Falling in love with a human never ended well, I knew that long before I met him. Even though he wasn't going to round up the town with pitchforks and stakes, I was still going to end up heartbroken because of him.
After a while, I realized that I was hungry and I stood so that I could find some lunch. I thought of going to the deli to see if there was any truth to my story about Alexis starting to transform already.
On my way there, my phone went off and I knew from the music that I had a text from Vince. He wanted me back, which meant that I had been right when Tanner left. I wasn't going to see him again. I texted him back and told him that I'd meet him after dinner. I shut my phone off so that I wouldn't have to deal with him if he was pissed that I wouldn't be back earlier. I also didn't want to talk with Tanner because he would know that something was wrong if he heard my voice.
Forgetting about the deli, I went into the woods behind the lake and wandered around, feeling sorry for myself until it was about time to meet Tanner. I turned on my phone only to check the time and then turned it back off. I made my way to the school's football field where I was supposed to meet Tanner. I found a hidden little spot and made myself comfortable.
I wanted to jump up and run into his arms when I saw him, but I forced myself to stay in my little spot. He walked to the place where we often sat and talked. He looked around and began pacing. I could smell his nervousness from where I was at. I was always early, arriving to meet him first. He knew that something was wrong.
He pulled out his phone and looked at it, presumably to check the time. He looked around and started pacing again, the scent turning closer to fear than nervousness. I swallowed as I restrained myself from running to comfort him. I wanted to tell him that everything would be okay. But I knew that it wouldn't be. We couldn't be together ever again. He started talking to himself and I focused my sensitive hearing on what he was saying.
"Where is she? Why isn't she here yet?" He looked at his phone again and started rubbing his finger around the screen. "Straight to voice mail? What's going on? Something isn't right." He began pacing again, this time more frantically. "He got her. That redneck jerk finally found her. That's the only thing that makes any sense. She's never late—ever. She would have called if she couldn't make it. She said she was going to be here."
He sat down on the player's bench and put his face into his hands. "I can't believe this. I hope he doesn't hurt her. But why wouldn't he? He would be furious that she left him. He thinks that he owns her." He rambled on like that for a while and I felt horrible for putting him through that. He waited there for me for hours. Darkness was starting to set in before he finally got up and left to make sure that Charlie wouldn't be home alone.
I sat looking at the empty field for a while before I forced myself to stand up and begin running back to Vince's mansion. I considered staying, but I knew that it just wasn't possible. I wasn't really the kind and compassionate person that I was around Tanner. I wanted to rule and that meant that I needed to be with Vince, regardless of how I felt about him. Tanner was better off without me, he deserved a happy human existence.
What's next?
Find out what happens to Tanner after Samantha took off without explanation. You can find the next book, Deception, most everywhere that online books are sold. For more information and purchase links, visit: http://stacyclaflin.com/books/deception/
Preview of Deception:
I leaned against a pole to catch my breath and calm my nerves.
"Where's the fire?" came a voice.
I looked up and saw a senior named Tanner Monroe standing near me. He was popular, and I braced myself for what he might say next. I was sure that he was going to make fun of me because he was known for being a jerk.
"There's no fire," I shot back. I didn't owe him an explanation.
"I can't believe how fast you were running," he said, actually sounding impressed.
"Yeah, that's why they call it running, because it's fast." Why wouldn't he go away?
"No, seriously," he said. "Our girls' track team could use you this year. All of our fastest runners graduated last year. You're faster than the ones that are left, by a long shot!"
"I don't have much of an interest in sports," I told him.
"You're Natalie's sister, aren't you?" he asked.
"I have a name you know. My name is Alexis."
Author's Note
I greatly appreciate you taking the time to read this novella! I would like to invite you to sign up to receive free bonus chapters and occasional updates about the series. Visit StacyClaflin.com to sign up.
I've spent many hours writing, re-writing, and editing this work. I even put together a team of reviewers who helped me with the editing process. As it is impossible to find every single error, if you find any errors please contact me through my website and let me know so that I can fix it for future editions.
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About the Author
I live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband, our two boys and our dog. I've been writing stories ever since I could write out enough to make a story. I can remember writing my first chapter story at about the age of nine – for fun. I used to keep spiral bound notebooks all over my room and I would write story after story. Those were the days before people had computers in their home, much less digital notebooks!
My favorite genre to read, write, and watch is paranormal. If you like Vampire Diaries and Supernatural, I know we'll get along! I also love the Twilight books (not so much the movies) even though I poke fun of sparkling vampires in my books. When I'm not reading or writing, I love spending time with my family. I run a home preschool and educate my kids from home.
If you enjoy ghost stories, check out my book Chasing Mercy.
You can learn more about me at:
StacyClaflin.com/About
Facebook.com/stacy.claflin.author
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