I knew choosing a life with Nicholas wasn’t going to be ordinary. And actually, I’d never been more alive or happy in my entire life dating the most eligible and only half-vampire in the world. But, a relationship with Nicholas meant an uneven path ahead filled with twists and turns. Possibly life threatening. Was I ready for it? Would I scream through it? Or white knuckle it quietly? Or would I smile, raise my hands up, enjoying the wind in my hair?
I guess the choice was up to me.
Inside, I really wanted to throw caution to the wind, tempt fate and just see what would happen, secretly feeling invincible because I wore the talisman now. But I had this awful feeling what we’d encountered a few months back wasn’t anything compared to what the future would bring. Things would get worse when Alora returned determined to capture Nicholas, and take him as her prize. I worried about his vulnerability and the prediction, but trusted that the cat would warn us upon Alora’s return. I still battled telling him, thinking maybe we should do something to prepare. He’d already insisted though, after my continuous nagging, that he was prepared and to stop worrying.
Why wasn’t that easing my fears?
With the necklace, I felt totally safe. It had become a permanent part of me. I was worried people would take notice, questioning why I wore such an expensive piece daily, but no one ever did. Nicholas said it had a way of making itself look unattractive to others, its beauty only shown to the beholder. I found that strange since every time I saw Nicholas wear it before, it sparkled brilliantly as if to call attention to itself. Maybe I was always supposed to be its owner.
Nothing really happened after we got rid of the gang and ran Alora out of the city. Because of that, Nicholas actually let his guard down, relaxing a bit, even allowing this evening date to take place. For a fleeting moment it felt as if vampires didn’t even exist and we had a normal relationship for once. But I didn’t want to hold my breath because, like the ride, the ground was going to plummet beneath us at any minute. But I was going to be where Nicholas went and help with my unknown ability.
Other things had changed too.
I could finally tell Sam Nicholas had returned and that I wasn’t cursed after all. But Nicholas warned me to be careful how much I shared. The necklace kept me safe, but they could be placed in harms way knowing too much. I decided to keep things between us a secret.
I also got a newer car and my job back.
My home-life improved too. Both my dad and brother appreciated the change in my demeanor, no longer brooding about.
Most importantly, after the authorities investigated the fire, Phil and Justin were laid to rest. But I had a very hard time being around their mothers still feeling somewhat responsible for what happened. Nicholas was there in the distance the whole time. His support, even from far away, helped me keep it together in a way that no one else’s could. I had many haunting dreams afterward, my mind trying to sift through the past. I just hoped there wouldn’t be anymore vampire changing sprees in my town because I didn’t think I could handle going through the grief and drama again.
I also worried about the cat delivering bad news. All her secrets wore on me and I wanted to come clean before Alora came back. Daily I contemplated telling Nicholas the truth, but worried the cat might not warn us if I betrayed her.
So, to sum it all up, we were basically just waiting, unable to plan when the car would come plunging down either freaking us out or giving us the time of our lives – our reaction unknown. Whichever way it went, I knew I didn’t want to do it without Nicholas. I couldn’t.
“So what do you think?” I asked, my hair blown askew, a huge smile plastered across my face as the ride ended.
He looked a little stunned, but exclaimed, “Excellent!”
I wanted it to be just that.
We left the ride and made our way down to the beach. All I wanted to do was find a vacant spot and snuggle by a bonfire, but fires weren’t allowed on this beach. Nicholas led me down to the end where the cliff met the shoreline instead. Typically, beach-combers had to turn around at that point, but Nicholas had a different idea. I giggled when he swooped me up into his arms and carried me from rock to rock around this little blockade (in his eyes) towards our beach that was only a few miles down the coast. Of course, since it was dark, no one would see his extraordinary feat of strength.
“What are you worried about?” Nicholas asked, after making me a fire in our usual spot, getting comfortable by me in the sand, gently caressing my hand.
I took a deep breath. It was useless to try to hide my feelings from him. The collapse of our perfect world terrified me and I didn’t want to tell him. But I found it insightful that he had started to pick up on my emotions as if he’d acquired a tiny bit of my gift.
“I just feel like something is going to happen to ruin this,” I whispered, looking away and focusing on the surf in the distance while leaning over into his shoulder.
He pulled me closer, wrapping his arms tightly around me, beckoning me to lean against his muscular chest.
“I won’t leave you like I did in the past. I wish you’d trust me.”
