Page 101 of His To Claim
“Thought I was meeting you,” I say, disregarding the fact that I was just standing with Drake, his hands all over me.
“Had a feeling you’d bail. Decided I’d escort you myself. Glad I came and caught the show.”
“You saw, so I won’t even try to justify what happened. We talked, he left. Now are we going or not? I don’t have the energy to argue with you tonight. I won’t apologize for what just happened. I did nothing wrong, and if you haven’t noticed by now, I couldn't care less what you or anyone thinks of me,” I sneer, and his grin widens.
He’s wearing black jeans, a white V-neck shirt, and a black flannel on top. His hair is unruly, grown out and not combed perfectly in place, but still somehow looks perfectly put together.
“That’s my girl,” he says, as he drapes his arm around my shoulder, leading me toward the beach.
“So what is it you wanted to show me?” I ask, as we make our way up a steep trail past the beach houses to a spot at the edge of the water.
“This,” he says, moving out of the way and revealing a large cliff with a cascading waterfall leading down to the tidepools. It’sbeautiful, the water slowly flowing and hitting the ocean beneath it.
“What is this place?” I ask, looking down at the rocks beneath us.
“Follow me,” he says, as he walks slowly toward the bottom.
“Are you insane, we’re going to fall. Those rocks look dangerous. I’m not trying to bust my head open.”
“Do you trust me?” he asks, looking at me with hopeful eyes. The last time he asked me I blurted out no, but this time, something about the way he looks at me has me answering the opposite.
“Yes,” I say, nodding and reaching out to the hand he extended toward me. He helps me down as he guides me, showing me where to step to make my way to the bottom. I lose my footing slightly but he’s right there to hold me up and make sure I don’t fall.
“I got you,” he says, as I step down steadying myself.
“Where are we?” I ask once we hit the bottom. The waves are roaring as they hit along the rocks beside us crashing against the sides of the cliff.
“Crimson Cove, but us locals call it Devil’s Point because of the sharp rocks and unpredictable tides.”
“What is your town’s obsession with the devil and all things evil?” I ask and he laughs.
“There’s a lot of evil hidden behind those steel gates. Malevolent forces that flow through our waters into the neighboring town.”
“The drugs?” He tenses at my words.
“For one…”
“He called it the Devil’s Kiss,” I say, referring to what Macallan said when he drugged me.
“The Devil’s Kiss is one of them. It’s synthetic, which means they created it in a lab. A combination of various highly addictive drugs put together to make the most lethal weapon.”
“But I…”
“When taken in small doses it provides an indescribable high.Makes you feel you’re invincible, satiates the mind, an aphrodisiac for the soul,” he says, sounding as if he’s witnessed firsthand its effects.
“And you make it?” I ask.
“It’s made here in Hillcrest, one of the many businesses my family is in charge of, but I’ve said too much, Red. I shouldn’t be saying any of this to you. If they find out. God, if my uncle finds out…” He pauses, bringing his hand up to caress my cheek as lowers his forehead to mine letting out a deep sigh. I can almost hear his heartbeat pounding in his chest. Being this close to each other affects both of us, it pains me to see him so scared. Makes me believe I should genuinely fear for my life, were his uncle to find out what he’s told me.
“He won’t. I won’t say anything. I just need to know how I fit into all this, Ace. Why am I here, why did he bring me?”
“I don’t know, Scarlett. Trust me, I’ve tried looking for answers, but when it comes to you, he doesn’t open up easily.” He runs a hand through his hair, like he really is desperately trying to understand what his uncle is hiding.
I can see a look of anguish in his eyes, and I feel the need to change the subject.
“The drug, when Macallan kissed me, I tasted something slightly minty. Then suddenly I wasn’t feeling myself,” I say, remembering what happened before someone drugged me.
“The drug comes in many forms, a pill, something to inhale, snort. But the fastest way it takes effect is through injection or in a kiss…given the name Devil’s Kiss, or KISS for short. It’s like a strip of sorts that dissolves when it hits the saliva on your tongue. Like those breath strips one uses and places on their tongue for minty fresh breath. They added spearmint extract for taste. It’s sweet, minty, exhilarating when inhaled.” He guides me over to a large rock at the edge of the tidepools and we sit as he continues to speak. “When Macallan kissed you,” he says, a scowl on his face. “He transferred the strip from his mouth to yours.”