The clock ticked past midnight, and I wondered when Nathan would come home. After he left, I stood for the longest time staring at the door, knowing he was right about Brayden not quitting. I saw the willfulness in Brayden’s eyes, and his strong belief that we belonged together, which caused him to touch me like he had. I didn’t appreciate it at all, however, in my heart I knew he would never hurt me. I mean, growing up with Brayden and dating him, he had always made sure I was okay. But regardless of how I felt, he did violate me, and now we could no longer be friends. I held my stomach, feeling sick over this whole mess. I needed to talk to somebody.
I called Carrie.
Carrie and I spoke for a while. She told me she and Tree didn’t blame Nathan for his actions toward Brayden, but what they didn’t understand was how Nathan got behind Brayden. It was like he appeared out of thin air. I tried to sound nonchalant about it and told her he snuck up on him, but she disagreed. I quickly changed the subject and told her Nathan was so mad that he left. She took the bait and went on to tell me if she were in his shoes, she’d be pissed off too.
“I saw where Brayden’s hand was and how you were trying to push him away,” she told me. “Then I saw Nathan’s face and thought he was going to kill him.”
“I know,” I said.
“I’ll tell ya, Paige, I’ve never seen somebody so protective over another person like Nathan is with you.”
“Do you think that’s bad?”
“God, no. I think it’s cool,” she said without hesitation.
“Tree is like that with you,” I informed her. “He told me once if Matt hurts you he’d beat his ass.”
“He did?” I could hear the smile in her voice. “When did he say that?”
“When we were at The Lion’s Den, the night we met Nathan.”
“Really?” She sounded pleased.
“Yeah, so if anybody messes with you, Tree will beat his ass and so will I.”
While we talked, I discovered a broken lamp on the floor and asked about it as I picked up the pieces, careful not to cut myself.
“Oh, when we were in the house, we heard Brayden’s big mouth get louder and all three of us jumped to our feet. I think Tree was the one who knocked it over.”
“That’s okay. I didn’t like that lamp anyway.” I dropped it in the trash, and it thunked when it hit the bottom. “When is Brayden leaving?”
“Tomorrow morning. Tree is pissed off at him and wants him gone, but he’s coming back,” she warned. “He said sometime this summer.”
I sat at the kitchen table and held my head in my hand, telling her she needed to seriously talk to him about me being with Nathan. This is bad.
“We have, Paige, but he won’t listen. He seriously believes you two belong together, and right now we don’t want anything to do with him. The least he can do is apologize to you for his behavior, and so far it doesn’t appear like he intends to.”
I groaned. “I know Brayden crossed the line tonight, but please keep trying. I don’t want him to cause more trouble.”
She agreed to keep trying, and we talked for a few more minutes before saying goodnight. I decided to go to bed and went upstairs. It felt weird not having Nathan here, and the emptiness in the house reflected the emptiness I felt when he wasn’t around me. It was like he took part of me with him when he left. I wondered if it was healthy to feel this way. I’d heard of people being dependent upon each other, and I’d never wanted to become one of them, but now it seemed like I had.
What would I do if Nathan were no longer in my life? Would I lie down and die? Not if I were immortal. But then what would I do? I knew my happiness couldn’t be wrapped around another person. But what would make me happy without him? Nothing, was my first thought, and just thinking about living a life without him turned my heart into pulp.
“You’re hopeless, Paige,” I mumbled to myself, turning over in my bed.
My room was dark except for the wedge of white moonlight streaming through the gap in the curtains. I stared at it in a daze, and then had the sudden urge to grab my whistle and go outside and play for the moon.
What a dork I am. But for some reason it felt like a natural thing to do, and it made me happy. I envisioned myself dancing around a bonfire in the woods, playing my whistle while the bright moon smiled down upon me and the earth sighed beneath my bare feet. And I was amazed at how much joy that vision brought me.
“Paige,” Nathan’s voice called from downstairs, making my heart skip a couple beats. “Paige,” he said again, now in my room. The bed dipped, and his hand lightly brushed my hair away from my face. “Are you awake?”
