knowing he would never overstep the boundaries dividing their worlds.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Permit me one allowance for; indeed, I have nothing else
The deep wave of rippling heat rose from the pavement. Lucien dropped his coat over his arm, undid the top few buttons of his shirt, and grimaced. Pasting on an ever-familiar smile, he awaited his well-versed crew, ignoring those who remained unseen to the mortal eye.
Brice paused in his steps as he walked from the open door of the van. His eyes were unreadable behind the thickness of his glasses, and he squinted up at the ebbing sunlight. A handkerchief flashed in his hand, the snowy whiteness mopping beads of profuse sweat from his brow.
The exuberant youths lagged behind him, struggling with the weight of heavy equipment while they bickered between themselves. There were a few muttered curses and scowls directed at the film crew Noah sent along. Obviously, the boys preferred to work alone and considered the newcomers an intrusion.
Nikolai remained at a distance, his arms folded across his chest. A scowl settled over his heavy features and he glared up at the sprawling house. His regard was intent, the deep furrow of his brows forming a single line above dark eyes.
Only one person reflected a semblance of sanity. Silent, Deborah eyed Lucien and the curvaceous woman at his side.
“Why does she watch you?”
Her voice was soft and inquisitive, and Lucien turned. It took all of his cognitive powers to refrain from leaning over to taste the sweetness he knew lay at her touch.
She was temptation, a deadly sin he avoided over the centuries. Now, the sensation was a rampant demon ruthlessly disturbing him. He had assumed the one night she spent with him, in all innocence, would drive the enticement from his haunted soul.
He had been mistaken.
Lucien was lost in thought, the images of her soft body pressed to him as she had slumbered so innocently. Lulled to the edges of sleep with her in his arms, he had savored the warmth flooding his veins, ebbing away the chill always so prevalent on his skin.
Besides the careful tuning of renewed human senses, he felt an insatiable need pulsing through him. He wanted to taste the curve of her neck, and feel her tremble beneath his hands. He had fought the urges and spent a night in blissful agony, his body aching with longing. With every breath she exhaled, he crumbled more.
“Lucien?”
Her questioning pronunciation of his name cleared the rampant images dancing wickedly through his mind. He pushed his dark sunglasses higher and shook his thoughts away.
“Deborah reads auras.” Lucien stated simply.
Eva wondered about the sudden change in his attitude. He wasn't the same man he had been last evening, when he laughed so easily and tempted her with the plea to stay at his side.
If possible, Lucien was more reserved.
“Auras?”
….shades of the sixties
“Au contraire,” Lucien supplied, hearing the muttered tones. He already suspected Reese was in the vicinity, and knew the precise moment the spirit reappeared. The specter had remained conspicuously silent, as the day had progressed, although his image lingered in the perpetual distance.
“Deborah reads auras, or shades of unseen light, emitted by a person.”
Eva nodded pensively. She was surprised as the woman approached them, leaving the equipment to the capable hands of Gil and Ethan. Deborah paused a few feet away, her head cocking to one side as she examined Lucien's face.
He returned her stare with a placid look. There was a long moment of silence before he curtly nodded, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. Without a word, he wove his way toward Nikolai.
“You're curious?” The woman chirped in the softest of tones, having overheard their conversation. Eva blushed hotly before nodding.
“I am, always, when presented a new subject.” She admitted, grimacing.
“I’ve a theory,” she began easily. She edged closer to Eva's side, something she hadn’t done with Lucien present. “I read auras and believe the colors show a person's actual being.”
She tilted back on her sandaled feet and gave her the critical once over. Deborah oohed and ahhed and her face wrinkled into pensive lines. Her bright eyes narrowed to unimaginable slits before she made the oddest declaration.
Eva was pleased the woman couldn’t hear Reese's snicker of derision.
“You’ve an aura shining the most blessed shade of white,” she announced suddenly. The loudness of her voice caused the aged Mr. Linton to leap in his own upright slumber. Eva scowled at the strange declaration and a shiver crawled over her flesh, which didn't have anything