Venom (The Reawakening Series Book 1)

by Daniele Lanzarotta

  She gives me a genuine smile.

  “Well, I brought my lunch today and it’s probably enough for two. We can hide out somewhere during lunch if you want.

  I nod. “I’d love that.”

  The class goes by fast and during lunch, we make our way to the table behind the gym when I spot Ian talking to Megan and Cassie. He stands against a locker with his head lowered. I stop Chloe and we watch them from a distance.

  Ian raises his head and he seems upset. He says something to them and then once he hears whatever they say, he shouts, ‘I don’t have it!” He then smacks the locker and walks away.

  Chloe asks no questions as we keep going toward the table behind the gym. Once we are there, she opens her lunch and I tell her I’m not hungry. I grab my phone and text Ian.

  “I’m here. I’m with Chloe at the table behind the gym.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?” asks Chloe.

  I shake my head and look away.

  “Don’t feel bad,” she says. “It’s your business. I don’t have to know.”

  I smile at her and listen as she tells me about her classes, looking at my phone every few minutes.

  Ian never replies. We have about ten minutes left before we go back to class when I see him come around the corner.

  He smiles at me like everything is okay. He walks my way and sits next to me, putting his arm around my waist.

  “Is everything okay?” I ask. I hate lies, so I don’t leave room for that possibility. “I saw you with Megan and Cassie. You seemed upset.”

  He sighs. “Yeah, it’s fine. They were being stupid. It’s taken care of. How did it go with your brother?”

  I shrug. “It could have been worse. You?”

  “A slight curfew change. It could be worse. It was definitely worth it.”

  For a moment, we forget that Chloe is there.

  I look at her. “Sorry… long story.”

  Again, she doesn’t ask questions and I feel bad that she looks so lost.

  “We broke curfew last night.”

  The bell rings before she can say anything. We all get up and Ian grabs my hand. “I’ll walk you to class.”

  This time, Chloe says something, “You two are asking for trouble.”

  “Trouble is inevitable at this point,” says Ian.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  NICHOLAS

  I debate going somewhere other than home after I drop Sarah off at school. I should have.

  Lexi is waiting for me when I get home.

  “Are you really not going to tell me what is going on?” she asks as soon as I close the front door behind me.

  I shake my head. “There is nothing to tell.”

  “Okay then,” she says. “Since it seems that I’m not needed here, I’m leaving.”

  She turns around to get her things but before she can get to the stairs, I’m standing in front of her.

  “Please, stay.”

  “I don’t have a reason to, Nick. Whatever is going on with you, well, you don’t seem to want my help.”

  I sigh. “Let’s say the problem is that I’m having trouble getting over you.”

  I can see the anger in her eyes. “Ugh, you make me so damn mad! You have no right to say things like that to me. Not after you left.”

  Her being mad makes the vein on the side of her neck rise slightly… just enough to make my mouth water.

  I look into her eyes. I don’t have as much power over her as I did before I released her as my minion, but I’m still a much older vampire… old enough to be able to glamour her. I know it won’t last long, and I wouldn’t want it to… I like her being her own person, but I still take advantage of the situation.

  “I want you to drink from me,” I say and wonder if that will make her more willing to give me another chance.

  She nods and approaches me. She reaches for my wrist, but I stop her.

  “No, Love. I want you to drink from my neck.”

  I close my eyes as soon as I feel her hand on the back of my neck. She runs her fingers through my hair like she used to. I can feel her lips against my neck right before her fangs pierce my skin and she starts to drinks. I can’t help myself. One of my hands goes to the small of her back, pulling her closer, and my other hand reaches for her wrist, slowly moving it toward my lips. I bite her and drink from her as she drinks from me.

  When I moan into her ear, she snaps out of it.

  She pulls away from my neck and puts her hands on my chest, pushing me away.

  There are tears running down her face, which makes me feel like crap.

  “I shouldn’t have come here,” she says before storming upstairs.

  I follow her, stopping her before she gets in Harvey’s room. “I’m sorry, Lexi. I shouldn’t have done that.”

  She looks at me furiously. “I hate you. I hate what you did to us. I hate that thirty years meant nothing to you.”

  “You know that is not true.”

  “Do I? I thought I knew you, Nick. I really did, but I don’t know you at all. The guy I thought I knew would’ve never left me.”

  I cock my head to the side. I think of her words over and over. She obviously still cares and I wonder if I have a chance… a real chance.

  “I want to kiss you,” I say. “And I think you want me to kiss you.”

  “UGH! I’m leaving, Nick,” she says before slamming the door in my face.

  I’m about to knock on the bedroom door when I hear the doorbell. I go get the door and find the woman I met two nights ago.

  She has a lost look when I open the door and at that moment I realize what I did, or better yet, what I forgot to do.

  Throughout her rambling she says, “Everyone I know keeps saying that my name isn’t Lexi. I don’t understand. And then I remembered you knew me by that name. Maybe you can help me understand.”

  I shake my head.

  “Your name isn’t Lexi.”

  “What’s my name then? Everyone says my name is Sabrina. Is that true?”

