by Macy Farmer
“Yes and thank you.” Nodding, she closed her eyes momentarily. She let out a long shaky breath.
“Thank you for bringing me back to Bradley.” If she hadn’t done that I could be dead right now instead of sitting here with a broken ankle and bruises. I rubbed my jaw, thankful I had been able to heal it.
“Thank you for stopping Andrew. Had you not done that I surely would not have recovered.”
Yeah, and don’t you forget it, I thought to myself.
Wanting to forget that horrible night, I shoved the nightmarish memories deep into the back of my mind where they could no longer hurt me. It’s something I did with all my painful memories. The sooner I forgot them, the better.
I turned my attention to Colleen, “How long was I out this time?” A hearty laugh shook her shoulders, bringing a smile to my face.
“You were asleep a little over twenty-four hours. Considering what you went through, you look surprisingly well rested and good.”
“Wow, that’s it. It feels like I’ve been out longer than that.” I’m sure I would have been had I not healed all the major wounds. “Where are the guys?”
With everything that had happened in the last couple of days, it felt like I hadn’t seen Bradley in weeks. It’s been too long; I needed to see him. The last time we saw each other my body, as well as my mind, had been severely traumatized. The memories of the pain and anger that raged in his eyes had my body trembling.
Remembering how different his touch felt, and his voice sounded, it worried me that he wouldn’t feel the same way about me.
“They went out to eat.” Colleen laughed at herself. “Dave said that Brad should feed more frequently until he has better control. They left about an hour ago.”
“Oh. Is he okay?” Emotions like fear and concern of the unexpected prompted the question. Better control of what, his thirst? “And what happened to Andrew?” I had a bad feeling about Andrew. My instincts told me he got away. I sure hope not, I just wanted it all to be over.
Colleen rolled her eyes at my concern, “Brad’s fine. He’s in control. Jess thinks that Brad is feeding more so that he can be ready to make up for lost time with you.” Winking, she laughed.
I’m pretty sure Jesse is wrong. Bradley will probably keep his hands to himself claiming that he’s worried about hurting me. It’ll be like it was before we were married or worse, he’ll no longer want me like he did before. I shook the negative thoughts aside.
She still didn’t answer my second question, giving me the impression that she wanted to avoid talking about Andrew, but I didn’t. I needed to know what’s going on so I asked again, “What happened to Andrew?”
“Nat, Brad doesn’t want us to say anything.”
“Well, Coll, Bradley is not here and I have a right to know. So please tell me.”
Cheryl chimed in, “He got away, Natty. They almost had him but Andrew got a hold of Jess and threw him.”
Like you did to me? I scowled.
Pausing she looked away. “Both Dave and Brad ran to catch him before he slammed into a tree. Luckily they did or he may have had a broken back right now. Anyway Andrew took off.” Colleen just stared angrily at Cheryl. Angrily is too mild a word. Colleen’s eyes were murderous. “I’m not going to deceive her ever again, Colleen. She does have a right to know.”
“The fact that Brad lets you come here at all is beyond me, but he is definitely going to be upset about this.” Colleen glared wickedly at her. I envisioned that she was shooting daggers at her face; this made me smirk.
“Thanks, Cheryl. I won’t tell Bradley that you told me.” After a moment I decided now was a good time as any to say, “Cheryl, thanks for not telling Anthony and Andrew about me and Seager. Things would have been far worse had they known.”
“Enough of this depressing conversation!” Colleen demanded. Annoyed, she grabbed my hand and examined my fingers, then looked over at Cheryl’s. “Both of you are in desperate need of a manicure. What do you say, ladies?”
“Fine. But first I need a shower. And I have a slight dilemma.” I looked down at my ugly cast. “What am I going to wear?”
“We’ll get your clothes and the nail polishes while you get a shower.”
***
Before getting into the shower I chanted a spell to prevent my cast from getting wet. I tried to get a quick shower but it just didn’t happen. The hot water felt too good on my achy body. When the hot water turned cold, I had no choice but to get out. Quickly, I brushed my teeth and hair before hollering for my clothes.
