In the lounge, he took a seat on the sofa. It didn’t take long for the odor and darkness to follow.
The girl entered the room, her yellow dress brushing her calves. “You kept your promise.”
“I still want to check on your brother.”
“He’ll be fine.”
“Good.” He rested his elbows on his knees. “Are you ready to go back?”
“I tried.”
He had a sinking feeling. “It didn’t work?”
“I’m trapped, aren’t I?”
“I’m going to figure this out.”
She stepped to the left, closer to him. “What do I do, now?”
“Do you have a place where you feel comfortable?”
She looked around the room. “I like it here.”
“You can’t stay here, love. This is the home of a living woman.”
“She has a different light.”
“I know.” He couldn’t risk it. Like any material or living thing, spirits affected the energy of the environment it was in. He didn’t know if or how it would touch Alice, but he didn’t want her to have any part in this dead portion of his life. “How about where your brother lives?”
“He can feel me. It gives him nightmares instead of good dreams.”
Where else could he send her? Somewhere with space, where she could rest undetected. The theater popped into his mind.
“Can you see the place I’m thinking of?”
“It’s nice.”
“Can you wait there?”
His name spoken from the door had him jerk his head in that direction.
Alice stood in the frame, naked. “Are you all right?”
He looked back at the spot where the girl had been, but all that was left was the faint smell of death.
Alice folded her arms around herself and took two steps into the room. “What are you doing in the dark?”
“Couldn’t sleep.”
“Who were you talking to?”
“No one.” He held out his hand. “Come here.”
She walked to him and climbed onto his lap. “I heard you. Were you talking to yourself?”
“Just rehearsing my lines.” He put his arms around her.
“You’re a singer, not an actor. You don’t have lines.”
“I have pick-up lines.” His squeezed her bottom.
“Stop joking. You don’t need pick-up lines. You only have to show your face for girls to faint.”
All the playfulness evaporated. He needed her to know how serious he was. “Any pick-up lines I have are all for you.”
“Ivan.” Her voice held a note of caution. “It’s not like that between us. Don’t pretend.”
She was right. He wasn’t practicing a line on her with the hope of luring her home to romance her with candlelight and wine. Why that thought hurt, he couldn’t fathom, but it made the hole in his heart tear even bigger.
“A man can dream, can’t he?”
She got up, leaving him cold. “You were talking to a spirit, weren’t you? I thought you said the voices were quiet here.”
He sighed. “It was different.” It was the first time a spirit had sought him out in her presence, and he didn’t like it. “Go back to bed.”
She walked from the room without looking at him. Could he blame her for being upset? First she found out he was a necromancist, and now there had been a spirit in her house. How long before she’d hate him? Feeling the weight of his problems, he opened the window to let in fresh air and followed her back to bed.
She was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling.
He stretched out on top of her and intertwined their fingers. “You have this beautiful light about you.”
A smile plucked at her lips. “Like a reflection from my untanned skin?”
He lifted her arms above her head. “When I look at people, I see them in shades of colors. They’re green or blue or red.” He nudged her legs open with his knee and pressed the crest of his cock against her pussy.
She moaned softly. “Is that part of your gift?”
“I guess so.” He pushed forward just enough to part her folds.
“Ah.” She lifted her hips, taking him an inch deeper. “What color am I?”
“When I do this,” he slid in all the way, “you’re purple.”
“Please, Ivan.” She gripped his hands hard.
Lowering his head, he flicked his tongue over her nipple. She had the most gorgeous breasts in the world. Her areolas were small and a light shade of pink, like icing on a cake. He sucked the hard tip into his mouth and let it go with a soft pop.
“When I do that,” he looked up at her, “you’re violet.” He started stroking her pussy with his cock, deep and slow. “But mostly, you’re a rainbow. The most beautiful rainbow I’ve ever seen.” He kissed her lips like he took her body, with an unhurried pace.
“Don’t let go,” she said into the kiss.
He had absolutely no intention of letting go. Not tonight. Not ever.
Alice woke up alone. Disappointment dampened her spirits even as her lower body heated at the memory of the night that had passed. There wasn’t a part of her that didn’t ache. After fucking her against the kitchen wall and then taking her hard from behind, Ivan had made love to her in a missionary position for the first time since that fateful night she’d lost her virginity to him. Last night had been tender and sweet. For once, with the exception of nine years ago, the act had felt like more than lust.