by Olivia Howe
“The Sulivic Brothers took Andrew prisoner. They locked him up in a cell with silver holding him down,” William announces to every one.
Tears fall down my face faster. “Please tell me you have a plan to get him out,” I stutter out.
“Yes, I have a plan to get him out quickly, without the Brothers knowing. I've been spying on them for months now. I know their routines. I'm positive I can get him out without alerting the Brothers or starting a war,” William informs us.
“I'm coming with you,” I announce as I stand tall and wipe away my tears.
William's eyebrows rise and a small smile appears, and disappears instantly. “Wait, are you serious?” William asks.
I nod my head. “Yes! I'm going with you!” I shout.
William shakes his head. “No, I don't think so! Are you crazy?”
“William, I'm not taking no for an answer. I didn't ask you, I'm telling you. I'm going with you,” I inform him and start to put my shoes on.
I finish putting my shoes on and look up to see William standing right in front of me. “What?” I ask him.
“I'm really sorry, but Andrew would want me to do this,” William says.
“Do what? What are you talking about?” I ask in confusion.
“Again, I'm really sorry for this,” William says as he picks me up over his shoulder.
“Put me down right now, William! Now! William!” I yell as I hit his back. “Put me the hell down right now!” I keep yelling.
“You're not going!” William shouts at me.
He carries me into Andrew's room and sets me down on the bed. He grabs my hand and places a metal handcuff around my wrist. He then attaches it to the bed post. “You've go to be kidding me!”
“It's too dangerous for you to go. I'm sorry I had to do this, but you left me no choice,” William says.
“Okay! The joke is over. Uncuff me, please!”
William shakes his head. “Not going to happen. I'm sorry.”
“William!” I shout.
“Caroline is going to stay here with you. You two can catch up. We should be back with Andrew before the sun rises,” William tells me, and walks out of the room. He's such an asshole. How dare he handcuff me to the damn bed?
Caroline walks into the room with tears forming in her eyes. “I'm sorry, Nina. It's for your safety.”
“It's fine. Leave it to William to have the bright idea to handcuff me to a bed post.”
Caroline smiles and I do the same. “You've changed.”
“I have?” I ask in shock. I don't feel like I've changed.
“You look happy,” Caroline admits.
“Andrew makes me happy.”
“You seem like such a strong person now,” Caroline observes.
“I wake up and I want to give up every day, but I don't. Instead, I tell myself to stay strong and hold on. It has helped me so much. Being strong is the only thing I have left. Without it, I would just crumble and fall into severe depression again,” I confess.
“How's your,” Caroline pauses. It's almost like she doesn't want to say the next word. “Your depression?”
“I finally found a way to cope with it,” I admit.
“How?”
“I sat in my room one day. I was staring at my door, just waiting for someone to walk through and help me, help me get rid of the pain, the sadness, the hurt I felt inside.” Tears start to fall down my face. “The door never opened. I sat and cried for hours and hours. I finally told myself that enough is enough. This sadness has to be put to an end. I finally found my happiness with Andrew. Without him, I would probably still be depressed out of my mind.”
“How do you cope with it, with the depression?” Caroline asks as tears fall down her face.
“I just face it head on. I look depression in the face and make it clear that this can't go on any longer. I just make sure to remind myself every day to stay strong.”
“Is your depression finally gone?”
I shake my head. “My depression will never be gone, and I'm okay with that. Every day it gets easier to fight off and to cope with. Don't get me wrong, some days I will feel sad for no reason. Some days I'm just not strong enough to fight it off, but I keep looking toward the future, and I remind myself to smile, because life is such a beautiful thing.”
“You're such a strong person, and I look up to you for that. I want you to know that,” Caroline confesses to me. I can't help but smile and cry at the same time.
Caroline hugs me softly. Tears fall down my face faster. It feels so good to have her here with me right now. Especially in the time I need my sister the most. It feels even better to have her sit here and tell me she looks up to me for being such a strong person.
“So,” I clear my throat and wipe away my tears. “Why did you leave? The truth.”
Caroline takes a deep breath. “Two reasons. The first one is because I didn't want you to change yourself into a vampire-healer to save my humanity. I couldn't live with myself if you did that just for me. I left because I wanted to protect you from that.”
“And the second reason?” I ask.
“The second reason is because William and I both knew that the Brothers were going to come back hard with their revenge. We knew they were going to come back for you to kill you. We decided to pretend to run away.”
“Why didn't you tell me? I could have played along with it instead of worrying about you every minute you were gone,” I cry.
“It had to seem as real as possible. The Brothers aren't easily tricked. We had to tell you we were running away. We needed to be five steps ahead of the Brothers, and the only way to do that was to make them think we were gone so we could spy on them. We were looking out for you and Andrew the whole time. We studied their routines. We scoped out their hiding places. We know everything that they know.”
“Where did you go?” I ask.
“Nina, we never left. Each hotel room or place we stayed, we only stayed there for a couple of days, and then moved to the next spot. We were only a couple towns away. We always stayed close to you, so we knew we could protect you if you need us.”
