by Andy Lewter
Edmund stepped in front of Nicholas to break the tension. “What is it you want? To flee? Then let her loose and go. It isn’t you we’re after,” Edmund divulged in a harsh tone. “The authorities are well on their way. I don’t think you want to be witnessed conversing with people like us.”
Seconds seemed like hours. The only emotion I got from Bryant was strong conflict.
My eyes rested on Nicholas. With each heavy breath he took, his features turned darker and more dangerous. His eyes shifted to a frightening onyx, the shadows under his eyes grew more severe. With his lips curled into a snarl, I knew it was only seconds before he would snap into a frenzy of panic – and this café will be demolished.
In the next moment, searing pain assaulted my senses as Bryant scraped the fork down my neck and shoved my body to the right. Without hesitance, he dashed toward the exit on the left.
My body slammed into an empty table before I hit the floor with a thud. Sighing hard and rolling my head on my shoulders, I pressed my palms on the stiff carpet to stand. But everything stopped when my eyes landed on a pair of familiar-looking shoes.
“Abby?” A comforting voice asked with a hint of confusion. “What are you doing here?”
I lifted my chin and felt my lip tremble. “Mom?”
Nicholas scooped me up in his arms and started pulling me away. With my eyes set on my mother, I fought against him.
“Mom! Mom!”
“Abby, c’mon babe. It’s time to go,” he crooned as he easily outmaneuvered me, inching me toward the door.
“We can’t leave my mom! Go get her! We can’t leave her!” I screamed in panic, my fists hitting everything they could.
The eyes of my mother pierced through mine, begging me to come back. I have to rescue her… I need her back home. I fought Nicholas harder, reaching for her to grab my hand. But then her expression shifted, and she betrayed me with an eerie giggle. Her laugh escalated into a diabolical cackle as Nicholas continued to pull me further away.
“She isn’t your mother anymore,” he whispered into my ear.
Unfamiliar screams escaped my lips as he wrestled me out the door and forced me into our getaway car. Hailey had successfully iced over the sidewalk and made an ice wall framing the street. Bridger had rearranged the parked cars to enable anyone else from coming and going — just as we had planned. Cade was bound and sat between Athena and Edmund in the car ahead of us. The mission was successful — except for me letting my emotions get in the way of what needed to be done.
As much as I pushed Nicholas away, he continued to try and soothe me. My ugly cries were garbled and my shirt became drenched with a mix of tears and blood. Tara kept glancing at me from the front seat, surely trying to think of a way to help — Bridger remained silent as he drove.
After my sobs quieted to hiccups, Nicholas smoothed his hand once more down my cheek and wiped away the remaining tears. Pulling his hand away, he ripped off a strip of his shirt and dabbed it tenderly against my neck. “You will get her back. I promise you that,” he whispered, his copper eyes focusing on my neck wound.
My brows narrowed, and my eyes burned with dry tears. “How could you promise me something like that?”
“I promise,” he assured, his eyes now meeting mine. Fervent devotion hummed through his promise, and as much as I wanted to take comfort in his words, the logical side of me knew better. He was the son of my mortal enemy who detests the existence of humans.
I pursed my lips and looked away, turning my gaze toward the zooming objects out the window. Shaking my head, my mind started circling with hopeful possibilities. But no matter how many scenarios I came up with, one detail remained the same.
There was never going to be a rescue mission. My mother died months ago.
9
Bridger shifted the car into PARK as we sat in the driveway watching Athena and Edmund pulling an all-too-willing, but blindfolded, Cade into our home. A few moments after they walked through the front door, Nicholas, Bridger, Tara, and I made our way out of the vehicle.
Opening the front door, my eyes darted around for Olivia. I turned down the hallway and found her curled in a chair biting her nails. Not hesitating a moment longer, I dived into her arms and buried my face in her shoulder.
“I saw Mom,” I croaked after a minute.
“You did? She’s okay?”
