It’s nighttime when Harvey knocks on my door. He approaches me and sits on the bed.
“How is she?” I ask.
“Still not awake, but that is expected. I’m taking her to a cabin in the mountains tonight.”
I nod. “Does Nicholas know?”
Harvey shakes his head. “I haven’t seen him. I’ve been in my room since last night. I will leave him a note. It’s best that I don’t see him.”
“What are we going to do, Harvey?”
“Actually, I’ve already done something. I want you to trust that my decision was the lesser of the evils. That was the best I could do.”
I give him a puzzled look, but he doesn’t give me any more details.
“I’ll call you to give you updates. Call me if you need anything.”
I nod.
Harvey stands up. “Your friend is here. I can smell his scent.”
I start to panic.
“I don’t think Nicholas is coming out of his room. He’ll leave if you don’t want to answer,” he says while noticing my hesitation.
I sigh. “No, I should talk to him.”
He nods. “I’ll wait until he is gone before I take Valerie away.
“Okay.”
I don’t bother getting out of my yoga pants and tank top. I rush down the stairs before I lose my nerve, and open the door. Before Ian can say a word, I grab his hand and pull him toward the truck.
“I need to get out of here for a while.”
Once we get to the door, I notice he is tense; probably thinking of what Nicholas will do if we leave this late.
I look up into his eyes and beg, “Please.”
He opens the door for me and then goes around and climbs in.
“Where to?” he asks.
“To the farm—where you took me to see the horses.”
He starts the truck and drives in that direction.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
NICHOLAS
I don’t leave my room until I know I’m alone. It’s not that I’m afraid of Harvey. I just don’t want to deal with the drama.
I go downstairs and read a sappy note he left behind about leaving with Valerie for a few days to protect Sarah and that I should take care of her without being an ass in the process.
I crumple the paper and throw it on the floor before going back upstairs. Halfway there, I hear a noise coming from the study. I rush in that room knowing that no one could have come back into the house.
The curtains are closed and it’s dark. I close my eyes and take in her scent. I actually miss her so damn much I can smell her scent as if she is here. Once I open my eyes, I see the silhouette of her body and I freeze.
“Lexi,” I whisper.
I shake my head. “You’re not real.”
She turns on the lamp in the corner of the room and I stare at her. Over the past few months, every time I spent with some version of her, they were always still human. I realize this is the real Lexi; the one I turned. Our time together immediately flashes through my mind.
“Hello, Nick.”
I approach her. This time, questioning whether I might be dreaming. After all, because of her, I can dream.
She stands there, watching my every move.
“What are you doing here?”
“Harvey called.”
I freeze again. “Son of a bitch. Of course he did.”
“He told me that you need help. He worries about you being left alone.”
“And you came just like that?”
“It’s not what you think, Nick. I still care about you. Always have. I was worried.”
“You shouldn’t be. You are still with Tyler, aren’t you?”
She nods and gets angry. She raises her voice in a way that always turned me on… still does. There is just something about when she gets mad and comes out of her shell. “How dare you even ask me that question? You seem to forget an important key in this discussion, Nick. You are the one who left me. So yes, I do still worry about you. I have the right to worry about you. Those thirty years together actually meant something to me.”
I approach her and lift my hand toward her face, ready to feel her once again. She moves her hand up, stops me, and looks down.
I drop my arm back down.
“I did you a favor,” I say, “by leaving you.”
She looks up with bloody tears in her eyes and shakes her head.
“Not that it changes anything now, but no… you didn’t do me a favor by leaving me, Nicholas.”
“But you love him, always have.”
She nods. “I do love him. I loved him then and I will always love him.”
The words hurt worse than a stake through the heart.
“But make no mistake, Nick… I may love him, but I was IN love with you and you gave that up like it was nothing. You just broke our imprint and disappeared.”
I shake my head, hating myself even more than I did before. “You don’t know what you’re saying. I had to--”
“No, Nick,” she cuts me off. “You didn’t HAVE to do what you did, okay? You made a choice about us and you made that choice alone. I know you had to hide Sarah and I know you had to protect me, but we could’ve done all of that together. We spent thirty years together, Nick, and I know that is nothing in relation to an eternity, but it’s still long enough to where you should’ve known better. We were partners. I would have gone to hell and back with you if needed.”
Stunned and not knowing what to say, I turn around and sigh. Hell, it’s not like I can win her back. The damage is done.
“Nick?”
I don’t respond, but she continues anyway.
“Harvey said you need help, and I came because I care for you and as a personal favor to him, but please let us leave the past in the past, okay?”
Again, I don’t say anything. I just listen.
“Harvey didn’t elaborate on anything that’s happened. All he said was that he had to turn someone. Do you want to tell me why he thinks you need help?”