“Wow,” I say as I shake my head. “You did all that to keep us safe?”
“You're my sister. Andrew is William's brother. We wanted to protect our family, and this was the only way. I missed you every day I was gone,” Caroline admits to me.
I hug her tight and catch her scent.
“You should sleep, Nina. I will have Andrew wake you up as soon as he gets back.”
“What if he doesn't come back? What if they kill him? Lynns, I can't live one day in this world without him.”
“He will come back home safely. You have to have hope and faith. Andrew will be home by morning,” Caroline says, as she tries to comfort me by rubbing my back.
Tears start falling down my face and blurring my vision. “If Andrew doesn't come home, I will never have happiness again. He's the love of my life. He's the reason for my smile, my laughter. He's my happiness, and I can't lose him.”
“Let's cuddle and fall asleep together. I bet you they will be back before the sun sets,” Caroline smiles as she climbs into bed with me.
Caroline cuddles up to me and we both start to fall asleep in the presence of each other. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. I finally have my sister back.
Chapter 21
My Love
Dear Diary,
They've taken not only the love of my life, but my happiness as well. Andrew's my love, my life, my other half. I wouldn't be able to breathe without him. I wouldn't be able to function without my other half. Life as I know it would be over. I need him back. I need to feel his touch again, his soft lips against mine. I need my forever back.
Love, Nina
* * * *
My eyes open quickly as the front door slams. I try to jump off of the bed, but one of my hands is still handcuffed to the bed post. I try pulling as hard as I can, but there's no point. My hand begins to thr
ob in pain. “Andrew!” I yell. “Andrew!”
Caroline wakes and is on her feet quickly. “They're back,” she says and disappears.
“Can someone please uncuff me!” I scream at the top of my lungs. The wait is killing me inside. I need to know the verdict. Is Andrew with them? Is he still alive?
As I wait, I see the most beautiful face, the face I've been waiting to see. Andrew's dark eyes are half open. William is helping him walk into the room. He looks like they tortured him; he looks half dead. “Andrew! Oh my God, Andrew! You're alive!” I start to cry.
“I promised you I would love you for all eternity. Always and forever,” Andrew stutters out. He looks paler than usual. Blood covers his face and arms. His shirt is drenched in blood. All I see is red everywhere.
“Now you know he's alive,” William says, and then looks at Andrew. “We must go.”
“What are you talking about? He just got here. You can't take him anywhere.”
“Nina, calm down. He needs to feed. He needs blood so he can heal himself and get stronger. He's way too weak,” William informs me.
“Can you at least uncuff me?” I ask frantically.
William walks over to my side and uncuffs me quickly. “We must go now, Andrew.”
Andrew nods his head. “I'll be back before you know it, my love.”
“I love you, Andrew.”
“Always and forever.”
* * * *
I've been laying here for the past two hours trying to force myself to get a couple more hours of rest while everyone else is out feeding, probably on humans. I can't seem to get the voice inside my head to shut up. I'm just so happy that Andrew's safe. I thought I was going to lose the love of my life, my happiness. William came through and he rescued my love.
I hear the front door open, he must be home. I quickly jump up, but before I reach the door, Andrew appears in front of me. He looks so much better, like he was never captured by those vicious vampires.
Andrew grabs my hands and pulls me close to him. I feel his body against mine, and I smell the scent of his sweet breath. Desperation and fear are clearly displayed on his pale face.
“I thought I was never going to see you again. I thought I lost you forever. Your bright face was imprinted in my memory. Your voice telling me everything will be okay, and that you love me, was replaying in my head.” I see a single tear fall from his perfect face. “For the first time in a hundred years, I was scared. Scared that we were over, that my very existence was over. I was so scared, Nina.” Tears start streaming down his face.
I can't fight the tears anymore, and they start falling. He was scared. Not for himself, not for the possibility that he may die, but scared because he thought he would never see me again. Scared that there wouldn't be a me and him anymore. “I'm right here. You're safe, and I'm safe, my love. I'm here, Andrew. Always and Forever,” I choke the words out through my trembling voice.
“I love loving you,” Andrew says as his eyes look into mine.
“I know the feeling,” I continue to cry.
“It's an amazing feeling to be loved by you,” Andrew admits. I feel more tears stream down my face.
“I love hearing you say I love you,” I admit back to him.
Andrew smiles. “I never run out of ways to tell you that I love you.” Andrew eyes look at our connected hands, and he caresses my right hand with his soft and gentle fingers. “Nobody has ever made me feel good about myself. Nobody has ever had faith in me. You make me believe that there is still hope for me, and that's something no one has ever been able to do. You're different than anyone I have ever met, and that's a good thing, my love.”
I stand silent as he confesses his love for me. I smile and I cry. This moment, this moment right now, I wish I could live in it forever. I want to replay this moment over and over again. He is the love I never thought I would find. “I never gave up hope that you would come home to me. I prayed every night you were gone. I never gave up hope on you.” Tears fall endlessly down my face. “Andrew, I was scared too. At moments, I thought that I would never see you again. I thought that I would never be able to feel your touch on my skin, but then I had to keep telling myself that you will come home, and you would never leave me alone. Hope and faith has finally been on my side.”
