I LOVED COMING out to the ranch with Mom, Dad, and Julian. I loved it so much that time seemed to fly by whenever I walked through the front doors. It seemed like only a split-second passed between helping Dad and Grandpa with the fence and packing up my things to leave.
Sighing, I slung my backpack over my shoulder. From the opulent room next to mine, I heard Julian respond to my sad sigh. “It’s not like we won’t be back, Nick.” There was a definite smile in his voice, and a heap of humor in his mood. He knew as well as I did that we came here almost every weekend.
I took one last look at all the fine things speckled throughout my room, the physical, financial investments that the family had made, and then I walked over to Julian’s room. His space was no less magnificent: a four-poster bed in a rich, deep mahogany, a matching night stand, dresser, and wardrobe closet, all adorned with an assortment of pillar candles and vases of fresh hydrangeas. Magnificent, red draperies, arranged to perfection, framed a wide bay window that took up almost an entire wall.
Watching Julian zip his backpack shut, I said with a frown, “I know. It’s just…nice here.”
He peeked up at me, his light eyes reflecting a sudden spark of curiosity. Even without Julian saying it, I knew why he was silently questioning my comment. Yes, the ranch was nice, but our spread back home was equally luxurious. But luxury wasn’t what I’d meant.
Clarifying, I told him, “It’s nice to not have to hide, to not have to be so careful all the time.” I blurred over to Julian, to punctuate my point. His only reaction to my sudden appearance in front of him was a sympathetic nod.
Heading downstairs together, we ran into Grandma Linda on the wide, elaborate staircase that dropped down to the first floor. Grandma had a bit of a hunch to her back, as age had tightened up her body, and she took her time going down the dozens and dozens of lacquered steps. Julian and I rushed to her side, each escorting her with a supportive arm under hers. Truly, either one of us could have scooped her up and carried her down, but Grandma was just like Mom and Aunt Ashley, and wanted to do as much as she could on her own. Come to think of it, aside from vampirism, the Taylor side of our family was just like the Adams side.
Patting my arm, Grandma tilted her neck to peek up at us. “Thank you, children.”
It made me smile that she still saw us as little kids, zipping around the house when she was trying to get us to focus on our math assignment. “You’re welcome, Grandma.” Grandma’s hair was the shiniest silver now, and she wore it in a bob that hung right at ear length, so she could conveniently tuck it away. I tucked a loose piece for her, and she smiled.
Mom, Dad, and the others met us in the living room. Mom hugged her mother, telling her to stop playing at being a cowgirl and start taking it easy. Grandma replied, “I’m in the last half of my life. Now’s not the time to hold back.” Mom had tears in her eyes as she nodded and hugged her again. I tried not to think about what that meant.
Grandpa Jack cleared his throat, then gave his son a hug. Dad patted his back, then told him, “I’m only a phone call away if you need help with anything, Dad.” Then he smirked. “And I can get here really fast if I need to.”
Grandpa chuckled and nodded. His hair was just as silver as Grandma’s now, and as I watched my parents say goodbye to their parents, the elderly couple almost seemed like the husband and wife who ran this place. But as soon as the two of them disengaged from Mom and Dad, Grandpa was surrounded by Alanna’s cool embrace, and the look of love, adoration, and contentment that passed between them was unmistakable. They were the couple who were going to be by each other’s side until the very end. Even if the end never came for one of them.
Shaking the dark thoughts out of my head, I said goodbye to everyone. I hugged Halina last. Smiling at me, then at Julian, she told us, “Enjoy your schooling, children, but…be careful of your surroundings. Be mindful of how many lives you come into contact with. When we leave this place, I’ll need to blur you out of their memories.”
Julian immediately frowned. I could feel the disappointment growing in him, and I knew exactly who he was thinking about. “All of them, Grandma?”
Her mouth in a firm line, Halina nodded. She glanced over Julian’s shoulder at our father. “It is better…for everyone…if the memory is taken as quickly as possible.” Her eyes flicked back to Julian, then me. “I know you care for people here, but we cannot risk them seeing you, or us, later in life. Not with our appearances never changing.”
