by Amanda Carol
“Ha! See! Even the wolves love it!” Kyler lifts his hand in triumph and high-fives Hunter.
Dani rolls her eyes as she grabs Kyler and waves goodbye to us.
“Ready?” Hunter asks as he holds his hand out to me.
I don’t say anything, but I let him lead me out of the house.
We make it to Frederick, but when we first get there, I’m not ready just yet, so we go out for an early dinner. Well, Hunter eats. I just push my food around on the plate. Being back in Maryland is one thing, but being back in my hometown is strange. We drive around for a while, but it’s starting to get dark and I know I’m only delaying the inevitable. So I give Hunter my old address and we make our way to the place I used to call home.
I rest my head against the glass window of Hunter’s Impala as we drive along the road to get to my old house. If there is anything I’ve learned from meeting my new friends, it’s that you’re never ready to say goodbye to someone you love. But saying goodbye isn’t always such a bad thing. And letting yourself feel the pain, the unbearable pain, allows you to open yourself up to the light. I need to finally say goodbye to my parents, and I need to say the words out loud.
He pulls into my driveway and puts the car in park as I stare up at my old house. It still looks the same. The stone pillars holding the awning up by the front door and the four windows lined up in a row on the second floor that used to indicate whether or not our parents were up start to bring up the memories of that night back to the surface.
“You ready for this?” Hunter whispers from next to me, holding the key out to me.
“No,” I whisper back, taking the key and getting out of the car.
The autumn breeze catches my hair as I close his door and I tug my cardigan tighter, trying to fight the chill. Hunter comes around the front of the car and looks at me, holding out his hand. I suck in a calming breath and reach for him. He laces his fingers with mine as we slowly walk on the sidewalk toward the front of the house. He lets go right before we get to the door and I'm standing there, frozen on the spot.
“Take your time, baby,” Hunter says, moving to step behind me.
He places a hand on my hip and the other moves my hair from shoulder. Then he places a soft kiss on my neck. I close my eyes, finding strength in his kiss, his touch, his presence.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he murmurs.
Inhaling sharply, I take the step forward, place the key in the lock, and twist. The distinct click of the door unlocking makes this real. It’s time to close this chapter and move on.
I turn the knob, push the door open, and step inside.
My breath catches as I take in all the familiar smells and sights. Nothing has changed, yet, it has. My dad’s briefcase is no longer sitting under the hook where his work jacket used to hang. His shoes are no longer next to mine, like they always were. He always laughed every time he came home because there was a different colored pair of Converse sitting there. He’d say, “It’s like my shoes get kissed by the rainbow every day.”
I wipe my tears away as I walk through living room, remembering how Mom and I would always watch stupid reality TV shows together. Declan called it trash TV, but he would always end up watching it with us and rooting for the underdog in The Bachelorette.
When I walk into the kitchen, I can almost smell the last dinner that was being made. I stand behind my chair, and look at the empty one across from me, where my dad used to sit. Hunter stands in the doorway, just watching me.
“My mom was making meatloaf that night. Sometimes I thought she made it to spite me,” I say, my voice starting to quiver from unshed tears. “But now, I think she just really liked meatloaf.” I chuckle humorlessly. “I had such an attitude with my dad that night.”
The tears start to fall, so I close my eyes and tilt my head back, but I don’t want to hold back anymore, so I let myself feel everything. I take a few moments to gather myself before I continue on.
“He told me to go grab Declan for dinner, and I asked him why he wouldn’t get the stubborn mule. Then Mom yelled at me and I stomped up to my brother’s room.”
I glance past Hunter at the stairway behind him. Retracing my steps, I slowly make my way upstairs. On the way to my brother’s room, I look inside my old studio room to see that everything is how I left it.
When I get to Declan’s old room, I open the door and can still see him face-down on his bed. I smile to myself at the memory, but I wrap my arms around my shoulders as I walk further into the room. I take a breath as I turn and face Hunter. He’s just watching me, letting me tell him what happened that night.
