TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 256

Two hundred and fifty six

Cameron POV

The last traces of sleep left me as I stretched in bed, but the dream from the night before stayed with me.

I had dreamt of Lisa. We stood on opposite sides of a sheet of glass. I reached for her, trying to pull her through it. or break the barrier so I could hear her speak. But it stayed between us and slowly turned opaque until I couldn’t see her anymore, and all I could hear was a muffled võice.

I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Reality had started finding its way into my dreams.

I sat at the edge of the bed and picked up my phone. Her name was still at the top of my recent calls and, as expected, the automated voice answered. “The number you’re trying to reach is switched off.”

Just like yesterday.

And the day before.

There was no way Lisa hadn’t been able to charge her phone. There was no reason for it to be off. Her mother and Kieran kept saying the same thing.

I wanted to drive straight to Kieran’s house and demand answers. But I knew how pointless that would be. If Lisa wanted to speak to me, she would. Her mother had been calm and assured me she was fine. Even Franklin, whom I was about to send to find out for himself, had told me not to worry, that Lisa wasn’t in danger.

So why had they all decided I wasn’t supposed to know where she was?

The irritation dug in, and I needed to get my mind off it. I headed to my study, where the ultrasound photograph was tucked inside one of the desks. I picked it up and ran my thumb across it. To anyone else, it was nothing more than shades of black, grey, and white. To me, he was already real.

How did Susan expect me to wait another three months before seeing either of them? The idea was absurd. Lisa would go through everything alone. They had every right to protect the child from Meridian, but it still didn’t sit right with me.

The espresso machine whirred to life as I walked into the kitchenette and fed the coffee beans into the grinder. By the time the coffee finished brewing, I’d already forgotten why I’d made it.

I carried the mug to the window instead and looked out over the estate. Security guards rotated shifts near the main gate. Everything looked exactly as it should. The feeling I’d woken up with still hadn’t left.

It wasn’t Evangeline or her cults, or one of those strange whispers that used to creep into my thoughts. This was different. Like walking into a room after someone had left, knowing you’d missed something without knowing what.

The coffee had already gone cold in my hand, and I still hadn’t taken a sip. I slipped my keys into my pocket and stepped out, intending to get an early start to the day.

Halfway down the hallway, I spotted Kade.

He stood near the landing, turning in slow circles as his gaze swept across the upper floor. I watched him, wondering what was bothering him.

“Kade?”

He looked up.

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To funded and fifty six

“Morning,” I said. “Everything all right?”

His smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“Yes.”

He gestured toward Evangeline’s bedroom door.

“Have you seen Eva?”

I shook my head, and his shoulders sank.

“She’s not in her room. I thought she might’ve been with you.”

“I haven’t seen her since last night. Is something wrong?” I asked, though Evangeline’s absence didn’t surprise

1. She’d been disappearing at odd hours, probably attending one of her secret meetings.

“She may have gone for a walk,” I said. “Or needed some air. You know how she’s been lately.”

He didn’t answer.

I was about to leave when he spoke.

“She scared me last night. She came into my room in the middle of the night hysterically. She even begged me to kill her.”

My grip tightened around my keys.

“What?”

He rubbed a hand over his face and looked at me with bloodshot eyes. I hadn’t noticed them until then.

“I thought she was going to hurt herself,” he said. “She kept saying people were taking everything from her, that she didn’t have any shields left. I managed to calm her down. Eventually she fell asleep. That’s why I went straight to her room this morning to check on her. And now she’s gone.”

I pulled out my phone and speed-dialed Franklin.

“Check the security logs. I want to know if Evangeline left the estate this morning.”

I waited for his response and watched Kade, who was still pacing.

Franklin called back.

“She exited through the east gate at exactly five o’clock this morning. She drove.”

I thanked him, ended the call, and told Kade.

He didn’t look relieved.

“She’s probably at one of their meetings,” I said. “If that’s the case, she’ll probably be back before long.”

I bit my tongue, swallowing the words that wanted to come out, and found myself wondering whether Evangeline really could be redeemed.

Kade’s phone pinged, breaking the silence, and he answered.

I watched the colour drain from his face. His body locked. I couldn’t make out everything being said, only broken fragments from the other end.

2/3

ennend and riety

“Kade, come quickly…”

Then:

“I killed her.”

D

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