I cast my eyes downward so I wouldn’t see the hurt in her eyes. Feeling it is enough. “She looks great. But she’s not herself. Her eyes met mine — it was her! It was like she was begging me to rescue her.” I sniffed and took a deep breath to steady my voice. “But when Nicholas started pulling me away, she laughed at me, Liv. And it wasn’t a happy laugh. It was an evil cackle — a sound of someone in the hands of Kayla Ludovic.” I sighed and slumped my shoulders.
Liv wrapped her arms around me. “It’s all going to be alright. I just know it,” she said after several moments.
“I’m not sure what to think anymore, honestly. Let’s just see what we can pull from Cade first,” I said reluctantly.
Liv sighed and put on a fake smile. “So aside from Mom, everything went well?”
“Cade? Perfect. But we also found out the D.O.D’s Thomas Bryant is one of Kayla’s puppets.”
She furrowed her brows and shook her head. “Oh boy… that’s not good. At all.”
“Makes a bit more sense, doesn’t it?” Squeezing her one last time, I stood up and turned down the hallway. If there was one person who could make me feel better, it was Miles.
Intense butterflies stirred within me as my eyes fell upon Nicholas in the hallway. He was having a muted conversation with Ray, and I breezed past him without glancing in their direction.
“Abby,” Ray said, following me. “Let me fix up your wound.”
I paused and let him meet me. After he administered his gift, I rubbed my neck with a tired smile. “Thank you.”
Stepping onto the elevator, my eyes locked with Nicholas’ for a quick second before the door squeezed shut. And in that brief second, an unquenchable desire ignited the fire deeply set within his eyes, sending a silent message that locked my knees into a vice. He wasn’t going to stop until I was claimed as his.
Tossing my hair to the side, I shook out my hands and pulled in a breath. I turned my thoughts blank until Miles’ floor appeared before me. As I made my way down the hallway, I came upon several excited voices echoing from his room. Picking up my pace, I skidded to a stop at his door and felt my heart thunder with emotion in my chest.
Familiar emerald-green eyes bored into mine. Not a word was said for several seconds, but I felt my smile grow wider and wider the more I gazed into his comforting features. “Abbs,” he croaked.
That one word sent me sailing into the room. When I reached his bed, I hesitated to pull him into a hug, so instead I grasped his hand and pulled it to my cheek. “I can’t tell you how happy I am right now.”
I could tell he was still in pain from the weak smile he released. “I can say the same.”
“Did you just wake up?”
“About ten minutes ago,” Dara chimed in.
“’Bout time you woke up,” Athena joked as she came into the room, making her notorious entrance. Her lavender eyes lit with delight, and she folded her arms with mock frustration. “I can’t handle hog tier all by myself.”
Miles chuckled and then winced.
“How are ya feeling?” Athena asked in a serious tone, dropping her playful banter. A deep crease formed over her worried eyes as she roved over every inch of his frame.
Miles gently cleared his throat and lowered his gaze. “I’m alive. But it does hurt a bit to breathe.”
“Did someone call for Ray?” Athena asked.
“I just saw him in the hallway on the main floor. I could go get him?” I asked, glancing at Dara.
“I called him a few minutes ago,” she replied.
Just then, I heard feet shuffling up the hallway. Ray appeared with a vast grin; Nicholas li
ngered in the entrance. “I hear I’m needed,” Ray announced happily as he walked across the room. “It’s good to see you awake, man.”
I squeezed Miles’ hand before I stepped back. He smiled at me as Ray took my place. “Here we are again, eh?” Ray teased as he eyed the nurses. “Should we call the doctor?” he asked, glancing back at Dara.
“I think it will be alright. Don’t you think so, Abby? You had similar injuries.”
“I believe he’ll be just fine.”
Ray nodded and placed his hands on Miles’ shoulder in concentration. All eyes were on Ray as we anticipated Miles’ recovery. But a nearly inaudible whisper broke my concentration.
“Abby,” a deep voice whispered. Silently, I glanced back and met Nicholas’ intense eyes that threatened to pull me in. “May I speak with you?”