I shake my head and turn around, looking her straight in the eyes. I keep my focus there because if I even think about glancing at her lips, I know I will lose my mind for not being able to kiss her. “Nothing that I can’t handle. If anything, he is probably worried about Sarah.”
“Where is she?” she asks.
“Being stupid.”
She gives me a puzzled look.
“She has been hanging out with a human boy.”
Lexi smirks. “Is that it?”
I roll my eyes at her and the last part of the conversation takes me back to how we used to be.
“Once upon a time you were hanging out with a human girl,” she smiles. “Don’t be a hypocrite.”
“I thought we were leaving the past in the past,” I snap.
Her smile turns into a frown and I change topics before I say anything stupid. “Where are you staying?” I ask.
“Harvey’s room.” She pauses. “He specifically asked me to stay in the house.”
‘Great!’ I think to myself while staring at her.
“I know it’s not ideal, but I’ll stay out of your way.”
“Does Tyler know you’re staying here?”
She nods.
“Huh.”
She shakes her head. “Goodnight, Nick. I’ll talk to Sarah tomorrow.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
SARAH
Neither of us say anything until we get to the farm. It’s pitch dark outside, except for the small area hit by the headlights. That’s what allows me to see that Ian parked at the same place as he did last time. He leaves the truck on and looks at me.
“What now?” he asks. I can’t quite read his tone and I already have so many things going on in my mind that I just fall apart and start to cry.
I think he is in shock because he stays there, without moving at all.
Embarrassed, I open the door and get out of the truck.
Ian quickly gets out of the truck and rushe
s toward me. He leaves the truck on, probably so we have some light from the headlights.
“Are you insane?” he says as he approaches me. “There are snakes in these fields. Not to mention that we can barely see anything.”
He stands in front of me, takes a look at my face, and pulls me toward him. His arms are tightly wrapped around me and I lean my head against his chest. It’s the sound of his heartbeat that calms me down.
When he realizes that I have stopped crying, he says, “Can you go back in the truck for a little while?”
I’m confused by the question. “I don’t want to go home.”
“I know,” he says. “Please, get in there for a little bit.”
I do as he asks and I see that he grabs a flashlight and blanket from the backseat.
Through the window, I can see him put the blanket on the bed of the truck. He comes back around with the flashlight and leads me to the back, helping me get up in the bed of the truck. I sit on the blanket and he hops up, lying down next to where I’m sitting.
He sighs. “It’s funny that you asked me to bring you here.”
“Why?” I ask, looking back at him. He is playing with the flashlight, now shinning it on my face and nearly blinding me.
“Sorry,” he says as he puts the flashlight down on the back center of truck’s bed.
“This is where I came when I ran away once.”
“I’m not running away,” I say defensively. “I just needed to well—to get a way for a while.”
“You can lie down,” he says. “I don’t bite.”
I laugh at his comment. I lie down next to him and stare up at the stars; one of the few things that, centuries after centuries, remains unchanged.
I feel his hand on mine and I close my eyes.
“My first name is Sarah,” I say and I can feel a weight being lifted off my shoulders as I say it.
He looks to the side so he is facing me.
“Noelle is my middle name,” I say before he asks for an explanation.
“Can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
I nod.
“It’s just something I heard. One of my mom’s friend, Ms. Lindsey, well, she has been saying that you and your family are in witness protection. That is the reason you live with your brothers and were home-schooled, and the real reason you move around a lot. I didn’t pay her any attention before because she is known to spread rumors and start drama, but—”
I think about maybe saying that is true, I mean, we are hiding and we are running away.
“Is it true?” he asks. “I won’t say anything.”
I shake my head. “No, it’s not true.”
He nods. “Sorry. I should’ve known better.”
“It’s fine.”
“So I’m not going to get up one day and find out that you are gone, right?”
I don’t answer him. After a while, I can feel him squeeze my hand and I finally say, “My brothers are a little crazy. I can’t truthfully answer that question. In fact, I live in fear of that happening.”
Another truth, more weight lifted off my shoulders.
I pull my hand away. “Maybe we should end things now. I know you don’t want to deal with the craziness that is my life. I mean, who would?”
He turns on his side and grabs my hand, pulling it toward his mouth and kissing it. “Not a chance,” he says. “I’d rather live in the present and not think about the ‘what ifs’.”
“But—” I stop talking when he leans over on top of me and I can feel his breath against my lips and then, he kisses me and for that moment, I forget about every single ‘what if’ that haunts me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
We fall asleep under the stars. I wake up to find that Ian moved the blanket from underneath him and put it over me. I feel horrible that he slept like that, on the cold surface.
I look at my watch. We have to be in school in about two hours.
“Ian,” I try to wake him up to no avail.
I put my hand on his arm. He feels cold and I have to fight the urge to put my arms around him. “Ian.”
He slowly opens his eyes and smiles at me, then he tries to move and he is no longer smiling. I can tell his whole body hurts from sleeping like this.
