The Crimson Hunt

by Smith, Victoria H.

  He slipped his hand around my waist, leading my body into a slow dance. The music was mellower, but hadn’t changed from the upbeat tempo. Hell, if I was going to be the one to tell him, though.

  As we danced, the awkwardness of our previous moment together seemed to have passed. I tried to keep the shades of my face from changing by making conversation. “Nice party.”

  He smiled at the sound of my voice. “It was Gem’s idea. We are new to campus, so he thought it would be a good way for people to get to know us.”

  Speaking of being new, I realized I hadn’t really asked him too many things about himself thus far, or told him much about myself, either. I’d been really shallow. “Where did you both come from?”

  His bright eyes remained focused on mine. “We are from all over, really. Gem and I tend to travel a lot.”

  “Is there any specific reason for that?”

  “My work takes me places. Gem and I both intern for the same corporate conglomerate. Our current, local base is downtown. We are required to transfer often.”

  Hmm. I guessed that explained the fancy digs. “Does your work pay for this place?” I glanced around the room.

  “Yes, it does.”

  That’s a pretty kickass stipend for housing. I wondered if he could hook me up with something after I was done with school. But now that I thought about it, it didn’t really seem for me. His life sounded kind of sad. Constantly moving around all the time for work. “The requirements of your job don’t sound like much fun, moving all the time, I mean. You don’t really get to meet anyone.”

  “I met you.” He spun me around, then brought me back into his strong embrace. “What about you? You are so very mysterious.”

  Sigh. Focus, Ariel. I couldn’t believe he thought I was mysterious. Compared to him, my life was an open book. “There’s not much to know, really. I’ve been going to school here since freshman year. I grew up in California, though. Nothing too interesting, really.”

  He searched my eyes with his. “I find everything I learn about you interesting.”

  My legs quickly transformed into their usual jellied form.

  His beautiful smile appeared as he attempted to stabilize me, ignoring my leg spasms. “So, your family is in California, then?”

  I looked away from his eyes and into the crowd. I swallowed hard before I spoke. “Um, no. I don’t have any family. My parents died when I was really young. It was just the three of us.”

  “I see. I am sorry,” he said, his expression saddened.

  I looked down from his eyes and rested my head against his chest.

  He brought my body closer to his, his fingers intertwining themselves in my hair.

  I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of his fingers grazing the exposed skin of my back. Sighing softly, my cheeks and lips brushed against his shirt. His cool scent held me captive. That, mixed with the heat of his body, sent my thoughts into intimate places. I couldn’t help but envision us together in that way.

  His hand moved down my back and I shuddered. His fingers no longer just grazed—but now stroked my skin.

  His intimate touch took me by surprise. He’d never been the one to advance on me before. I pulled in closer to him. Removing my hand from his, I rested my palm on the top open buttons of his shirt. Slowly, I moved off the edge of the hem. My fingers now brushed his skin, as well.

  I could hear his slightly deeper breaths, and I pushed my fingers under his material more. My head nuzzled into his neck as I stroked his chest.

  His breathing increased even more. His other hand came around my waist, bringing my body in even closer. He held me tighter, and his cheek moved against my hair.

  I slid my hand further into his shirt, then up his body. My fingers danced over the smooth heated skin of his clavicle, and the journey of my hand stopped at his neck.

  The song faded away, and I looked up to his eyes. I was distracted when I saw a boney hand clasp his shoulder.

  “Hi, Luca.” Lila slid her hand down Luca’s shoulder. Pulling us apart, she kissed him on his cheek.

  What the hell does she think she’s doing! He said he wasn’t seeing her!

  “What are you doing, Luca? I thought I was promised all your dances tonight.” She smirked at me.

  Heat flushed my face. How had I been so stupid? Had he been lying to me this entire time? Was that why he’d been holding back from me? My lips tight and my nostrils flaring, my eyes burned as I turned to Luca for an explanation.

