Caught in Between

by Alison L. Perry

  “Y… yes,” I stammered.

  “Six fifty-three.” He held his hand out, waiting for me to pay.

  I pulled a ten-dollar bill out of my wallet and took a deep breath. Thrusting my arm out of the window, I squeezed my eyes shut, expecting pain. I felt him take the money, but nothing else. I opened my eyes and noticed he was giving me a strange look. Ignoring him, I looked at my hand, searching for burns or traces of charred flesh. There was nothing. It was just my normal hand: smooth pale skin, unblemished except for a few freckles.

  I didn’t notice the cashier holding my change out to me until he cleared his throat. I startled and gave him an embarrassed smile. This time, I didn’t hesitate to take the money and bag of food from him. Again, the sunlight seemed to have no effect and I marveled at the tiny, yet huge, phenomenon I’d just experienced.

  I drove home faster than I should have, but my mind was swirling, and I wanted to talk to Kade about what had just happened. I screeched to a stop in front of our house and grabbed my stuff. This time, I didn’t race to the door. I took my time, letting the sunlight hit directly on the exposed parts of me, waiting for the burning to come. But, still, it didn’t.

  My hunger forgotten, I dropped the food off in the kitchen and charged to my room. As soon as I shut the door behind me, I dialed Kade’s number. When he answered, I didn’t bother with pleasantries. The words just tumbled out of me.

  “The sun doesn’t burn me! I stuck my arm out the window and it didn’t hurt! No burning, no pain!”

  “Whoa, whoa! Slow down, Sadie. You’re not making any sense. Start over, slowly this time.”

  I took a deep breath and concentrated on speaking at a steady pace. “When I had to hand my money over to the cashier at Joe’s, there was no way to avoid the sunlight on my hand and part of my arm. I was expecting to burn or at least for my skin to smoke a little. But, nothing happened. There wasn’t any pain. Nothing. It was just… normal.”

  There was a moment of quiet before Kade said anything. Finally, he whispered, “No pain? No fire? Maybe you just weren’t exposed long enough.”

  “I know, right? That’s what I was thinking, too. So when I got back home, I parked in the front and walked as slowly as I could into the house. I gave it plenty of time, Kade. Nothing happened.” I lowered my voice. “I don’t think the sun affects me like it does you and everyone else.”

  The silence filled up between us again. I waited, aware of the bomb I just dropped on him because it was still ricocheting through me, too. But when he still hadn’t said anything in thirty seconds, I began to worry.

  “Kade? Are you still there?”

  “Yeah,” he said, “I’m still here. I just… I think maybe we should meet in private somewhere. It seems like we have a lot to talk about, especially before you start school Monday.”

  I wondered what he meant by that. But the urge to see him, feel his arms around me, to kiss his soft lips, drove everything else out of my head. “Yes, please.” I exhaled. “I want to see you.”

  “How about I pick you up on my way to school? I know you’ll be close to crashing, but maybe you could prolong your bedtime just a bit? For me?”

  For the first time in a while, I heard flirtation in his voice and my heart soared. Maybe things between us weren’t as bad as I’d been imagining. I still had questions about what had been going on with him and about his curious disinterest in my run-in with Pen. Maybe I’d finally get some answers while also getting some much-needed time with him.

  “I’ll be ready… and, Kade?”

  “Yes, Sade?”

  “I can’t wait to see you.” I held my breath.

  “Me, too, love. Soon.”

  I sighed as I heard his phone click. Warmth spread through my body as I replayed the shift in his voice at the end of our conversation. He hadn’t called me “love” in a while, and it was like a soothing balm to my ears.

  Deciding I was hungry again, I wandered downstairs to eat my breakfast, enjoy the silence in the house, and daydream about my rendezvous with Kade.

  Chapter 22 - Mystery Spot

  My dad had just left for work and Mom was busy with the twins when Kade pulled up to our house. He had texted me to let me know he was coming, so I’d been on the lookout for him. As soon as he parked, I was out the door, anxiety and excitement propelling me.

