Midnight Rose

by Dani Hart

  “So, what you’re saying is you aren’t a purebred? You’re a hybrid?”

  “Yes. That’s why I age the same as you.”

  “And that night…”

  “I became immortal. Every bone in my body felt like it was breaking, and every muscle felt like it was being stretched from my tendons.” His voice darkened. “And my veins felt like they were boiling, but the worst was the thirst for blood and the hallucinations that followed.”

  “Hallucinations?”

  Wes looked away shamefully. “I thought I killed you that night. Let’s leave it at that.” The pain was evident with the cracking in his voice, tears surfacing in his eyes.

  “I’m sorry.” I touched his face, feeling the coldness for the first time.

  “You don’t have anything to be sorry for. This isn’t your fault. Don’t ever be sorry with me, Abby. I’m here now, and I’m never leaving you again. We won’t let anyone hurt you. You’re family.” He pulled me in close.

  Family. My mother’s worrisome eyes flashed before me. My heart clenched at the thought of putting them in danger. “What about my parents?”

  “There are a lot of things we need to figure out, but we will, and we will do it together,” he assured me. His embrace tightened one last time, comforting me, before he let go and took my hand in his.

  We walked hand in hand back inside the bistro. Zoe jumped out of her seat, expectantly gleaming from ear to ear while Ben stood close to Mr. Hunter, arms crossed defiantly.

  “How are you feeling, Abigail?” Mr. Hunter prodded.

  “Still processing,” I responded honestly. The existence of immortals was going to take a little more than five minutes to digest.

  “You look puzzled,” Mr. Hunter observed.

  My eyes traveled from each of theirs, trying to figure out the answer for myself. Pale skin, unusual eyes that turned black when enraged, and unparalleled beauty.

  “Are you…vampires?” They immediately started laughing in unison, making me feel like an idiot.

  Wes choked back his laughter and spoke first, “Vampires are a gross exaggeration of immortality, but the myths aren’t completely off base. With immortality come longevity, strength, and other…gifts. Our bodies survive much like humans. We don’t want to suck your blood or grow fangs, and we prefer our meat cooked.” He winked.

  Zoe added, “And some of us like the company of mortals.” She smiled innocently.

  “Do you have any more questions?” Mr. Hunter asked.

  They all stared cautiously at me, making me feel very uncomfortable.

  “I promise we won’t laugh, right?” Mr. Hunter warned the others.

  “Right,” Zoe agreed.

  “Whatever.” Ben shrugged.

  Wes squeezed my hand. I took a deep breath and exhaled my question. “How long have you all been…living?” They exchanged glances again as if they had the ability to talk without speaking. Maybe they did.

  Mr. Hunter answered, “I have lived the longest. You could equate it to four lifetimes. I found Zoe and Ben two lifetimes ago. They are both on their third lifetime. Wes is the youngest, as you know. This is his first lifetime.”

  Doing the math was easy, but mind-altering. “So, Ben and Zoe aren’t your children?”

  Mr. Hunter glanced to Zoe who answered.

  “No, Abby. That’s just our human story. Really, it’s ridiculous anyone believes it. Ben and I look nothing alike. Ben is my True Mate. He saved me.” Her smile beamed with adoration, returned with a wink by Ben.

  “What is a True Mate?”

  Zoe continued, “All immortals have one. Before you find them you feel empty, like a whole chunk of your soul is missing. You live as an immortal, but never feel satisfied. Immortals without a True Mate are dangerous. They have nothing to lose, so they go on binges.”

  “Binges?” My stomach knotted.

  “Killing sprees,” Ben cut in. “That’s why The Order was created. To apprehend immortals.”

  The word apprehend made me shiver.

  “If humans knew immortals existed, there would be chaos, so The Order keeps us a secret.”

  “Why wouldn’t they just kill you?” They laughed again, but stopped quickly when Mr. Hunter glared at them.

  “We aren’t that easy to kill, Abby. In fact, it’s damn impossible, but we believe they have found ways because we have heard of some of our kind disappearing.” Mr. Hunter’s voice tapered off solemnly.

