“I know, but I also know you’re all vampires.It’s a double-edged sword. I care for all of you, and I loveMollie, but being around vampires is a constant reminder of whathappened to me. Maybe being surrounded by humans again will makethe nightmares stop. I want a normal human life again.”
“Aida,” he breathed and couldn’t resistbrushing a strand of hair behind her ear. When she looked to himagain, the misery in her eyes was like a punch to his gut. “I’msure it will.”
He suspected they both knew he lied. She waseager to get on with her life and move forward, and he couldn’tblame her. She was young and beautiful, and there was so much outthere for her to see and experience, but no matter how far shewent, she would never escape what those assholes did to her.
“I’m going to miss everyone,” she said. “ButI’m looking forward to starting new and being around people whohave no idea about vampires.”
And one of those people might become thehusband who gave her the normal life she sought. His jaw clenchedas jealousy and anger churned like lava in his belly. He’dconsidered following her to Arizona, staying in the shadows, andmaking sure she stayed safe.
It would make him a full-on stalker if hedid, but he’d be okay with that if she were safe. However, hedidn’t know how he would react to seeing her with another man. Ifshe fell in love with someone else, he might not be able to keephimself under control, and if he killed someone she loved, it woulddestroy her. And he could never do that to her.
No, he had to let her go live her life andher dreams. Vampires had already taken so much from her; he wouldnot steal more. He’d planned to give her time to live her lifebefore broaching the subject of being mates with her.
They tortured her on that island, and she wasdesperate to live as a human again. And he wanted to turn her intoone of the things that gave her nightmares every night. Shedeserved better; she deserved the life she dreamed of, and thatlife didn’t include him.
“I should go.”
He went to turn away, but her hand on his armstopped him. “I don’t mean anything bad by it. I’m going to misseveryone, especially you. Will you come and visit me?”
He stared at the hand on his arm as heresisted sliding his fingers through hers and drawing her into hisarms.
“I don’t think so,” he said. When her facefell, he decided to try and tease a smile from her. “Arizona isn’texactly the place for me. That’s a lot of daylight for a vamp.”
He succeeded in getting her to smile, but hesensed her sadness when she spoke. “The sun doesn’t botheryou.”
“True, but you’ll be busy with the many newfriends you’re going to make.”
“Not so busy I won’t have time for my oldfriends.”
She felt almost desperate to have him sayyes, he would visit her, but she didn’t understand why. Even withall her apprehension about what was to come, she was still moreexcited to leave tomorrow than she’d been about anything since hermom died.
Still, the idea of not seeing Julian forweeks or months at a time made her eyes burn with tears. He was herbest friend, and she was going to miss him so much when she lefthere. She wouldn’t have gotten through the past couple of monthswithout him.
He’d sat beside her in the woods when shecried after one of her nightmares or when she couldn’t get her shittogether. He never pressured her into revealing what happened toher while she was on the island, but he listened the few times shelet it slip about how horrible it was to be the food supply for abunch of monsters.
Thinking about it made her recall the smell,sounds, and terror filling the basement that was her prison. Forthe rest of her life, she would hear the whimpers of those who wereimprisoned with her. She’d never forget shoving her fist in hermouth to suppress her sobs while she tried to find some hope in herhopeless situation.
She’d lay there, curled into the fetalposition on her mattress, and pray Mollie would somehow get out ofthis mess. The worst part, for her, was not the captivity and notthe torture of having those vamps draining her blood against herwill; it was the not knowing where Mollie was and what happened toher.
Had they killed her sister? Why had theyseparated them? She’d clung to the hope she would somehow know ifMollie were dead, but the doubts constantly crept into her mind andnearly drove her insane.
She’d escaped the basement, but a piece ofher soul remained trapped there forever. And somehow Julian madeher better able to handle that.
Her hand tightened on his arm as she becamealmost frantic not to lose him. “They have a good computer program.You could always enroll and join me.”
He chuckled as he rested his hand over hers.Warmth seeped through her fingers and down her arm as the welcomingcomfort he always brought washed through her.
“Tempting, but college isn’t for me,” hesaid.
He couldn’t picture possibly watching Aidaflirt or date another without killing someone. He wasn’t a fullymatured vampire yet, but he knew what his weakness would be once hestopped aging.
Her head spun, and she tried to think of aresponse. He didn't agree to visit her, and she couldn’t shake thefeeling something was wrong. Why wouldn’t he visit?
Before he could see her melancholy, sheturned to stare out the window. Hope and Dylan were laughing asthey ran around on the grass. They laughed as Hope’s puppy, Dawg,chased after them.
Sensing her hurt, Julian clasped her chin andturned her head toward him. Her long black lashes fell to shadowher cheek before she opened her eyes again. Confusion emanated fromher golden gaze as it ran over his face.
Before she could say anything, he bent hishead and claimed her mouth in a tender kiss. The second his lipsmet hers, a sense of rightness stole through him. When he first sawher, he’d known she was special. She was the first girl he wantedto spend more than ten minutes with, and the first one who made himfeel alive.
