Clara began to cry as she leaned across the table and held my hand. “Thank you so much for that. We forget that our children need more than just us sometimes,” she stated, glancing at Lawrence who nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, footsteps were heard rounding the corner to the kitchen and we all stopped and stared as Cara made her way back into the room.
I gulped down my unease because there was no telling what she would do or say. When I looked at her, I saw pain radiating in her eyes.
She slowly sat down in her chair again and scooted herself up to the table. “I heard your conversation,” she said, her voice quiet and shaky.
Cohen tensed next to me like he was preparing to protect me. That did not settle with me.
“I am sorry, Henley. It is hard for me to accept anyone new into our lives. I have wanted for many years to have friends. To date. But fearing what could happen always stopped me. If Cohen can find someone like you, then maybe Colin and I can, too,” she said, offering a half smile.
Her words meant the world to me and I knew she was trying, despite herself.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Well, enough talking and crying,” Clara rang out. “Let’s eat.”
And so, we all sat around the family dining table and ate dinner. We talked and laughed and it was glorious. In that moment, I felt like our worlds were no longer shadowed by fear and loneliness. We had each other and for now, that was enough.
Chapter 18
The next evening at work, I was daydreaming during my shift at the Twitter Cafe. I had agreed to work the evening shift which ended at six-thirty. It was always slow on weekday nights, so I didn’t mind closing up. I would plug in my music to the cafe speakers and sing along as I worked cleaning off the counters and sweeping the floors. I had been in an exceptionally good mood after spending yesterday with Cohen. My mom was still keeping me updated on my dad, and it seemed as if every day he was growing stronger.
As I stepped outside into the darkness, I turned and locked the door behind me. I had parked behind the cafe and knew it would still be lit by the streetlights. One thing I always hated about the cold months was how the sun seemed to disappear before you could realize it was evening. I relished the thought of spring and summer when daylight seemed to last well into the night hours.
I dug for my keys out of my jeans pocket and was just about to unlock my SUV when I heard my name behind me.
“Henley,” an unfamiliar voice rang out.
I turned, almost expecting to see Cohen playing another joke on me, but instead, I saw someone else. Beau.
“Hi,” I said, unsure of what to say.
“Hello, Henley,” he said, taking a step out of the confines of the darkness and into the light. He looked sinister, like an evil villain from a Disney movie.
“Uh, Cohen isn’t with me,” I stated, feeling a bit nervous from his proximity to me.
“I know. He is at home with his family,” he added, his voice hissing with the words.
I tried to walk past him, but he jumped in front of me. I gasped, taken aback by his action.
“What do you want?” I asked, now feeling in danger.
“I have a warning for you. Stay away from Cohen and his family,” Beau snarled at me.
“Why?” I asked, raising my eyes at him.
“You humans don’t understand. Yes, I know Cohen told you all about us. Stupid, stupid boy,” he growled out. “We are our own community. When you walked into his life, he made a choice to put us all in danger. You need to walk away from him now. Forget you know him,” he warned.
I watched him for a minute. Then, something dawned on me. “You tried to run me over,” I accused, not even bothering to ask. Beau was bad news; and I knew from his warning and the way Cohen talked about him, he was dangerous, too.
“Yes, and if your zombie boyfriend hadn’t chosen to be brave, I would have succeeded with ending our problem,” he finished with a laugh.
He considered me a problem that he wanted to get rid of. My body began to shake as I realized I was in far greater danger than I ever dreamed.
“Hey, leave her alone,” I heard the voice before I could register what was even happening.
Cohen ran so fast toward Beau, I barely made out his movements. He slammed Beau against the brick exterior of the cafe and the thud of their bodies colliding almost made me sick.
Beau smiled as Cohen slipped one hand around his neck and began to squeeze. “I told you to leave this human alone. What you are doing is playing a very dangerous game, my friend,” Beau seethed.
“We are not friends. I told you, what I decide to do with my life is my business. Leave Edison now, or I will resort to telling the elders about what you are doing. You know the number one rule: Never hurt a human,” Cohen said flatly, his eyes locked on Beau.
I wanted to scream or run, but I was frozen in place. My fight or flight instincts were numb right now.
Laughing, Beau placed a hand on Cohen’s arm and shoved him back. Cohen stumbled but caught himself beside me. “Go ahead and tell the elders. You are also forgetting a very important rule yourself. Never become attached to a human. We learn this in our once a year meetings,” Beau says, but this time he is talking to me. “We all meet up, you know all of us zombies, and we check on one another and ensure none of us are breaking the ethics we agreed to abide by. Seems like Cohen is forgetting his own rules,” Beau finished.
“Get out of here. I won’t tell you again,” Cohen stated, grabbing my hand and forcing me to stand behind him.
Beau smiled at us before taking off down the street. In an instant, he was gone. Almost as if he had disappeared into thin air. I could still hear his demands in my head as Cohen tried to talk to me.
I assured him I was fine, but we both knew it was a lie. Beau’s words would be stuck in my head for a very, very long time.