  He glanced from me to Lila, a grave look on his face. “Lila—”

  “Lila, come on, seriously?” said an unfamiliar voice with a British accent.

  I couldn’t explain the sudden chills that ran down my spine.

  A guy with short, deep brown hair approached us from the side. He walked toward us with a slow stride carrying a beer in one hand, and his other hand in the pocket of his jeans. He wore a black, collared shirt, and a matching skinny tie.

  His eyes were a dark blue, but the hue was an unusual shade, electric. I’d only seen that particular color when the night’s sky was illuminated by a lightning strike. And his penetrating stare was both violent and piercing.

  My dislike of him was automatic.

  I tensed, and Luca shifted just slightly in front of me, almost in a possessive manner.

  “I’m sorry about this, mate.” He looked at Luca, who returned his stare with an intense glare.

  It was a side of Luca I’d never seen before.

  The guy quirked an eyebrow at him, then turned toward Lila. “Lila, I have told you a million times. He’s. Not. Into. You. You’re starting to look a bit pathetic.”

  The deep edge to his voice made me shiver.

  Lila’s self-assured expression fell. She shook her head slowly, staring into the guy’s eyes.

  God … she looked so shattered.

  Her lips parted, but she couldn’t seem to figure out what to say. She just stood there. And as she did, her expression saddened more and more. “B-But in class you always say … and just now, you said—”

  “I said what? You’re batshit crazy. Get the hell out of here. You’re embarrassing yourself.” The guy’s smile was sharp, vampish, and I found myself sliding a bit further behind Luca.

  I gazed back at Lila. She looked like she’d been sucker-punched in the gut. Her face was red, her eyes welled with tears. Her body shook. And the look of devastation on her face was unreal. Her gaze fell, before she rushed away. Pushing through the crowd, she left the house.

  My eyes followed her departure. While I hated that she interrupted the beautiful moment Luca and I had, I couldn’t help feeling bad for her. She didn’t deserve that. No one did.

  With a look of satisfaction, the guy turned to face Luca. “I’m so sorry about that. The bird had way too many drinks in her. Would you believe I just spent the last few minutes trying to keep her from coming over here? A lot good it did me.” He took a swig from his beer bottle. When he finished, he wiped his lip with his finger. He then noticed me. His eyes appraised me slowly, looking at me in a way that made me feel violated. “Luca, aren’t you going to introduce me to your enticing dance partner?”

  His provocative tone made me want to shower for days.

  Luca’s gaze sharpened, and his jaw clenched. “Ariel, this is Garrett Alden. Garrett, this is Ariel Richmond.”

  Garrett ignored Luca and stepped forward. He pursed his lips, eyeing me up and down again. “It’s a pleasure to meet such a beautiful woman.” He reached for my hand.

  I allowed him to shake it, but I pulled away as soon as politely possible.

  “Well, I won’t linger. I just thought I’d do a bloke a favor. You two enjoy the rest of your evening.” Garrett winked at me, and then faded into the crowd.

  Luca’s expression eased a bit after Garrett’s exit, but his gaze remained in the direction of Garrett’s departure. “I apologize for my co-worker’s directness. Garrett is notorious for overstepping boundaries.”

  His apol
ogy breezed over my head. “Why was Lila acting that way toward you?” I needed to know the truth about the extent of their relationship, once and for all.

  Luca brought his gaze back to me. He eyed me, his stare hard. “Lila and I have a class together. I believe she has become … confused about the nature of our relationship.”

  I thought about what he said for a moment. I guessed Blaine did try to warn me that Lila had taken an interest in Luca, but I ignored what he said, not thinking much of it. I guess I didn’t realize how strongly she felt about Luca. And now that I thought about it, it would definitely explain the reason why she was at the gala that night. I’d asked around and been told she wasn’t one of the featured artists. With the way she stalked through the crowds that night, I would guess she’d been searching him out. God, she was probably completely obsessed. I couldn’t blame her. Luca had this addictive presence about him. He was so powerful and intriguing. A girl couldn’t help but gravitate toward him.

