Constant Cravings
Tracey H. Kitts
Luna Randal is a palm reader who needs help finding the creature who ate her best friend. She doesn’t believe in fairies, but fae shaman Liam Corrigan, with his lavender eyes and long white hair, is unlike anyone she’s ever met. When he sprinkles a potion in her coffee that “lifts the veil”, her eyes are opened to a whole new magical world—
touchy-feely nymphs, sexy werewolves, adorable leather-clad elves and a hot-as-hell horned demigod. A world where the touch of a fae lover is as addictive as any drug, where they make love anywhere and everywhere and still their craving for each other never ceases.
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
www.ellorascave.com
Constant Cravings
ISBN 9781419938955
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Constant Cravings Copyright © 2012 Tracey H. Kitts Edited by Raelene Gorlinsky
Cover design by Dar Albert
Photography: Olly, Katalinks, Fotomak/Shutterstock.com; Remy Muser/netfalls Electronic book publication April 2012
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CONSTANT CRAVINGS
Tracey H. Kitts
Constant Cravings
Chapter One
How could I be hurting this much and have no one notice? I suppose that’s because their best friend wasn’t eaten tonight and mine was.
The rain was coming down so hard I thought the sky must be grieving. That was my first thought probably because of what I’d seen. There was an odd crowd in the café where I’d taken shelter. Then again, there is an odd crowd in this café most every night.
“The Spot” is in the midst of six different nightclubs, one of the few places to sober up or get a bite to eat.
Just the thought of food turned my stomach. A waitress walked by with a cheeseburger and I almost gagged. I would have been sick, but I’d already thrown up twice. Everyone seemed so indifferent.
I checked my watch for about the fifteenth time. He should be here soon.
“Here you go, sweetie.”
I jumped as the waitress set the coffee in front of me and she gave me a strange look.
“Sorry. Thank you.”
“Is there anything else I can get you?”
Her blue eyes seemed so sincere that I almost started to cry again. How strange that someone who didn’t even know me appeared genuinely concerned. Or maybe I was desperate for someone to talk to. Emotion made my throat feel tight and I shook my head in reply.
I was trying to hold it together. At least as much as possible under the circumstances. The first thing I’d done when I came in out of the storm was go to the bathroom. Actually, that was my whole reason for coming here. I needed shelter and a place to be sick. My appearance was a little frightening—smeared mascara, short, dark hair plastered to the sides of my face and neck. Not to mention my clothes were wet and had mud smeared in a few places. I looked like hell.
While I was trying to correct some of the damage I noticed a plain white business card on a shelf underneath the mirror. There was a name written in a swirling purple font. Liam Corrigan, Fae Shaman. Underneath was the number I couldn’t seem to resist dialing.
With my mind lost in thought and my eyes focused on the coffee, I didn’t immediately see him. But I felt him. My heart jumped and suddenly I couldn’t catch my breath. I pushed the coffee away and put a hand over my fluttering heart.
He was gorgeous and so obviously different from everyone else in the room. For one thing, he was really tall and thin, though his broad shoulders gave the impression 5
Tracey H. Kitts
of strength. White hair hung to the middle of his back and cascaded around his face and shoulders in perfectly straight layers. His pale skin didn’t make him look weak or sickly like it might on anyone else. It looked perfect, like alabaster, and had a healthy glow despite the poor lighting. The rain must have stopped while I was staring into my coffee, because he didn’t look wet and he wasn’t carrying an umbrella.
He didn’t waste time scanning the crowd, but turned and headed straight for me. I was still having trouble breathing when he stopped beside me. A heady mixture of musk and cologne greeted me when his long, black coat moved slightly. I couldn’t help but notice the purple lining.
“You must be Luna.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact. Pretty impressive considering I hadn’t given him a physical description. Then again, I did kind of stand out. I was the only obviously distraught woman in the crowd.
After what I’d just been through, I lacked the ability to filter my reaction.
“Yes, and apparently my last name is Tic.” What the fuck was I thinking, calling someone who claims to be a “Fae Shaman”?
“Mind if I sit down?” His voice was rich and mellow. Despite my misgivings, he was already putting me at ease.
“Look, I’m not sure why I called you.”
“You told me,” he said, smiling. “You found my card in the bathroom.” I laughed softly and when I looked up, finally met his gaze. Oh my God. His eyes were lavender! He had to be wearing contacts. No one has lavender eyes.