I rolled to my side, facing him.
“I’m sorry I left you like that, but I had to burn off my anger.”
“How did you do that?” I squinted at him in the darkness, and thought he smiled, but wasn’t sure.
“I ran.”
“Like Forrest Gump?” I heard the humor in my voice and it felt good.
He laughed. “Sort of, except I broke a few trees along the way.”
“Maybe you should go to rehab for anger management,” I joked.
He fell silent for a minute, and I thought maybe he took what I said the wrong way, but then he spoke. “I’ve never been like this before,” he said, kicking off his shoes. “But when it comes to someone hurting you, it infuriates me.” He stood, and I heard the sound of his zipper go down and his pants dropping to the floor. He sat back on the bed, bouncing it, and took off his shirt. A warming sensation filled my solar plexus, but my body still felt too weak to act on it. I decided to focus on his voice instead of my hormones. He slipped into bed, and I felt his strong arms curl around me. “Does it bother you I feel that way?”
“No, it makes me feel safe.”
He tightened his arms, hugging me. “I’ll always keep you safe. You mean more to me than anything and why the beast within me emerges when it comes to your well-being.”
“What are we going to do about Brayden?” I asked, and felt his body stiffen. “I spoke to Carrie tonight, and she warned me he’s going to be back for me this summer.”
“It’s not going to happen.” His words burned in an angry rush. “You’ll be immortal and stronger than him when he shows up again. And if he continues to pursue you, he’ll have to deal with me.”
“Were you talking to Anwar earlier?” I asked in the middle of a yawn. It boggled my mind how tired I was when all I did for almost five days was sleep. But I felt exhausted, and my eyelids were heavy.
“Yes, and he told me something I’ve been meaning to tell you.”
That caught my attention, and my lids perked up.
“What?”
“You’re going to be getting a VCR tape tomorrow. It’s coming Federal Express.”
“What’s on the tape?”
“Your father.”
I bolted up and turned to him. “Are you serious?”
He pulled me back into his arms. “Yes, I am. Your father made the tape for you right before he died. He gave it to Anwar and made him promise to give it to you if you were marked for immortality. He wasn’t sure if it would happen, but he had dreams about it, and felt compelled to do it.”
“Has Anwar seen the tape?”
“No. He doesn’t believe in invading someone’s privacy unless there’s a good reason to.”
“I’m scared,” I blurted without realizing what I was saying. I wished I hadn’t because I didn’t want him to worry. I’d put him through enough already.
“Why is that?” His voice was gentle.
“Because I don’t know what he’s going to say or if I can handle it.”
“I’ll watch it with you if you want,” he offered.
“Of course I want you to watch it with me.” I paused, feeling nervous now. “Did Anwar say anything else to you?”
“Yes, he told me he’ll be here sooner than he thought, but he wasn’t sure when.”
“Finally, some good news,” I said, feeling the tension in my shoulders lifti
ng.
We fell silent. The wind was howling outside, rattling the window. I rested my head on Nathan’s chest, listening to the slow beating of his heart, thankful he was here with me.
“So, did you tell him about the journal?” I asked, breaking the silence.
“No, I didn’t, Paige, and we’re not going to either,” he said in a sharp voice.
I kept quiet, knowing Anwar pissed Nathan off more with keeping this video from us.
“I’m sorry. That was rude of me.” He paused. “Let’s go to sleep. You need your rest, and don’t worry about tomorrow. I’ll be there with you, and we’ll get through it.”
I closed my eyes and saw myself back at the bonfire again, but this time Nathan was with me. We were dancing around the fiery pit, the huge orange flames dancing along with us.
“I’ll always want you with me,” I said in my dream. Or did I say it out loud? I wasn’t sure, but I felt his warm lips on my temple.
“I’m yours forever,” he whispered in my ear and smiled in my dream.
Beyond the Eyes: YA Paranormal Romance Page 51
