Blood Awakening (3 page)

“Are you sure?” Kayla asked. I could tell that she was uncomfortable, and I was actually a little mad that we weren’t just telling him what was going on.

“Yeah, sure,” he answered. “It’s cool.” Suddenly, Kayla’s uncomfortable mood spread out across the entire room, and the tension became thick like a choking fog. I could feel Erik’s awkwardness curdling beneath his skin as the only two people he thought he could count on refused to help him when he needed it. The guilt was crushing me.

“Okay then,” Kayla said quickly. “I guess we’re out of here.” She stood and crossed the room to the front door. “We’ll give you a call when we get to where we’re going.” She opened the door and made it one step across the threshold before my mouth suddenly flew open and words were spilling out.

“She’s lying,” I blurted. “We’re not going on any vacation.” I caught Kayla’s dazed and shocked expression and had to look away before I lost my nerve.

“What are you talking about?” Erik asked, now confused. He had finished off his soda and set the empty can on the bar next to him.

“We’re going to Boston.” My word vomit was relentless. The anxiety I had been holding hostage in my stomach had now been replaced by a nauseating feeling that I was severely crossing a line. “We’re going to find her dad.”

“Ava!” Kayla snapped, slamming the apartment door and coming over to no doubt smack me. “What are you doing?” She had her hands on her hips, like I imagined a mother would do if she were scolding her unruly child.

“I can’t lie to him, Kayla. I just can’t.” I looked at Erik after I spoke, his forehead wrinkled with confusion. “You know her dad went missing a while back, right?” Erik didn’t speak, only nodded in affirmation. “Well, she’s been looking for him ever since.”

“Yeah, I know,” he finally spoke. “I offered to help right after he disappeared, but she said she didn’t need any, so I let it go.” Kayla looked over at him then, and I saw a flash of remembrance between the two long-time friends. They shared a history I knew nothing about, and I felt a hint of jealousy over that.

“We think we may have a lead now,” I went on. “A good one. In Boston. So that’s where we’re going.” Kayla’s hands fell from her hips as she visibly relaxed. “Sorry.”

She sucked air through her nose again. “It’s fine. Not like you can take it back now.” Kayla knew better than anyone that with all that had happened to me, I wasn’t comfortable with keeping people in the dark. Even if it might be for their own good.

“Why didn’t you want me to know that?” Erik asked, his eyes focused on Kayla.

“Because I didn’t want to upset you,” she said, crossing the room to stand directly in front of him. “After Lila, I didn’t think you’d even want to hear the word vampire.” I could see Lila’s name cross Erik’s face, painful and fresh. My heart broke for him. In a way, I had lost Chance—and that pain was overwhelming. But Chance was still alive. I couldn’t even imagine the torture Erik must have been living with every day over Lila’s death.

“I miss her,” he finally said, his words soft and sad. “Every day I miss her. But that doesn’t mean I’m quitting hunting down vampires. I want them to pay for what they did to her.” The muscles lining his defined jaw flexed beneath the skin as he gritted his teeth. His sudden shift to anger increased his heartbeat, pumping blood through his veins so fast it made my head spin with its delicious scent.

“So do I,” Kayla said. “So do we.” She looked over her shoulder at me and I smiled at him, hoping to offer some reassurance. “But I don’t think you’re ready to get back out there, Erik. It’s too soon.”

“I’m fine. And that’s not your decision to make.” Kayla pulled back from him a bit. “I’m sorry,” he went on, “I know you only want me to be okay. I get that. But I have to do what works for me, you know? And right now, I want to hunt down some of those bloodsuckers who killed Lila.” This time, I was the one who flinched at his words. Though I knew that Erik was in no way lumping me in with the vicious monsters who took away his sister, it still hurt to hear him say it. No matter how much I wanted it to not be true, I was one of those bloodsuckers, too.

“Soo, do you wanna go with us?” Kayla finally asked, her voice quivering a bit from the intensity of Erik’s tone. I watched his face as he stared over Kayla’s shoulder out the window before finally taking in a deep breath and exhaling.

“Yeah,” he said. “I do.”

