“My kiss drove him to leave and visit different continents.”
Aida kept her tone teasing as she said this, but nausea twisted in her stomach. She felt strange and vulnerable after finally voicing her secret and the fear her kiss drove him away.
The moment had changed her forever while it made it so Julian couldn’t stand to be around her. She’d never let him beat down her self-confidence, but she couldn’t deny her ego was a little bruised over it.
The door to the microwave popped open, and the buttons beeped as Cassidy hit them. “What were you guys talking about before he kissed you?”
Aida had replayed her last time with Julian so much she could vividly recall every detail of it. “Going away to college and returning my life to some semblance of normalcy.”
“Hmm,” Cassidy said as the microwave hummed. “Yet here you are living with two vampires.”
Aida draped her arm over the sofa as she turned to smile at Cassidy. “Call me a glutton for punishment.”
“Glutton,” Cassidy said.
“I knew your family would always be a part of my life, but Arizona was my chance to… to…”
“To get away,” Cassidy said as she popped open the microwave and removed the bag of blood.
“Yes, but not from you guys, and certainly not for Mollie, but from…”
Aida’s voice trailed off as she tried to think of how to explain what she felt back then. She decided to go with the simple truth.
“From my memories of what happened on the island. As much as I love all of you, being in Maine was a constant reminder of what happened there. Every time I walked by Doug’s monument, I saw him lying in that boat, dead.”
Cassidy winced as she gripped the bag of blood tighter.
“Sorry.” Aida wished she could take her words back. “I didn’t mean… I know how much you all loved him. I didn’t know him long, but I know he was a good man.” She and Mollie wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for him, and because of that, she thanked him every day for his sacrifice.
“Yes, he was,” Cassidy said with a sad smile. “Go on with what you were saying.”
Aida hesitated as she considered her words carefully before speaking again. “There are so many others who never made it off the island too. Over time, I’ve realized I’m one of them. I mean, I’m here and I’m alive, but a part of me never escaped.”
Cassidy opened her mouth to say something before closing it. Then, she set the bag on the counter and walked over to sit beside Aida on the sofa. She rested her hand on Aida’s knee.
“But you did escape,” she said.
“Did I? I still have nightmares about it. I can’t go out in public without having pepper spray and a knife on me. I’m always wondering what others are thinking and plotting. Are they the next Ted Bundy? Or are they some psycho vampire who is looking to kidnap and hunt people?”
“I’ll never understand what you went through, but you’re free, Aida.”
“Not yet, but one day, I will be.”
“You know I’m here for you, and Kyle and the rest of the family are too.”
But the one she wanted to be there the most, wasn’t. And she was not going to give him the satisfaction of moping about it. “I know.”
They sat for a few minutes before Cassidy spoke again. “So… Julian.”
“Julian,” Aida muttered as she picked at some lint on her sweatpants.
CHAPTER 8
Standing in the hallway outside Cassidy’s apartment, Julian stood with his hand poised to knock on the door. He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but Aida’s words about a part of her never escaping the island froze him before he knocked.
He shouldn’t be here. He was one more reminder of what happened to her, but then, she was living with two reminders now, so his family wasn’t upsetting to her. For four and a half years, he’d wondered about her every day. Countless times, he picked up his phone to call or text her, but every time, his hand froze. Just like it was frozen now.
No, he shouldn’t be here, but seeing her earlier broke something inside him. It was a lot easier to stay away from her when there were continents between them and he wasn’t fully matured. With every step he took toward this place, he’d told himself to stop, but his growing need to claim his mate propelled him onward.
And now he was standing outside her door like an idiot, and he had no idea what to do. She was with someone else; yet, he’d seen the hope in her eyes when she looked at him. Or had he imagined seeing it there because that was what he wanted to see?
If he discovered she was in love with Owen, he’d walk away again, but he couldn’t do that without knowing if there was hope for them. His time was running out; he’d stopped aging six months ago, and he’d felt the clock counting down the remaining days of his life ever since.
“I think there’s something else going on with him,” Cassidy said.
Before his sister could strike too close to the truth, Julian practically lunged forward to knock on the door. He wasn’t ready to walk away from Aida again, but he wouldn’t dump his problems on her either, and he couldn’t let Cassidy figure out the truth. If Aida decided she wanted him, she would come to him because of that, and not because she couldn’t condemn him to death or felt bad for him or his family.
The only problem was, along with hope, he’d also seen the fire in her eyes earlier. At one time, she was his closest friend; she was the only woman he’d ever loved, and he had a mountain to climb to earn her trust again. He didn’t know how he was going to do it, but he would.
“Who could that be?” Cassidy muttered as she approached the door.
The locks turned, and the door cracked open; Cassidy peered out of him before breaking into a grin and opening the door wider. “Speak of the devil. What are you doing here?”
“I lost my hotel key,” he lied, but he realized he hadn’t stopped to think of a reason for coming here so late.
Aida stiffened on the couch when she heard Julian’s voice. Her eyes darted to the hallway leading to her bedroom, and she rose as she prepared to bolt. She’d decided to become scarce while he was in town, but she hadn’t expected him to show up at their place now.