“Oh, Nicholas.” I turned to face him. He’d misunderstood. “No, it isn’t that. I know you aren’t going to leave me. It’s just, I’m enjoying seeing you relaxed and acting human for once. I just don’t want it to end. Has this ever happened before? Where the vampires left and you had a period of reprieve?”
“Never this long,” he said, a twinge of worry now appearing. “I’ve never thought to look at the pattern in the past, but now that none have returned, I’m beginning to think what happened before wasn’t a coincidence.”
Nicholas had explained in the past that he believed that I’d been some sort of magnet to them and when they came to town, he’d been able to exterminate them before any havoc broke out because they were always attracted to me. It made finding them super easy. But with Alora’s clan, there had been so many that he hadn’t been unable to stop them as fast. It was as if they’d been alerted to his special abilities which led him to think they came for another reason.
“When fighting some of them, they’d tell me that they’d heard of me but it didn’t click until Phil had told us of my legend,” he said with a grimace. I could tell he didn’t want that type of fame in the vampire world. “Really, I just hunted them to protect you since you attract them. It never occurred to me they came for any other reason than that. But I never let anyone survive to speak of my abilities. I’m still wondering how they figured it out.”
I knew Alora knew. And because of that, they all knew. How she knew exactly, I wasn’t sure and for one brief second I felt the urge to tell him, but clamped my mouth shut. Again, reminded of what the cat had said. I wanted to protect him more than anything. Maybe I worried for nothing.
“Well, Phil had said he knew you were different and not part of their coven. Maybe they guessed? I mean, didn’t you say, after killing Phil that they’d know and come looking?”
“True,” he said and was quiet for a moment. “They’d feel the power shift back up the lineage.”
That fact confirmed why Alora didn’t like to make other vampires. I felt her greed and knew she preferred to hoard her power. She must have really thought Phil special to keep him around after discovering her mistake.
“How do you track vampires anyway?” I asked, probing to see if he was indeed still on the look-out.
“I have what would best be described as vampire radar. We can sense when another is close. We also have a particular scent. I do run the perimeter of the city every night and check to see if anyone has entered by foot or not.”
“In the past, only lower lineage vampires would come into town and were easily tracked. Most of them were generally weak with no special abilities making easy targets.
“If they made a home here, I would have to wait until they came out at night to feed to attack them. I always wondered if the parent of the vampire kept tabs on where their children went and if they got ups
et when they were exterminated. Maybe that’s how my legend started.”
“And Alo…” I caught myself. I’d been thinking about her so much, I almost said her name out loud. “Um… Bettina’s clan? How come they were so hard to catch?”
“They flew into the city so the scent has nothing to cling to, like following foot prints in the sand washed away by the sea. Plus, they were very careful about where they went and hid in multiple locations. All of them must have been close to the royal family to have so much power. That’s why I’ve been concerned about a potential backlash. It’s odd no one has come to avenge their deaths. We wiped out a whole coven.”
He looked down at me waiting for my reaction and I looked away, trying to appear somber. I knew too much and didn’t want him to notice how uncomfortable this deception was for me.
“Yeah, I guess we did,” I mumbled, biting my lip.
“You don’t have to be afraid, Julia. Honestly, I’ve been in worse situations and I’ve had a lot of practice. I can handle this.” He pulled me tighter into his body and kissed the top of my head. He’d misinterpreted my reaction for fear, but that didn’t ease my conscience any.
What a tangled web we weave…
I sighed.
“Are you okay?” he asked while petting my hair.
“Yes. It’s just…” I fumbled for the right word. “…scary I guess. Not knowing, waiting for the other shoe to drop so to say.”
“Well, you have me and the talisman, so you’ll be okay.”
I reached up and felt the necklace resting in the hollow of my throat. It comforted me knowing that if anything ever did happen apart from Nicholas, I’d be safe. But I did live in fear of how the truth would play out.
“Have you ever thought to ask your Dad for help?”
Nicholas instantly stiffened and grew cold inside.
“Only as a last resort –” he mumbled.
I worried about this. Something must have happened to strain their relationship. I knew they talked occasionally, but doubted any true sentiments were ever exchanged. I was starting to believe that maybe Nicholas blamed his dad for his half-breed issues, but I didn’t feel comfortable asking him about it.
“—it’s fine, Julia. Really. I can handle it.”
I decided to trust his judgment and not to push any further. He seemed confident enough.
