He frowned, the brightness in his eyes fading. “You know how I feel about Sadie. And Marisa has changed. She’s not the little girl I remember. I’ve missed ten years of her life, she’s a teenager now. I don’t know how to relate to her.”
I rolled my eyes and laughed at him. “You had one car ride with her. It will take time, but you’ll get there.”
“You promise?” he asked expectantly.
“Yes. I promise.” I reached out with my free hand and patted his leg once more. He was wearing shorts now. We all had changed when we stopped for food. It was too hot in the car for jeans. I was wearing my jean shorts and a blue ribbed tank top. “You and I get along and I’m a teenage girl.’
He scoffed at my words. “That’s different, you’re not related. But you’re right. I just have to give it time.”
My phone beeped just as I was about to tease him about his impatience. “Can you hand me my phone?”
He lifted it from the console, his knuckle smacking against the emergency brake and held it up. He held it steady in front of me so it was easier to read. Let’s stop for the night.
“Tell him okay.” I instructed.
He did what I asked and typed in my message. I watched as Nate pulled off the freeway. I followed a little too quickly, cutting off a minivan and I cringed when they honked the horn at me. “Sorry,” I called out, even though they wouldn’t be able to hear me.
Adrian grinned and stifled a laugh, but lucky for him he didn’t say anything. I was nervous enough, I didn’t need his laughter. I hoped the next time I drove it wasn’t on a freeway.
Ten minutes later, we pulled into a hotel parking lot. It wasn’t the kind Adrian and I had stopped at. It was a little classier with no paint peeling.
“She’s not sharing a room with her.” Adrian murmured as he opened his door.
Nate, Sadie and Marisa all emerged from the station wagon simultaneously.
“Marisa will be sharing a room with me,” Adrian informed the group as we approached them.
Sadie glared at him, her hair that was now loose, fluttered in the breeze. “Is that appropriate? She’s a young girl.”
Anger flashed over Adrian’s features. “I don’t know what you’re implying, but I’m not going to let you be alone with her for even a second.”
She stepped closer to him, her eyes flashing yellow, but she was smiling. The combination was a bit eerie. “She is mine.” Her voice was a feral growl. He had awakened mama wolf and the tension coming off her was palpable.
If she thought he would back down, then she had underestimated my friend. “No. She is my family. You have no right to her.” He towered over her, bending down to keep eye contact. “I thought we established that.”
As they glared at each other, Nate stepped forward. “Adrian, I promise she won’t run again, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Adrian’s eyes shifted to Nate. “Why wouldn’t she? She’s been running from me for the last six months.”
Marisa squeezed between Adrian and Sadie. “It’s alright, I’ll stay with him. Eva, I mean Sadie, why don’t you stay next door?”
Sadie kept her gaze locked on Adrian, the creepy smirk still edged on her face, until Marisa placed her hand on her shoulder. “I’ll be fine.”
Sadie’s expression softened as she finally looked away, pulling Marisa into a hug. “It’s just hard to let you go.” She murmured into Marisa’s hair.
Marisa pulled back and touched Sadie’s cheek with her hand. “You don’t have to. Just let us get to know each other again.”
Sadie nodded as another tear slid down her cheek.
I took Adrian’s hand and led him into the office with the rest of our group following. We booked three rooms. Sadie and Adrian’s rooms were across the hall from Nate and mine.
My phone rang as soon as the door clicked closed behind us as we entered our room. It was Lauren. I felt a sting of guilt at the sight of her number. I hadn’t even thought to call her and give her an update. “Hello?”
“What’s going on I haven’t heard from you in days.” Her voice was shrill and loud.
“I know, I’m sorry. But there’s been a lot going on.”
“Did you find her?”
“Yes.”
“Thank goodness.” She blew out a sigh of relief. “I bet Adrian is happy.”
