Venom (The Reawakening Series Book 1)
Page 7
But it’s too late.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
SARAH
Harvey asks Valerie about her day as she drives me to Ian’s house. She works as an art teacher at an elementary school and as she talks about her work and how she loves her students, Harvey glances back at me and I can see it in Harvey’s eyes that he knows whatever this is, it won’t last. There are things in life that he will never be able to give her.
He keeps listening though, and asks questions whenever he can to show that he is interested. When I tell her which house is Ian’s and she parks the car, Harvey tells her that he will be back and follows me out of the car and to the door.
“You’re not going to say anything to embarrass me, are you?”
He smiles at me. “I’m not Nicholas.”
Ian opens the door and becomes instantly pale once he sees Harvey. I can tell he is nervous before he says anything.
“Hi. I’m Ian. Would you like to come in?”
Harvey gives him his best friendly smile, which makes me relax. “No, I have someone waiting. I’m Harvey by the way.”
“Nice meeting you, Sir.”
Harvey laughs. “You don’t need to call me sir.”
Ian nods nervously and Harvey cocks his head to the side.
“Am I correct to assume that there is something going on between the two of you?”
“Harvey!” I warn him.
Ian looks into his eyes. “Yes, si—I mean, yes—I think. I wanted to ask your permission to date your sister.”
Harvey ignores the question and doesn’t exactly give permission, but doesn’t say ‘no’ either.
“What are your plans for tonight?”
“Well, my mom is inside if you’d like to meet her. She’s making dinner and then I thought maybe we’d just go get some ice cream and come back to the house and watch a movie.”
“And your mom will be here the whole time?” Harvey asks as I shake my head.
“Yes.”
“Very well. I want her home by one in the morning. Should I pick her up?”
Ian’s reaction to the ‘one in the morning’ is priceless. Harvey has never had to give anyone a curfew and, unlike Nicholas and I, he doesn’t watch much TV and hasn’t gone to school in centuries.
“I can drop her off,” says Ian.
Harvey looks at me. “I’ll see you then. Not one minute late!” And I have to bite my tongue to keep myself from laughing.
I say bye and follow Ian in the house. As soon as he closes the door, he says, “One in the morning, huh? I thought you said your brothers were tough.”
I smile. “You haven’t met the other one yet.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
NICHOLAS
I decide to go out, knowing exactly what I need to do. I need someone who is willing to play the part so I don’t have to worry about controlling her every move while I’m glamoured.
I go to the club downtown where I compel the bartender into telling me which customer I should go for.
He points to the back corner where I see a small group of women.
“Any of them will give you what you want.”
At this point, I don’t even control my moves anymore. I go straight for the one who has something that reminds me of Lexi. It can be her smile, her eyes, anything.
“Just let me know which one,” says the bartender.
I give him a confused look.
“You’re looking for company, aren’t you? Which one?”
“Oh—Oh! No, I’m not looking for that kind of company.”
“There are no strings attached. It’s always easier this way,” he says as if he has that line memorized.
I look from the group of women to him. What the hell… I give in. It’s less hunting I have to do.
He calls over the one with long brown hair and once she approaches, I see that she has highlights. Lexi had them once--.
We get in the car and I drive to the house.
“I don’t usually get to meet many hot guys like you,” she says.
I shrug and keep driving without saying a word.
I glamour her as soon as we get to my room. “You have free will to make your own decisions, but you will ignore the fact that I call you Lexi and that I will drink your blood.”
She nods.
SARAH
It’s strange… sitting at the table for dinner, surrounded by family. The last time this happened was in the 1600s in London, with Nicholas, his father (my stepfather), and my mother. No one ever said a word. Now here I sit and watch Mrs. Sullivan ask Ian, and me, about our day, all while his sister avoids looking at me. I don’t blame her. She did warn me to stay away from her brother.
After dinner, Ian tells them we are going to get some ice cream and I follow him out of the house and into the truck.
“My mom likes you,” he says.
“Did she not like Megan?” I ask.
He laughs. “No parent in their right mind would like Megan.” He looks at me and grins as we approach the shopping area where the ice cream place is located.
He parks the truck and rushes around to open my door. He extends his hand to help me get down, and once I’m out of the truck, he readjusts, lacing his fingers between mine.
We walk slowly.
“Your sister is mad a me,” I say.
“She’ll get over it. Your brother didn’t seem too bad.”
“Harvey is pretty laid back. Nicholas is the over-protective and over-dramatic one.”
He laughs. “Are you trying to make me nervous?”
“No. I’m just trying to prepare you.”
“Okay, now I’m nervous,” he looks over at me and grins playfully. I hate not being able to read human emotions at times. I don’t know if he is being serious or not, and before I can ask, he pulls me into the ice cream place, which is full of guys from the school.
A couple of the guys look confused, but only for a split second, then they wave us over to where they are sitting and talk to Ian as if everything is normal. The guys are actually really nice. One of them knew my name and asks how I like the school. Not once did they mention Megan.