  I slid into the passenger seat and grinned at him. Despite all the seriousness surrounding us, I couldn’t contain the burst of joy that filled me when I saw his face.

  He grinned back. Taking my hand, he raised the back of it and brushed his lips across the skin. I shivered as an explosion of electricity raced through my veins.

  “Hello, beautiful.”

  “Hello back.”

  He continued holding my hand as we pulled away and headed down the dusky street.

  “Where are we going?” I wanted real alone time with him, somewhere I could touch him freely.

  He stroked the palm of my hand with his thumb as he answered, “It’s a surprise.”

  I sighed with contentment and settled back into the leather seat for the ride. The rising moon was bright, illuminating the trees as we passed them by. I thought about how tired I should be, but I was anything but.

  When we turned down the road leading to the University, I sat up straight.

  “What are you doing? Why are we coming here? This isn’t private!”

  “Would you just relax and let me worry about it?” His eyes sparkled at me, but I couldn’t understand why. “Seriously, Sadie. Trust me.”

  As always, he melted me with that command. The tension slipped from my body and I nodded. “I trust you.”

  The University gates came into view, but rather than turning in, he drove past them. I looked around, having never been down this part of the road. The trees grew denser, darker, and it appeared like the road was melting into an inky abyss. By now it was fully night, and the only light guiding us was the moon and the car’s headlights.

  We must have driven for another ten minutes when I saw a small gravelly shoulder appear on the left side of the road. Kade slowed and pulled onto it, parking close to the tree line.

  He let go of my hand. “We’re here.”

  I looked around. “We’re in the middle of nowhere.”

  “It’s not so ‘nowhere’ as you think. Come on.”

  We left the car and I noticed a faint path heading off into the brush and trees. It was well hidden, but whether or not it was intentional, I didn’t know. Kade took my hand again and led me toward it. We disappeared into the trees, and I noticed that once we’d moved away from the car, the path opened up wide enough to allow us to walk side by side. We didn’t talk, instead listening to the whisper of the leaves as they moved in the wind above us. I was so intent on that, I didn’t watch where I was walking until I felt a sharp jab in my shin.

  I let out a yelp. “Ow!” Rubbing my leg, I eyed the huge log that lay across our path with distaste.

  Kade stifled a chuckle. “You should probably pay more attention to where you’re putting your feet.” He was on the other side of it, an amused look on his gorgeous face. I grumbled under my breath as I climbed over.

  “Don’t worry, we’re almost there.”

  My ears perked up at that news, and I increased my pace to match his.

  “Wait a minute. Did you hear that?” I asked. I was sure I’d just heard voices yelling somewhere ahead of us. It seemed faint, but I was pretty sure I wasn’t imagining it.

  With his usual knack, he seemed to read my mind. “No, Sadie, you’re not going crazy.”

  I was confused, but before I could ask anything else, he held some branches back for me to step through. As I did, I stifled a gasp. We were in our spot! The familiar space beckoned to me and the cool air wrapped around me like a long-lost hug. I spun around in circles with my arms outstretched, a huge smile creasing my face. I wanted to scream and shout, but instead, I used that energy to fling myself at Kade.

  He was ready fo
r me. We fell to the ground, his body cradling mine, absorbing the impact so as to cushion my fall. Our mouths found one another’s in a fierce explosion of need. Every ounce of worry and fear that I’d lost him morphed into a hunger that only he could satisfy. His tongue ravaged mine as he rolled me onto my back, and I drew my knees up to his waist to hold him in place on top of me. Time stood still as I heard the blood rushing through our veins. It was a tidal wave of passion and pleasure threatening to sweep us away forever. And I wanted it to.

  When he finally wrenched his mouth from mine, I groaned in disappointment. But it didn’t last for long. His long fingers tugged at my shirt until it was up around my neck. The cool air clashed with my hot skin, which only burned hotter when his lips touched my stomach. I sucked in a breath as he used his tongue to trace his way upward. I hadn’t bothered putting a bra on this morning, so there was no resistance when he reached my breast. My fingers dug into his back as the now-familiar tingling raced up my spine. Pants and whispered moans filled my ears as wave after wave of lust crashed over me.