“Very, but there’s been a few complications.” I leaned back on the bed, gazing up at the light fixture. The bright light glowed through little black spots that I suspected to be dead bugs. “The person that was keeping—”
“Megan.” Nate’s abrupt voice stopped my next words. My gaze moved from the light to his handsome face. His features were hard, his eyes cold. Instead of speaking he shook his head.
“Meg? What were you going to say?” Lauren asked from the other end. I could hear something that sounded like springs squeaking, as though she was settling onto a bed or couch.
“Oh…Uh…nothing. Just that it was a werewolf that was keeping her.”
“It’s not surprising is it?”
I gazed at Nate as I spoke. His face softened, his eyes washed with apology for snapping at me. “No, I guess not. So what’s going on with you?”
“Not much, just cramming for my chemistry final.”
I smiled at the man in front of me when he winked. “Ohhh, sounds fun. Where’s Joe?”
“He’s lying on the floor watching The Bachelorette.”
“Like bloody hell, I am.” Joe’s voice called from her end of the line.
Lauren and I shared a laugh. “When are you guys coming back?” she asked with laughter still in her voice.
“We’re on our way, just stopping for the night?”
“Why didn’t you fly? Isn’t your reception soon?”
I rolled my eyes. “Thanks for the reminder. But we’ll be back in time. Adrian has his jeep and I wanted to keep him company.”
“Well, now that I know you guys found her and you’re on your way, I should get back to studying.”
“Okay, I’ll see you when we get back.” I pressed the end button and tossed my cell onto the bed. It bounced onto the pillow next to me.
“Why didn’t you want me to tell her about Sadie?” I asked Nate, folding my arms in front of me as I sat up.
“Because, I want to do it.”
I narrowed my eyes, studying him. “What’s going on?” I asked suspiciously.
His face held the mask of blankness he used to use on me when we first met as he shrugged off my question. “I’m just not exactly sure of Joe right now.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He sighed heavily, as he perched on the edge of the small couch. “He lied to me about Sadie and kept her existence secret all of this time. How do I go back and act like that’s okay.”
I could see the hurt in his eyes. Besides Will, Joe was the best friend Nate had and since he outlived everyone else he cared about, his friendship with Joe meant a lot to him.
I got up and stood in front of him, hating to see him so emotional. “He was protecting you. Sadie told him you were in danger if you knew her.”
“I understand him not telling me right away, but it’s been fifty freaking years.” Anger spiked in his voice as he formed the last few words.
Needing to soothe him, I laced my fingers in the soft strands of his hair. He leaned into me and instead of discussing it further; we lapsed into a comfortable silence. He fell onto the couch and I sat on his lap as he snuggled into my chest with my arms wrapped around him.
Later, as we were lying in bed, I thought over the day’s events. I was worried how Nate would react when he finally saw Joe again. But as I thought of everything that had happened, there was one thing that overshadowed that worry.
“Nate?” I whispered into the darkness of the room.
“Hmm?”
“I’m a little disturbed with what you and Sadie said earlier.”
“About what?”
“Are you sure the
re are such things as vampires?”
“Yes.”
“Like living-dead-sucks-blood kind of Vampires?”
After a silent pause with the only sound being the hum of the air-conditioner, he answered, “Yes.”
I leaned up on his smooth chest so I could look him in the eyes that were almost black in the dark room. “But how do you know? Adrian said he has never heard of any.”
He sighed, rubbing his hand gently up and down my arm. “Because I know one.”
I sat up, holding the sheet against me. “Seriously?”
He nodded, his lips turning up into a ghost of a smile.
“Why am I only hearing this now?”
He shook his head slightly. “Vampires are secretive, even more so than werewolves. I didn’t want to endanger you anymore than I have. Besides, it never came up.”
My eyes widened. “It never came up? That is something you bring up. Not wait for the subject to happen.” I slapped his bare shoulder, the smacking sound echoed in the quiet room. “Do they kill or just snack on people? Are there a lot of them? Are we in danger?”
