by Amanda Perry
Mulling over his words, I curse in frustration, knowing he is right. “Okay, I will talk to her when she wakes up.”
Remus nods his approval and walks back toward the cafeteria to meet up with everyone else. I turn back to Julianne’s room and head inside, ready to sit with her for the night again.
23
My head hurts. At first, I can’t think past the throbbing pain in my head. It feels like someone was jackhammering just feet from me. Breathing deeply, I rub my temples and try to push past the pain. It takes time but soon enough, the pain is tolerable enough for me to think straight. I try to recall what happened to me but I have no idea where I am. I fight to focus on my last memory.
It takes a few moments, but I’m finally able to remember everything. Sneaking out, my aunt and her horrid friends, all of my parents’ things being thrown around like they mean nothing. My attempt at getting away from my aunt and her idiot friends and them stopping me.
I flinch involuntarily at the memory and feel something on my hand tighten. My heart starts to race at the thought that the men are still here and they are going to hurt me again. My body shakes and traitorous tears begin to leak from my still closed eyes.
“Open your eyes and look at me, love.” Leviathan’s voice breaks through the panic fogging my mind. “Please, wake up. You are safe, baby. I’m right here.”
I pry my eyes open and take a deep breath in relief when Levi’s worried face swims into view. The relief is so overwhelming I start to sob and squeeze what I now know is his hand in mine.
He doesn’t hesitate to pull me carefully into his arms, positioning himself next to me so that he is able to hold me to him and rock me gently and soothingly. It takes a while for me to calm down and when I do, I feel a bit silly for crying all over Levi.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur against his chest. I don’t move because I don’t want him to think I’m ready to let him go yet. He seems to understand that and simply tightens his hold on me.
“Why would you be sorry, love?” he asks, kissing the top of my head.
“Well...” I sigh, biting my cheek while I think. “I was going to say I’m sorry for crying all over you like a baby, but I guess I should be sorry I snuck out. Where are we?”
“You’re in the hospital, love. They have been taking great care of you for me.” His hand gestures about the room. “This is only temporary. As soon as you feel able, you will be home with me, where you belong.”
I’m still confused about how I arrived here and need to understand. “Wh-what happened, Levi?”
I feel Leviathan’s whole body tense up and it causes me to move my head so I can see his face. I need to know what he is thinking. His eyes are tight and his lips are pursed as he stares at the wall of the hospital room.
“We were almost too late,” Levi whispers just when I think he isn’t going to answer me. “The guards told us what you did and I want so bad to be angry with you, but I know why you did it.”
I open my mouth to protest, but he shakes his head and continues before I can. “Julianne, I made you feel like you couldn’t come to me when you wanted to do something and I’m sorry for that. Even if I don’t agree with you, I need you to understand I will always help you and listen to you. I don’t ever want you to go off alone again. The Ashford’s almost killed you, love. I wouldn’t have survived that.”
“The Ashford’s?” I ask, not understanding what he is talking about. “So, I was right. Those men were demon shifters. I thought their eyes were glowing but thought maybe I imagined it.”
“No, love. You didn’t imagine it. The men working with your aunt were from the Ashford Clan,” he confirms, his voice grim. He proceeds to explain to me what my aunt had planned and the things she did.
“Julianne...” He hesitates, studying my face silently before finally continuing on. “Your aunt is considered wanted as far as anyone else is concerned, but I need you to understand that my family and I did what we had to do. Brecken did what he had to do to protect you. You won’t ever see her again.”
I understand what Levi left unsaid. My aunt isn’t really missing and I’m not sorry about it. Maybe I should be sad or more sympathetic, but I can’t bring myself to care about the person who tried to kill me and made my life hell after I lost my parents. She is where she needs to be.
“I’m not upset about what you and Brecken did to save me,” I tell Levi, putting my hand on his cheek. “Thank you for saving me.”
Leviathan’s face softens and he smiles gently down at me. “Always,” he murmurs, leaning down and placing a soft kiss on my lips.
“Levi, I need to tell you something,” I say, pulling away from his kiss. I remember my final thought before I passed out and I need to make sure I tell him this time.
I look at him and see the worry in his eyes, as if he thinks I have bad news. I smile softly at him and kiss him quickly. “I love you, Levi. I needed to make sure I tell you that.”
His eyes widen momentarily before a heart-stopping smile breaks out across his perfect face. “I love you, Julianne. I have loved you since you cut your damn palm in my kitchen. I didn’t want to scare the hell out of you by saying it, but it feels really good to say it. I love you. I love you.”
I giggle at him as he repeats himself and kisses every inch of my face before finally murmuring the words against my lips one more time and then kissing me deeply.
24
The doctor made me spend a few nights in the hospital to ensure there was no lasting damage. During that time, Leviathan was acting strange. When Remus would come to say hello, Levi would tense up and make an excuse to shove his brother out of the room. I would hear them arguing outside the door. I didn’t catch much but I did hear Leviathan insist my only job was to get better and we would talk about things when I get home.