  When his mouth closed over the sensitive bud of my breast, I gasped. Suddenly, I became extremely aware of where we were and how fast we’d been moving. I tensed and he immediately, but gently, moved his mouth away.

  “Sadie.” His voice was whisper quiet, but I could feel the timbre of it against my stomach. “I’m sorry. I—”

  “No apologies,” I cut in. “I’m not sorry. Not one bit. We just need to… to slow down a bit.”

  I felt his smile against my skin before he pulled my shirt down to cover my nakedness. I was still breathing fast, my heart hammering away when he pulled me into a sitting position.

  “Come here,” he said, turning me around until I was nestled between his legs with my back resting on his chest. “Let’s talk about some things.”

  I sighed. “Where do you want to start?”

  “I want to tell you about why I was distant for a while.”

  I hadn’t expected this. I figured I’d have to pry anything about this topic out of him. I shook my head internally. He’d been forever surprising me. Why had I thought this would be any different?

  “Okay.” My voice sounded hesitant to my own ears, so I knew he could hear it, too. But he didn’t give any indication of it. Instead, he wrapped his arms tight around me and started explaining.

  “You and I had talked briefly about whether my parents knew about you. What I told you then was the truth. They knew your name and that was all.” He paused, and his voice sounded glum when he spoke again. “Remember how upset you were about what my parents might think of you?” I nodded against his chest. I remembered all too well. He sighed, a huge whoosh of breath that sent dread shooting straight to my stomach. “I guess you were kind of right. Because of our connection to the Sergios, and because they are a First Family and, therefore, in everyone’s business, word got back to my parents about your expulsion from University. And they didn’t like it.”

  Puzzle pieces clicked into place. Of course they’d heard. And of course they wouldn’t want their son being connected to someone who’d been kicked out of University.

  “I argued with them for weeks,” he continued. “I knew you could probably sense something was different, but I was trying so hard to hide it. They were pressuring me to stop seeing you. Pressing upon me the importance of my station”—he practically spit the word—“and the need for our family to look pristine to the community. My parents… well, appearances are very important to them. More important than I fully realized. They started monitoring me more closely, and I had to back off somewhat. Anyway, when you mentioned that Pen had sought you out, that she knew your name, well, I started to get suspicious that my parents’ aggressiveness was fueled by the Sergios and their connections to the Firsts.” He lapsed into silence and for a few minutes, we listened to the crickets chirping and the faraway voices of students changing classes.

  He squeezed his arms around me tighter. “Sadie, I should have told you everything as it was happening. I just didn’t know what to do or how to go about it. The last thing in the world I wanted was to make you feel worse about something you were already so upset over.”

  My insides melted from the sincerity of his words. Everything made sense, at least as far as Kade’s behavior. Love and forgiveness flowed through me. He had tried to protect me in the long run. How could I be angry at that?

  “It’s okay,” I said. “Thank you for finally telling me what’s going on. I don’t even blame your parents for not wanting me around. I’m a freak. I’ve been saying it all along. I can totally understand why I’m not ideal in their eyes.”

  “Don’t call yourself that!”

  “Seriously?” I turned around so I could look him in the eyes. “Kade. I’m as unvampirelike as you can possibly get. For some reason, the Firsts are seeking me out. And I just discovered I don’t burn in the sun. I’m not trying to put myself down. I’m simply calling it what it is.”

  He kissed me. With the palm of his hand holding my face to his, he kissed me breathless. My body yearned for his weight on me. For his touch igniting my skin again. I leaned into his strength, wishing the world would disappear so I could have him all to myself for the rest of time. And for the briefest of moments, I thought it possible. But the distant ringing of a bell brought me thudding back to reality.

  “You’re missing classes,” I murmured against his lips.

  “I know. But this is more important,” he murmured back. His words were husky and thick with emotion, causing me to pull back and look into his eyes. I saw a reflection of my feelings staring back at me.

