We’re back this week for a sneak peek at some of the newest content for In Darkness Lost, which releases in paperback sometime in September (if I can manage to get it formatted in a way Amazon won’t mess up by then. Lol.) and in Kindle as soon as I’ve done one last comb-through for spelling and grammar.
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CRYPT was in his room stretched out in his usual spot on his black-clothed bed reading a book. He looked up when Dairdra came in, his exquisite, ageless hazel eyes shifting colors as the sunlight filtered across them. His long, black lashes seemed to glitter in the sun. Dairdra paused in the doorway and observed him for a long moment. How long had she known him? It seemed like ages. But the feelings that welled up at seeing him now were unlike any she’d experienced before. Relief mingled with longing, but longing for what? For his comfort and support? Or for something more?
She’d liked him for years now, so the strange pang of wistfulness was nothing new. But the keenness of that longing had never been quite like this. She bit her lip and looked away. Her entire body felt too hot, and she tugged at her collar. What had she come here for, again?
“Dairdra?” His soft voice brushed over her like a caress. “Did you need something?”
Did she? Yes. But she wasn’t entirely sure what she needed. “I…I, uh, came to ask you to take a walk with me.”
“Really?” He flipped onto his back and sat up.
“My father told me to ask.”
He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood. “And you wouldn’t have asked if he hadn’t told you?”
“Well…I guess I would’ve.” She wrapped her arms around herself and stepped back. Her back struck the door, and she stopped. She had no reason to run from him. But she suddenly felt bare in front of him, as if his searching gaze could see everything she didn’t want the rest of the world to see. She couldn’t decide if that made her feel uncomfortable or safe. Her mind seemed to think it was uncomfortable because she’d moved without thinking.
He stepped closer, a smile playing on his lips. “So, what’s the real reason you’re here?”
“I don’t know.”
“You do.”
“I…” She bit her lip and pressed her palms to the door behind her. “I’m not sure.”
He smiled, and his hand rose before dropping back to his side. Even in private, he was careful not to push her or break limits. His smile took on a sadder note. “Your father wasn’t much comfort, I take it?”
She ducked her head and sighed. He’d already figured out what she didn’t want to admit to herself. She wanted comfort, and since she hadn’t gotten it from the one person she’d hoped to receive it from, she’d come to the only person she knew she could trust. At least he wouldn’t turn the cold shoulder. She loved her father, but the relationship was too distant. She still wanted his attention, but for as much as she hoped for it, she knew better than to expect it. So, she’d come to Crypt, knowing he was the only person whom she could trust to comfort her. She probably should’ve come straight to him instead of bothering to look for it from her father first.
She’d already known that he would take her grief and pain, and he would shoulder it with her instead of leaving her to drown in darkness and fear. Hadn’t he always been the one she went to when things weren’t going well and her mother was too busy? He’d been her support and confidante since she was thirteen years old and they first became friends. Now it seemed as natural to take it to him as it was to talk to her mother about it. And as usual, he might as well be a mind reader because he knew what she was thinking before she understood it herself. She truly didn’t appreciate him enough. “No, he wasn’t.”
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That’s it for this week. What are you guys working on? Share with us all in the comments below! I’d love to hear about it.
