“Hey, guys.”
“What in god’s name are you doing here?” Mike asked, still laughing. “I don’t see you as the reading type.”
“I come for the free coffee,” I joked, waving my cup at them.
I heard the doors open and spotted Gabriella as she walked into the library. My heart skipped a beat as I took her in. Her brown hair looked red under the light, and she had a soft tan going. She smiled, and her eyes seemed to sparkle as she said something to Marium.
I started coming to spend time with Gabrielle at Jade’s request. She wanted to make sure she and Hazel adjusted well into the pack, that they were taken care of, and that they felt welcome.
I didn’t expect to find myself seeking her out, looking forward to time together in that back corner. I told myself to just do it a couple of times, but soon found myself doing it for months.
She turned, heading toward the corner, and I felt that tug deep in my chest, knowing what it meant.
I should have been happy, but I wasn’t. Because the closer I got to Gabriella, the more I realized how bad the timing was, how I couldn’t let go of work for something more. I saw how exhausted Brandon and Kaleb were recently. I told myself I couldn’t follow in that path. Not when so much was on the line right now.
“Mike was telling me that you guys caught another hybrid a couple of miles out of town.”
I pulled my gaze back to Mike and Linda. She looked horrified as she shook her head. “I just can’t believe all of this still. It’s insane.”
“We will survive,” I stated, a statement I felt I was saying more and more these days. In truth, it wasn’t our pack we were worried about. It was all the others. We had a strong group, and if they attacked us, we would struggle but survive. But if they surrounded us after taking the small towns out, and built up their numbers like we were predicting, we were fucked.
Linda continued, and I stood there as Mike tried to reassure his wife. A small part of me was envious of what they had. He went home to her at the end of the night. He had someone. But we weren’t all destined for that. Mike wasn’t that high up the food chain.
“Oh shit, didn’t you say you had something to do?” Lisa said, looking embarrassed. I looked down at my phone to check the time, then placed it back down. I knew I should go over to the corner, but something told me not to.
You need to start putting distance between you two. Before you know if you’re going to be too attached.
I shook my head. “Nope.”
Quitting to see Gabriella was like going cold turkey. It made me cranky and irritable. I found myself constantly looking for her wherever I went, and I felt like a love-sick child. We weren’t even dating or anything, but I felt like a part of me was being ripped out.
Maybe it was because deep down I was lonely. I spent endless hours outside in the woods, looking for something to kill. I spent hours upon hours with Asher in that dark bunker, going over the map and the details of the night’s events.
I watched Brandon and Kaleb go home to someone. A fire burned in them to be near that person. And Nora and Jade were also witches. They didn’t have to worry too much about keeping them safe and protecting them.
“You seem like you have a stick up your ass,” Asher said as he parked the car.
I glared at him. “I’m just hungry.”
“And what about yesterday and the day before that?”
“Do you want to have a heart-to-heart conversation right now or go and get dinner?” I asked, yanking my door out.
“Jeez, man. What has gotten into you?” Asher got out of the car and rounded it. I slammed my door, knowing this anger was pointless. I had no real reason to be angry. But yet, I was.
“I’ve just not slept well the past couple of nights. It’s nothing. Now, can we go inside and eat? I’m starving.”
Asher waved his hands as he pulled the door open. We headed inside and got a booth near the back. I looked through the menu and decided to get a burger.
Asher was watching me, and I set my menu down. “What?”
“Just wondering if you need me to hook you up with someone. Maybe a good fuck will perk you up.”
I rolled my eyes. “I already told you I just haven’t slept well.”
“Is that all?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at me, not seeming to believe me.
“Yes, it is. Now, are we done?”