Just as suspected, Colleen took advantage of the situation by handing me a skirt. After putting on the pretty blue blouse and black skirt she had picked out, I went back out front, admitting only to myself that the skirt had been easier to put on with the cast.
When standing fully on the porch, Colleen started clapping, telling me how beautiful I looked and how much Bradley was going to like my outfit. For her, I slowly twirled, my balance wavered because of the cast, forcing me to take a seat.
Each of them took one of my hands and did my nails. While they dried, Colleen did Cheryl’s.
Watching Cheryl, I started to feel a little grateful that Bradley hadn’t sent her away. It would take me a long time to trust her again and I doubted if I’d be alone with her anytime soon. She had made a huge mistake, but overall she was a good person. I felt bad for her because I knew she didn’t have any real friends before, not until she met us. Never experiencing the true value of friendship, she got a little lost. One day, but not anytime soon, I will ask her what actually sent her over the edge.
Enjoying the view of our beautiful yard, I noticed a Winnebago on the other side of the house. It looked fairly new, suitable for a small family.
“What’s that doing here?” I asked as I pointed towards it.
“Oh yeah, that. Well, Jess and I will be living in that for the next few days.”
“Why?”
“Before you woke up, all Brad kept saying is that he wanted everyone to leave so he could be alone with you. He said the two of you had been apart for too long.” She tried to mimic his voice but failed miserably. “Jess on the other hand refused to leave until Andrew is taken care of. So after several hours of them arguing back and forth, this was the compromise I came up with. This way Brad will be alone with you at night, Jess can still watch over the both of you, and I will get some quality alone time with Jesse. So that…” she pointed to the Winnebago “…is to make everyone happy.”
“Oh. Okay. As long as everyone is happy.”
I got up and went into the house. At first I wasn’t sure why, but when I found myself standing on the back porch I knew. In the middle of our yard the grass was a charcoal black, still freshly charred from cremating Anthony. There would always be a scar, a small reminder of my final encounter with Anthony. At first, I felt proud of myself. Proud that I had the courage to stand up to Anthony and destroy him for his evil ways.
The pride and confidence vanished after replaying the horrible encounters I had with Andrew, leaving me to feel ashamed and weak because I didn’t have the strength or courage to defeat him. It was devastating to know that he was still out there, and I feared that I may never be free of him. Because of him, Bradley had to change, which in turn has inescapably changed our relationship forever.
“What’s up, Nat?” Startled, I spun around, nearly falling over, to find a worried look on Colleen’s face.
“Nothing. I just wanted to see it in the daylight. It felt like it happened a long time ago.” I walked back into the house, through the kitchen, into the living room. From my point of view I could see Cheryl sitting on the porch. My body trembled with worry. I grew concerned that if Cheryl saw the burnt patch she would snap and attack me again.
“Come on, Nat, what’s really bothering you?” Her voice barely audible, she stood in front of me, put her hands on my shoulders, and studied my eyes. “Why are you frightened?” Have my eyes deceived me? How did she know I was frightened?
“A lot has happened this past week. I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll be here.” She hugged me and didn’t let go right away. “It’ll be okay, Nat.” Although she was right about my being frightened, I was more worried about Bradley and me. Now that he was a vampire, our relationship would never be the same again. It’ll be just like before… Or worse, he won’t want me anymore. My tears came quicker than usual.
“Why are you crying,” she asked, hugging me again. “He won’t get to you, we won’t let him.”
I already knew they wouldn’t be able to stop him from getting to me. Or Bradley for that matter. It’s my destiny, our destiny. Whether or not I survive was irrelevant, he’s coming for me and there’s nothing any of us can do. That’s why it’s so important that Bradley and I spend our time wisely together. No one truly knows what tomorrow will bring, our odds are worse than most because we don’t know when or where that sadistic bastard is going to attack next.
“I’m not thinking about Andrew, Coll. I’m thinking about Bradley. Now that he’s a vampire everything is going to change. It’ll never be the same.”