He held up a hand. “Whoa, slow down.” He pulled me back against him; my cheek nestled against his warm skin. I breathed in his scent, taking comfort in the familiarity of it. “No, we are not in danger. There are not many around the world. Mainly because they like to keep their existence secret and if there was a lot of them out there that would make it harder to hide.” He moved his warm hand down to mine and knotted our fingers together. “I met my friend about twenty years ago. He sensed what I was and approached me. I never saw him feed and I have never asked about his eating habits. He is charming, but closed-mouthed. I have spoken to him once a year since we met, but only on the phone. We share the need to help others and he has asked for advice over the years. He runs shelters for battered women.”
I lifted my head, surprised at his words. “What? Why would a vampire care about a human being abused?”
He lifted a shoulder. “He was a human once, just like us. His father was abusive to his mother and he vowed to protect her. When he became a vampire he used to hunt abusive men and kill them. He has since evolved. Unlike others he knows, he is opposed to killing now. That’s all I know.”
“How does he not kill? Does he just take a little? Why would someone let him do that?”
“Meg, I don’t know. Like I said he’s never told me. And I don’t ask. I respect him for fighting his instinct and I leave it at that.”
I laid my head back down, listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat. “What’s his name?”
“I’d rather not say.”
I sat up again. “What? Why?”
He squeezed my fingers. “I told you, they value their secrecy and if I gave you his name he could get angry. I don’t want to take that chance with you.”
“You said he doesn’t kill.” A shiver of fear ran over me. If Nate, the strongest person I knew was intimidated by vampires, how could I not be?
“He doesn’t. And I don’t think he would be angry, but I won’t take that chance with your life. Vampires are much stronger than us.”
“But—” I started to protest, until he placed his finger on my lips. “Please, let’s not discuss this any longer. We haven’t been alone since I arrived and before that you were gone for two days.” His words faded away as his lips found mine.
He was right. It had been days since we were alone. And it felt much longer since we had been this close. As he pulled me back down, I pushed my worry to the back of my mind. It was Nate’s choice who he was friends with, not mine.
Chapter Thirteen
A long day
“Meg, your phone is ringing.” Nate’s muffled voice pulled me out of unconsciousness. As lucidity spread through my foggy brain, I heard the phone, but chose to ignore it. The ringing continued. “Meeeggg!” The word was a sleepy groan.
“Ugh!” was my only response. Finally, opening my heavy eyelids, I leaned over the bed and dug through my bag. By the time my hand wrapped around the offensive object it had stopped ringing. I sighed with relief, until it began again in my hand. “What?” I grumbled into the phone after hitting the talk button.
I leaned my head back onto the pillow. Nate snuggled into my shoulder, breathing softly as his hair tickled my chin, his warmth spreading through my t-shirt and into my skin.
“Is that anyway to answer your phone?” My mother’s shrill voice asked.
Oh God, not now. “Mom, why are you calling so early?”
“It’s nine in the morning, Megan. Aren’t you at the shelter?
Oh crap, I forgot to call my mother. “Oh…uh, I’m not there.” I hated to utter my next words, but I couldn’t see a way around it. “I’m on my way home from Sacramento.”
“Sacramento? What in heaven’s name were you doing there this close to your reception?”
“I went out to meet Adrian. He was looking for his sister and asked me to help.”
“If you miss this reception, Megan, I will never speak to you again.”
I wanted to say that if that was all it took then for sure I wouldn’t be there. But no, despite her snotty comment, I chose to be the grown up. “I will be there Mom. What do you want?”
She was silent for a few seconds before she finally spoke. “I wanted to know what you were planning on wearing to the event. I could help you choose if you like.”
I rolled my eyes and resisted the urge to sigh. I didn’t care what I wore. Fashion just didn’t mean a lot to me like it did her. “I don’t know what I’m wearing yet, Mother. And right now I have other things to worry about.” Like getting some more sleep.
“I can help you when you get back.”
“I...I don’t know what I’m doing. Can we talk about this later?” I couldn’t help the snippiness in my voice.
“Well, yes. But you don’t have to be rude.”