Home. That’s another thing we spoke about. Mary and Abe refused to take no for an answer in regards to me moving in with them. I told them I have no way to contribute, but they laughed and said my baked goods were contribution enough. I decided to tell Levi before I’m discharged today that I have decided I would like to move in with him.
“Levi,” I murmur, my voice quiet and unsure. What if he’s changed his mind by now?
“Yeah, love?” he asks, a bit distracted as he goes about the room making sure all of my things have been collected.
“I just wanted to tell you that I want to move in with you,” I whisper my confession, hoping he doesn’t hear how my voice shakes with nerves.
Levi’s back is to me and as soon as the words are out of my mouth his whole body freezes. My heart starts to race when I think of why he is reacting this way. Crap, he changed his mind, he doesn’t think I should move in with him. This is bad, how can I take it back without sounding stupid?
“You what?” Levi asks, pulling me out of my internal panic as he turns to face me, his expression carefully neutral. “Say it again.”
“Never mind, I was just uh—kidding or whatever. You don’t need me bumming around your house; I had plans to get my own place anyway. It’s better this way, right?” I start to ramble, trying anything to come back from my idiocy.
“Do you want to move in with me, Julianne?” Leviathan asks, his voice strong and steady. “Be honest.”
My eyes widen as I try to think of the best way to answer this. When nothing good comes to mind, I sigh in defeat and rub my eyes with my palms as I speak. “Levi, I’m sorry. I love you and I know it’s fast but you had asked me to move in. Your parents even asked me to move in. At first, I thought it would be too unconventional, but then I realized nothing about my life is conventional anymore and I don’t really care if it’s not. I want you. I love you. I don’t care what anyone else thinks.
“But I took a long time to answer you, and I get it if you changed your mind. I have been a pain in the butt since the day you met me. Maybe you need a little time away from me or something and I’m not going to stop you if you—”
I have no idea what I pl
anned to say next, but whatever it was flies right out of my mind when Levi picks me up off the bed and holds me bridal style as he kisses me senseless. I giggle when he breaks the kiss and gently swings me around the room, careful to avoid bumping my hurt leg.
“I thought you would never say yes to this,” he says with a chuckle, kissing me a few more times. “I have been waiting for your answer and I was so worried you would tell me you didn’t want to go home with me today.”
I giggle at his exuberance and kiss him quickly. “I love you.”
“I love you so damn much, Julianne,” Levi tells me softly with a gentle smile. “Let’s go home, love.”
The ride home is quiet, but it’s a comfortable silence. Levi holds my hand and continues to grin like a loon the whole way. When we arrive, the guards at the gate are unfamiliar to me. “What happened to the old guards?” I ask, scrunching my brows together and looking over the two new additions.
“They were let go,” Levi states simply.
“What! Why?” I shout, unbuckling myself and stumbling out of the car as Levi pulls the car to a stop. My crutches are in the back seat which makes maneuvering my broken leg more difficult.
Levi gets out and glares at me as he rushes to my side to help. “You should wait for me to get you out, Love.” He shakes his head when I raise a brow at him, silently demanding an answer to my previous question. “They let you go,” he growls, referencing the day I took off.
“They did not let me go, Leviathan,” I growl back, getting angrier by the moment. I’m vaguely aware that the whole family has come outside, but I’m too focused on Levi. “I have free will. I can leave when I wish and I wished it, so I left. Hire them back.”
“No,” Levi shouts, looking at me like I’m crazy.
“Fine,” I say, shrugging and grabbing my duffle bag and crutches from the car.
Levi appears a bit surprised to have won so fast, but he looks even more surprised when I start wobbling toward the gates. Navigating my duffle and the crutches proves difficult, but I manage.
“Where the hell are you going?” he calls, rushing to catch up to me.
“I’m not sure, but if you think it’s okay to fire people because they allow me to have free will then I won’t be staying here,” I inform him, not stopping my stride toward the gate.
“Fine!” Levi curses under his breath and picks up speed to cut me off. He turns and faces me, not trying to hide his annoyance. “Okay, I will hire Ron and Don back.”
I smile triumphantly and thank him. He chuckles and groans at the same time, trying to hold on to his frustration but unable to. “You drive me crazy, and for the record you can leave when you wish. But the Ashford clan is still out there and I don’t want them getting to you, so please promise to bring someone with you if you do go out.”
I don’t have to think twice about his request, there is no way I want any of those lunatics after me. “Promise,” I tell him with a nod, sticking my pinky out to him.
He stares at my hand for a few seconds, then looks at me and arches an eyebrow in question.
“It’s a pinky promise.” I gape at him. “Have you never made a pinky promise?”
He shakes his head in the negative and nervously scratches the back of his neck. “Is that bad?”
“Yes, because any promises from your past are not real!” I explain, completely serious.
“Uh,” Levi seems at a loss for words and I simply shake my head and show him the steps to making a pinky promise. I hook his pinky around mine and kiss my thumb, encouraging him to kiss his thumb at the same time. He complies, I think because he has no idea how to protest. Once finished, I grin happily at him.