Andrew steps closer to me. “You're my forever, and you always will be.”
I smile and press my lips against his. I have never loved another soul so much in my entire life. My life wouldn't be the same without him. He's my other half. Without him, I'm just not whole. He's my muse.
* * * *
I love cuddling on the couch in front of a blazing fire with Andrew. I'm so happy to finally have him back home with me. Life wouldn't be the same if he wasn't here with me. I hear the front door open. I don't look over, as it's probably Lilah or Alex coming home. “Andrew,” I hear a voice say, and turn to see who it is. My eyes go wide and anger fills me quickly. Ora. What the hell is she doing here? “I heard what happened to you. I wanted to make sure you were okay. I needed to come check on you. I wish I could have helped.”
Andrew stands up and walks over toward her. “Thank you, but you need to leave right now.”
“Why? I want to help you, Andrew. I was so worried about you,” Ora says as she gets closer to Andrew. He backs up almost instantly.
I stand up and walk toward them both. I stand in between Andrew and Ora. “You heard him, you need to leave right now!” I yell. How dare she come into this house, unwelcomed?
She glares at me, and I see her eyes turning darker and darker. “I was just trying to be nice. Fine, I'll leave, but I will promise you one thing, you little healer bitch. I will see you very soon!” She says calmly with a smile.
Andrew steps between us. Why would he do that? I know she could rip me to pieces within a second, but I'm not scared of the bitch! “You need to leave before I remove you myself.”
Ora just smiles and nods. “I'm glad to see that you're okay, Andrew. I'll see you both soon.”
* * * *
The warm water feels good on my cold skin, as I let it fall endlessly on my face. I soak my hair and add shampoo. I love taking showers and feeling freshly clean. It's one of the best feelings. I add conditionar next, and rub it through my knotted hair until it starts to become nice and smooth. It's almost like silk.
The shower curtain opens, and Andrew's naked body stands in front of me. Damn, he's sexy. My tounge finds my lips. He looks me up and down and smiles. His body gets closer to me. Butterflies start to go crazy in my stomach.
Andrew grabs my hips as he pulls me in, and our lips smash together. His touch makes goosebumps spread across my entire body.
It feels like the water is getting hotter. The steam is rising all around us. It smells of coconut body wash and a vanilla orchard flower mixed together. It's very potent and sexy.
I feel the need to have him inside of me. I want to have him in every way I can. Sensations are fluttering through my whole body. The desire I feel is so unexplainable. I just need his body closer to mine. I need more of him.
His hands glide down my skin, and I instantly arch my back. Our breathing becomes heavier. It's like we need each other, like we need passion and love.
He pushes me against the tiled wall. The hot, steamy water is still running over our naked bodies.
Finally, I feel him enter inside of me and we start to make love for the first time in the shower.
* * * *
I pull the towel out of my damp hair and toss it on the floor. I jump in Andrew's bed and cuddle up to him as close as I can. I love the feeling of his body touching mine. I slide my hand across his chest. Smooth, no hair, just how I like it. He's perfect in every way.
“I missed you so much,” I say in almost a whisper.
“I missed you too. It feels like I was gone for a decade,” Andrew says and then let's out a sigh of relief.
“What did they do to you in there?” The question slips out of my mouth. “Did they
torture you?”
Andrew's eyes leave mine and he looks at the wall. “Yes.”
I look at him and wait for him to be more specific with his answer, but he doesn't say anything else. “What did they do to you?” I ask.
“It doesn't matter, Nina,” Andrew says as he starts to get aggravated.
“Just tell me.”
“They chained me up and tortured the hell out of me. Is that what you want to hear?” Andrew says as pure rage flashes across his face.
“I'm sorry,” I say as tears form in my eyes.
“No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. I just don't want to talk about it. It doesn't matter anymore, it's in the past. All that truly matters is that you're safely in my arms,” Andrew says as his lips kiss my forehead.
He's right. That is all that matters right now.
Chapter 22
Captured
Dear Diary,
I'm going crazy. I hate being stuck in my house while Andrew and everyone goes to find answers to all my problems. I just want to go to school. All I want is be normal for seven hours a day, five days a week. Is that too much to ask for? I know everyone is trying to do what's best for me, and keep me safe, but I just want to be surrounded by normal and human things.
Everyone is off doing their vampire feedings. They should be gone for a good five or six hours. Maybe I could sneak off to school and take my punishment later. I will be safe in school if I'm surrounded by humans. The Brothers and John Michael wouldn't attack me at school with hundreds of witnesses. I will just make sure to never be alone.
I've made up my mind. I'm going to school today. I can't let those evil vampires take everything normal out of my life.
Love, Nina
* * * *
I jump out of bed with a smile plastered on my face. I don't think any teenager has ever been excited to attend school like I am right now. I know that school is boring, and I would have to sit and listen to my teachers lecture me all day, but that's exactly what I want. I want a normal day, and I want to show Andrew that it's perfectly safe for me to go to school. I want to be able to prove him wrong for once.