Illusions (Night Roamers) Book Four (27 page)

The waitress stopped by our table and after she filled our water glasses, Nathan began ordering food.

“Yeah, Nikki will have the steak and egg combo. Ethan wants the pancakes, heavy on the blueberries, mom wants the Denver omelet and I’ll have the ranch breakfast.”

“Wow,” said the waitress, a new girl. “Do you always order for everyone else?”

He grinned. “They have small appetites, so I order what I like because I’ll be eating the leftovers.”

She shook her head and grinned. “Okay. Anything else?”

“Orange juice, and keep it coming,” said Nathan.

“Anyone else?” she repeated
.

“
Sorry, but you don’t have anything else we want on the menu,” replied Ethan, handing it to her.

The girl gave him a flirtatious smile
. “What about off the menu?”

“What are you offering?” asked Ethan, grinning and flirting back.

My stomach knotted up, surprising me a little.

She opened up her mouth to answer and I
quickly blurted out. “The water is just fine. Thank you.”

“Are you sure?” asked the
waitress, still eyeballing Ethan. “Cause, whatever you’d like, I can find a way to make it happen.”

I suddenly wanted her
disappearance from this table to happen.

“We’re fine
,” replied Ethan, staring at me, a question in his eyes.

When the waitress left, nobody said anything for a few minutes, which I was relieved. I’d expected Nathan to give me crap, but even he restrained himself. The truth was that I wasn’t even sure where the jealousy had sprung up from. It left me slightly embarrassed and uncomfortable.

After a few minutes, I cleared my throat. “So, we’re moving back to California?”

Mom nodded. “Yes. I think it’s a good idea.”

“What about Ernie?” asked Nathan.

She smiled
. “He’s one of the reasons I’m returning.”

“Why?” I asked.

“He deceived us. Here, I thought he was just being a kind old man. He was actually working for Victor.”

“Can’t we just forget about it?”

“Something like this isn’t easily forgettable,” she replied. “I just want a word with him.”

“He’s probably a lycan, too,” I said.

She shrugged. “Maybe. I’m really not too worried about it.”

“What are you going to do, Ethan?” asked my brother.

He looked at me. “It depends.”

“On what?” I asked.

Ethan smiled but didn’t say anything.

“Oh, it depends on Nikki,” said Nathan.

“No it doesn’t. Ethan can do whatever he wants. I’m not someone he has to answer to.”

“You can come with us if you’d like,” said mom.

I arched my eyebrow and looked at her.

“What?” she said. “It’s not like he has anywhere to go. Do you?”

“There’s always somewhere to go,” he answered. “I just need to know how Nikki feels about it.”

Nathan chuckled. “I thought she already told you where to go.”

“Things have changed,” I said to my brother. Then I looked at Ethan. “I mean, they’ve changed as in – I know you’re innocent from trying to trick us. But, things have changed obviously, between us.”

Ethan sighed. “Somehow I knew you were going to say that.”

“You can still come with us, if you’d like,” I added.

“It’s probably better if I don’t,” he replied, staring at his napkin. He then raised his eyes. “You need time to heal.”

I nodded and looked down.

“I
f you change your mind,” replied mom. “You can call us. Nikki, you still have your cell phone?”

I nodded. “Yes
.”

“Well, there you go,” she answered.

None of us said anything else. We just sat back and watched Nathan devour all of the breakfast items he’d ordered for us.

Nikki

When we were finished
at the diner, Ethan and I snuck back to the woods where we left Nathan’s car, and drove it back to the park that was on Main Street. Nathan and mom were waiting near the picnic tables and I felt another pang of sadness as I thought about the infamous Fourth of July barbecue. Many things had happened that night, including my date with Duncan, and my unscheduled date with Ethan.

My mom gave me a sympathetic smile. “Thinking about Duncan again
, aren’t you?”

I nodded.

She patted my shoulder. “I get it. This whole town reminds me of Caleb. It’s another reason I’d really like to leave.”

“
Yeah, but are you sure that going back to California is a good idea?” I asked.

“Frankly, I don’t really know,” she admitted.
“But, we can’t stay here.”

I didn’t reply. Now that we were actually leaving, I felt depressed.

“I guess this is it,” said Ethan as Nathan loaded the backpacks into the trunk.

“I guess so,” I replied
, shoving my hands into my jacket.

“Are you
sure
you don’t want to join us?” asked mom.

His eyes met mine again. “I would
, but I don’t think it would be a good idea. Not now, at least.”

“Where are you going to go?”
I asked.

“Oh, here and there,” he answered, smiling.

I smiled. “Well, get a cell phone or something. You can text me at the very least.”

“Texting? I don’t think I’ve ever attempted that before.”