  “Tell me about your car,” he urged.

  “Well, it’s not what I expected, let me just say that.” I sorta giggled. “I’m guessing I had a pretty hilarious look on my face when I first saw it.”

  “Not the normal kind of car we’re usually given, I take it?”

  I laughed, a full belly laugh that left me gasping for air. “No, this car is anything but ‘normal.’” I grinned. “But it’s growing on me. I guess because maybe it is like me. You know, sort of bland, beat-up looking. It’s not one you’ll look at twice.”

  “I looked at you twice. In fact, all it took was one look.” His lips were in my hair and I smiled.

  “Yes. Somehow, I caught you, didn’t I?”

  “Hook, line, and sinker.”

  My smile grew bigger as happiness bloomed inside me. “The funniest part was driving it home from the place Dad bought it. I had no idea how to drive a stick, so he gave me a quick lesson in the parking lot and made me drive home by myself.” I could feel the rumble of Kade’s snickering through my back. Exaggerating a bit to make the story funnier, I added, “I stalled at least a hundred times in the middle of the intersection at Main and North Walcott. People were not amused.”

  Now he was the one to lose it. “I’d pay… good money… to… have seen… that,” he gasped out between fits of laughter. “You must… have been… so flustered.” He threw his head back and gave in to the comedy of the picture I’d painted.

  When he didn’t stop, I grew a little annoyed. “Okay, it’s not that funny.” I jabbed him in the stomach with my elbow.

  “Oof! Your elbows are sharp,” he gritted out, rubbing his midsection. But his eyes still danced with amusement. “I’m sorry for laughing. But you have to admit, it’s a hilarious image.”

  I fake grumbled under my breath but ended with a smile. “I know. I can see it now, days later.”

  “Sade…”

  “What?”

  “We haven’t talked about Pen and what she said to you. I need to hear all of it again.”

  I blew out a breath. “It was brief. She just said that unlike most of her brothers and sisters, she still likes to get out and keep an eye on things. And then she started talking about a faction of us, our kind, who are so unhappy with the vampire’s weaknesses that they’ve set out to, I don’t know… fix them, I guess.” I grimaced. “But she knew my name. She kn
ew me. I could tell.”

  “What if…” He stopped, a weird look on his face.

  “What,” I prompted.

  “What if you are somehow…”

  He didn’t have to finish his sentence. It only took a split second for my mind to catch up to his.

  “I don’t want to think about that. I don’t want to even consider that someone did this to me on purpose. Made me a freak on purpose!”

  “Please stop using that word. You’re not a freak. And we have to consider this. In fact, I would think you’d view this as a good thing.”

  I could practically feel waves of disbelief radiating from me. “You think it would be a good thing?”

  “Don’t get upset until I explain. Yes, I think it could be good. Because it’s finally an explanation for why you are different. If it’s true, then your uniqueness isn’t something to be considered a mistake of nature.” He held up his hands when I opened my mouth. “I’ve never thought of you as a mistake, Sadie. So, please for the love of God, don’t go there.”

  I snapped my mouth closed as I pondered his theory. It was kind of obvious and I kicked myself for not thinking of it sooner. Dense much, Sadie?

  “Okay, so let’s say, for the sake of argument, there’s some truth to this. What do we do? Do I just go on doing my thing? Do you think Pen will drop in on me again? Or, maybe I should seek her out and demand some answers.” Even as I said that last part, I shuddered. I knew I’d never go that far.

  He pulled me in tight and held me so close I could feel the beating of his heart. “Yes. I think you continue with your plan. Go to Jefferson High. Make new friends. See the world from a perspective that no other vampire has seen. And whatever comes next… if it even comes… we’ll deal with it.” He kissed me lightly. “Together.”

  Chapter 23 - No Denying It

  I felt so much better after my talk with Kade. There were still a lot of questions, obviously. But I knew he meant it when he said we’d deal with the future together. Our conversation… our encounter… restored my faith in us. And until now, I hadn’t realized exactly how much our distance had been affecting me.