“How did you manage to do that?” Cassidy asked as she stepped aside. “Come on in.”
She shot Aida a sympathetic smile as she stepped aside to let in her brother. Aida gulped as she braced herself to see him again, but it was still a physical blow to her stomach when Julian entered the apartment. He’d always been handsome, but he could easily rival every model and TV star she’d ever seen.
“It must’ve fallen out of my pocket at the bar,” Julian said as he entered the apartment.
His eyes immediately found Aida standing by the couch. Her face hardened as she gazed at him. In her eyes, he saw the same fiery anger from earlier. Yep, it was definitely going to take a lot to get her to like him again, never mind love him.
“Aida,” he greeted.
“Julian.”
“Couldn’t the hotel clerk give you a new key?” Cassidy asked.
It took everything he had to tear his attention away from Aida and focus on his sister. “I rang the bell, but no one came out. I’m not exactly staying at the Ritz.”
He should have come up with a better excuse to come here, especially since the key card was burning a hole through his pocket and into his thigh while he lied to his sister.
“Kyle won’t be back tonight.” Cassidy glanced guiltily between Aida and Julian, and before she spoke, Aida knew what she would offer. Aida was her friend, but Cassidy wouldn’t toss her brother out on the street. “You can crash on the couch.”
Aida bit back a scream of frustration as she stared at the dogs on the wall. She could handle one night of having him in her apartment. She didn’t have a choice.
“I’m going to bed,” she said. “I have to be up early. Good night, Cassidy.”
“Good night,” Cassidy said.
Aida didn’t look at him before she stalked down the ha
llway and entered the second room on the left. Julian almost went after her but stopped himself. If the look on her face was any indication, she might try to kill him if he followed her in there.
“I’ll get you some sheets and a blanket,” Cassidy said. “The couch pulls out.”
Before he could reply, Cassidy strode down the hall and went into another room. She returned a minute later with a blanket, sheets, and a pillow. She shoved them into his hands, and he fumbled to catch them.
“Next time, come up with a better lie for coming here,” she said in a low voice.
Julian did a double take as he held the bedding against his chest. “You knew?”
“I’m not an idiot. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on between you two, I have my suspicions, but it’s between you guys. I will say you blew it last time. Don’t do it again; she deserves better.”
Before he could reply, Cassidy turned and walked away.
CHAPTER 9
Julian barely slept, and when he did, he dreamed of Aida, but that was nothing new; she haunted his dreams every night, and every morning he woke hard as a rock and aching for her. When he heard her phone ring at six thirty the next morning, he strained to hear the conversation.
“Yes.” There was a pause. “I’ll be there in half an hour.”
Silence followed before her door opened and soft footsteps sounded in the hall. Julian sat up on the couch as the bathroom door closed, and a minute later, the shower turned on. Unable to tolerate the idea of her naked, in the shower, with water running over her bare flesh, Julian threw back his blanket and jumped out of bed before it became impossible for him to walk.
He really should have thought all this through better last night, but he’d wanted to see her again, not spend the night. However, after being this close to her all night, he was reluctant to leave, but he didn’t have a choice. He couldn’t say he lost his key twice in a row, and none of his things were here.
Besides, Kyle would come home. When he did, he’d probably want his bed. Julian busied himself with removing the sheets and blanket from the bed. He folded them and stacked them on top of the small armchair in the corner of the room. With bits of yellow stuffing poking through some of the threadbare spots, it was obvious the chair had seen better days, but it looked inviting.
He closed the bed up, returned the cushions, and sank onto the couch as the shower turned off. He rose again when he heard her shuffling around the bathroom and paced into the kitchen. Opening the fridge door, he smiled when he spotted the bags of blood tucked inside next to the cartons of leftover food.
He removed a bag, tore off the top, and drank it too fast to notice the chill of the thick blood. When he finished, he tossed it in the trash and drummed his fingers on the counter. The bathroom door opened; he caught a whiff of her shampoo and lavender soap before she disappeared into her room.
His fingers clicked faster against the worn Formica as he waited for her to reemerge. A key turning in the locks brought his attention to the door as Kyle entered the apartment. His brother’s bloodshot, deep blue eyes landed on him, and he hesitated before closing the door.
“What are you doing here?” Kyle asked.
“I lost my key at the bar last night,” Julian told him.
From down the hall, a door opened, but it sounded too far away to be Aida’s room.
“Uh-huh,” Kyle said, obviously not buying what Julian said.
When Kyle ran a hand through his already disheveled, wheat-blond hair, it stood more on end. They’d seen each other last night and hung out at the bar, but Julian still walked over to hug his little brother. Soon, Kyle would stop aging and become more out of control with the women. Julian wished he could help him, but each of them had to go through this; he could only hope Kyle didn’t get lost.
“That’s too bad; the pullout sucks to sleep on,” Kyle said as he slapped Julian on the back, and they separated.
“How would you know?” Cassidy asked as she punched him in the arm while she strolled past. “You’re barely here.”
“Ow,” Kyle said as he rubbed his arm. “Do you blame me? Look at the way you treat me when I am here.”