“It’s kind of fun and very addicting,” I replied.

Anne
cleared her throat, stepped over to Ethan, and gave him a hug. I could tell that he was surprised.

“Take care of yourself,
” she said, pulling away.

He
smiled. “Thanks, Anne. You too.”

Nathan walked around the car and held out his hand. “Take care, bro.”

Ethan shook his hand. “You too. And these girls. Take care of them, too.”

“You know it.”

When they got into the car, Ethan grabbed my hand and walked me back to the trunk. He smiled. “Part of me wants to throw you over my shoulder and whisk you away.”

I chuckled. “You do and my mother will chase you down this time.”

He laughed and then his face became serious. “I’m not letting you go, you know. I’m just giving you space.”

My eyebrow arched. “Is that right?”

He reached over and ran a lock of my hair through his fingers. “Yes. Once you’re done grieving for Duncan, I’m going to pop back into your life and make you remember why you fell for
me
first.”

I tilted my head and felt a smile tugging at my lips.
“
Did
I fall for you first?”

“Like the Berlin Wall. I was there, you know. Both times.”

I laughed. “Really? Both times?”

“Yeah, Germany and Shore Lake. They were both
utterly beautiful and monumental,” he replied, his voice soft. He took my hand and brought it up to his lips. “I’m going to miss you,” he whispered, kissing my palm.

I felt a shiver go through me as our eyes met.

“Just one kiss?” he asked softly, the longing in his eyes making me dizzy. I’d almost forgotten how intense Ethan was.   

I stared at his lips, and was reminded of the p
leasure they’d brought me. “I don’t think it’s a good –”

Before I could finish, he pulled me
to him and his lips sought mine. I lost myself for a few seconds and he groaned in the back of his throat as our tongues met. His lips were soft and I’d forgotten how perfectly they fit against mine. But, then a wave of guilt washed through me, and I pushed him away.

“I’m sorry,” I said, not meeting his eyes. “I don’t want to lead you on.”

He smiled and shook his head. “You’re not. I’m just addicted to you.” He kissed me quickly and then stepped back.

I cleared my throat and walke
d toward the car door. “Goodbye, Ethan.”

“Not goodbye,” he replied, staring at me. “Hello.”

I looked at him puzzled. “Hello?”

“Yes. Hello. I’m never saying goodbye to you again, Nikki,”
he answered with a twinkle in his eye. Then he leaped into the sky and disappeared.

Six Months Later

The snow had melted and I’d managed to stay away from Shore Lake for the past few months. But, in my dreams, I’d never
really left. The images left me anxious, depressed, and it was difficult adjusting to everything my mother tried to do to make our lives feel somewhat normal.

“I’m going back,” I said one evening. We were
renting a house in San Francisco and Nathan had just registered for an auto-mechanics school, while I hadn’t yet decided exactly what I wanted to do with my life.

“Going back
? Where?” asked mom, although I could tell she already knew the answer.

“To Shore Lake.”

Her lips pursed. “Why?’

For many reasons, although I offered just one.
“I want to see what they did with Duncan’s body. If they buried it, and where.”

“I’m sure they did,” she replied, touching my hand. “Do you want me to come with you?”

“No, I’m just going there for one night,” I answered. “You know, to look around.”

“Does this have anything to do with Ethan?”

“I’m sure he’s long gone, mom.”

She
stared into my eyes for a few seconds, and then released my hand. “Okay. Just be careful.”

I snorted. “Be careful
, for what? Monsters?”

“That’s right, we’re the monsters,” she replied with a grim smile.

That wasn’t exactly true. We’d let Ernie off the hook, not even paying him a visit, and she had gotten a job at a blood bank, as an accountant. Thus, we didn’t need to rely on hunting for our meals. I wasn’t too sure about Nathan, however. He went out every Friday night and didn’t get home until Sunday afternoon. I knew my brother wasn’t a human killer, but something told me that he was getting proficient at hunting rabbits and other small animals. Then there were the girls. Every evening during the week, he was on the phone with a new “babe.” He was definitely adjusting to our new life, which made my mother happy.

***

I arrived in town around dusk, wearing black capris and a dark polo shirt, to blend in with the night. My first stop was to Victor’s cabin. I desperately needed to go back and face my nightmares.

When I reached t
he property, the cabin was gone, and in its place, a new one was being built. Someone had obviously purchased the land after Victor had disappeared. I wondered if it was Kane and hoped that I didn’t run into him on my visit.

I walked
around for a while, thinking back to the last time I’d been there, and it still brought tears to my eyes.

“Nikki.”

My heart began to race.

I turned around and there
he was.