Her body shook with laughter. “Are you kidding me? Brad has been pacing trying to figure out how he’s going to get alone time with his wife. The entire time you were out he’s been trying to figure out ways that the two of you can still be together. Both of you are exhausting!”
It is exactly as I feared. His feelings for me did change, otherwise why would he have thought of ways to keep us together?
“The guys are on their way back. It won’t be long. Let’s go sit out front and wait for them. Dry your tears, Nat, or your Bradley will get upset.”
Her sarcastic tone made me smile. I didn’t want to bring her down, too. Plus, I will do everything I can to make sure Bradley is happy, even if it is without me.
“Thanks, Coll. I’ll race ya.” Using my magic, I knocked her to the ground and hobbled quickly to the door, beating her to the finish line. “I win!” I raised my hands, waving them in the air and cheering, “Winner.”
“I can’t believe you cheated.” Shaking her head, her eyes were wide with astonishment.
Giggling, “You’re a grizzly, Coll. I’m a witch. It’s not cheating.” Her facial expression had me laughing so hard my tears of sorrow turned to happy ones. When Cheryl heard what I did, she also started to laugh. All three of us were still cracking up when the guys arrived.
“What’s so funny?” Jesse asked.
So of course Colleen told the story with great exaggeration. Jesse and Dave thought it was funny and agreed that I didn’t cheat.
Bradley just stood at the top of the steps looking at me. When he didn’t come over to me I got up and went to him.
“Is everything okay Bradley?” The change had affected his looks; he’s dazzlingly beautiful, sexier. My memory didn’t do him justice. I stopped right in front of him, inhaling deeply, trying to catch my breath.
Cautiously, worried that if I moved to quickly he’d back away, I reached out my hand and cupped the side of his handsome face. It felt magical. Taking another step closer, I inhaled deeply again, and ran my fingers through his hair while his eyes rolled upwards before closing. Standing on my tippy toes, I leaned up and kissed him, wrapping my other hand around the back of his neck, I pressed my body tightly against his. Although he kissed me back, he didn’t embrace me. This made me stop, drop, and take a step back to look him in the eye.
The gold stars around his pupils were red. I took another step backwards and slowly turned away from him. I’ve seen that look once before. That was the one time I saw how cold and uncaring he could be when he gave in and lost control. Not wanting Bradley to know the feelings I had stirring inside, I turned my attention to Seager.
“Hey, Seager, how are you boy?” I hobbled down the steps and hugged him. “Boy, I missed you. Are you hungry? Come on, I’ll get you something to eat.”
“I missed you too, Nat,” he managed in between licks to my face.
I ignored everybody staring at me, including Bradley, and walked into the house. After filling Seager’s bowl and placing it on the floor, I sat at the kitchen table while he ate, remembering the last time I saw Bradley’s eyes like that. I shook the thought from my head and got up to go back outside. When I turned, I saw Bradley standing in the doorway. Confused by his unfamiliar expression, I avoided his eyes, looking down at his hands. They were balled up tightly into fists. Not wanting to upset him more, I walked around him and into the living room.
“Natalia…” Wrapping his fingers around my arm, he prevented me from leaving. Standing in front of me, he placed his finger under my chin and lifted my face. Forcing my eyes to meet his, he stared intensely into them. His reaction and behavior, unlike I’d ever seen before, confused me even more.
“Why are you confused?” It had been as if he plucked it right from my mind.
“Because you’re not responding to me as you normally would do. It’s as though you don’t want… No… Is it that you don’t love me anymore?” That’s when I lost it. The past week finally caught up with me. “Look, Bradley, I know you’ve changed and I realize that you may not want to be with me any longer, I understand. Whatever. You’re free to go without feeling like you have to stay because of Andrew. I don’t want to live here without you anyway. I’ll move somewhere else.”
I fought the tears. His finger remained under my chin during my little rant. I inhaled deeply to catch my breath. I knew what I had just said and I meant it, but if he agreed, I would never recover from the heartbreak. He held my chin there for the longest time while I looked everywhere but into his eyes.