  I shrug. “I guess. I never asked.” I look into her eyes. “The glamour will be gone when you get to your home. You won’t remember anything about me. Now go.”

  I slam the door and find Lexi standing behind me, her hands over her mouth and the suitcase dropped to her side.

  She slowly drops her hands from her mouth and she’s in tears. “I don’t understand why Harvey called me. I can’t help you, Nick. This is too much. For how long have you been doing this?” She puts her hand up. “Don’t answer that. I’d rather not know. I have to get out of here.”

  “Can I ask you something before you go?”

  She nods.

  “Where is Tyler? I know he wouldn’t willingly let you come and stay here out of all places. Are the two of you still together?”

  She nods. “We are. He is busy working.”

  “Working?”

  “Yes. Don’t ask me where because I don’t know. It’s some kind of top secret project.”

  I laugh. “What? Is he in Vamp CIA or something?”

  That doesn’t amuse her. “Don’t act like one funny comment is going to make it all go away, Nick. I’m serious. It was a mistake for me to come here.”

  “Stay,” I beg. “Harvey called you with hopes that I can see that you moved on… so I can move on too. Just stay here for a few days. I think it will somehow help me get you out of my head,” I lie, “I will leave you alone. No more funny games.”

  She stops to think about it. “I’ll stay until Harvey gets back, unless you try anything, then I will be gone. Understood?”

  “Sure thing, Love.”

  “And please don’t call me love anymore.”

  “Yes, Ma’am.”

  ***

  She goes upstairs and I sit on the couch and close my eyes, allowing myself to take in the consequences of drinking from another vampire. The blood imprint starts to work its way through me and I can pick up on things that she is feeling, which is mostly confused and scared
. I ignore the fact that she can also feel me. Hell, that is probably the whole reason why she is confused, scared, and angry too. For a moment I wonder how long before Tyler comes knocking on the door because I’m certain he knows that something happened, but I shrug it off. I’d have heard her phone ring by now, especially if he is far away.

  I rest my head on the back of the couch and try to relax and in my mind, I replay the moment when I drank from her… the sweet taste of her blood filling my every void.

  I have to find a way to win her back.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  SARAH

  Walking around school, hand in hand, certainly gets everyone’s attention. I see Cody poking Cassie’s arm and then she looks in our direction and gives me a look of pure evil. Ian and I keep walking though, until we get to my class.

  “I’ll come by to get you and walk you to your next class, okay?”

  I nod and smile at him.

  About halfway through the class, I get a pass to go to the bathroom.

  When I open the bathroom door to go back to class, I find Cassie standing in front of the sink.

  I try to rush past her and go back to class but she stops me. “I just want to talk,” she says.

  “I’m not doing this.” I say firmly and start to leave. I probably just made her even madder and my suspicions are confirmed when she comes after me.

  “Your brother Nicholas went out with one of my friends the other night,” she says.

  “So?”

  “Hmm let me think… she is sixteen and he is over eighteen. You live with your brothers alone. How fast do you think I can get him in trouble and you moved somewhere else?”

  I turn on my heels. “Don’t you dare threaten me, or my brother.”

  She smiles. “The freshman has guts,” she says. “What are you going to do about it?”

  For the first time in my life, I feel that having to deal with a crazy caregiver for centuries had its’ benefits. “You have secrets of your own. If I have nothing to lose, do you really think I would care to keep your disgusting little secret?”

  I turn her own words against her as I smile, “So, what are YOU going to do about it?”

  She shoves me against the wall and leaves.

  I feel a certain pride when I walk back to class and I can’t help but smile for standing up to her, even though it will likely create even more problems.

  Ian takes me to every one of my classes and when school is over, he gives me a ride back home.

  “I have to work today,” he says. I won’t be able to text you much.”

  I nod. “Do you work a lot?”

  “Yeah. I actually picked up a few extra shifts during the week so I’m not going to be around much, but I’d love to take you back to the farm this weekend.”

  “That sounds fun.”

  “Can I ask you something?” he says.

  “Sure.”

  “If Cassie comes near you, or says anything to you, will you tell me?”

  I smile at him. “I don’t think she will be bothering me anytime soon.”

  He reaches over and grabs my hand from my lap. He slowly lifts my hand toward his lips and kisses the top of my hand.

  Once I get home, I don’t see anyone, so I go up to my room and call Harvey.

  “Sarah? Is everything okay?” he asks.

  “Yeah. I just wanted to check in on you.”

  “I’m okay. Valerie is awake and I’ve brought enough blood bags to last a few days. I’m hoping that feeding like this from the beginning will help her control.”

  “I hope so.”

  “I managed to have her call work and quit so they don’t report her missing and she doesn’t have family in town, which helps, but I’m not sure she should see Nicholas anytime soon. I thought once I told her the truth she would be mad at me, but she is blaming him and only him.”

  “Good,” I say. “I mean… it’s his fault.”

  “Is Lexi being there helping him at all?”

  “I wish I knew.”

  On queue, Lexi knocks on the door.

  “Is that Harvey on the phone?” she asks. “I didn’t mean to overhear you.”

  “Yeah.”

  I put the phone on speaker.