  “The Order claims to want peace between our kind.” Ben scoffed.

  “But you don’t believe that?” I looked around at their disapproving expressions.

  “No, we don’t. We think they are stalling until they are confident they can kill us all.”

  Envisioning a world without Wes was horrifying.

  “There are rules, Abby, and no one wants to die, so both sides follow them. For now, at least.” Mr. Hunter stood in front of me. “Elijah is a threat. And The Order’s interest in you is because of your interest in Wes. They are watching us, so they have a valid reason for apprehending us.”

  “What’s keeping them from just taking you?”

  “Strength in numbers. Immortals don’t live alone. We all have families. We are just a few of many dozens in our family. They would be starting a war.”

  Now I was starting to panic. “The Order has that much power? You’re immortal.”

  “The Order is powerful. They have proven that over the decades, which is why immortals agreed to abide by a set of terms. Not all immortals are bad, and most just want to be left alone.”

  “We aren’t going to give Elijah or The Order a reason to react,” Wes said as he brushed his fingers through my hair.

  Mr. Hunter addressed everyone, “We just need to act like everything is normal and not raise suspicions. Once they see we aren’t a threat to you or anyone else, this will all blow over. I’ll keep a watchful eye on Elijah. Wes, you try to stay as close to Abigail as possible, starting by taking her home so her parents don’t worry. It’s getting late.”

  “I’ll follow you home,” Wes said softly.

  Zoe gave me a hug while Ben and Mr. Hunter bowed their heads. The whole drive home one thing nagged me—who was Wes’ True Mate?

  WES FOLLOWED CLOSELY behind as promised. He was at my car door before I had a chance to open it with his hand held out. We stood by the car, unmoving.

  “I should go in before my dad sees you.” I settled up against the Jeep as he shut my door.

  He leaned in close and asked, “Are you going to be okay?”

  “I think so.” I smiled shyly, my heart always fluttering when he was around.

  “You’re taking this a lot better than expected.” He twirled his finger around a lock of my hair.

  “Did you always know that you would be an immortal?”

  “Yes.”

  His hand brushed the exposed skin between my neck and shoulder, taking the breath from my lungs. He leaned in closer, taking my lock of hair and inhaling deeply.

  “I love the way you smell, Abigail Rose.”

  My chest rose deeply, and I stood very still, anticipating our first kiss, but it was quickly interrupted when the porch light flickered on.

  Wes released my hair and whispered quickly, “I’ll see you soon.”

  “Uh-huh.” I nodded.

  “Abigail?” My dad’s voice interrupted.

  “Coming.” I raised on my tiptoes and kissed Wes on the cheek and then sprinted to the house, my heart still racing.

  “Was that Wes?” My dad held the door open for me.

  “Yeah. He just wanted to make sure I got home safe.” I avoided eye contact.

  “I think it’s about time you had him over for dinner. Invite him tomorrow.”

  “He might be busy, but I’ll ask him.”

  Tonight, my dreams wouldn’t be filled with nightmares of the past. Instead, they would be replaced with impossibilities for the future.

  ACT NORMAL.

  Kendra, with her sparkling
eyes and a bigger-than-life smile, ran to my car and jumped in.

  “You’re in a good mood. You do know it’s Monday, right? There are thousands of memes to commemorate the not-so-joyous beginning to the week.”

  “So I’m happy on a Monday. Sue me.” She applied her lipstick in the visor mirror. “What did you do this weekend besides work? This job is really getting in the way of our relationship.” She smacked her lips together, showcasing a bright red sheen.

  “I’ll talk to Mr. Hunter. Maybe I can get Friday or Saturday nights off.” I cringed when Kendra squealed wildly as I turned into the school.

  “Do you think he’ll give you this Friday off? Natalie is having a get-together, and I’m on the prowl for a date to the Winter Wonderland dance. I need my wing girl.” She winked.

  Focusing on Kendra was difficult this morning because my thoughts were heavy on last night.

  “Abby?” Kendra was staring at me with a questioning look.

  “Sorry.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. You know Natalie is the bane of my existence, right?”