“Please look at me, Natalia.”
I shook my head no. I didn’t want to cry and I knew I would if I looked at him.
“Please… Natalia?” His chilled breath blew across my face, smelling enticingly delicious, warm and alluring.
To stop myself from kissing him, I looked into his eyes. Avoiding the red star, I noticed they were a pale blue, no green, today. Easily dazzled, I was lost in the depth of their beauty.
He ran his thumb along my bottom lip, making my heart rate increase. As if he heard it picking up pace, he smiled my favorite wicked crooked smile, which made me smile. Next, he slowly leaned in and kissed me softly before backing away.
My heart felt like it was going to pound right out of my chest. When I opened my eyes again he stood there smiling down at me. I inhaled deeply, once again trying to catch my breath. Confused, he frowned. His brows lifted and scrunched together, concerned.
“Why do you keep inhaling deeply like that? Are you okay?”
Only one word was suitable, “Breathless.” I thought he had dazzled me in the past but I’d been wrong. I’d never felt like this before. It would all but kill me if I had to be without him.
“I don’t understand what you mean.” He skimmed his fingers along the side of my cheek down to my chin and traced my lips again. The touch, light as a feather, had me aching deep inside. Inhaling deeply again, trying to catch my breath, my body trembled and the puzzled look reappeared on his face.
“You’re breathless. Everything about you takes my breath away.” My body shook with need, longing to stand closer to him, for our bodies to touch.
“Oh, I see.” Skeptical, his eyes narrowed. “And why are you trembling? Am I too cold for you?” Worry flashed in his eyes before returning to confusion.
“Your touch makes my skin burn and my body trembles because it’s too far away from yours.” Briefly, he glanced down at the small space between us. “Well, too close not to be touching yours.” My words made no sense. He made it hard for me to concentrate.
“Do you still want and love me?” I studied his eyes, his expression and was shocked to see that he had been serious. It finally came to me, what Colleen tried to tell me, he was worried I wouldn’t feel the same way about him.
A smile spread wide across my face as I whispered shyly, “More
than ever and with all my heart.” The embarrassing flames engulfed my cheeks.
He pulled me into him, pressed our bodies together and the trembling ceased, I was finally home. My arms at my side with my chin still in his hand, I happily lost myself in his eyes. Everything I’d ever wanted stood before me; my Knight in Shining Armor, the love of my life. He had rescued me from the clutches of his sadistic, demented father, sacrificing his life, our life, his very being to do so.
Closing his eyes, he released me. Before I could react, before I could voice my objection, his lips were on mine. The kiss sent electricity surging through me again. For fear of provoking him, I fought against the instinct to move, to wrap my arms around his neck, and to run my fingers through his hair. But his kiss made me weak and blurred my all senses. I couldn’t resist.
Throwing caution to the wind, I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck; my body leaned into his, yearning for him. I pressed and ground my hips against him. I’d never wanted, no needed him more. Jumping up, I wrapped my legs around his hips and tried to lock them behind his back, but the cast prevented me from doing so. Frustrated, I started to let my feet drop back down to the floor when he wrapped his hands securely under my butt and held me up. He moved his lips to my neck and I gasped for air.
“Bradley,” I cried. “I missed you.” I kissed him, pouring all my love into it. He moaned and my body reacted with arousal. “Please take me to our room.” I knew he wouldn’t do anything with our friends sitting on the porch, but I needed him. “I need to be with you Bradley, please.”
In the blink of an eye we were in our bedroom. Without breaking our kiss, he set my feet on the floor. At this point I thought he was going to stop but instead he started to undress me. Excited, I pulled my lips from his, moved them to his neck while my hands were drifting down to his waist, lifting his shirt up his torso and over his head. He had me undressed before I even got it off completely. He lifted me up onto the bed and laid his partially clothed body between my legs. I sighed and he stopped kissing my neck to look at me. I refused to look at him. After staring at me for a few seconds he got up. I closed my legs and threw the covers over myself. I was staring at the ceiling when he returned.