“Declan and I were out late the night before at our friend James’s house for an end of the year bonfire. It was our last, because we had just graduated from high school, so they went all out. Declan was super hung over, so I ended up having to cover for him all day.” I sit down on his bed, folding my fingers in my lap. “I got him medicine for his headache and then….”
I cut myself off and glance up at Hunter.
He comes over, kneeling down in front of me and taking my hands in his to bring them to his lips. “What happened next?”
Our eyes lock; he reaches up and wipes the tears from my cheeks.
“That’s when we heard a loud crash and a scream,” I mumble, getting up to walk over to the doorway. “Declan and I rushed downstairs to find out what happened. And that’s when we saw our dad lying on the kitchen floor.” I spin around. “I will never forget the look in his eyes, Hunter. Every time I close my eyes, I see him, and that will haunt me for the rest of my life.”
He doesn’t say anything, and I turn and walk back out into the hallway, staring in the direction of the stairs.
“My mom came and got us and rushed us back to their room.”
I turn my head in the opposite direction towards my parents’ bedroom. Tears are slowly falling down my cheeks as I walk back toward the last moments I had with my mom.
I place my hand on the doorknob and open the door. “My mom told us that night that vampires are real.”
I walk to their closet and open the doors. I gasp as I see that their clothes are still hanging up. I run my hands along the fabric, remembering all the times my dad wore that scratchy sweater on Christmas and seeing that hideous floral shirt my mom loved so much. I cover my mouth with my hand as a sob overcomes me. I feel Hunter come up and wrap his arms around me.
“Just let it out,” he whispers, then places a soft kiss on my neck.
I shut my eyes and Hunter holds me a little tighter. As much as this hurts, I’m glad that I'm finally doing it, and I'm happy that I have Hunter here. He lets go and backs away, giving me space.
“She gave us her journal and our amulets to keep us safe. And they did…until they didn’t.” I close the closet doors and walk to the middle of the room.
I slowly turn around in a circle until I'm facing Hunter, who has moved to stand by the door. I realize that my back is to the window.
Exactly like it was that night.
“Then Ronan burst through the door. Mom stood in front of us, shielding us as much as she could.” I grab my stomach, letting the tears fall freely now. “I clutched the back of her shirt for dear life as she backed us up to the window.” I don’t realize that I’m backing into the window just like I did that night until I feel the windowsill against my legs. “The window was cracked, and that’s when Declan caught on to what mom was doing.”
I turn and glance outside into the night. Hunter’s reflection catches my eye and our gazes lock through the glass.
“She told me she loved me, and then she threw herself at Ronan, distracting him long enough so that Declan and I could jump out of the window. We came back the next day and Declan called the cops. No one suspected us. We had a closed-casket funeral, and when it was over, we left.” I turn around and look up at Hunter. “And we never looked back.”
“Aria…” Hunter starts to say, but I cut him off, walking past him.
“
They weren’t supposed to die like that. They were supposed to grow old and grey surrounded by grandkids and, God, maybe even great grandkids. My dad was supposed to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day. My mom was supposed to give me ‘something borrowed’ and hold my hand. We were supposed to go to watch Declan play college football as a family. They were supposed to be there when he graduated from college and became a successful lawyer. They were supposed to come to my gallery opening and tell everyone to buy my paintings to make me feel better. They…they--”
I start full on sobbing now. Covering my hand over my mouth, I hunch over and gasp for air. This hurts. Oh, my God, does this hurt.
Hunter rushes forward and wraps his arms around me, and as he does, my legs give out and I sink to the ground. He pulls me onto his lap, and I cry harder. I cry for my mom, I cry for my dad, I cry for Declan, and I cry for me. I cry for all the good memories and the bad. I cry for future missed memories.
“They’re really gone.” My voice breaks as I sob into Hunter’s chest, gripping his shirt tightly as he strokes my hair.
“Shh, baby. I know,” Hunter coos into my ear, and I feel him kiss my head.