Once the store closes, we leave. We sit at one of the benches outside.
“I’m almost embarrassed to say this,” says Ian, “But I have to be back at the house by eleven.”
“Oh. It’s okay. You don’t have to be embarrassed.”
“Well, we still have a little over an hour. Do you want to go back to the house?”
For a second, I wish we could go back to the farm and see the horses, but I know it’s too late.
“Sorry there is nothing much to do in this town, especially this late.”
“I kind of like that. The normal, small town life.”
He grins, “it’s tough to like that when you have lived it your whole life. Can I ask where you are from?” he asks. “I can hear a slight accent every once in a while. Not often, but I did notice that it’s there when you are nervous.”
Him noticing that much about me makes me nervous. “I—I was born in London.”
Somehow, it feels good to tell him a small piece of information about me… the real me.
He smiles and I know he notices I’m nervous, because he leaves it at that. He stands up, grabbing my hand on his way and pulling me up with him.
He puts his arms around me, pulling me toward him.
“I’m dying to kiss you,” he says.
I can feel my knees weaken.
“Are you asking me for permission?” I whisper.
He grins as he nods.
I bite my bottom lip. “I wish you hadn’t. Then I wouldn’t be so nervous.”
He winks and pulls away a little. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Without another word, he grabs my hand again and we walk to the truck.
Once we get there, I’m facing the door; ready to get in, when I can feel his hand graze against my wrist. He slowly turns me around. He looks into my eyes in a way that feels like h
e can see my soul. I look down and glance at our hands, together. He moves his other hand up, placing his fingers under my chin and lifts my head. Still staring into my eyes, he inclines his head closer and closer, until his lips touch mine.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
I’m still dazed by his kiss when we get to the house. So dazed, that it’s not until we reach the door, that I remember that Harvey didn’t take his car and that he might not be home yet.
Of course, Nicholas opens the door with nothing but jeans on. My eyes go wide open when I spot the drop of blood on his lip. He quickly wipes it and looks from me to Ian.
“Inside. Now. Both of you.”
“I’m sorry, sir. I have a curfew. I have to—”
Nicholas cocks his head to the side and I quickly intervene.
“Harvey said I could go out. He told me to be home by one. I’m over two hours early.”
He laughs. “Always so clueless.”
“Nick!” I hear someone call him from upstairs.
“You can go,” he tells Ian. “But you and I are having a talk another time.”
Ian continues to stand there and Nicholas is about to say something when I stop him again.
“You let her call you Nick.” I say absentmindedly. Only Lexi ever called him Nick.
He gives me a confused look.
“I’ll be right there, Love,” he yells back.
“You have five minutes to say goodbye to your ‘friend’ and come back inside.”
He takes a step back and slams the door in my face.
I turn to apologize to Ian, knowing very well that I probably won’t hear from him ever again.
“I don’t think I should leave you alone with him. He doesn’t seem very… stable.”
I laugh. “This is nothing compared to his usual. I’ll be okay.”
He hesitates.
“I will be okay,” I assure him, “and I don’t want to get you in trouble.”
He sighs. “Can you at least send a text to your other brother to let him know you are home early?”
I nod.
“And text me later to let me know that you’re okay?”
I nod again.
I can feel Nicholas’ stare through the window, so I tell Ian that I will see him later and go inside.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Nicholas stands in the middle of the living room when I walk in.
“Sit,” he orders.
“I’m not talking to you unless Harvey is around.”
He laughs. “Yes, you are. Unless you want me to go visit your little friend, sit.”
I do, but I find another way to get out of this conversation, at least until Harvey gets back.
“Why did you let her call you Nick?” I ask.
“My personal life is none of your concern.”
“And mine is yours?”
He laughs again. “You know the answer to that question.” He stops and something about his expression completely changes. “I gave her up to take care of you.”
I can’t blink the tears away and I can feel them running down my cheeks. “Harvey says that isn’t true. He said you were too scared of how you felt about her and you were looking for reasons to let her go. I just happen to be it.”
I regret saying it as soon as the words leave my mouth.
He cocks his head to the side.
“I’m sorry,” I say, quickly, “I didn’t mean it.”
He turns slightly toward the stairs and yells, “Lexi, Love, you need to leave.”
I give him a puzzled look.
“Her name is Lexi?”
“When I want it to be, yes.”
“Nicholas, you need—”
He cuts me off. “Help? I need to get over her and move on? I’ve heard it all, little sis. Mind your own problems. You and Harvey both need to.”
He shakes his head. “Get out of here before you say anything else you’ll regret.”
I waste no time. I rush upstairs and lock myself in my room.