Kayla and I sat in silence as Erik went to pack. I had expected her to lash out at me for causing a rift between her and her friend, but she didn’t. I could sense by her demeanor, though, that she wasn’t entirely happy with me at the moment, but at least she was keeping her comments to herself. Less than ten minutes passed before Erik was back in the living room, lugging a tiny suitcase. He had also found time to change into what he would call more “proper” attire for a trip: a wrinkle-free, black button-down shirt, and oh-so-perfectly-fitted jeans. I hadn’t thought he could look more appealing than he did when he opened the door—especially so fast—but somehow he managed. My internal temperature climbed a few degrees at the sight of him—which totally confused me, since I didn’t have feelings for him. I think. Ugh.

“You guys ready?” he asked, lurking by the door.

“Bathroom run,” Kayla blurted as she stormed from the room and down the hall, leaving me alone with Erik. I kept my eyes locked on the hall where Kayla had just disappeared for as long as I could before finally looking at him. He smiled once my eyes met his.

“So,” I said to break the peculiar tension in the room, “are you sure about this trip?”

“I think so,” he answered. If I didn’t know how confident he always was, I would’ve sworn I heard uncertainty in his voice. “I think it’s time, you know? As lavish as it is, I can’t hide in here forever.” He extended his arm to showcase the virtually empty apartment and laughed. I hadn’t heard his laughter in so long; it was both refreshing and intoxicating.

“Glad to hear it. I hope you’re right.” I was struggling to fight the nerves running up and down my body—and the urge to taste the blood flowing through his veins that I could smell constantly. Even though my heart belonged to Chance and no one else, I couldn’t deny that I was feeling something for Erik…and had been for a while. Those feelings, whatever they were, only intensified after Lila’s death. I had done all I could to help him deal with his loss, so naturally we grew close. How close was the unanswered question. I sidestepped him and stood next to the door. He had added cologne to his already mesmerizing scent, and it was driving me crazy. I needed to get away from him, fast.

“I won’t go if you don’t want me to.” His statement surprised me. Not only because I didn’t know where he got the idea that I didn’t want him to go, but also because he had somehow managed to move up behind me without me knowing. His voice, soft and deep, was right in my ear, his body so close I could feel his heart beating against my back. I swallowed the nerves climbing my throat and turned to look at him.

“I don’t care if you go,” I said, doing my best to sound nonchalant, though I was a crazy frenzy of emotions and hormones. Erik’s eyes drew me in, holding me tight and not letting go. I stared into them, lost in the deep blue pools of warmth. “If going will help you, then I’m all for it.” My voice was barely a whisper. Why is he able to get to me so easily? The only other person capable of that was Chance. I thought experiencing that sort of passionate attraction once in a lifetime was enough. Then Erik came into my life, and though at first I found him obnoxious and self-absorbed, something changed. Now the thought of being away from him was unsettling.

“Good,” he said softly, the movement of his pouty lips hypnotic. He smiled, winked and backed away from me, and his self-absorbed gene reared its ugly head again. But even then, I still didn’t want to leave his side. I laughed and shook my head, amazed that he got to me. He was flirting with me, it was obvious, but no way was I going to flirt back. At least, I didn’t plan to.

Kayla came out of the bathroom at just the right time, and the three of us left Erik’s apartment. We added his suitcase to ours in the trunk and climbed into the Volvo. As we wound our way out of town and onto the interstate, I couldn’t help but feel that there was nothing but trouble waiting for us in Boston.

N
ORTHERN EXPOSURE

W
e made it to Boston in less than an hour, which was impressive to me, seeing as how we stopped twice so Kayla could pee (p.s.—she wasn’t kidding about those bruises). Erik had been gracious enough to give me the front seat, but I understood why when he sported a sly grin both times I got pinned against the dash so he could climb out of the back. I think he did that on purpose.

Being in a new city, and being a blood-sucking monster (okay half, but still), I was nervous about being surrounded by so many people. Sure, back in Wellesley there were people—and at times those people were plenty—but a city like Boston was teeming with them. I was unsure how all the scents would affect my bloodlust, how well I would handle the constant craving that always seemed to lurk just beneath the surface. Unfortunately we hit the city kind of late, the evening sun sinking below the horizon and casting an eerie glow across the towering skyscrapers of downtown Boston, so the abundance of fresh veins was at its peak. I did my best to ignore the heady mixtures of blood and sweat and fear and confidence that bombarded my senses even through the walls of the car, focusing instead on Kayla and her dad and doing my best to reunite them. I managed to keep most of the aromas at bay, but did catch the scents of several really cute college-aged guys loitering on the sidewalk in front of a bar as we passed by. I quickly held my breath until we cleared them. Once we were safely in the hotel room and away from the throng of people, I was finally able to relax.