Julian lifted his chin. “That’s if we decide to not take Gabriel’s shot and become undead vampires. What if we do take it? What if we keep taking it? What if we decide to age like Starla? What if we decide to stay human? Or…stay as human as we can.”
Feeling his determination made me snap my head to stare at him. He was serious about this. My jaw dropped as I considered the future he’d just mapped out. If Julian decided to live a completely human life…then he would die…just like humans did. A hollowness filled my heart at the thought of living for eternity without him. He was my best friend. No, he was more than that. We almost shared a soul we were so close. And I didn’t want to take the shot. I didn’t want to age unnaturally. I wanted to be with my family for as long as I could, and that meant I had to die and become an undead vampire. So I could be like them…so Julian and I could be like them. Anger flew up my spine. It mixed with shock and sadness, then transformed into loneliness. He couldn’t do that to me. To us.
Mom stepped forward. “Julian, you don’t mean that. You don’t understand what you’re saying.”
Twisting his head to her, he dropped his eyes for a second, then raised them to hers. “Yes, I do, Mom. I completely understand what I’m saying.” Feeling the tension in the room, and the well of confusion coming from me, Julian looked around with a conflicted expression on his face. Sighing, he turned back to Halina. “I don’t know if that’s what I want. I just…wanted to ask the question.” He looked around the room again. “Is it wrong to ask?”
Dad stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s perfectly fine to ask, Julian.” Grabbing Julian’s other shoulder, Dad twisted him so he was squarely facing him. “I know exactly what you’re feeling right now. I felt it too. And yes, you have options available to you that weren’t available to me. And yes, if I’d had them, I might have considered what you’re considering…but then I wouldn’t have what I have now.” He shook his head, his eyes intense. “You have time…a lot of time. You don’t know where your life is going to go from here, so don’t make that choice yet. Keep your options open.” Dad sighed, then kissed Julian’s head. “I promise you, son…it will get easier to let them go.”
Julian dropped his head, sadness washing over him so fast it stole my breath. I clasped his hand, silently begging him not to choose a life that left me without him.
It was painfully quiet when we were finally in the car driving home. The radio was off, and no one was speaking. The only soundtrack to the moment was the heartbeats coming from the backseat and the hum of the tires on the road. Everyone looked out the windows, lost in their own thoughts. And even though I couldn’t hear those thoughts, I was sure they were all centered around Julian and his out-of-the-blue question about keeping his mortality.
Staring out the windshield, I couldn’t help but notice the symbolism before me. The headlights lit the road, but only for so far. After that, the world was dark and empty, full of possibility and uncertainty—much like the paths of our own lives. While Mom and Dad had gotten through the bends and curves of their unknown road, and were now traveling down a long, straight highway, our paths were still too twisted and tangled to know which way they’d turn out.
After another moment of the silence, Julian whispered, “I won’t do it. I won’t take the shot. I’ll be an undead vampire.”
Mom sighed and bowed her head. Looking up, she locked gazes with Dad, and I saw a lifetime of love pass between them in their communicative gaze. It made me proud to be a part of them. It made me ache for a connection that intense.
Shaking her head, Mom turned around to face Julian directly behind her. Smiling, tears in her eyes, she put a hand on his knee. “You’re saying that to make us happy, but you can’t know yet what you will or won’t do.” Mom paused, then lifted her chin. “We will support whatever decision you make, Julian, and we will love you every day.”
She turned around then, but not before I saw the tear roll down her cheek. I couldn’t stop myself from glaring at Julian, couldn’t help being irritated that he was hurting our parents because he had some stupid crush on some insipid teenage girl. Julian ignored my anger and stared out the side window.
