Necromance

Necromance: Chapter Nine

NECROMANCE  

By: Rachel Kramer

Chapter Nine

            It had been hours since the kiss I'd shared with Gavin, followed by his quick, cold rejection. I had showered after him, taking my time since I hadn't been in much of a hurry to be in the same room as him. Eventually though, I was forced to show my face again, and we had spent the rest of the evening watching the news in our separate beds, allowing the newscasters' voices to fill our awkward silence. By nine o'clock, I couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm famished," I said over the soft murmur of the television.

"So, go eat," he said, not bothering to even glance at me. His eyes were glued to the changing blue lights of the outdated TV, or at least he pretended to be that enthralled.

"Hello," I drawled. "Aren't you forgetting something? I have no money. No money equals no food. Unless you expect me to work the corner for a bite to eat, I've got nothin'."

That made Gavin smile for the briefest moment, before mumbling something under his breath. He lifted himself up enough so that his hand could reach into his back pocket. He pulled out a wad of cash and tossed me a twenty that fell short, so I was forced to climb off my bed and retrieve the money from the small floor space between us.

"There you go. Now quit complaining and eat something."

"I wasn't complaining," I grumbled.

Gavin rose from the still perfectly made bed and started towards the door. He was fully dressed in black jeans which hugged him in the most flattering way. A grey shirt and black leather jacket completed the look. Gavin was even wearing socks; the only thing missing were his shoes. When he reached the door, Gavin knelt down and slipped his feet into his black boots. That piqued my curiosity.

"Where are you going," I asked, trying to keep the uneasiness out of my voice. I may have been a preternatural assassin once, but that didn't mean strange places didn't make me uncomfortable (and maybe a little afraid).

As if he had read my mind, Gavin gave me that all-knowing, all-annoying smirk. "I get hungry too you know."

Oh ya. I seemed to keep conveniently forgetting about Gavin's daily need for his dosage of flesh. Being a ghoul, or in Gavin's case, being cursed to live like one, had to be tough.

"Where are you, uh, going to get a bite to eat around here?"

Gavin unlatched the lock, and headed out the door, with his back facing me. He paused for a moment to answer, but stayed in the shadows of the night. "There's a morgue just a few miles from here in Cathedral City. It's close, so I shouldn't be too long."

My mouth felt dryer than this desert. "Oh. Okay."

With a quick glance over his shoulder, he added, "Try not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone."

"Sure," I managed to say. Then, Gavin left.

Famished, I used Gavin's untraceable cell to call a nearby pizza place, which, lucky for me, was open until ten o'clock, and still delivering. I thought the image of Gavin feasting on the dead would hinder my appetite, but no, I was still starving and day-dreaming about the arrival of my delicious, vegetarian pizza topped with bellpepers and pineapple. The thought of it alone made my mouth salivate.

To keep my mind off my stomach, I then decided to call Camille. I hadn't heard from her since she left for Paris with her uncle, and that was over a week ago. I wanted to know that she was okay, and more than that, I just missed her. Life had been so miserable lately, and talking to my best friend would help lift my spirits. Especially after the whole Gavin fiasco.