“Now it’s a forever binding promise,” I tell him, taking his hand and walking back toward the house. “Though I would strongly suggest you redo all of your previous promises so they are valid.” With a snort and a shake of the head, Leviathan chuckles at me and takes my bag so he can carry it the rest of the way home.
25
Levi has refused to let me lift a finger my entire first week home from the hospital. As much as I have tried to sneak around and cook dinner or do laundry when he isn’t looking, the man has super hearing so it’s literally impossible to get anything past him. After seven full days of this, I have finally had enough of being treated like a delicate piece of glass.
“Leviathan Black! You will let me into that kitchen and I will make myself lunch, or so help me, I will tell your mother!” I shout with my hands on my hips when Levi tries for the fifth time today to block my path into the kitchen.
“Love, you need rest,” Levi tries to argue, making me melt a bit at his continued concern for me.
“No, Levi.” I sigh, taking a few steps forward and wrapping my arms around his waist as he engulfs me in his arms automatically. Then resting my head against his chest, I continue, “I need normalcy. I’m fine, the doctor said I’m fine. I’m not going to break in half by cooking lunch or folding towels. You have to calm down.”
I feel Leviathan stiffen when I say I won’t break in half, then relax slightly as I tell him to calm down. He is silent for a few moments, simply holding me in his arms and gently running his hands up and down my back.
“I’ll try to relax a bit,” he finally concedes, his voice a bit resigned. “But we need to talk about something important, Julianne.” His confession about our need to talk has me on edge, but I allow him to lead me to his room so we can have some form of privacy.
As Levi closes his bedroom door, I move to the bed and sit down and tucking my good foot under me Levi comes and sits down so he is facing me. He runs his hand through his hair and takes a deep breath. My nerves are starting to get the better of me. What in the world is Levi so anxious about? I don’t voice my thoughts because I know he is working out how to talk to me and he will say it when he is ready. It does nothing to calm me down though. I’m a ball of nerves until he finally opens his mouth to speak.
“I love you,” he starts, his gaze on me not wavering. He sees the confusion in my eyes and smiles softly at me. “I know I have said this before, but I need you to know how much I love you. I would do anything for you and anything to keep you safe, Julianne.”
He waits for me to nod my head in understanding before he continues on. “I need you to listen to everything I have to say before you make any decisions. I also need you to know—and this is the most important part—I will always love you no matter what you decide.”
“Levi. you’re starting to scare me. What is going on?” I murmur, my voice shaking with nerves.
Levi links his hands with mine. “Remus and I had a talk while you were still in the hospital. We know the Ashford clan is going to be coming after us full force, and soon. We don’t know how or when and that puts us at a disadvantage. We have the power and the numbers against them, but Julianne, you are human and that makes you our weak link. They will come after you with everything they have and they will do whatever they can to take you away from me.”
I’m completely frozen in place as I absorb all of this new information. I know he is telling me the Ashford clan is going to do whatever they can to kill me, but I also know there is more to it than that.
I don’t say anything and the silence stretches on for a few long moments before Levi growls in frustration and hops up to start pacing around the room.
“The talk that Remus and I had was about you and your... options,” he explains, giving me a wary glance as he continues to pace. “If you decide to stay human, the Ashford clan will not stop until they kill you. We would protect you with everything we have, but we can’t guarantee your safety. Julianne, my family and I would protect you with our lives. I love you. They love you. But it’s possible the Ashford’s would be able to get to you unless you spent your entire life in this house and never left.”
“What’s my other option?” I whisper, barely able to hear my own voice but I know he hears me.
Levi stops pacing and watches me with pursed lips for
a moment before crossing the room to sit next to me again. “You have the option to become one of us, but we told you before how dangerous that is. You could die from the change, love.”
Levi looks at me pleadingly and I know what he is not saying. My chances of dying are pretty high whether I stay human or not.
“What do we do?” I ask, willing away the tears that are threatening to spill from my eyes. “I don’t want to die, Levi.”
“I don’t want that for you either, love,” he insists, pulling me onto his lap. “I will do whatever I can to keep you alive and safe if you decide that is what you want. If you want to become like us, I will do my best to make it as painless as possible and keep you as safe but there are some things I just can’t control. I will love you forever, no matter what you decide.”
I wrap my arms around him and pull Levi impossibly closer to my body. I know what my decision is; I knew before he even asked me. But hearing the options out loud and the dangers of those options makes my heart beat a little faster. What if I’m making the wrong choice and I regret it forever, or worse, what if I die?! There is so much that could go wrong, but deep down I know it’s the right thing to do.
With a deep breath, I pull away from Levi and give him a light kiss on the lips. “I know what my decision is,” I tell him and feel him tense under me. “Levi, I knew what my decision was before I even left to see my aunt and it hasn’t changed. I want to be with you forever, not just until I grow old. You and your family are my family now. I can’t live without you, so I want to join your family in every way I can.”
26
The day after I voiced my decision to join Levi’s family for good, he told his family the news. They all had the same mixed emotions that Levi and I had. Excitement that I may be able to join them forever and fear that I may die before I get the chance.