When we got home, Mom was still upset, even though she tried to act like she wasn’t. I could tell from the way Dad urged her to go upstairs that he wanted to have a private conversation. I was also sure that Mom would cry once they were alone. Dad gave me a quick kiss on the head, then sighed and gave Julian an extra-long hug. Glancing between the two of us, he shook his dark head. “Don’t stay up too late. You have school tomorrow.”
Once Dad disappeared into his room, and Julian and I were alone in the hallway, I turned to him and slapped his arm as hard as I could. And considering I was a vampire, the hit was exceptional. The resounding smack was satisfying, as was his cry of pain. It was well worth the backlash of feeling the pain I’d just caused.
“Jesus, Nick, what the hell?”
Hands on my hips, I spat back, “What was that about, Julian? Are you really considering dying to be with a girl who doesn’t want to be with you?”
Julian immediately straightened, his jaw tightening. “No, I was considering living a normal life, and normal lives include dying.” Folding his arms over his chest, he raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me that you’ve never thought about it, because I know that you, the one who is so tired of hiding and lying, has thought about not having to do it anymore.”
My jaw trembled as I shook my head. Sure, I’d thought about it. I was a sixteen-year-old girl who wanted to be just like all the other sixteen-year-old girls. How could I not think about it? “Not ever having to lie… The price you’d have to pay for that is too high, Julian. The only way you could live your life without ever lying…is to leave the nest. To leave the family.” My eyes filled as I stared at him, my momentary anger slipping back into pain. He couldn’t leave. He just couldn’t. “You’d have to live without us. We’d have to live without you.”
Julian sighed as he watched long tears streak down my skin. Waves of sympathy rolled off him, and shaking his head, he pulled me in for a warm hug. “It was just a split-second thought, Nick.” He rubbed my back, just like Dad did when we were upset. “I’m not going anywhere.”
I nodded into his shoulder, hearing his heartbeat, alive and strong beneath me. He held me until he felt my emotions leveling, then he pushed me back. Crooking a smile in the way that made Arianna sigh, he said, “You didn’t have to go all Mom-zilla on me.”
I laughed as I shoved him away from me. It was a long-standing joke between the two of us that Mom sort of loved to wail on Dad when she got upset. She’d never hit Dad as hard as I’d just hit Julian, and Dad usually laughed and took her attacks without complaint, but there had been a lot of smacking throughout my childhood. When I’d finally called Mom out on it a few years ago, she’d been extremely embarrassed and had made an effort to restrain herself. At least, she had when she was in front of us.
“You didn’t need to upset everybody by bringing it up, Julie.”
Julian looked down, shaking his head. “Yeah, I know.” His pale eyes peeked up at me, apologetic. “It just…slipped out before I could stop it.”
Nodding, I rubbed the spot on his arm where I’d brutalized him, then shuffled off to bed.
I WAS THE last one to wake up Monday morning; I could feel and hear everyone else downstairs. Rolling onto my side, I collided with Spike and reconsidered. The old pup was still asleep as he lay beside me. I gently stroked his graying fur, careful not to wake him. He used to come out to the ranch with us all the time, but we’d started leaving him at home recently. Halina had jokingly told us that we should keep bringing him since he was slower and easier for her to catch now. Well, I thought she was kidding. She wouldn’t really nibble on our dog. We watched him very closely whenever he was there, though, just in case.
I gave him a soft kiss, listening to his heavy, wheezing breath, then popped out of bed and got ready for my day. Downstairs, I could hear Julian having a quiet conversation with our parents. He was apologizing, again, for upsetting them yesterday. They were telling him not to worry about it, that he had every right to decide how he wanted to live his life.
Sighing, I shook my head and made my way to the bathroom. I was halfway there when I heard Mom stop mid-sentence and say, “Good morning, Nika.”
I yawned. “Good mor…ning…”
Dad and Julian chuckled at my answer, and I shook my head again. Normal families waited until they actually saw each other to talk to one other, right? My family had a lot of closed-doors conversations.
And as I turned on the water to the shower, those conversations resumed. Dad switched from Julian’s comment yesterday to Julian’s fighting Friday. “If he comes up to you again, just walk away, okay? There’s too much at stake for you to start something with a human.”