“I don’t even believe in fairies, much less fae shamen. I’ve had a terrible night and I was…” I paused and decided to tell him the truth. After he came down here in the storm, it was the least I could do. “I was desperate for someone to reach out to. I needed very much to believe that someone could help me. So I turned to the first option I found. I’m sorry for wasting your time. Love your contacts though.” I was trying to make light of the situation with my last comment, but my eyes still filled with tears. When he reached over and took my hand, I started to sob openly. This man who knew nothing about me and whom I’d just insulted sat beside me and wrapped me in his arms. This embrace was something he willingly gave, not the kind people give out of obligation when someone is upset.
He held me as if he meant it and I accepted his comfort, stifling my cries against his chest.
Finally he said, “I think now is not the time to discuss belief or disbelief. We’ll get to that later. Why don’t you tell me what happened before you ended up here?” It was then I thought about how much noise I must have made and looked around at the other tables. It was as if we were invisible. The only one who’d noticed me at all was the waitress and now she was nowhere to be seen. Even though
Liam was a stranger, I felt at ease when he was close to me. And I really needed to be held. I settled 6
Constant Cravings
back in his arms with a sense of finality. Here was the part where he was about to tell me I was crazy and leave.
“We made plans tonight to go to this new club, Rave.”
“I’ve heard of it.”
“Anyway, Rachel, that’s my friend.” I had to pause and stop the tears. Just the mention of her name made my throat close up. “She wanted to go there and it sounded like fun. Everything was fine until this man approached us. He offered us a shot of Pretty in Pink. It’s this new designer drug that—”
“I’ve heard of it too,” he interrupted. “Diluted vampire blood mixed with pixie dust, supposed to be better than X.”
I was confused by his mention of pixie dust. What the hell was that? I thought Pretty in Pink was vampire blood mixed with ecstasy.
“Yeah. Anyway, I don’t do drugs, but Rachel wanted some. It was strange. I mean, I’d never known her to do drugs either. She bought some and then wanted to leave the club. She said she needed some fresh air. You know the place between Rave and that other club? It’s got lanterns hanging everywhere.” The name was eluding me. “They have outdoor concerts there.”
“The Courtyard.”
“That’s the place. We went there and found a bench to ourselves. She took the little pink vial and gulped it all at once. I was afraid. I watched to see what her reaction would be. The rain was light at first and I was about to suggest we leave. Then she started to laugh and dance around. She seemed okay. So I sat and kept an eye on her.
That’s when it happened.”
“What?” he prompted.
I gave him another good look. Did he really want to hear this? Was he going to leave or call the loony bin and tell them to take me away?
“Something came out of the bushes and ate her.” I waited patiently for his shock or outrage at me for wasting his time on something so ridiculous. But there was none of that.
To my surprise he replied calmly, “No wonder you’re so shaken.” I pulled back from him and touched the cup to find my coffee still warm. “You mean you actually believe me?”
He put his hand underneath my chin and turned my face up toward his, studying me closely.
“You’re telling the truth. What ate your friend?” I shook my head and took a sip of coffee, letting the warm, rich flavor soothe me.
“I don’t know. If I had to guess…it looked like a werewolf. I saw lots of hair, but it was dark where we were, not many lights.”
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Liam leaned forward and rested his chin against his hand. “Hmm. The full moon isn’t for another week. But it’s possible.”
“Even if it was a werewolf, I shouldn’t have called you. Like I said, I don’t believe in fairies. Besides, what could a fairy do against a werewolf?” His laughter was just as warm and rich as the coffee. “Your vote of confidence is overwhelming. How is it that you believe in werewolves and vampires, but not in fairies?”
I shrugged. “Everyone knows vampires and werewolves are real. It’s been proven.
Both conditions are caused by blood-borne diseases.”
“Ah,” he said, flicking a piece of white hair over his shoulder, “a fan of logic. Tell me, Luna, what do you do for a living?”
Shit. I was hoping he wouldn’t ask that. I can’t tell you how many times a day someone rolls their eyes at me when they hear what I do.
“I’m a palm reader.”
He didn’t laugh, but raised an eyebrow at my answer. “How is that different?”
“Because what I see and feel when I read for someone is real.”
“How did you get into that line of work?”
“My grandmother did it. Her gift was passed down to me.”
“Well, my mother was a fairy and my father was a Native American Shaman. So, Fae Shaman just felt right.”
I burst out laughing. “You’ve got to be joking. No one with Native American genetics has skin as pale as yours.”
“The fae genes are dominant.”
“I should call the police and report what happened. Maybe they can get some werewolf hunters on it.”
“Let me show you something first.” Liam reached inside his coat and pulled out a small bottle of what looked like multicolored glitter. “Nothing happens by coincidence.
There’s no such thing as an accident. My card was left for you to find for a reason, just as what happened to your friend happened for a reason.” He sprinkled some of the glitter into my coffee and stirred it with his finger. I watched as he licked a drop from his fingertip before gesturing toward the cup.
