Free Craving by Sofia Grey

fingers pressed into her temples. “I guess you heard our conversation.”
    “Some of it.” I could sense something else about her. She was in pain. “Look, this is a strange question, but do you have a headache?”
    The fingers stilled, and she stared at me. I saw pinpricks of fairy lights reflected in her eyes. “My head feels as though I have an axe buried in it. Are you a doctor or something?”
    “No, but I’m good with headaches. Would you like me to help you?”
    “Sure.” She swallowed nervously. “What do I need to do?”
    “Just sit right there.” I moved to stand behind the bench and placed my palms on her shoulders, keeping my touch gentle and non-threatening. Ouch. I felt it straight away. I closed my eyes as I concentrated, visualizing the center of her pain. It felt as though I sucked it right out of her head and absorbed it into mine. My synapses burned hot, the pain compressing tight for a few seconds, then it dissipated. I exhaled slowly and opened my eyes, taking a deep breath while the dizziness cleared.
    She scrubbed her face, the words pouring out of her mouth. “Oh, my God. That’s amazing. How on earth did you do that?” She stood up and turned to face me, a beaming smile on her face as she reached to shake my hand. “I’m Katherine Fitzwarren.”
    “Josh Delaney. I’m an old friend of Suki’s.” I released her hand and smiled at her. “It’s probably none of my business, but that sounded pretty heavy. I don’t know your father at all, so if you want to unload on a total stranger, I’m more than happy to listen.”
    She hesitated, clearly torn. Shame and guilt whirled around her in a torrent of confused emotions. “I guess we sometimes have a difference of opinion. It’s nothing serious.”
    A diplomat, like her father. “No matter, the offer still stands.”
    I hate the lying. Her unspoken words rang clearly in my head, and I schooled my face to stay calm.
    Light footsteps tapped across the courtyard in our direction. Suki. “Josh, there you are.” She smiled at the girl next to me, but it looked awkward. “Hey, Katherine. I didn’t get a chance to introduce you to each other.” Lines of strain criss-crossed Suki’s forehead and, uncaring of what Katherine may think, I moved forward to wrap my arms around her.
    “Are you ready to leave?” I spoke quietly into her ear, feeling her tremble against me.
    “Grayson has some kind of announcement to make first, then yes please.” I held her a moment longer, releasing her when more footsteps approached. It was like Piccadilly-bloody-Circus out here. This time, it was one of the waitresses.
    “Excuse me. Mr. Fitzwarren is looking for you.” She smiled at Katherine before hurrying back to the house.
    Behind me, Katherine sighed. Another wave of anxiety gathered around her. Her curious, yellow-gold eyes met mine. With another huge sigh she moved to pass me and paused, her eyes drawn to my left wrist. To my Talisman, peeking out from under my shirt cuff. “Excuse me. Your wristband, it’s very unusual.”
    My lie was automatic. “I’ve had it years. Can’t even remember where I got it.”
    “That’s funny.” She spoke absently, looking back at the house, her brow furrowed. “I’ve seen someone else with exactly the same thing, and that’s what he said too.”
     
     
    4.2 Katherine
     
     
    Suki’s friend looked as though I’d slapped him in the face. “You’ve seen another one?”
    In the distance, standing just inside the open French windows, I could see George staring. As I watched, he raised his hand to beckon to me. God . Every instinct told me to turn on my heel and run away, run as fast and as far as I could. Common sense yelled to hold my ground. I swallowed hard as I tried to get my erratic breathing under control. My hands curled into fists. I had to keep calm. I couldn’t give them any indication of my plans.
    Josh spoke again, his voice urgent. “Have you–”
    “ Later— we can talk later. I