Julian sighed, his mood resigned. “Yeah, I know.”
Dad added, “And please, try to stay away from his girlfriend. I know it’s hard, but if she’s with him, then she shouldn’t be with you.”
Julian didn’t say anything to Dad’s comment, but I did. Under my breath, I murmured, “Amen to that.”
Julian didn’t hear my barely-there speech with the noise from the water—our vampire ears just weren’t enhanced enough to pick up the slight sound amongst the noise. Dad heard me just fine, though. “Nika,” he warned.
“Sorry.” I rolled my eyes as I washed my hair. Yeah, most families didn’t have conversations in the shower, I was sure.
By the time I joined my family downstairs, it was nearly time to go. Mom shoved a piece of toast at me, telling me to, “Eat something,” while she sipped on her blood cocktail. I grudgingly took the toast, even though I really wanted a glass of what she had, instead of a hard piece of bread in my dry mouth.
Mom’s brown eyes watched me as she tipped back her drink. After swallowing it, she examined how much was left in the glass, then handed it to me. My spirits brightened instantly as her chilly hand pressed the warm cup into mine. “Here, I’m full, you can have it.”
As Mom wiped her mouth, I tipped the glass back. My fangs dropped as soon as the tangy goodness hit my tongue. It was fresh from the ranch, a new batch that we’d brought back with us, and it was incredible. I might not need it like my mom and dad, but I thoroughly enjoyed it when I got it.
Having downed it too fast, I burped up an air bubble when I was done. Julian smirked at me. “Nice, Nick. Real ladylike.”
Fangs still extended, I gave him a quick “bite me” hiss. Playing along, Julian dropped his fangs and growled at me. He’d been working on perfecting that deep, throaty growl that Dad had, the kind that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. He was getting pretty good at it, too, and a shiver went through me. Feeling a little out of my league, I pulled my fangs back up. Julian immediately started laughing.
“Stop it, you two, we need to get going,” Mom scolded, zipping upstairs to get the rest of her stuff.
Dad, casually sipping on his blood, watched her leave, then looked over at Julian. Baring his fangs in a terrifying, threatening way, Dad rumbled a low growl that vibrated deep inside my chest. It made my tiny hiss and Julian’s little rumble pale in comparison. I had to rub my arm to calm the goosebumps that popped up. Dad winked at us when he was done. “That’s how you do it, son.”
Mom blurred back into the room and almost smacked Dad’s arm before stopping herself. “Quit teaching them bad manners.” She twisted back to me as Dad smiled and slid his arm around her waist. “You guys ready?”
Shoving the toast into my mouth, I nodded. Julian stood up and looped his backpack over his shoulder. While his mood was mainly amused, thanks to Dad’s little display, he was also suffering from a mild case of nerves. Whether that was about seeing Russell at school or about seeing Raquel, I had no idea. I rubbed his back sympathetically either way.
We all piled into Dad’s car, and he dropped us off at Starla’s house so she could take us to school and he could continue on to work with Mom. Starla opened the door wearing lounge pants and an almost see-through tank top. A part of me wanted to cover Julian’s eyes…and Dad’s. His gaze was staying firmly focused on her face though. “So, you’ll pick them up on time today…like we talked about?”
Starla shrugged as she stretched, not seeming to care too much about what she and Dad had talked about over the weekend. “Sure thing, V.B.”
Dad shook his head at Starla’s nickname for him, then turned to us. “Have a good day at school, kids.” He kissed my head. “Good luck on your homework, Nika.” Waving at Julian, he headed back to the car to Mom. She was leaning through the open window, watching him jog toward her. Dad slowed as he approached her, then ducked his head through the window to give her a quick kiss. Mom was giggling as he trotted around to the driver’s side.
Starla groaned as she opened the front door for us to come inside. “God, those two are still sickeningly sappy.” Glancing back at my brother and me, she murmured, “I hope the two of you don’t end up like them. I might have to stake myself.”