One glance, I’m enchanted. A single word, I’m cast away in his spell. How can one person hold so much power over my free will? If I let my guard down, his mere presence pulls me into a trance that’s difficult to escape.
I pursed my lips and shook my head. “Not right now.” I kept my eyes focused on Miles. His cheeks flushed with a warm color, and his vibrant skin bore the luminous shine I’d recognize anywhere. Right before my eyes, my best friend transformed back into the strong man I last saw in Los Angeles — all evidence of his frail state was diminished.
Frustration hit me in a robust wave, and I squared my shoulders at Nicholas, meeting his gaze. He pulled in a short breath and cast his eyes heavenward for a brief moment. When he shifted his attention back to me, his features were composed, but misery touched his eyes. “You’re frustrating me to the ends of the earth, Abby.”
“Because I said I didn’t want to speak with you this very moment?”
“It isn’t just what has come from this moment, but if you want to be frank, yes.”
“If you haven’t noticed, my best friend just awoke from a coma, and I would like to spend some time with the man who saved my life!”
“Says the person who hasn’t spent two seconds with the other man who did the same!”
“Don’t you dare compare yourself to him!”
He shook his head in defeat. “I know you feel how much you mean to me. It puzzles me every day you deny your own feelings. Because you know what, Abby?” He stepped forward and coarsely whispered, “I feel it from you, too.”
My face dropped, and I took a step back. I knew he could read my emotions, but for him to come forward and admit them to me… it seemed personal. Like someone ransacking my diary.
No one spoke, and my eyes were solely on Nicholas.
“Oh, come on!” Athena shouted, her cheeks flushing with anger. “Abby! If you think you’re doing us all a favor by ‘choosing the greater good’ then you are kidding yourself! It’s uncomfortable for us all! You would think with your gifts you’d realize that! Instead, your mind is exclusively on tunnel vision and you do not see what’s in front of you. Or around you for that matter!” She stepped close to me, her eyes swimming with a mixture of emotions. She lowered her voice and met my gaze. “You love him. We all know that. What you two have is beyond this world. I’ve seen it firsthand. Stop acting a fool and face it.”
Mortified, I glanced around the room. Dara and Ray’s cheeks were paled and they had wide eyes. But when my gaze fell on Miles, my heart sank. There he stood fully healed in nothing but his hospital gown, his emerald eyes on me. Pursing his lips, his emotions shifted from distressed to crushed. His eyes left mine in finality, and he turned toward his mother, hiding his expression from me.
Releasing a breath I didn’t know I was holding, I turned on my heel and dashed abruptly out of the room. Not one person followed, and for that, I was grateful. Barging into the stairwell, I turned left and descended. Where it led, I didn’t know. I needed to step away to rethink… everything.
But most frighteningly, I needed to face the facts. My future lied with one person in that hospital wing. It was time I figure out who.
10
Cool, damp air in the dark room comforted my sultry skin. My mind was disconnected to another place when I noticed someone drawing near. I was most relieved to find it wasn’t Nicholas.
“Those tracking devices are pretty nifty,” Miles’ deep voice lulled nearby.
Hearing his dulcet tones made a smile creep across my face, and my eyes fell on his tall figure standing in the hallway. In the next breath, my body reacted. I was in his arms in a rush, and we were tumbling backwards before we hit the wall. I clung to his shirt and buried my face in his chest.
“Whoa, hey Abbs. I didn’t see you coming.” He chuckled as he brushed his hand comfortingly up my back. “You must’ve been training while I was down.”
“I woke up here and saw you. I’d never felt so helpless. I just wanted to take it away, to see your green eyes — to hear you speak…”
“Abbs,” he breathed. “I’m here.”
“You saved me, Miles. You took a bullet for me.”
“I’d do it again in a heartbeat. You know that.”
I rested my chin to his chest, meeting his eyes. “I really wish you wouldn’t.”
“Nah, don’t be silly,” he grinned, his thumb brushing my cheek. “I’ve been protecting you for as long as I can remember. Even before your dad asked us to. And you’re not terrible company. Only sometimes,” he teased.