I’m not sure how much time passes, but eventually, the tears subside. I lean back slightly in Hunter’s arms and glance up at him. His blue eyes are glowing softly. I’m glad he brought me here. I didn’t know I needed this, but he did. I mean, he had help from my brother, but he brought me here. I’ve never felt so safe, so loved.
I reach up and place my hand on his cheek and open the link.
I love you.
He crashes his lips into mine. His tongue swipes my bottom lip and I open for him. I run my hands through his hair, and he groans into my mouth. He pulls me closer and tilts my head back to get better access. Then he slows and rests his forehead against mine, and I can feel the slight tug in my head.
Say it again. His voice sounds husky.
“I love you, Hunter Alexander St. James,” I say, out loud this time.
He pulls back, smiling, revealing the dimples that I love so much. “I love you, Aria Elizabeth Matthews.”
Then he kisses me again.
I reluctantly get out of Hunter’s lap, and onto my feet. I take one last look around my parents’ room, the last memory I have in this room being overshadowed by all the ones I’ve made since then, all of them involving Hunter. He stands and tucks a lock of hair behind my ear.
“How are you feeling about all of this?” he asks.
I look up at him, contemplating my answer.
“Bizarre, but relieved. I never thought I would come back. To be honest, I was happy living out on the road. Even if Declan and I somehow managed to kill Ronan, I’d still want to continue to hunt vampires and save lives. I don’t think I could stop and go on living my life like normal. Not when I know what’s out there.” I reach for his hand and lace my fingers in his, realizing just how perfectly we fit together.
“I believe that things happen for a reason, and in a weird way, I feel like all of this was meant to happen. They were supposed to die, and Declan and I were supposed to learn what we were.” I pause, reaching up and placing my palm on Hunter’s cheek. “And I was supposed to meet you.”
He leans down and kisses me. It’s a sweet, gentle kiss. The kind you just want to savor and commit to memory.
I pull away. “I want to show you something.”
I lead him to my old bedroom and turn on the lights when I open the door. Everything is just how I left it, except maybe it’s a little cleaner. My queen bed, with the same hot pink floral bedspread, is still up against the far wall. The desk I always did my homework at still has pictures of Abby and I scattered around. Some are in frames, and some are pinned on the wall. I walk over and look at them all, but one picture in particular catches my eye. It’s of Abby and I at the beach. We’re riding bikes on the boardwalk and we are captured laughing. I’m pretty sure Declan took this picture of us the summer before our senior year. I set the picture down and I see a family photo sitting on my old dresser. I pick the frame up. It’s my favorite Christmas photo of us.
I smile as I walk over and hand the picture frame to Hunter. “Declan and I are nine years old in that picture. My parents insisted we wear matching holiday sweaters. Want to know what the kicker part was?” I smile to myself. “We took those in the middle of July. My parents may have been rich, but they also knew how to find a deal like a needle in a haystack.”
Hunter chuckles softly as I take the picture frame from him.
“Declan and I complained so much that day that our parents had to bribe us with five bucks,” I giggle.
“Five bucks? That sounds a little cheap,” Hunter says, walking further into my room and looking around at all my old things.
Other girls might have felt self-conscious having a guy walk around their childhood bedroom, but not me. There isn’t anything that I want to keep hidden from him. Not anymore.
“Are you kidding? Five dollars felt like a thousand bucks back then. Declan and I thought we hit the lotto.”
I hear him laugh again as I set the photo back down on my dresser. I glance over at my bed and notice my old twinkly lights. I go over to the bed and bend down; when I spot the cord, I plug it into the wall. Then I turn off the main lights. I look around the dimly-lit room now and let my eyes settle on Hunter, who is only watching me.
With our eyes lock, I slowly walk over to him. Standing up on my tiptoes, I bring my lips to his.
“Thank you for being here. Thank you for being so patient with me. Thank you for being you,” I whisper. “I couldn’t have done this without you.”