Julian looked over at me and rolled his eyes as Starla turned away from us. Striding into the living room, her walk sultry, Starla plopped down on the couch. Jacen walked into the room as she sat down. Glass of blood in hand, he looked between his girlfriend and us. Remembering that I saw him shirtless a few days ago made my face heat. Feeling my embarrassment, Julian grinned and looked away. Damn bond.
“Uh, Starla, sweetheart…aren’t you forgetting something?” Jacen turned to Starla, who was examining her nails on the couch.
She peeked up at him, flicked her eyes down his body, then smirked. “No, I’m pretty sure I took care of that this morning.”
If an undead vampire could still blush, I was sure Jacen would have turned bright red. Instead, he immediately looked away from her and took a quick sip of blood. Starla chuckled, while Julian and I glanced at each other.
Jacen was a lot more reserved than Starla, and her risqué comments usually made him seem mortified. But as he peeked back at her with the corner of his eye, I wondered if he actually enjoyed her provocative talk. I tried not to think too hard about it, since these two were sort of family to me.
Swallowing his drink, Jacen glanced at us. “Shouldn’t you be getting them to school?” Fangs extended, he looked back at Starla. “They’ll be tardy again.”
Starla rested her spiky hair back on the couch and sighed. While she seemed liked she’d just gotten out of bed, her hair and makeup were flawless. Of course, she hated not looking her best, so she’d probably slept that way. “They’ll be fine. I need to work on this hang nail.”
She resumed working on her nails, and Julian and I both dropped our bags to the floor. Procrastinating was nothing new when it came to Starla. Jacen set down his glass and walked up behind her. It really seemed like Jacen was Starla’s brother. They looked so much alike, or had, at least, when Starla was a lot younger. But Jacen wasn’t related to her, and was, in fact, quite older than her, and his power and influence were clear when he approached her and put his hands on her shoulders. Leaning down, he whispered, “Gabriel wouldn’t want you to make them wait.”
Starla glared up at him, annoyed. Jacen shrugged, and she sighed and stood up. “Fine,” she muttered, “I guess the nail problem can wait until I get back. I wouldn’t want to disappoint Father.” She strode over to us, snatching her keys from a table in the entryway. “You guys ready?” She didn’t even wait for our response before opening the door and heading outside.
Used to Starla’s behavior, Julian and I immediately picked up our bags and followed her. Starla did have moments of warmth, but, much like Halina, they were few and far between. Nobody was about to tell either woman that they were similar in that regard though; they hated being compared to one another.
Jacen waved as we left. “Have fun at school, guys.”
Starla took us down side streets to get to school, so we ended up not driving past the hot neighbor’s house. It made me a little sad; I was dying to catch another glimpse of him. We’d driven past his house on the way home from the ranch last night, but we hadn’t seen anyone, and the moving truck had been gone. I had to believe he and his dad were busy putting everything they owned away. Moving sucked. Maybe he would venture outside when he was done unpacking, though, and then I’d get another peek at him. One good thing about the weather here—it stayed decent well into the fall. That left a lot of time in the next few weeks for outdoor activities. And he’d seemed like the athletic type at first glance. He had a lean enough body anyway.
I started to smile, thinking about that trim physique, imagining the tight lines that he surely had. I got carried away, thinking about those deep, dark eyes, and had to adjust how I was sitting. Julian, sitting behind me in the back seat, cleared his throat, his mood annoyed. He frowned at me at the same time I frowned at him, and, shaking my head, I tried to clear my mind…and my emotions. I should be more careful with my thoughts. They stirred feelings that I didn’t want to share with Julian, especially since I knew how awkward it was to feel those same feelings coming from him when he fantasized about Raquel. And I shouldn’t be fantasizing about a man who was a stranger anyway. That wasn’t like me.
Starla pulled up to the front of our school, weaving her way in-between a couple of busses that were letting kids out. Mom and Dad had talked about us taking the bus, but we had begged them to not make us get on one; we’d rather walk. No kids our age used the bus system. Not if they could help it.