  Luca’s eyes searched mine. “I hope this incident did not spoil the evening. I do not think I could stand having you upset with me again.” He gave a slight laugh.

  I tried to fight it, but I couldn’t help but give into him with a smile. This was by no means his fault. I knew that. I guessed you couldn’t help who liked you.

  His tense expression eased when he saw my smile.

  The music stopped and the crowd dispersed between songs. When the next song started, Piper made her appearance with Portia following close behind. “I’m sorry, A, but I’m gonna head out early. Blaine has gone into full-out stalker mode. I just barely got away.” Her voice was breathy. “You don’t have to leave, though. Portia’s agreed to take me home.”

  “Okay, that’s fine.” I laughed, giving her a kiss on both cheeks. I turned toward Portia and gave her a hug. “Oh, before you leave, Portia, I haven’t introduced you to Luca.” I pulled away. “Portia, this is Luca. Luca, Portia.”

  She shook his hand, looking a little bashful. “Great to meet you. Thanks for hosting the party. It was great.”

  He smiled, releasing her hand. “Thank you for joining us this evening, Portia, and you as well, Piper.”

  Piper just kind of looked at me with a he ain’t going to impress me anytime soon, so why’s he trying? look.

  I shook my head at her.

  “See you both around, then.” Portia waved as she walked toward the door.

  “You two have fun.” Piper winked. After giving me a booty bump, she followed Portia’s path.

  Luca nodded and I waved, my face fighting the heat, which resulted from Piper’s suggestion.

  Luca and I stood there for a moment before he turned toward me. “Would you like to go out to the balcony and get some air?”

  Boy would I. I nodded in response.

  He reached for my hand, navigating us away from the chaos.

  *

  I assumed that Luca meant the general balcony I saw when Piper and I arrived, but he led me upstairs to a private balcony, one cut off from the rest of his guests. The balcony faced the lake, just as the one downstairs, but the space was slightly smaller. It held a two-seat velvet couch located near the metal railings, and the quant area was sheltered under a glass overhang.

  Luca led me to the seat, and we both took a breather from the night’s excitement.

  We sat in peace, watching the water. Buoys bobbed in and out of the waves. And a white wooden lighthouse shined a rotating spotlight in the distance. The Earth seemed to stop in that moment, the night sky both soothing and tranquil.

  Nothing and no one could break our serenity here. I felt millions of miles away from the party. I didn’t want to go back. I just wanted to take in my surroundings with him by my side.

  Luca’s gaze veered from the water and focused on me. “Ariel, may I ask you question? A personal question?”

  I was surprised by his request. But with the peacefulness of that moment calming me, I would have told him anything. “Yeah.”

  He looked up at the sky. “What is it you dream about when you think of your future?”

  I was taken back by the question, but recovered quickly. “I don’t know. I guess that I’ll be happy, wherever I am.”

  He glanced back my way.

  “Isn’t that what anyone wants?” I asked.

  My answer sent a smile to his lips.

  “What about you? What do you dream about?”

  The lights of the sky took away his gaze again. “I dream about many things. So many they cannot be touched by a single answer.”

  His response held a bit of sadness I didn’t understand. He looked back at me, and something in his stricken expression made me feel like he wanted to say more, but didn’t know how. His sadness made my heart ache, and I wanted to comfort him. I felt like he needed me somehow.

  Holding my breath and hoping he didn’t retreat, I scooted closer to him.

  He didn’t move, and I could feel his eyes on me.

  Swallowing hard, I turned to the side. I lifted my legs onto the seat and stretched them out. Trying to ignore the fact that he wasn’t responding to my advance, I made myself push on. Slowly but surely, I leaned back toward him. As I leaned, my heart beat rapidly. The fear that I was embarrassing myself with every inch I moved closer to him swarmed me. But the touch of his skin on my arms made me smile inside. My pulse slowed.

  His hands slid down my forearms and to my wrists. He put my arms into a cross position within his own, and his strong arms wrapped wonderfully around me.

