Dark Love by M. D. Bowden Page B

is all new to me, but I do want
to help people.’
    Daniel nodded,
and Sarah smiled as he leant forwards and gave her the briefest
kiss, before disappearing into the bathroom himself. As she heard
the shower start she looked about the room and saw that Daniel had
laid out two sets of clothes, one of which she assumed must be for
her. They were both the same, each pile had a black t-shirt, a
black shirt, black men’s underwear and trousers, all of which would
be far too big. She would have to pick up a decent selection of
clothes from home before the start of their adventure.
    She smiled
again at the thought of it, dropped the towels and slipped into the
clothes. She was relieved the trousers had a belt which she
fastened on the smallest setting, meaning they would just about
stay up if she gave them the occasional tug. She rolled up the
bottoms so she would not trip up. She pulled the hairdryer and
brush out of the drawer, as she had before, and got to work on
sorting out her hair, whilst thinking about their plans and what
she would take.
    She was just
finishing drying her hair when Daniel reappeared, looking sleek and
steamy, with a white towel around his hips.
    ‘I’ll get
dressed quickly,’ he said. ‘We need to get to your house before
it’s time for Megan to go to school.’
    ‘We’ve still
got to decide what to say to them,’ Sarah reminded him. ‘I had an
idea . . .’
    ‘Yes?’ said
Daniel.
    ‘Well, we could
say we are going travelling to do research for the book I’m
writing. Obviously, had I been human and able to stay with my kids,
I wouldn’t leave them for that long – especially with their father
recently missing, and God, I really don’t want to leave them, yet I
know I have to. We could say I’m having problems dealing with Jo’s
disappearance and that I need some time to recover, as that seems
more feasible. The research trip could be a method to take my mind
off all the trouble I’ve recently had. If you could influence them
to accept that as a reason, which they might not do without your
help, I would be able to stay in contact with them. We could talk
on-line and I could still see Megan and Bea, and they could see me.
I would also be able to return anytime – as soon as I manage to
develop better control.’
    ‘I like that
plan,’ said Daniel. ‘Do you want to try and influence them
yourself?’
    ‘No! I want to
make sure it’s done right. I want to practice before trying it on
anything this important. Is that ok – do you mind doing it?’ Sarah
asked tentatively.
    ‘Of course not,
I just thought you might want to. I will make sure Megan doesn’t
remember anything about you getting hurt either,’ Daniel said.
    ‘Thank you so
much,’ said Sarah.
    She rose and
kissed Daniel on the lips.
    ‘Really, don’t
worry about it,’ he muttered against her mouth.
    Sarah moved
back and said ‘I’m ready,’ forcing herself not to think of her kids
again. She would need Daniel to influence her soon, but
didn’t want to hold him up from getting finished at the hotel.
    She sat on the
bed and watched him dress, a smile playing at the corner of her
mouth. There were good things about this situation. She would be
with Daniel and they were going to see new places, discover new
things. It would be a whole new world.
    Daniel shrugged
on the black leather jacket that Sarah loved and slung his backpack
over his shoulder.
    ‘Let’s go,’ he
said.
     
    Sarah got up
and took the hand he extended, smiling to herself as tingles shot
up her arm. She glanced back at the clock as Daniel led her out the
room and saw it was eight a.m. – there was still time before Megan
went to school. When they got down to the desk Daniel rang a bell
there, and a petit receptionist came out of a back room. The
instant she came in Sarah smelt her and honed in on the sound of
her heartbeat. Her own blood pounded through her veins, and she
felt her teeth start to extend. She looked away, horrified at
herself, and