“I’m sorry mom, but I was sleeping. It’s been a long couple of days. I’ll see you at the reception.” With that, I hung up. It was way too early to deal with her.
I leaned my head back, snuggled against Nate’s and started to drift off again listening to my husband’s even breaths. Bang Bang. I jerked at the sound of a knock on the door. It was Adrian and Marisa. Their scents drifted through the crack under the door. I tapped Nate on the shoulder and when he drew away, I bent over and pulled on my yoga pants, since I was already wearing a t-shirt. Nate jumped up to throw on a pair of jeans and a royal blue polo shirt that brought out the color in his eyes.
When I opened the door, I peeked out into the hallway as they both stepped through the threshold. “Where’s Sadie?”
“She’s in the shower,” Marisa answered as she fell into the tiny sofa, the edge of it knocked against the wall with a thump.
“You guys just waking up?” Adrian asked, taking the chair at the desk.
“Kind of, my mother’s phone call woke me up, but I was just drifting off again. She called because she wanted to discuss outfits for the reception.” I sat down on the edge of the bed, running my fingers over the soft blanket. “Are you coming Marisa?”
“Where?” She pulled a magazine off the coffee table and flipped through it.
“My mother is having a reception for Nate and me because we eloped.”
Finished with the magazine, she tossed it back onto the tabletop with a SPLAT. “You don’t sound very excited.”
“Her mother is the reason we eloped,” Nate explained, grabbing his backpack off the floor. “I’m going to hop in the shower.” He leaned down and kissed my forehead and nodded to our guests before slipping into the other room.
“What did she do?” Marisa asked when the door to the bathroom closed behind Nate.
“She’s not a very loving mother to start with and she was making the wedding about her. She cared more about what the other socialites thought than I did.” I stood up and wandered to the mirror and cringed when I saw my reflection. A raccoon in a windstorm gazed back at me. The makeup that I had forg
otten to remove was smudged halfway down my cheeks and my hair was sticking up on the crown of my head. I turned away, knowing there was nothing I could do to fix my appearance until Nate finished in the shower. “It just became overwhelming. It was more of a circus for rich people than my wedding.”
“At least you have a mother,” Marisa shot back.
“Mari,” Adrian scolded, taking on the big brother role once again.
“No, it’s okay. And you’re right Marisa, I do have both my parents. But they are nothing like yours were. Adrian told me a few things about them and even though your time was short with them you’re lucky you had such loving people in your life. I am not as lucky.” I smiled as I gazed at her. “If you come to the reception, you’ll understand.”
Nate emerged from the bathroom at that moment, ceasing any further conversation. He was wearing cargo shorts and a black t-shirt. His hair was wet and his arms were damp. His sexy just-showered look made me want to run my hands all over his damp skin. But with an audience, it might not be wise. Instead, I took his appearance as a cue to grab my bag and take my turn.
Sadie appeared at our door about the same time as I came out of the washroom wearing tights and a long, short-sleeved mauve top with a tiny ruffle at the collar. I left my hair down, but since we’d be driving all day didn’t do much styling, what would be the point with the wind whipping through the windows?
Nate approached me, his eyes leering at me appreciatively. “You look beautiful,” he whispered before giving me a quick kiss on the lips.
“Eww. Are they always like that?” Marisa asked in her fifteen year old whiny voice.
Nate leaned his forehead on mine and smiled, he chuckled softly at her comment.
Adrian snorted. “The last time I saw them together they were fighting,” he said as he stood up from the desk chair.
“Why were you fighting?” she asked me.
Where was the silent, mature girl from yesterday when we met her? I was beginning to see that the more she saw of us the more comfortable she became. At her question, a flash of sharp teeth and yellow eyes appeared in my mind and I winced at the memory. I hadn’t thought of the night Nate bit me in months and despite the fact that I had forgiven him, I couldn’t help react to the image. It was not a good memory.
Riley's Redemption (A Moon's Glow Novel) Page 11