Ethan.
Looking as handsome as ever. Today he had on a pair of dark blue jeans and a T-shirt with a skull on it. It emphasized his muscles and I suddenly had an incredible urge to touch them through the fabric, to see if they were as hard as I remembered.

“You’re still here,” I said
, feeling giddy. I’d missed him more than I’d realized. “In Shore Lake?”

“Where else would I go?”
he replied in a soft voice.

“I don’t know, maybe somewhere warm and exotic? Hawaii? The Cayman Islands?”

He stepped toward me. “I couldn’t leave. I knew you’d be back.”

“
You did, huh?”

Ethan looked down into my
eyes, drinking them in hungrily. “Why do you think I set you free?”

I grinned
. “You set me free?”

He grinned back
. “What’s that saying – if you love someone, set them free, and they’ll return if they feel the same?”

“Something like that,” I answered, getting lost in the blueness of
his
eyes. They’d also haunted my dreams in the midst of all the darkness. I cleared my throat. I needed to tell him and he needed to know. “Guess what?”

“What?” he asked
touching my face. His fingers on my skin made me tingle all over.

“I…”

Before I could finish, he pressed his lips against mine and began kissing me. I closed my eyes and melted into his arms. He tightened his hold, as if afraid I’d try to escape.

I needed to tell him…

“Ethan,” I said, pushing him away gently. “I have something to tell you.”

“You came all of this way just to talk?” he asked, his eyes burning with desire.

“No,” I answered truthfully. “I was hoping to find you. Maybe do a little more than talk.”

“I’
m glad you did,” he answered, running his hand down my hair, which I’d kept down. He pulled me close so my face was nuzzling his neck. “I’ve been dreaming about this moment for a long time.”

“I know.
Actually, me too,” I replied, closing my eyes. In his arms I felt like I’d really come home. And his scent… the butterscotch. I’d forgotten how warm and mouthwatering it was.

“What did you want to tell me?”
he asked in my hair.

I took a deep breath
. “I went and spoke to someone. A woman in San Francisco.”

“Uh, okay?”

I pulled away from him. “You were right, Ethan.”

His eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, I was right?”

I smiled. “The woman was a psychic. She… she told me who I was in another life.”

He didn’t say anything, just stared at me.

I continued. “She claimed that I was a woman named Miranda,” I said, feeling the hair stand up on the back of my neck, even as I said it. When she’d told me originally, I’d started crying, my feelings so jumbled. Then I’d flown home, locking myself in my room for a few hours as it sunk in. Eventually, I’d given in and accepted the news, as disturbing as it had been.

“
No,” he replied firmly, not giving me the reaction I’d expected. “No, it’s not true.”

I nodded. “
It is, Ethan. How would she know?”

“
Maybe someone told her. Maybe she was a fake?”

I shook my head.
“I don’t think so. I didn’t plan on seeing her, so it wasn’t a set-up. Anyway, she also knew that I was a vampire. She could tell right away, which didn’t seem to freak her out or anything.” She’d actually given me a free reading, probably too frightened to charge me money.

“I… I don’t know what to say,” he replied, still looking at me in disbelief.

“You don’t have to say anything,” I replied. “I just wanted you to know that you were right all along.”

“I didn’t want to be,” he said. “
I fell in love with you. It had nothing to do with… Miranda.”

“But
, I’m both. So, it doesn’t matter.”

He was silent.

“Maybe that’s why we were drawn together, and why it was so intense.”

He let out a ragged sigh and looked away.

“I thought you’d be happy,” I answered, getting nervous. For the past couple of weeks, I’d imagined his reaction, and this was definitely not even close.

“
I… I don’t know what to say.”

“What’s wrong?”

He sighed. “You have no idea how much I wanted you to be her. When I first met you. But then, when I got to know you, I felt like you were
so much stronger emotionally. Where she was fragile and weak, you were the opposite. It made me love you more.”

“That hasn’t changed.
I’m not weak or suicidal. That’s not me, and you know that.”

He nodded.

“Don’t you love me anymore?” I asked quietly.

“Don’t I love you?”
His eyes bore into mine and they glimmered with tears. “Of course I do. I love you. I love you so much and I’ve never stopped. But not because of who or what you were in a previous life. I love you for being the strong woman you are here and now. The one who would rather die to save others, and not die because she didn’t think she could.”

“Well, I guess you can’t choose your past,” I said, smiling up at him. “But you can
choose your future.”

“I hope your future is with me,” he whispered
, still searching my eyes. “It’s all I’ve wanted since the moment I met you, Nikki.”

Smiling,
I grabbed the sides of his head and kissed his lips with everything I had. Then I pulled back and stared into his eyes, wanting him more than ever. “Ethan, it has always been and always will be with you.”

The End