  Holy cow. It worked. I closed my eyes and caressed his arms with my fingers, enjoying the feel of the soft hairs.

  My body soothed by the sounds around me: the even, rich thumps of his heartbeat, and the gentle crashing of the waves. The world now felt dreamlike. Piper was right. I should have made my move long ago.

  How long we sat there like that I didn’t know. Frankly, I didn’t care. I was consumed by the moment and wanted to be for as long as I could. A short, cell phone ring brought me back from my dream world. The short chirps came from my purse.

  I wanted to ignore it, but recent events taught me better.

  I leaned up and Luca released me. “I’m sorry I—”

  He shook his head and raised his hand with a smile, signaling that answering was okay.

  I grabbed the clutch purse I brought, rummaging through it for my phone.

  My hands grasped it, and the display read a text message from Piper in one word: URGENT.

  I drew in a deep breath before responding.

  What’s up? Are you ok? I texted.

  It seemed like forever before she responded.

  Yeah, I’m fine. Are you still at Luca and Gem’s?

  I let out my breath, but her odd questioning made me check the time on my phone.

  4:00 a.m.

  My eyes widened. We must’ve fallen asleep.

  Wow. I spent the night with him ….

  I grinned. God, I was so smitten. Clearing my throat, I focused on responding to Piper’s text.

  Yeah. I am.

  You need to come home. Now.

  Wait. What the hell?

  Why? I texted.

  After a brief pause, I received the message:

  Lila killed herself this morning.

  Chapter Twelve

  “This is so crazy,” said Piper.

  Lying on the couch beside her, I watched her watching the news. I didn’t want to believe what happened. The tragedy didn’t seem real. Our email from school said it was real, even the news program currently on confirmed it. It just didn’t seem possible that Lila would go that far, though. That she would give up on life.

  I tried to sleep, but kept going in and out of a daze. Piper’s constant remarks kept me on edge, not allowing me to escape reality.

  “You know they’re saying she downed a bottle of over-the-counter meds?” Piper clicked off the television, but stared into the screen like it was still on. “Poor girl,” she whispered.

  I looked at her, watch
ing her continue to stare into the blank screen. Her hands were restless, and her eyes never blinked.

  Rising into a sitting position, I pulled my knees in toward my body. I worried more and more with every second of her silence.

  She slowly turned toward me. “I don’t want you to see Luca anymore.”

  I closed my eyes, hoping that when I opened them the seriousness would fade from her face. When I finally opened them, her face remained unchanged. She wasn’t joking.

  “What are you talking about? Why wouldn’t I see him again?” This thing with Lila had her seriously freaked.

  “I heard what happened at the party last night, A. He did this to her. There’s something about him that made her kill herself.”

  My face filled with heat, my hands tensing on my bare legs. How could she make such an outlandish statement? “Pipe, you’re being completely irrational. How could he have possibly made her kill herself?”

  “Ariel, think about it. Lila was one of the most confident people we knew. She had guys throwing themselves at her all the time. She never would have done something like this over a guy.”

  She had a point, but I refused to buy into her paranoia.

  “Don’t you see? That’s probably exactly why she did what she did. For the first time, someone denied her, and that other guy, Garrett? He didn’t make things any easier. Quit being ridiculous. This had nothing to do with Luca.” I tried to keep the tones of my voice from elevating, but she was really pissing me off.

  “A, I’ve always thought there was something off about him. Remember how he treated you when you first met him? And now, even though you’re seeing him, he won’t even make a move on you. I mean, what kind of normal guy doesn’t try to sleep with a girl after he’s been seeing her for a minute?”

  I scoffed. “A gentleman.”

  “Huh. That’s laughable, especially someone who looks like him. It’s like he’s scared to get too close to you or something. And on top of that, every time I hear him speak, like at the party last night, he’s so proper. He probably doesn’t even swear. What kind of twenty-something guy do you know who doesn’t use the word ‘cock’ at least once a day?”