  “Lexi? Is everything okay?”

  She looks at me and I wonder if she needs privacy to speak to him but she doesn’t say anything. “No. This was a mistake, Harvey. I will stay until you come back, but I can’t be near him for much longer. I don’t trust him around me.”

  Harvey goes quiet for a while. “I’m sorry I asked you. I thought it would help.”

  She looks at me again and hesitates.

  “There was a little situation and we have a blood imprint again. I can feel him, Harvey. I can feel that he didn’t leave me for selfish reasons. In his own crazy mind, he thought he was doing what was right by me. I can feel that he loves me the same as he did back then, and I can’t deal with that, especially right now.”

  “I’m sorry, Lexi. I will be back as soon as I can. You don’t have to stay until then.”

  She smiles at me. “Yes, I do. He is far from being stable. I wouldn’t want to leave Sarah alone with him.”

  ***

  Days pass with Lexi avoiding Nicholas and Ian too busy with school and work. And then, Saturday comes around and I count down the minutes until it’s time to see Ian.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  Ian ends up calling me to say that he picked up another shift, and asking if we can go out for dinner a little later.

  I agree even though I wonder how tired he must be.

  The day drags by and I’m ready way before our date.

  Nicholas is playing his game when I get downstairs. I hope to sneak out of the house, but he stops me.

  “Where are you going?” he asks without looking away from the game.

  “Dinner.”

  He stops the game and looks at me.

  “Have a seat,” he asks nicely, which surprises me.

  “I really should be going.”

  “Sit down or you’re not going, Sarah. I should’ve had this talk with you a while ago.”

  “Nick, there is no need—”

  He interrupts me. “You don’t realize how naïve you are.”

  I see Lexi peeking around the corner and smile as she hears him.”

  “Once you kiss a guy or hmmm—do other things… you’re kissing everyone he has kissed before.”

  I look at Lexi, “So you are telling me that, by association, you kissed Tyler?”

  “No! I didn’t kiss that lame excuse of a vampire and don’t try to deviate from the point I’m trying to make.”

  I’m so embarrassed I just want to crawl under the coffee table and hide. I just want this conversation to end.

  I look up at him and I’m sure my face is red. “How many girls have you kissed?” I ask, hoping he will just tell me to leave.

  Lexi is now standing near the door, no longer hiding, and she is trying not to laugh.

  “It’s different. I’m a guy.”

  “That’s not fair. Let’s say Ian comes to you and says the same thing. That he is a guy so it really shouldn’t matter.”

  He looks back at Lexi. “Can I get a little help here? I can’t deal with this female teen crap. You are a woman. You do the sex101 talk.”

  Lexi is now laughing and I see something that wasn’t there before… something in the way she looks at him. Maybe this Nicholas reminds her of how he used to be before he went all crazy.

  Nicholas goes upstairs and Lexi tells me I should go before he comes back down with more lectures.

  I know it’s still early, but I wait for Ian outside of the house so he doesn’t have to deal with Nicholas.

  ***

  “You look tired,” I tell Ian. “Are you sure you want to go out?”

  He grins, “I’ve been looking forward to this.”

  He drives off after we decide to grab something to eat at a fast food place and take it to the park. />
  On the way to get the food, I notice a car following us at a distance. I don’t say anything. I’m probably being paranoid anyway, but then, we grab our food and the car keeps following us.

  “Is everything okay?” he asks.

  I nod. “Yeah. Can you stop over at the next shopping area? I have to use the restroom.”

  He stops and the car following us keeps going. I feel like I can breathe again. I don’t know why, but I have a bad feeling about that car.

  A few minutes later, I come out of the clothing store where we stopped and we head over to the park.

  The park is well lit and has a few picnic tables. We sit on the first one we find, side by side, and Ian turns the music on his phone while I take our food out of the bag.

  Ian stretches and moves his neck from side to side.

  “It’s really nice of you to work so many hours to help your sister,” I say.

  He shrugs. “It’s the least I can do.”

  I almost jump on his lap when I feel someone’s hand on my arm.

  “What the—” he starts to say, and I turn around to find Cassie, Cody and Chloe standing behind us.

  I’ve never seen someone look as scared as Chloe does at this moment.

  I slip my hand into Ian’s in a tight grip. “What are you doing here?” I ask Cassie. “What is Chloe doing here with you?”

  “She is here for motivation,” says Cassie.

  I know that Ian is as scared as I am… I can feel it in the way his body tenses and his palm starts to sweat.

  “I’m tired of your games, Cassie. What do you want to leave Noelle alone once and for all?”

  Cassie smirks. “You know what I want. I want payment for the clothes I bought her, for the time I wasted on her, and for Cody’s pain and suffering. He doesn’t handle rejection well.”

  “You know damn well I won’t get paid for another two weeks. I told you that,” says Ian.

  I face him, “Is this why you’ve been working like a mad person this week?”

  Cassie shakes her head, pulls Chloe in front of her and puts a knife to her throat.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Ian and I ask at the same time.

  “You should know that I am always in control,” says Cassie. “I call the shots and things in our school will stay that way until I’m no longer there. Now pay up.”