Chapter 19
The next few days were filled with fun, joy, and complete happiness. And...a little bit of fear. Ever since my dinner with Cohen’s family, Cohen and I had grown closer. We even started hanging out with his brother and sister, more.
I noticed Collin talking to more girls and Cara was even attempting to talk to people at school. It seemed like they were finally taking a chance on acting like humans-- and it was incredible.
More importantly, Cohen had grown more protective. Ever since my run-in with Beau, he seemed to be on high-alert. I hated that he felt like he had to live with even more caution; but with Beau, you just didn’t know what he was going to do. We spent the next few days, hanging out, but keeping our eyes and ears on alert for Beau. Thankfully, it seemed as if he had listened to Cohen and left us alone. Maybe he had even left Edison, too.
By the time the weekend rolled around, I was ecstatic about the idea of having some time alone with Cohen. Between school, work, and getting to know his family more, I barely had time to just talk to him without anyone else around.
“I want to take you out tonight, just me and you,” Cohen said, as he leaned against my locker.
The last bell of the day had just rung, and the halls were chaotic with students trying to get out of the building.
Closing my locker, I moved closer to Cohen. He looked amazing today in a dark navy, long sleeved shirt and dark, denim jeans. “I would love that,” I said, breathlessly.
Offering his breathtaking smile, Cohen threw an arm around my shoulder, took my backpack from me, and led me outside.
He had parked next to me today. When we reached our cars, he opened my door for me like a true gentleman and placed my backpack in the backseat. As I sat down in the driver's seat, he leaned in and my car was instantly filled with his sweet scent.
“When you get home, be waiting by the door. I am going to pick you up and we are going somewhere special. Just the two of us,” he winked, before leaning in and kissing me.
The world stopped spinning the moment his lips met mine. He had this magical abi
lity to make me feel special. I would forever be grateful for his presence.
I rushed home and freshened up before standing by my door, anxiously waiting for Cohen.
As soon as he pulled into my driveway, I ran to his car.
He got out and helped me by opening my door. I would never get over that.
I sat down in his sports car and my hands swept over the tan leather interior. I knew nothing about cars, but this was something special.
“What kind of car is this?” I asked.
“A Camaro,” Cohen said.
“So much for wanting to stay unnoticed,” I joked.
“Hey, I deserve this,” he added, pretending to be offended.
“How can you afford this car?” I asked.
“My dad has been around for a while. He made some great investments in the stock market under numerous names. He buys and sells real estate all around the world. We use offshore bank accounts, so no one can trace the accounts back to us. I guess over my lifetime, I have saved up enough money to buy a car I wanted,” he added with a wink.
“How old are you exactly?” I asked, as Cohen backed out of my driveway and began to drive.
“Sixteen, just like you,” he laughed.
“Come on,” I prompted. “How old?”
I wasn’t sure if I would like this answer or not, but I needed to know.
Sighing, Cohen turned onto another street and I noticed his eyes seemed to dim a little. “Technically, I am in my fifties. If you go by human years. But, I haven’t aged since I was sixteen,” he added.
I knew he looked and acted sixteen, but it was still strange to hear that he should be in his fifties. It must be odd to have your life paused and you can’t control it.
We drove down to the water and Cohen parked in a public parking area. The cold wind wrapped around us as we got out and began walking down the street.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“There is a Ferry that takes off in ten minutes. I thought it would be fun to ride across the waterway and then back. We can get hot chocolate and watch the scenery outside,” Cohen said.
It was absolutely perfect. Most teens would probably go out to eat or find a movie in another city. But Cohen knew this is what I would want. The water was my favorite place, and I couldn’t think of a better place for us to have a date.
We boarded the Ferry and made our way up to the top deck. Cohen ordered us two hot chocolates and we found a bench with a large window facing outside. With his arm around me and a warm, delicious drink in my hand, I felt like I was floating on a cloud.
“This is amazing,” I sighed, nestling against his side.
“You make it amazing,” Cohen said, placing a kiss on top of my head.
Putting his drink on a table settled beside our bench, Cohen took my drink and did the same. He grabbed both of my hands and laced our fingers together. He looked deep into my eyes and I swear I felt my breathing stop. My heart began to race and I wanted to memorize this moment forever.
“Henley, I never knew I could be happy until I met you. I have waited my entire life to find you and now that I have you, I will do everything to keep you in it. We might be young, but I love you so much,” he said, staring deep into my eyes.
I gasped as so many emotions flooded me. This seemed more like a dream, rather than my reality. If it were a dream, I hoped I would never awaken.
“Cohen, I love you, too,” I stated, before throwing my arms around his neck and kissing him.
When we finally broke apart, we were both panting and smiling.
“I will do everything for you, Henley,” Cohen said, leaning back against the bench again and taking me in his arms.
“I know you will. We have each other now. Nothing will tear us apart,” I added.
We remained locked together the rest of the ride and it was beyond the perfect night. I only wished it could last forever.