“I’m exhausted,” Kayla said, plopping face-first onto one of two beds—the one she and I would have to share. Erik claimed the other one, gently placing his suitcase on the bright orange bedding and unzipping it. I watched quietly from the chair in the corner as Kayla fell right to sleep and Erik hung clothes on the rack by the sink in the back of the room. I was so thankful that these two people were in my life, that they had been willing to die for me just a few weeks ago. The feeling was overwhelming. So much so, that I suddenly felt claustrophobic.

“I need some air,” I said, standing from the chair and opening the door. The cold northern wind instantly filled my nostrils and helped clear my head. I quietly closed the door behind me so as not to wake Kayla, and leaned over the dark green railing of the balcony. Even though the hotel wasn’t what you would consider five-star, it was rather nice: Very clean exterior and interior, and the view of downtown Boston was beautiful—especially at night. The skyscrapers broke through the darkness with their illuminated squares, housing businesspeople and cleaning crews and homes full of loving families and sophisticated urbanites. The tallest one—impressive even from this distance—cleared the others by a long shot. Kayla had told me the name, but having Swiss cheese for a memory bank, I’d lost it. Either way, I was taken aback by the scale of the city, impressed with the beauty and tranquility of it all. I must have gotten fixated on the calming peacefulness I was feeling, because Erik managed to sneak up on me for the second time, going a step further by placing his hand in the small of my back.

“Stop doing that!” I said, a bit too loudly as I spun around to face him. That wicked little grin was plastered on his face again, and all I could think about was knocking it off…or biting his bottom lip. Geez.

“You like it,” he threw back, flirting. He clearly knew how he got to me, and he exploited that every chance he could. It infuriated me that he seemed so unaffected by the events that had led us to this place in our lives, while I was a stumbling ball of nerves and emotion, always on the verge of breaking down. It also infuriated me that he was able to crawl beneath my skin like no one else—not even Chance. But at the same time, that was one of the things I liked most about him.

“What are you doing out here?”

“I wanted some air, too.”

“Well, go get some air down there,” I said, pointing to the farthest end of the landing. Erik peeked over his shoulder before looking back at me and laughing.

“Why do I make you so uncomfortable, Ava?”

“I don’t know.” The words came out before I knew it. I had fully intended on lying through my teeth and telling him he didn’t make me uncomfortable, not in the least. Now the truth was out there, hanging in the air between us like the thick fog rolling across the city.

“So I do make you nervous. Interesting.” He took a couple of steps toward me. I should have backed away, I knew it; but I couldn’t. Something unseen was holding my legs in place. I was positive it was fear. Or nerves. Or want. Ugh. I could only stare as his flawless face inched closer, the glow of the moon illuminating his features, making him appear more godlike than human. “I think I know why I bother you so much.”

I fought to not look away, to hold my ground with him. “Do you?” I asked, praying only I could hear the squeak in my voice.

“I do.” His eyes never left mine.

“Enlighten me.” I was being snarky, hoping that somehow my cold tone would push him away—at least far enough away that I couldn’t see the delicious-looking vein throbbing down the side of his neck.

“Because you like me,” he said, leaning in so close I could hear his heart beating through his chest. “Don’t you?” I so wanted to tell him yes, to get it out in the open so I wouldn’t have to fight so hard to hide it anymore. But I couldn’t give in to temptation. I had to remain strong for Chance—the one guy in the world I loved more than anything. The same guy who couldn’t care less if I was alive or dead.

“Don’t be so sure of yourself.” I took the plunge and put my hand on the exposed skin of his chest nestled in the V of his black T-shirt. (When did he lose the button-down? Not that I was complaining.) Heat thrummed through my hand, tinged with a pulse of energy. I fought the urge to wrap my other arm around his neck and draw him closer, instead pushing firmly on his chest. He backed away, smiling.