Page 105 of Eternal Craving

Mr. and Mrs. Bradbury and their staff had retired to bed.

Kitchen shelves were stacked with dark colored breads, vegetables, and assorted cheeses, their scents permeating the air. Several dead rabbits hung upside-down from the back wall, their eyes frozen in fear. More savory looking were the numerous pots of honey lined along a thin shelf. Jacob enjoyed dipping his finger in the tubs of honey at home. I wondered if he’d been allowed to do that here.

The home extended well back from the street, its size being larger than it had first appeared.

The thought of seeing Jacob overwhelmed me.

A discarded wooden toy boat lying just outside one of the bedrooms signaled that it may serve as the nursery.

We entered silently and saw a child sleeping in the corner. The boy stirred when I gently tapped his shoulder.

My heart sank when I saw that it wasn’t my son.

“Jacob?” I whispered. “Is he here?”

The door opened and a woman’s silhouette appeared. She carried with her a bronze candleholder. A breeze from the open window extinguished the flame.

I assumed we’d just met Lady Bradbury. Ignoring her, I spun round to face the boy again.

He rubbed his eyes. “He ran off.”

Lady Bradbury shrieked.

Sunaria grabbed my arm, and, like mere phantoms, we flew out of the window, a terrible scream trailing behind us.

We landed just beneath the window, with me feeling inconsolable.

My son was lost in London.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

London offered everything a man could want – but all I wanted was Jacob. I scoured the city, searching night after night, ignoring my own needs.

Finding no trace of him, I thought I’d lose my sanity. The loss felt unbearable, the emptiness, agony. I blamed myself for not seeing Ricardo’s jealousy. I should have predicted he’d be as wayward as his father. So many times, I’d showered Jacob with affection but ignored Ricardo. By spoiling my son, I’d put him in danger.

After another agonizing night, I climbed the winding steps to our room, cursing my ineptitude.

Once inside, I fell to my knees. “I just want him back,” I sobbed. “I just want him back.” Tears soaked my shirt.

I crawled into bed, into Sunaria’s arms, and the darkness closed in. Horror violated my dreams, transmuting them into nightmares.

Once the day faded, I flew back out into the dusky evening. Sunaria eventually caught up with me on London Bridge, where I stood peering over the side, watching my victim’s body float down the Thames.

“Oops,” I said, smiling. “I assumed he’d sink.”

She flashed me an angry glare. “A month in the city and you’re infamous.”

“It took me that long?”

“You kill without thinking of the consequences.”

“I’ve been a little distracted.”

“They burned down our building!”

“What?” I turned to face her. “Who?”

“Don’t pretend to care.”