Revving her engine, Starla glanced over at me, then back at Julian. “All right, we’re here…and right on time.” A few kids in the yard looked over at Starla and her flashy car, and some of the guys tossed playful smiles at the hot, older blonde who was playing our mom. Ugh.
“Thanks,” I mumbled, getting out of the car; Julian was a step behind me. Arianna appeared from somewhere inside the crowd and waggled her fingers at me…or at Julian, I really wasn’t sure.
Looking through the glass at Starla, Arianna smiled and gave her a wave. “Hi, Mrs. Adams.”
Starla gave her a half-grin and a tepid wave. “It’s Ms. Adams,” she murmured, a little sullenly.
Once our doors were closed, Starla stepped on the gas and took off. A couple of kids had to back up to not get run over by her. Arianna stepped to my side, frowning. “Your mom is always in such a hurry…”
Sighing, I looked back at my best friend. “It’s the plight of being a single mom.” Julian snorted, then sniffed to cover it.
Arianna’s eyes immediately locked onto him. “Hey, Julian. Feeling better?” Her wide eyes drank in my brother as she pointed to the mostly healed line on his face, the last residual evidence of his fight on Friday.
I was 100 percent certain that if Julian leaned over and decided to lock lips with Arianna right now, she’d let him. But, of course, Julian didn’t see Arianna that way, so he only shrugged as he looked over her shoulder, searching for Raquel. “Yeah, I’m fine…thanks.”
I knew the second Julian spotted Raquel. Not only did his heartbeat triple, but his emotions swirled all over the place—happy, excited, sad, wistful. The flood gave me a bit of a stomachache and I pushed him away from me. Sometimes distance helped…a little. Julian looked back at me, understanding. “Sorry,” he murmured, embarrassment now joining the mix.
I shook my head while Arianna asked, “Sorry for what?”
Pushing Julian farther away from us, I told him, “Just go…even out. Please.”
He sighed, then nodded and trotted off in the opposite direction of Raquel. I was glad for that; he really needed to keep his distance from the unavailable woman.
“Why did you send him away?” Arianna asked. “I was just about to make my move,” she added, playfully wriggling her eyebrows.
Her statement made me grin. Arianna had never openly made a move on Julian…just flirted with him at every opportunity. Not knowing how else to explain the weird exchange that had just happened, I told her, “Sorry, I just need some space from him.” I rolled my eyes and looped my arm around hers. “It was a long weekend.”
Arianna laughed at my comment, like she understood sibling rivalry. I felt guilty for saying it though. I didn’t like making it seem as if Julian was an annoyance I wanted away from, but the real situation was too complicated to explain, and would be hurtful to Arianna. It was kinder to stay quiet and let her think she had a shot with Julian, because, who knows, maybe his obsession would stop one day and he would see Arianna in a different light. It would be pretty awesome if they ended up together—my two best friends. But with how Julian was feeling right now, that wish was a long-shot.
I unintentionally kept tabs on Julian throughout my day. I tried to respect his privacy, but whenever there was a spike in his emotions, I catalogued it. For the most part, his day was pretty mellow, but there was an edge of sadness to him. I figured he was watching Raquel and Russell from a distance, like usual, and he was trying really hard to not interfere. I gave him as much sympathy and encouragement as I could whenever his mood shifted to the low side.
Thinking about my emotive brother made me laugh out loud during a discussion in health class, when someone made the comment that boys were completely void of feelings. Several girls turned to stare at my outburst, and Arianna giggled as the teacher shushed me, but I couldn’t help it. I might only be attached to one teenage boy, so maybe I couldn’t speak for the entire gender, but I wanted to assure the sullen girl in my class that boys felt just as much turmoil as girls. They were just better at ignoring it. Usually.
After English class, where I turned in my paper with a huge smile on my face, since my B.S. family story pretty much kicked ass, I trudged out to the football field to wait for my “mother” with Arianna. This time, Julian met up with us right away. I cringed when I noticed that his best friend had tagged along.
