Summer by Eden Maguire Page A

lamp switch.
    It was right at that moment that Phoenix appeared. My hand was stretched out, my fingers were feeling for the switch. A wind blew in through the open window,the drapes billowed and he stood there in a halo of silver light.
     
    Phoenix was with me the whole night. Hunter had sent him and said he should stay until morning.
    It was like a gift, all my Christmases and birthdays rolled into one, to have my Beautiful Dead boyfriend lying by my side.
    ‘This can’t be happening,’ I whispered. The fantastical silver light had faded – he was solid flesh, though hardly visible as we lay together. But I reached out to touch him and knew every contour of his face – smooth forehead, long lashes, full, soft lips.
    ‘Don’t talk,’ he sighed. ‘Hold me.’
    ‘What happened? Are you OK?’
    ‘Don’t talk.’ He kissed me and held me as if he thought someone would come, something bad would happen and I would be snatched away.
    ‘It’s OK,’ I breathed, stroking his thick dark hair. ‘I’m here.’ And to convince him I kissed his lips, his closed eyelids, his cheeks. I held his hands and guided them across my own face, felt them tremble as he stroked my neck. Then I arched into him and sank in the moment, letting him know how much I loved him.
     
    We tried everything we knew not to see the dawn sun in the sky.
    ‘Close the curtains,’ Phoenix murmured. ‘Don’t let the light in.’
    The darkness had dissolved enough for me to see his face beside me. He was lying on his stomach, head turned towards me. Folding back the blanket, I ran my hand down the smooth skin of his back and rested it over his angel-wing tattoo. ‘I love to look at you,’ I whispered back.
    After a while, Phoenix raised himself and leaned on one elbow, gazing down at me. ‘You want to know why Hunter let me be here?’
    I shook my head. ‘I don’t want to talk about him.’
    ‘To warn you again not to come out to Foxton until you get more information.’
    ‘He already told me that!’ I pretended to push Phoenix off balance and smiled when he collapsed on to me.
    ‘Yeah. But he has spies everywhere. He has Donna and Iceman over here in Ellerton.’
    ‘Watching me?’ I knew the Beautiful Dead could be present but invisible, keeping silent watch. ‘They might at least have let me know.’
    Phoenix smiled back. ‘Donna said you researched some information about a killing in Florida. She reported backto Hunter. He said the link wasn’t strong enough, then sent me here.’
    ‘To tell me I’d failed,’ I sighed. ‘But I’m not complaining. I’ll take you as his messenger any day!’
    Phoenix cut short my kiss by sliding his fingers between our lips. ‘He didn’t do it out of the goodness of his heart,’ he reminded me.
    ‘Because he doesn’t have one,’ I agreed. ‘I know. So why did he let you come? Did you ask him?’
    ‘Would it make any difference if I had?’
    ‘Not to Hunter. But it would to me.’ I broke free of him and lay on my back, staring at the ceiling. ‘Did you beg him to let you see me? Did you tell him you couldn’t keep away a single minute longer? Tell me you did!’
    ‘Seriously? No – what I said was, I was worried about you.’
    ‘Don’t be.’ I leaned over again and tried to smooth away the frown lines on Phoenix’s forehead. ‘I’ve done this before, remember – for Jonas and Arizona.’
    The frown stayed where it was. ‘This time it’s different. The guy who shot Summer didn’t aim before he fired. It was totally random. We’re not looking for a sane explanation here.’
    ‘So you stress about what I’m getting myself into? Me too, if I’m honest. But I’ll take good care, believe me.’
    ‘And if it gets too scary, you’ll tell me?’
    Looking up into his blue-grey eyes, which stared so intensely and read every beat of my heart, I murmured that I would call for help whenever I needed it.
    ‘It won’t always be me,’ he warned. ‘But this time Hunter agreed for me