Chapter 20
When we got back to Cohen’s car, I noticed that my phone was lit up with several text messages and calls. Cohen and I had agreed to leave our phones in the car. We didn’t want anyone to interrupt our time together.
As Cohen started the car, I noticed his phone, too, had several notifications.
“Hey, people have been trying to reach us,” I said, holding up our phones.
Cohen took his phone from me and held it up to his ear. As he listened to his voicemails, I watched as his face went from nervous. ..to frightened... to angry.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. He was starting to scare me.
“We have to get back to my house,” he said, biting out the words.
Cohen revved the engine and sped down the streets. I sat back, holding on as I prayed everything was ok.
When we pulled onto our street, I knew something was terribly wrong. Cohen’s hands gripped the steering wheel and his eyes became red flames. He raced to his driveway, and I spotted a large, black van and another smaller black car both parked outside of his house.
Cohen barely had time to put the car in park before he jumped out of his seat. “Stay in the car, Henley,” he yelled over his shoulder.
Ignoring him, I jumped out of the car and ran behind him. “No, I am coming with you.”
Cohen threw open his front door and I heard loud voices and screaming. I halted once inside. To my horror, I spotted Cara and Collin tied to kitchen chairs, tape over their mouths as they struggled to get free.
Lawrence was fighting with a man in a black suit and Clara was screaming for Cohen to leave and run.
“Get out of here, Cohen. Save yourself,” she wailed.
It was like a horror film but this was worse. These were people I loved and cared about.
“No, I will never leave,” Cohen growled out.
Noticing me behind him, Cohen turned and tried to push me out the door. “Henley, you have to go. They could kill you,” he warned.
“I am not leaving you,” I said, staring into his eyes.
Before Cohen could argue, a loud thud was heard; and as we both turned around, I saw Lawrence go flying through the air. A sickening crack resonates through the house and my stomach drops. His body landed with a thud on the stairs, breaking the wooden railing. From the force of his body landing on the stairs, he must have broken every bone in his body. Pieces of wood splintered and were projected all around us. I felt a sharp pain as a piece of wood pierced through my arm. It was a small cut, but it still hurt. However, I didn’t have time to worry about that.
It was clear what was happening. Cohen’s family had been discovered.
Cohen leaped into action, and I couldn’t help the scream that escaped my mouth as I watched him rush toward the man who had just thrown his dad. The man held up a large weapon--a mix between a rifle and a torch. Cohen halted as the weapon was aimed right at his chest.
Lawrence groaned from the stairs, but I watched in amazement as he stood up, unharmed.
“Stop!” I scream out in anguish, tears racing down my cheeks.
Wiping the broken pieces of wood off of himself, Lawrence lets out a menacing growl. It was the first time that he appeared like a zombie.
“Nice try, but you all should know by now. I am a zombie. It will take far worse than that to kill me,” he stated, glaring at the men in suits.
“Possibly, but this human girl looks easily destroyed,” the man said, his voice laced with a threat. I take a moment to really look at him. Light from the above chandelier glows off his bald head. His light skin is wrinkled around his gray eyes and he smells of cigarettes and fast food. “Isn’t that right, Beau?”
What? That couldn’t be right. Beau was like Cohen; he wouldn’t turn on his own kind. Would he?
Suddenly, all heads in the room turned to me, and I felt the terror being rained down on me. Beau stepped out of the kitchen with a sinister style over his thin lips.
“What are you doing, Beau?” Cohen asked. “You left. You said you woul
d leave!”
“I tried to warn you, Cohen. I even tried to warn your family, but they wouldn’t listen to me,” Beau said, as he took slow, deliberate steps my way. “Being with a human puts us all at risk,” he seethed. “I tried to end our problem by running her over in the streets, but you wouldn’t let that happen. I even warned you both that night outside of the café; but still, you refused to listen to me.”
My mouth fell open from shock. Lawrence’s eyes widened as he saw Cohen attempt to move toward me, but he was stopped again by the man holding the weapon. It was like Beau was working for them now.
“How could you?” Cohen asked. His voice was filled with betrayal.
“Well, I have to admit, it wasn’t easy at first. But, they offered me immunity. I help them track down the others.”
“What about your own family?” Cohen demanded. I saw him look around and knew he could never betray them like Beau had done to his own family.
“My family left me to fend for myself years ago. I have tried to find another family to settle with, but none of you would welcome me in. So, when I was caught by the FBI trackers, I pleaded with them. In return, they offered me a deal I couldn’t refuse,” he smiled.
His eyes were evil, and I wanted to send him back to the depths of whatever pit he had crawled out of.
“You turned your back on your own kind? This is low, even for you,” Lawrence stated.
There were only two human men there, but they seemed to hold a lot of power with their weapons. Beau seemed confident with them on his side. But, I couldn’t help but wonder; would they ever turn their backs on him? He was being used, a pawn in their games. Would he end up victorious or would he ultimately lose?
He inched closer to me, tracing his hand along my arm. I shuddered, wanting to vomit from his touch.
Shadowed (The Shadow and Moon Series) Page 11