We sat in silence, but with each passing minute, his confidence slowly flickered to worry; I’m sure because I wasn’t talking. But I didn’t know what else to say. I hated the impending doom.
I let my mind wander through all the events of our earlier interactions instead, like I did everyday. In order to never forget, I’d run through the details — unable to journal about it. Nicholas strictly forbade me to write down anything that would reveal the true nature of his identity. And then I remembered.
“Um… I was wondering. Do you still have that note I wrote?” I uttered a little embarrassed.
“I do,” he said, taking a worn piece of paper out of his pocket.
“You carry this with you?” I said surprised, looking into his enchanting eyes with astonishment.
“Yes,” he said, feeling nostalgic. “For a while, it was my only connection to you even though you were mad at me in it. But that was because you felt the same way about me as I did of you.”
I blushed and looked away, feeling a little ridiculous and then gently took the note from him and unfolded it.
Dear Nicholas,
I’m writing to say good-bye…
I don’t know what happened to me after I met you, but something inside me changed and I can’t stop thinking about you or what happened. Why did you promise to come see me when you never intended to? I thought you were different. And when you didn’t show, I thought maybe there was a good reason for you not to come. But after the way you treated me in front of the theater, I knew I was wrong. You had no right to be rude to me. You’re just like all the other boys who like to flirt and make promises they NEVER INTEND TO KEEP! But the worst of it is that I can’t seem to get you out of my mind and something inside keeps pushing me to care for you. But I refuse to give into your fake charm and I will learn to shut it off.
So, for what it’s worth, I’m done with you. I will be forever thankful you saved me. But that’s it. I won’t let you hurt me anymore and from this point forward, I will stop missing you and wishing you’ll come back into my life!
GOOD-BYE and good riddance.
~ Julia
I folded it back up, studying the wrinkled corners. The note looked like it had been reopened many times. A large part of me wanted to rip it into tiny pieces erasing how silly I’d been. Instead, I played with the paper.
“I was tempted the next morning to leave a note on your car to say sorry, but I chickened out,” he said while putting his hand over my fidgety fingers, holding them still, taking the note back.
The day after came to mind. I’d forgotten about the anonymous note I found on the ground, left by mistake. Deep down inside, I’d hoped he’d left that note for me. Maybe the gesture kept me holding on until I could discover the truth.
Within my own pocket, I took out the piece of wood I’d carried around ever since that day and held it in my palm, reminiscing. Suddenly, he cupped his hand under mine and placed the other half in my palm, fitting them together.
“I wondered what this was,” he said sweetly, taking the newly formed wooden token closer to read the inscription.
“I needed a memento,” I said with a chuckle. “I guess that seems funny, since I was trying to say good-bye.”
“Well, I’m glad you couldn’t.”
“Me too.” I blushed.
“Well, then I’ll keep your half and you can keep mine for a while—” He handed me his half forming our hands into a ball. “— and make a promise.”
I looked again into his lustrous eyes.
“A promise?”
“That no matter what, we’ll always trust each other, even when it seems unexplainable. No matter what I have to do or say, I’ll always be loyal to you. From now until the end of time.”
Relief flooded my heart while I turned over his half in my hand. I could finally let go of my worries and trust one day he’d understand. The time would come when the timing would be right. He’d promised not to jump to conclusions.
“Good, because I don’t think I could ever let you go.”
Suddenly, his lips were tight on mine, gentle yet fierce, a kiss that launched an unquenchable yearning with an intensity of force I could never have dreamed of. My trembling fingers reached for his face to pull him closer, his arm drawing me in at the small of my back. I swooned, because for the first time I felt just one emotion shared between us.
Love.
* * *
. . .
Find out more about the sequel at:
www.theemeraldtalisman.com
Twitter: Brenda Pandos
Facebook: The Emerald Talisman
. . .
Coming December 2010
. . .
About the Author
Brenda Pandos lives in California with her husband and two boys. She attempts to balance her busy life filled with writing, being a mother and wife, helping in her church and spending time with friends and family.
Working formerly as an I.T. Administrator, she never believed her imagination would be put to good use. After her son was diagnosed with an autism spectrum her life completely changed. Writing fantasy became something she could do at home while tending to the new needs of her children, household and herself.
You can find out more about her daily challenges and discoveries on her blog at brendapandos.blogspot.com.
Table of Contents
The Emerald Talisman
Talisman 1 - The Emerald Talisman Page 26
