that this was wrong. My heart didn’t care. All I craved was to feel his lips against mine again. His scent engulfed me. It was more pungent than it had been yesterday, his natural odor more potent and his cologne not as strong, but it was still alluring. I swayed toward him as his fingers caressed the back of my head. His lips were just a breath away, so tantalizingly close…

CHAPTER 11

A creak on the stairs caused him to pull away. Disappointment filled me, I felt lost as Cade’s hand slid away from me and he took a step back. The moment was broken but my body still pulsed with unfulfilled desire.

The door opened and Bret stepped out from the cellar, he glanced questioningly at Cade before focusing his attention on me. “Are you ok?”

I smiled wanly at him as I nodded. “Fine.”

His gaze traveled back to Cade before returning to the window. “Are they out there?”

“Not right now,” Cade responded. “But they will be.”

“They’ll come in here.”

“Yes.”

I shuddered, my hands dug into my arms. “We should figure out a plan then.”

Cade said nothing. What was there to say? Bret came forward and wrapped his arms around me. Though there wasn’t a whole lot of excitement in his arms, there was a sense of comfort and rightness that was undeniable. Bret loved me, I loved him. Maybe I didn’t love him the same way that he loved me, but it was still love. Or maybe I did love him in the same way, and this strange attraction toward Cade was just clouding my judgment.

Either way, I didn’t have the time to figure it out and wasn’t entirely sure that I cared to. There were far more important things to worry about now. “Where are your parents?” I tilted my head back to look up at Bret.

His jaw clenched, his eyes became sad as he shook his head. “My father is one of them. I thought…” He swallowed heavily and cleared his throat. “I thought we’d be able to get back to him after we checked on you and Abby. I didn’t know; I would have brought him.”

I rested a comforting hand over his. I could already sense his inner light growing dimmer and I hated it. “It’s not your fault,” I assured him.

He nodded. “My mother wasn’t home, but I assume that she is probably like them also. It seems most people are.” He said the words, but there was hope still within his gaze. “I should have left a note or something just in case, I really thought we’d be able to make it back.”

There was nothing I could say to that, no reassurances I could give him. “The others are awake, we should go back down,” Cade said.

I stiffened as Bret tried to lead me toward the stairs. Like a stubborn child I could feel my heels digging into the floor in an attempt to stop his forward momentum. “Wait.” He stopped, frowning as he looked down at me. “We should stay up here, we’re trapped down there.”

“We’re trapped up here too. They might not be able to find us down there, and you should eat.”

“We won’t know if they come in and we’re down there!” I protested hotly. I hated the unreasonable dread already beginning to build in my chest at the mere thought of going down there again. I cursed this weakness and my susceptibility to it.

“It will be fine Bethany, we’ll leave the door to the room open so we can hear them if they come in.”