“Have a sip.”
“You can’t be serious. I have no idea what you just put in my coffee. Besides that, you put your finger in it.”
He sighed. “Just drink it. I promise it won’t kill you or make you high. It isn’t a drug.”
“Then what is it?”
“Drink.”
8
Constant Cravings
I don’t know why I did it. A strange man just put something in my coffee. Under normal circumstances I’d have told him to go to hell and left. But, I reasoned, he did it right in front of me. You’d think if someone wanted to poison you, they wouldn’t want you to know about it.
I guess you could say I felt compelled to drink it. So I picked up the coffee and took a sip. When I put the cup down, I felt fine. However, the instant I looked up the whole world changed.
The two young women in the far corner of the café had wings. Glittery, shimmering wings. A man coming out of the bathroom had blue skin and horns!
“What the fuck is going on? What did you give me, a hallucinogen?”
“Our two worlds are separated by only a thin veil.”
“That doesn’t answer my question,” I said, gawking at a man with green wings.
Liam shrugged. “I simply lifted the veil.” He put an arm around my shoulders to steady me. “Everything you see here is real. It was always here. These people always looked the way they do now. You just couldn’t see it.”
“I need a minute,” I said, pushing against his thigh.
Liam moved so I could get out of the booth. I went straight for the bathroom, barely controlling my urge to scream when a purple, sparkling woman brushed past me. As soon as I entered I saw two nymphs making out in the corner. Just because I didn’t believe in fairies didn’t mean I was ignorant on the subject. Though they didn’t fit the classical description of a nymph, that was the term that came to mind when I looked at them.
One ran her hand up the other’s skirt before turning to me.
“You gonna watch, or do you want to join us?”
I shook my head, unable to speak at first. Finally I managed, “No thank you.” It wasn’t the fact that they were both female that bothered me. Right then, I would have given anything to walk in on two normal women making out. It was the fact that they were so obviously not normal that bothered me. The one who spoke to me had blue hair and skin that shimmered with flecks of the same shade of blue. She was beautiful, but strange.
The blue-haired one smiled sympathetically. “First time through the veil, huh? Who took you?”
“Liam Corrigan.”
She smiled and gave a low whistle. “Oberon’s gonna be pissed.” I cleared my throat, trying to work up the nerve to question her. The second woman, who looked almost normal except for her glowing skin, moved to the mirror and started reapplying her lipstick.
“Please don’t be offended, but you are both nymphs, right?”
“That’s right,” the blue-haired one answered. “I’m a water nymph and she’s a wind nymph.”
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Tracey H. Kitts
She gave me a good look-over, as if she was really paying attention for the first time.
“What happened to you?”
I shrugged. “I had to outrun a monster at The Courtyard tonight. I
think it was a werewolf.”
“Damn. That sucks. Especially if you’re on a date.”
“Oh I’m not—”
“Here, let me fix you up,” she said, completely ignoring my protest.
She turned on the water and ran her hands underneath the stream. I watched in awe as water droplets danced over her fingertips and flinched when she brought them close to my face.
“It’s okay,” she said, laughing. “Let me help you.” She ran her hands and the dancing water droplets over my face and through my hair. It tingled a little and when I looked in the mirror my jaw dropped. My makeup was perfect. My skin looked great and my hair hadn’t looked this shiny since the last time I put a treatment on it.
I ran a hand through my newly styled locks and smiled. Underneath these lights you could see the dark red undertones and after the nymph touched it, my hair sort of glowed.
I could feel her adjusting my outfit here and there, smoothing over my black slacks and green top. By the time I looked down she had removed all the ground-in dirt and splatters of mud.
“Holy shit. You can do all that with just water?” She winked. “It’s magic.”
I thanked the nymph again and when I exited the bathroom, noticed that even my shoes were shiny again. I felt more confident as I walked back into the main room and tried to act normal as I took a seat across from Liam. Instantly, I regretted not being beside him instead. If it was possible, he looked even better than before.
He smiled approvingly. “I see you met a nymph in the bathroom. Your hair is beautiful.”
“Thanks. It’s not natural.” What the hell? Apparently this “lifting the veil” crap had also altered my ability to concentrate. No one volunteers that their hair color isn’t natural. That did, however, remind me of something I’d said to Liam.
I looked back up at him and met his gaze. “Those aren’t contacts, are they?”
“No.”
I leaned forward, resting my head against my hands, blocking out all the weirdness around me.
“Why did you do this?”
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Constant Cravings
The instant his hand touched the top of my head I felt better. He stroked my hair and I sighed.
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