Page 65 of Eternal Craving

“Of course not. But he knows he’s paid well.”

The carriage lumbered forward, and we were off.

She folded her arms. “We don’t need to hide in the shadows.”

“Are we being followed right now?” I tried to shake off the eerie feeling.

“The only enemies we have are those who consider themselves superior to us.”

“Well, that pretty much includes everyone in Vigo,” I muttered, not sparing the sarcasm, and stared out of the window. “Am I condemned to hell?”

“You’re condemned to a lifetime of sensuous pleasures and luxuries most never get to enjoy.”

As she reminisced, I sensed she’d tasted pleasures beyond my wildest imagination. Sunaria turned her head slightly tostare at me, and her bright red pout seemingly promised that I would, too.

We rode out of Santiago De Compostela, our carriage rocking along the well-worn pathway.

I wondered if I’d ever return to the city of my birth.

Conflicted, I yearned for Sunaria, yet at the same time I craved my independence.

Her hold on me was due to my fear and she knew it. With little knowledge of what I’d become, I conveyed gratitude for her continued guidance. My confidence in making the right decisions was lacking. I’d arrogantly judged those whom history had deemed satanic: Prince Belshazzar, Julius Cesar, and Judas Iscariot came to mind. I couldn’t find any difference between them and me and believed that my sins now equaled theirs.

I shook off the melancholy, fascinated with my ability to feel less emotion. Nature’s way of lulling the guilt, I assumed.

My courage to hold Sunaria’s gaze increased and with such an exquisite vision sitting opposite me, I was comforted. Fantasizing about her was a delightful distraction to more terrifying thoughts.

She smiled, having picked up on my musings.

Sensing that she heard my every thought, I tried to control them. She’d haunted me as a boy, a mysterious apparition, appearing and then withdrawing, altering my life’s course. Sunaria had saved me on numerous occasions and, more recently, she’d saved my son.

I reached for her.

Sunaria raised her long leg and pressed her foot against my chest, pushing me back into my seat. Her shoe traced down, lingering between my legs. Nervous of her heel, and yet enjoying the pressure, I bit my lip for fear of groaning. She teased me there, driving me into a frenzy.

She lowered her foot and crossed her legs with an imperious stare. With her head held high, she gazed out of the window.

I let out a frustrated sigh.

Noticing the familiar countryside, I could tell we were getting close. Far off, a deer galloped across a grassy ridge. Estimating its distance, it appeared to be at least four miles away. I marveled at my new ability to see with remarkable sharpness, but it also alarmed me.

I missed Annabelle.Missed my boys. Everything had been stolen from me.

With no time to grieve, I pushed the ache away.

No part of what I saw around me, or experienced now, reminded me of my old life. It had passed so quickly, and at no time had I considered that it would one day become a memory.

The carriage came to a stop.

Sunaria stroked my leg with a comforting gesture. “I’ll follow you.” She paid the driver several coins and we watched the horseman until he was out of sight.

“Daumia, find us somewhere to sleep,” she commanded in that husky tone of hers. “And it better not be a graveyard.”

The thought of having to find shelter and delay our visit made me wary, but we had no choice. I relented, agreeing that it would be better to face Vigo with a clear head.

Sparrows burst into song, announcing the imminent daybreak.

With only minutes before sunrise, I surveyed the well-kept cemetery, trying to ignore Sunaria’s warning. The grand mausoleum was a slight improvement over the one we’d slept in the day before.