Cassidy rolled her eyes as she plopped onto the couch and pulled her knees up to her chest. “Sure, that’s why you’re never here.”
Kyle grinned at her as he continued rubbing his arm. “What can I say? The chicks dig me.”
“You’re gross,” Cassidy told him.
Kyle’s smile didn’t falter when he turned toward Julian. “I’m sure you understand what it’s like to be irresistible.”
“I understand what it’s like to be irresistible,” Cassidy said. “I can also say no.”
Kyle shrugged. “Why?”
Cassidy rolled her eyes again. “You’re such an ass.”
“But I’m an irresistible ass.”
Julian smiled while he listened to their banter. At one time, he had the same easygoing relationship with them, but nothing felt easy anymore.
“So, Julian, what are the women of the world like?” Kyle asked as he sat on the couch beside Cassidy.
“You haven’t seen each other in almost five years, and that’s the question you ask him?” Cassidy inquired.
“We saw each other last night,” Kyle reminded her.
“And how much talking did you get done while you were working and hitting on women?”
“I’m a very talented multitasker.”
“More like a talented slack off.”
“That too,” Kyle agreed. “But I don’t plan on traveling any time soon, so if I’m going to learn what the women of the world are like, I have to ask the man who’s been around the world. So, Julian, what are they like?”
“They’re like the women here,” Julian said.
Except none of them were like one woman. Over the years, countless women had thrown themselves at him, but none of them compared to the one he left behind.
“I bet you had a girl in every country, maybe two or three of them,” Kyle said. “What fun it must have been.”
Cassidy punched him in the arm again as Aida emerged from the hallway. Julian knew she’d heard Kyle when her jaw tightened. Her golden eyes landed on him before flitting away. Over the years, he’d wanted to choke his brother more times than he could recall, but right now, he could kill him.
“Stop hitting me,” Kyle said as he rubbed his arm; Cassidy shot him a look.
Aida hesitated as she stood at the end of the hall. She should go, but she needed coffee and food. It was going to be an endless day, and as much as she’d love to say screw it and grab something from Dunkin’, the long line at this time of the morning would take too much time, and Nicolette would get crankier if she had to wait.
Aida held her chin high as she walked into the kitchen. She went out of her way to avoid touching Julian, which was difficult in the cramped space. He also seemed a lot bigger in the tiny kitchen.
She scooped some coffee into the maker, added some water, and turned it on. Usually, she had the coffee pot all set and ready to hit start in the morning, but in her agitation over seeing Julian last night, she forgot to do it.
That only added to her irritation, and she nearly slammed the cabinet doors after she found a granola bar. She unwrapped it and bit angrily into her bar as she glowered at the coffee and willed it to brew faster. She was pretty sure the drops started going backward.
CHAPTER 10
Julian edged his way around the counter and back into the living room, where he leaned against the counter to watch Aida. She kept her attention focused on the pot like she was Superman trying to see through a wall.
Aida didn’t have to look at the others; she was acutely aware they watched her as she tapped her foot and waited for them to continue talking. She didn’t want to hear about all the women Julian met during his travels, but she found herself on edge while she waited for his response. Had it been dozens, hundreds, thousands?
She saw how many women Kyle went through, and in her o
pinion, Julian was more handsome. He also had an aura of mystery around him that drew women like a moth to a flame.
“So, back to those women,” Kyle said.
Julian had missed his brother, but he’d never wanted to punch anyone as much as Kyle right then. Aida’s foot tapped faster as the coffee filled the pot.
“I’m guessing Nicolette called you in to work,” Cassidy interjected.
Julian cast his sister a grateful smile as she rose from the couch and walked over to stand beside him. At least his sister didn’t have a one-track mind.
“She did,” Aida said.
“Do you have to rearrange everything?” Cassidy asked.
“Yep.”
“I bet the gallery looks terrific,” Cassidy said.
“She doesn’t agree with you.”
“She’s an idiot.”
“She runs a successful gallery; that’s not easy to do in this city. In my mind, it makes her a genius.” Even if, half the time, she wanted to strangle the woman.
Julian was out of the kitchen, but it still felt cramped and too hot. The whole place was too crowded. Aida was grateful she’d knotted her hair into a bun as she pulled at the collar of her sweater and a bead of sweat slid down her nape. The temperature was set at sixty-two, not by their choosing, but because the landlord lived on the first floor and controlled the thermostat.
For the first time, sixty-two felt far too warm. She glanced at the window. It was still too cold to have it open; maybe she could stick her head in the fridge. Yeah, because that was a totally reasonable thing to do.
When she turned to get her travel mug out of the cabinet, her stupid eyes betrayed her and went to Julian before she could stop them. It wasn’t fair that he woke up looking better than he did before going to bed. The way his coal-black hair stood on end was utterly adorable, and her fingers itched to run through it.
He looked delectable, and she looked like roadkill. She’d spent most of the night tossing and turning as she kicked off her blankets only to retrieve them and do it again. She finally fell asleep only to have Nicolette call.
Forsaken (Vampire Awakenings, Book 10) Page 6