“You shouldn’t have given me the blanket.”
He yawns. “I didn’t want you to get cold.”
I have to hold back the laugh. If he only knew I don’t feel temperature like humans do.
“We have to be in school in about two hours,” I say.
“Shit. My mom is going to kill me if I skip again.”
He gets up and jumps down from the truck. I move toward the edge and he puts his hands on each side of my waist and helps me down.
“I would kiss you, but morning breath sucks.”
I laugh.
“We need to get going,” he says.
We get in the truck and on the way to my house he asks how much trouble I will be in.
“I’m honestly not sure.”
“Should I go in with you?” he asks.
I laugh. “You would do that? You’re brave. Harvey is not even in town so you’d have to deal with Nicholas.”
He shivers. “I will if you want me to.”
“You don’t have to. Honest. And you should probably rush to school anyway.”
“Do you need a ride?”
I shake my head. “I will get there.”
“What is his deal anyway?”
“Nicholas’?”
“Yeah.”
“Bad break-up.”
“Ouch. That bad?” he asks.
I nod. “Yeah, that bad.”
Ian drops me off and drives away. Poor guy. I think he was relieved to not have to see Nicholas again.
I walk in quietly to find Nicholas playing xbox.
“Well, well, look who finally decided to show up,” he says without looking away from the screen. “Do I need to have the sex talk with you now or is it too late?” he asks sarcastically.
I know my face must be red from embarrassment. “No, it’s not too late and no, we don’t need to have that talk.”
“Damn it!” he yells at the game and throws the remote on the couch before looking at me.
“Do you really think I believe that you spent the night with him and nothing happened?” he yells.
“Nothing happened,” I say firmly, looking him in the eyes.
“What’s going on?” I hear another voice coming from the stairs.
She walks down the stairs and I can hardly believe that it’s Lexi I’m looking at! I now know what Harvey meant by trusting his decision.
“Hi Sarah,” she says with a sweet smile.
I smile back at her, “Hi”.
I glance at Nicholas and he is staring at her in awe. Once he notices me watching him, he shakes his head and focuses back on me. “Alright, now that the mushy hellos are out of the way, what the hell are you thinking, Sarah?”
I ignore his question. “I need to get ready for school.”
“I don’t freaking think so. You’re done with school.”
I don’t even know how to react, but I don’t have to because Lexi intervenes.
“Come on, Nick. Let Sarah explain before you make crazy decisions.”
He looks at her and his tone changes. He is much calmer. “It’s not a crazy decision, Love. This school nonsense shouldn’t have happened to begin with.”
I notice she flinches when he calls her love but she doesn’t say anything.
“Please, Nicholas. Nothing happened. I swear. I just needed time away.”
“Nick, Harvey asked me to come for a reason. You said so yourself that Sarah needs help. Maybe—maybe I should talk to Sarah alone.”
This time he doesn’t look at her. “No. She is done with school. End of discussion.”
I’m now in panic mode and I hold on to Lexi’s words and the only chance I might have left.
“What do you mean I ne
ed help?” I ask her. “Nicholas is the one who Harvey is worried about.”
“Sarah!” he warns.
“But you are. You need help, Nicholas. What you’ve been doing is not—”
“Shut up, Sarah. Not another word. You want to go to school that bad? Fine! Go! But don’t come crying to me when you get hurt.”
He seems like he is about to leave but then he comes to a stop. He probably doesn’t trust me alone with Lexi, who watches us quietly.
“I’ll take you to school. You have five minutes to get ready.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
The ride to school is the most uncomfortable ever. Nicholas makes it clear that if I say anything to Lexi about him and his ‘personal issues’, we will leave town that day.
I don’t respond but he’s not stupid. He knows his message came through loud and clear.
I get to school late and miss my first class, which I’m glad. That is the class I have with Megan, Cassie, and Ian… I feel bad for him to be stuck in class with those two. I head over to my Algebra class, which is drama free. Next, I get to my Economics class, where I feel relieved to see Chloe, the freshman who also came from out of town.
I sit behind her and she immediately turns around, facing me.
“What happened between you and Cassie?” she asks.
I sigh.
“That bad, huh?” she says, “I figured. I’m not sure what is going on, but I heard that Cassie was asking about you and she wasn’t happy.” She shakes her head. “There is something about her… I just have this feeling that she is up to something bad.”
I nod. “She is, but it’s best if you don’t know what.”
Chloe shrugs. “Good. The less I know, the better, but I do have to ask, are you dating that guy she was telling you to stay away from? I heard his girl—ex girlfriend was looking for you too.”
“I—yes, we are dating.”
Chloe takes a deep breath. “Well, I have to say, we just started school here and everyone already knows who you are. That must be some kind of record.”
“Yeah, I’d rather not have all the attention.”
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