I step around him, my back to the bed, and slowly undo the buttons of my cardigan without breaking eye contact. Hunter’s eyes start to glow as he watches it slip from my shoulders. He’s always been a gentleman about timing, always holding back, especially when we both wanted more.
“Aria…” he breathes. His stare is intense as he watches me lift my tank top over my head, revealing a white lace bra.
I take a step toward him. “You asked me to give you my mind when I was ready. You have it now. From the moment I met you, you had my soul. And now, I’m giving you my body. I want this. I want you. I want all of you.”
I reach up and cup his cheek. Just to prove it to him, I kiss him again. He hesitates just a moment, before he growls and deepens our kiss. He walks us the few steps backward and the back of my knees hit the bed.
Hunter picks me up and lays me down gently so my head rests on a pillow. He stands up on his knees and takes his white shirt off. I sit up and run my hand up his stomach, over his abs, then back down to the button of his jeans. My fingers pop the button open and I pull the zipper down. I reach down into his pants and grip him. He tosses his head back as I rub his hard length in my hand. I loop my hands into the waistband of his jeans and tug them down. When I start to struggle, he takes over and tosses them over the side of my bed.
He leans down and kisses me passionately as his hand lightly trails down my body to the button on my jeans. In one swift movement, the button on my jeans comes undone, and he kisses my neck, lingering on the sensitive spot behind my ear. I grip his shoulders as he kisses my collarbone, then the center of my chest. He kisses just above my left breast, right where my heart is. He reaches underneath me and undoes my bra clasp with one hand, then the other grabs the center and pulls it off me. He tosses it to floor as his mouth finds one of my nipples while his fingers tweak the other one. I arch my back into his touch, needing more, so much more.
He slowly kisses his way down my body and loops his fingers on the hem of my jeans and tugs them and my panties off. When he takes his boxers off, I bite my lip in anticipation as he strokes himself. He lowers himself over top me, his arms supporting his weight above my head.
“Fuck.” He drops his head, and I suddenly wonder what’s wrong. “I didn’t bring any protection.”
I chuckle. “I’m on the pill.”
“Oh, thank God. I need to
be inside you, baby. I don’t think I can hold back any longer.”
“Then don’t,” I whisper.
Hunter kisses me with so much love that I start to drown in it, and I never want to come up for air. He nudges my face to the side as he places a soft kiss on my jaw, then on my neck. He reaches down in between us, running his fingers along my center, and coating himself with my wetness. I moan as he slips a finger in, then another. He works his fingers in and out of me, bringing me to the edge, then over it.
“I love the noises you make when you come,” he breathes, then kisses me, catching all the aftershocks.
I’m still reeling from my orgasm as he lines himself up with my entrance. He runs the tip of his dick up and down my center before he slides into me. He groans into my neck as he pushes himself all the way in, and I dig my nails into his back. I lift my hips up as he thrusts, his movements slow and steady. I run my hands down his arms and lace my fingers in his. He picks up the pace, unable to hold back any longer.
“Come with me,” I whisper against his lips.
He tightens his grip on my hands, and he thrusts harder and deeper inside me.
“Fuck, Aria,” he breathes as he brings us both over the edge.
I can feel him pulsing inside me as he comes. His eyes are glowing brighter than I’ve ever seen them before as he looks down at me. Leaning his head down, he brushes his lips against mine. He peppers small kisses over my face as he pulls out of me. Then he rolls onto his back, pulling me with him, and we just lay there for a few minutes, silently wrapped up in each other. My mother always said that when you truly love someone, time ceases to exist. It doesn’t matter if you’ve only known them a short while; your heart makes the decision for you. And my heart has chosen him.
I’m the demigoddess of the moon, and he is my wolf.
“Do you want to stay here for the night?” he asks.
“No. I think…” I pause for a moment. “I think I want to go back home. Back to New Orleans.” I sit up and smile down at him. “This was my home. But I’m ready to start a new chapter now.”