Long and lanky, Trey was sort of an odd friend for Julian. He was outgoing and flirtatious where Julian was…quieter. By the way Trey amused Julian, though, I figured that was part of the reason they were bonded. Opposites attracted, even in friendships.
Trey also liked to indulge in…all natural herbs. On a near-daily basis, he had a faint pot odor about him. Nothing normal humans would probably pick up on, but we sure did. My parents didn’t like that at all, but Julian defended him, saying pot wasn’t as bad as other drugs kids our age did, and Trey’s home life kind of sucked, so pot was how he dealt with it. But Julian’s most effective argument was the fact that Trey’s overabundant marijuana usage had made him dull enough that he probably wouldn’t notice if we “slipped up” and said or did something we shouldn’t around him. Mom and Dad had semi-okayed the friendship with Trey, but they were watchful of Julian. I’d caught mom sniffing his dirty laundry on more than one occasion. Gross.
“Ladies.” Trey plopped down on the grass, wedging his way in-between Arianna and me, and tossed his arms around us both. Arianna rolled her eyes, but giggled too.
“Trey…Julian…” Arianna’s face was turned toward Trey as she spoke, but her eyes were locked on my brother as he walked around behind us. Ignoring her stares, Julian sat down by me.
Rolling my shoulders to dislodge Trey’s arm from my body, I looked over at the man now glued to my side. “There’s an entire football field to sit on. Why are you bruising my hip?”
Trey laughed. “Because you two have the most beautiful hips in town.” He leaned into me until his face was about an inch away; the smell coming off him nearly gave me a buzz. “Why wouldn’t I want to get stuck between them?”
Arianna scoffed and pushed Trey’s shoulder away. Julian groaned and tossed some grass at his friend. “Man, that’s my sister you’re talking about.”
I took a more proactive approach to Trey’s comment. I yanked on his shirt with one hand and shoved on his back with the other—forcing him away from us. I used just a tiny bit of my extra strength and he rolled pretty far down the embankment. Julian stared at me wide-eyed, alarm streaking through him. I’d made it look as natural as possible, but it was still an impressive feat for a girl my size to physically remove a boy Trey’s size.
Luckily for us, Trey was a natural clown and Arianna assumed that he’d done it on purpose. She laughed at Trey as he caught himself. “Dork.” Trey seemed a little caught off guard, but since we were on a slope, he didn’t appear to put too much thought into how I’d done that. He laughed just as much as Arianna.
Julian relaxed as he glanced between the two amused—and not suspicious—humans. He frowned at me, though, and I could see the disapproval in his eyes as much as I could feel it. Lifting one shoulder in apology, I murmured, “Sorry, used a little too much oomph.”
Julian sniggered at my comment, shaking his head. “You could say that again,” he whispered, under the humans’ hearing.
As Trey rejoined us, adjusting his stocking cap so that it covered most of his chin-length hair, a horn honked. We all turned to look at Starla’s shiny sports car waiting for us, surprisingly right on time. Trey whistled. “Damn, that car is just as hot as your mom, Julian.”
Standing, Julian smacked his friend’s arm. “First my sister, now my mom?”
Trey blinked at Julian’s expression. “What? Your family’s hot.” Arianna giggled, her eyes drifting over Julian’s face.
Standing up, I grabbed Julian’s elbow. “Come on, we gotta go. It’s library day.”
Waving to our friends, we jogged over to Starla’s car. Pulling down her bug-like sunglasses, Starla looked us over as we hopped in the car. “Make sure you tell Papa Adams that I was on time today.”
Closing my door, I grinned ear-to-ear at her. “Library please.”
Starla popped her glasses back up, then snapped a bubble with her gum. “Sure, it’s your afternoon to waste.”