  “It’s a means to an end. She has the best parties, and we don’t have to talk to her. Come on. I can’t do this without you.”

  The first bell rang. Grabbing our bags, we crossed the parking lot quickly.

  “Fine. I’ll go with you, but would you mind if I brought Wes?”

  “So, you’re like a thing now?” We rushed to our lockers, switching out books and being careful of our voices because classmates surrounded us.

  “Yeah, kind of,” I said with an embarrassed grimace.

  “Ooh, so, you think he would set me up with Ben?” The romantic possibility brightened her eyes.

  “He’s actually taken, and it’s pretty serious.” I bit my bottom lip, anticipating her disappointment. Zoe and Ben had been together for over two hundred years, so being serious didn’t quite cover it.

  “Darn it, but I would’ve been surprised if he wasn’t taken. He’s dark, mysterious, and gorgeous. So the manhunt is still on for Friday then.” She slammed her locker and bounced away, her white curls bouncing along with her.

  A party was so trivial at this point, but Mr. Hunter instructed us to act normal, and I had already been distant with Kendra. If anything, going to this party would buy me a little time alone with Wes without sending up red flags.

  Getting through the day proved difficult, so I was grateful when school finally ended. I made it to my car before Kendra and was shocked to see Elijah leaning up against it casually as if we were friends, arms crossed and sporting a confident grin. I wasn’t ready for this. Last night, I had found out he had saved me. What could I say? Thank you just didn’t seem adequate. But he was dishonest with me, and that hurt, so I straightened up and confronted him, my eyes burning with angry tears.

  “You lied to me.” I nudged him out of the way and opened the driver’s door.

  “About what exactly?” He slammed the door closed.

  “Get out of my way,” I demanded, tears starting to fall down my cheeks. The revelations were catching up with me, and the panic I had been holding back was surfacing.

  “What did they tell you? That you should be afraid of me?” His voice pleaded.

  “Shouldn’t I be?” I glared at him angrily.

  “I told you the truth. I’m not here to hurt you, Abby.”

  “I need to go,” I choked out. I barely knew Elijah, but I felt connected to him now, and his betrayal stung.

  He let go of the door and stepped back, watching me with confusion in his eyes.

  Before I closed the door on him, I paused. “You should have told me, Elijah.” I shook my head sadly. “You should have told me,” I mumbled. I slammed the door and turned the engine on, avoiding his gaze and sniffling back more tears. I wanted so bad to hate him, but I couldn’t because he had saved my life, and how do you hate someone so selfless? When I looked up, Elijah was gone, and Kendra was running across the parking lot. I wiped my face quickly and overly compensated by waving wildly with a big smile.

  She jumped into the car. “Sorry. I had to drop off a paper for English.”

  “It’s okay,” I said way too enthusiastically.

  Kendra looked at me strangely. “You’re acting weird.” She buckled her seat belt.

  So much for acting normal.

  After dropping Kendra off, I drove to Wes’ house. I tried to shake my confrontation with Elijah, but it just kept replaying in my head, and it hurt like hell. I turned the corner to his house when, out of nowhere, he jumped in front of my car. I slammed on the brakes just in time.

  “What are you doing? Are you crazy? I could have hit you!” I screamed hysterically through the windshield.

  He raced to my side and yanked the door open, his eyes as black as night and lips pursed tightly. “Where have you been?”

  I looked at my clock. It had only been twenty minutes since school let out. “School, and then I had to drop Kendra off.” I purposely omitted the part about Elijah.

  The black receded from his irises, and the iridescence returned, his shoulders relaxing, too. “I forgot about Kendra.”

  “Yeah. Sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

  He pulled me out and into his arms. “I was a couple of minutes late getting to the school, so I went to your house, and when I didn’t see your car there, I went a little crazy,” he admitted, hugging me tighter now.

  “I can see that. You’re crushing me,” I choked out.

  He released me and swept his hand down the side of my face longingly. “Please, don’t scare me like that again.”

  I shook my head. “I won’t.” I thought for a moment. “Do your eyes always do that when you’re upset?”