I sighed lightly and released my hold on him. “Miles…” I trailed off, not knowing how to put my words together.
“I know you love him,” he stated quickly.
I cast my eyes to the floor.
“Honestly, he loves you more than I ever imagined.”
I shook my head angrily. “That should have never happened today. I’m so mad at him! You were going through a healing process that could’ve gone awry very quickly. He is so selfish!”
He sat silent for a moment. “Only when it comes to you.”
I sighed. “I hate tormenting you two. You have to know I love you, too.”
A sensual smile raised a corner of his lips as he watched me. His eyes glistened and I felt a profound adoration swell within him before he spoke. “I heard everything you said when I was in the coma,” he said quietly.
My eyes turned bright as they met his. “You did?”
“Of course I know you love me. And I have the scars to show how much I love you, too,” he said, waving toward his new battle wounds. “But that isn’t going to stop me from showing you, telling you, and proving to you what I feel is everlasting. For me? It’s always been you, Abbs.”
My cheeks flushed with warmth as I peered into the endless emerald pools of my best friend’s eyes. Lacing my fingers with his, I slid my back down the wall and pulled his hand with me. After he followed my gesture, I scooted my hip next to his and rested my head on his shoulder. “I’ve missed you. I had to go on that Cade mission without you. I didn’t like it.”
He chuckled. “I bet not.” He pulled in a deep breath and cupped my cheek, willing me to look him in the eyes. A twinge of sadness echoed in his expression, and he tried to mask it with that crooked grin that got me every time. “Abby,” he breathed.
Holding my gaze a moment longer, he closed his eyes and leaned in. His soft breath smoothed over my cheek as he delicately placed his lips on the corner of my mouth. My heart thudded erratically, and my blood slowed to a delicious crawl. This is home.
Pulling away, he kept his eyes closed and pursed his lips as he struggled to say his next words. “I love you. And that’s why I have to let you go.”
“You… what?”
“I see the anguish it brings you trying to choose between us.”
My heart, my body, everything was breaking. My breaths became shallow, and my mind numbed from his words. No. He cannot do this.
But wasn’t this what I had done to him this entire time? I couldn’t be mad at him for reciprocating. I shouldn’t… I couldn’t…
No words would form in my mouth as I attempted to swallow my tears. My
body became rigid, and I straightened my back to right my emotions. No more crying. I’m tired of crying.
“Abbs,” he said a moment later, wrapping his arm around me in a comforting embrace. “I’m doing what Nicholas can’t. I don’t want to be the cause of that dark cloud over your head anymore. You’re free to do whatever you please, and now you don’t have to feel obliged to my feelings. I love you and will be your best friend, no matter what.”
I frowned and swallowed hard, willing my voice to stay even. “What if I choose you?”
He released a dashing grin — a grin so dangerous anyone would succumb to his motives. “Then I’d have no choice but to accept my Lady Everett.” His features quickly fell into a serious expression. “But I see what you and Nicholas share. I don’t think I can compete with that.”
Turning away, I shook my head. So many times I wanted to tell him he was wrong, but I couldn’t make myself say it.
“If you choose me, I want you to do it full-heartedly. Which is why I want you to date him.”
I met his gaze incredulously. His features were serene and unmistakable. “You want me to date Nicholas?”
“Absolutely.”
I shook my head, my head swimming. “I don’t understand.”
“That’s okay, Abbs,” he whispered.
Reading into his expression, I felt my bottom lip tremble. “But I just got you back.”
Shaking his head and an attractive grin, he smoothed a gentle hand over my cheek. “I’m not going anywhere. C’mon — you’re exhausted and need sleep.” He stood and offered his hand, his placid emerald pools resting on me.
Placing my hand in his grasp, he pulled me up and wrapped an arm around me as we made our way to the elevator. I couldn’t imagine life without Miles. I knew I could rely on him for anything — that he would be there for me the moment I needed him. But the shock from this rejection — this hurt and confusion, it was overwhelming. I was crushed. And I’m the worst person alive for making them both feel the way I do now.