Starla sped over to the city library, dropping me off before zipping home with Julian. I spent every Monday afternoon there, checking out new books, returning old ones. Sure, I had amassed an obscene amount of electronic books on my tablet, but there was something about bound books—the slight smell of dust, the crinkle of the page as it turned, the yellowing of the paper as it aged, the stains, spills and tears, each one with a story that was completely aside from the book’s story. Sometimes I found that examining used books was nearly as interesting as reading them.
And really, there was no better place, besides the ranch, to spend an afternoon. The Salt Lake City library was a work of art, as glorious on the outside as it was on the inside. It was six stories of angled glass, holding over a half-million books, more if you considered the stores of electronic books that you could download. There was a curving wall that embraced the huge plaza outside. You could walk up that huge ramp to a garden on the rooftop—such an incredible sight, such an amazing view. And with shops and cafes on the ground level, and reading galleries above, the library was more a small city than just a place to go and read books. It was one of my favorite places.
Inhaling the scent of thousands of pages of aged paper, I slowly meandered through the tall shelves, wondering what I was in the mood for today. Knowledge? Romance? Fantasy? Murder? I could have it all if I wanted, and how many times in life could a person have it all? That limitless feeling gave me an odd sense of empowerment as I walked through the shelves.
Thinking of Julian and his latest episode, I made my way over to the self-help section and browsed through the hundreds of titles available. It was a little alarming how many books had been written on how to live a better life. Being human wasn’t easy. And being a human who was part vampire was even less easy. Unfortunately, there weren’t any books on that subject. There were, however, a few that I thought might help Julian deal with his fears better. That was, if I could ever get him to read a book that didn’t include pictures.
Wondering if the topic was appropriate for him, I picked up a book on how to deal with abandonment. I was examining the beautiful swan on the cover when I felt and heard a person behind me. I tensed, feeling my personal space being compromised, right as the person spoke. “Interesting choice. Were you abandoned?”
Turning, I prepared to tell the stranger intruding on my solitude to mind their own business. Then I faced said stranger and all words left me. It was the super-hot neighbor boy who’d moved in last week…the one who had been filling my mind during my quiet moments.
“What?” I mumbled, speech an overwhelming prospect now that the real-life version of him was superseding my fantasy version…in a good way. My memory hadn’t quite captured the depth of his brown eyes, the exact shade of his dark hair, the rough stubble that made him seem way too old for me.
Smiling, he pointed at the book in my hands. “The book…is it for you?”
Feeling heat flush my cheeks, I shoved the book back on the shelf. “No, my brother…” I immediately shut my mouth. I couldn’t tell a complete stranger that my brother was abducted as a child and still had panic attacks about it. “No, I was just looking.”
Seeing my obvious embarrassment, the boy backed up, hands raised. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude…that was really rude. It’s just…it’s one of my favorites, and I highly recommend it…” he raised one corner of his lip and my heart sped up a little, “if you were doing more than looking.”
His eyes never leaving mine, he reached up on the shelf and grabbed the book that I’d haphazardly replaced. Still silent, he handed it back to me. “Thank you,” I whispered, cognizant of the stillness in the air between us.
“Do you remember me?” he asked, stepping toward me again.
Hell yes, I remember you. Furrowing my brows, I shook my head and hoped my cheeks weren’t bright red. “I’m not sure. You look kind of familiar, but…?” I bit my lip as my heart thudded in my chest.
The boy looked down, then back up at me. The darkness of his eyes instantly captured me. I wanted to swoon…and I wasn’t even entirely positive what “swooning” meant. “I met you last week, sort of, when your family offered to help move my family in.” He smiled, and a small sigh escaped me. God, he was gorgeous. I immediately coughed a little to cover it.
Smiling wider, he extended his hand. “Hunter.”
I blinked and backed up a step. “Excuse me?”
He frowned at my reaction and lowered his hand. “My name…is Hunter.”
My cheeks felt on fire as embarrassment coursed through me. In my family, “hunter” had an entirely different meaning than someone’s name. Stepping back up to him, I reached for his lowered hand. “Oh, sorry…mine’s Nika.”