  His sideways grin returned. “Yes.” His fingers caressed my cheek.

  “So, my dad wants you to come to dinner tonight.”

  “Now that’s surprising.” His hand dropped, and his eyebrows raised curiously.

  I grumbled, “I know. He saw us last night, and now I’m sure he wants to drill you and try to intimidate you.”

  Wes laughed. “I think we both know we don’t have to worry about that, now do we?” He winked. “I’d love to hang with dear old Dad and Mum.”

  I hit him playfully on the chest, feeling the real strength that accompanied his immortality. He caught my wrist and brought it to his mouth, pausing only to flash his most devilish grin, then he kissed the skin that protected my pulse. I could feel the coolness of his lips pass over my skin, eliciting a low groan from my breath. Embarrassed, I pulled my wrist away.

  “I like that sound on you.” He nuzzled his nose in my neck.

  “Wes, stop.” I giggled.

  He met my gaze coyly. “Probably wise. I wouldn’t want you to die laughing. You’re fragile, after all.”

  “I’m not fragile.” He had struck that nerve again.

  He took my shoulders in his hands. “Yes, you are, Abby. You can get sick. You can get hurt. You can die. I worry every second you aren’t with me.”

  I let my clenching fists relax. “I’m sorry. It’s just after you left town, I came undone and everyone has been holding it over me, saying just how fragile I am.” I kicked the gravel around with the toe of my Chucks.

  Wes’ grip on my shoulders tightened. “Abby, you are anything but weak. You’re the strongest person I know. You survived a horrific accident, and when I told you that my family and I were immortal, you barely flinched. Your strength doesn’t lie within the confines of your skin. It’s here,” he placed his hand on my heart,” and it’s here,” his other hand cupped my head, his begging eyes bringing down my defenses.

  “I love you, Wes.” My stomach dropped, and my hands trembled. What if he didn’t say it back? Even worse, what if he didn’t love me?

  He kissed my forehead and hugged me again. “I love you, too, Abigail Rose. I love you, too.”

  He rocked me gently until the sun fell behind the trees and twilight was upon us, and then he
drove with me to my house, never letting go of my hand. I cherished every moment we were alone, even if we could only express our feelings with simple touches and gestures. It was enough, our connection running deeper than superficial layers.

  “So, my dad can be kind of…difficult.” I was prepping him for an interesting dinner that could end as a huge debacle.

  He swung my hand gently as we walked up to the house without a care in the world. “I can do difficult. I promise.” He kissed me on the corner of my lip.

  The front door was the only thing separating us from them. So many wonderful aromas washed over us as soon as we entered the house. I observed my mom flying across the kitchen and taking several sips of red wine. Actually, it was more like several gulps, and she was frantically rearranging silverware on the table.

  “Hey, Peanut.”

  I about jumped out of my skin, dropping my hand from Wes’, when my dad appeared out of the living room.

  “Wes, glad you could make it.” My dad stood tall and proud.

  “Thank you for inviting me.” Wes politely held out his hand.

  My dad kept his firmly in his pockets. This was going just swimmingly so far. Wes only shrugged it off with a smile.

  “You’re here,” my mom squealed. She put her glass of wine down and hugged me tightly. “Well, come on in. Dinner’s ready.”

  Her greeting was warmer than my dad’s. We followed my parents into the kitchen where my mom had prepared enough food to feed the whole neighborhood. On the counter, there were a large salad, biscuits, broccoli, mashed potatoes, and T-bone steaks still sizzling.

  “Sit.” She pulled me down into my chair.

  My dad took his seat next to me. “Your mom’s a little nervous,” he said under his breath.

  I chuckled quietly to myself.

  “Are you going to sit, boy?” My dad’s voice rose suddenly.

  Wes was standing behind his chair next to mine.

  “If you don’t mind, sir, I’d like to wait until all the ladies are seated.”

  The tension was already rising. My dad would either take this as a show of disrespect or that Wes was just showing good manners.

  “Oh, don’t be silly.” My mom waved her hand. “It’s a buffet. Grab your plates and fill them up.” My mom downed the rest of her glass of wine.