NICHOLAS
I lock myself in the study, which faces the front of the house and I sit there, staring out the window. Eventually, Lexi—well, the woman who was with me, leaves. Shortly after, a car pulls in. Harvey says his goodbyes and rushes to the front door. I’m sure by now Sarah texted him about what happened. He thinks he knows me… he thinks he knows the reasons behind my decisions; yet, he is the one hiding behind a silly human relationship because he is too afraid to feel what he did once before.
It’s time for him to learn a lesson.
I open the window and speed to the car before Valerie has the chance to take off. I quickly open the door and get in the car.
I don’t know what Harvey told her about me, but she is about to scream when I glamour and order her to not make a sound.
Without wasting any time, I grab her arm, moving her wrist toward my lips, and sink my fangs into her skin. I drink and drink, savoring every sip of her blood… the same type of blood as Lexi’s.
I know just when to stop drinking so he won’t be able to save her. I pull away and stare into her dazed eyes. “Now, scream,” I order, “as loud as you can.”
I even open the car door so the sound is not muffled, and within seconds, Harvey is here and he is yanking me out of the car.
“What the hell did you do?” he looks from her to me. The look of horror in his eyes is exactly what I expected to see.
She is having a tough time keeping her eyes open now.
“Turn her,” I tell him.
“What?” he looks at me, confused.
“Turn her. I’m giving you the luxury of making your choices for you so that you don’t have to deal with the consequences of making the wrong ones.” I pause, giving him time to take that in. “And so you don’t have to deal with people telling you that you took the easy way out.”
The look of shock when he realizes why I did this is priceless. “I hope the lesson is learned. You might want to stay out of my business from now on.” I pause again. “And you might want to hurry up. She has seconds left… if that.”
I grin, turn around, and go back inside.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
SARAH
I’m texting Ian to let him know that I’m all right when I hear the piercing scream come from outside. I rush to my window and see Harvey yanking Nicholas away from the car. They exchange a few words, and then Nicholas comes inside and Harvey gets in the car and closes the car door.
I can’t see anything inside the car, so I wait and watch until I see Harvey get out of the car and make his way to the other side. He opens the door and picks up Valerie, cradling her in his arms.
I gasp, my hand covering my mouth when I realize she has blood on her arms and on her lips.
I rush downstairs and open the door for Harvey.
“What happened?”
He doesn’t need to answer. One look at Harvey and I know what’s happening. It looks as if she is dead, but we both know the truth. She is going through her transformation. She may seem quiet on the outside, but inside, she is in pain.
Turning into a vampire is much like going through surgery where the general anesthesia doesn’t really work. On the outside, she can’t move but she is aware of everything that is going on. She will feel every organ shutting down, one by one, until her heart stops beating.
“I’m taking her to my room,” says Harvey.
I follow him upstairs. I can’t stop crying because I know this is my fault. I pushed Nicholas too far.
Once in his room, he lays her down on his never-slept-in bed.
“What’s going to happen to us, Harvey?” I ask in tears.
For the first time since I met Harvey, he looks lost.
“I don’t know, Sarah. I wish I did,” he looks from me to her. “She’s going to hate me when she wakes up. All her dreams, the job that she loves so much… I ripped it all away from her.”
“It wasn’t your fault. This is all because I couldn’t keep my mouth shut.”
He runs his fingers through his hair before he takes a few steps toward the closet, where he stops and punches a hole through the wall.
“I’ll have to take her away before she wakes up.”
“What do you mean?”
“She is going to crave your blood. And also, people will be looking for her. She is a teacher… in a small town.”
I sob. For my own selfish reasons, all I think about is that I don’t want to move.
As if reading my mind, Harvey says, “I need you to stay here with Nicholas. Leaving will just set off alarms—too many coincidences, besides, Ian saw her car and will know that something is going on. I need you to cover for me.”
“What about Nicholas?” I ask.
“Avoid him at all costs. You know where to reach me if things get bad. I just need a few days to see how she will react to the change and to come up with a plan. I won’t go too far.”
I nod.
“We might have to move soon, Sarah. Please be prepared for that possibility.”
“I hate him,” I say.
“No, you don’t. He is your brother. He’s just broken beyond repair.”
“What if we contact Lexi? Ask her to come talk to him?”
“I think that would be worse.”
“Worse than him glamouring random women into believing they are Lexi?”
Harvey’s eyes widen.
“And I’m pretty sure he managed to make himself believe they are Lexi too. He was acting really confused earlier when I asked who she was.”
“Damn it. I’m honestly at a loss for what to do. If I leave you here, I’m leaving you with him. If you go with me, you’ll be in danger of being drained and killed. She won’t wake up until tomorrow night… at least. Let me think on it, okay? Try not to worry. I know you don’t want to leave but this complicates things in every possible way.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
The next morning, Ian texts and calls many times, but I don’t answer. I just stay in bed all day, hiding… mentally preparing myself for the fact that we will be moving again soon. It’s not until he sends a message saying that he is on his way over, that I text him back saying that I’m fine and don’t want to see anyone. He doesn’t reply back after that.