Midnight Rose

by Dani Hart

  “How did your dad live so long without a True Mate? I mean, I thought immortals were…”

  “Unruly?” he asked before I could find the right word. “He found ways to control himself. He isolated himself from the world for almost a whole lifetime. When he found my mom, he said it was like finding peace in the middle of a war. He doesn’t talk about her much. I think it’s too painful, but he loved her more than anything.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said, picturing The Order sweeping in and killing his mom in cold blood. Did they do it in front of William or at least spare him that horror?

  “I believe you’re my True Mate, Abby.”

  “Wes—” I needed to tell him. This wasn’t fair.

  “You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted you to know. Your stake in this relationship is much higher than mine.”

  Was it really, though? William has had to endure a life without his True Mate all because he fell in love with a mortal, possibly watching her murdered. Who was investing more risk was unclear.

  “I should take you home now.” I didn’t stop him this time.

  “Thank you, Wes.”

  “For what?” he asked curiously.

  “For this.” I pointed to our view. “And for sharing everything you did.”

  “Like I told your mom, I’m an open book, Abby. I have nothing to hide.” He turned and started toward the car.

  He was an immortal and had nothing to hide, and I was mortal and had everything to conceal. The serenity of the night dripped off of me as I walked to the car, all of it stripped by the time we reached my house.

  I FIGURED SNEAKING back into my room at this point would be pointless, so instead, I sat on the back porch and reviewed the last twenty-four hours of my life. Shortly after, I heard someone in the kitchen. Today was quite possibly the last time I would see my mom for a while, and it hurt to think about.

  The sliding door creaked open, and the smell of fresh coffee wafted around me.

  “How long have you been up?” my mom’s cheery voice asked.

  “I couldn’t sleep much. I watched the sunrise.” I played with my fingers, hating that today would be all about lying.

  “I haven’t done that in a very long time. We should do it together next weekend.” She sat in her rocker next to me.

  Looking over, I admired her dainty fingers looping around her mug. “I’d like that.”

  We both stared out over the valley of hills behind our house. It faced the sunrise, and since we were the highest house on our street, we had a view of the untouched land that made its way to the lake. Unfortunately, we were too far back to see the rippling waters of Lake Pend Oreille.

  “I really liked Wes. He seems to care about you quite a bit. It’s nice that after all this time and after the accident, you two reconnected the way you did. It must be fate.” She took a sip of her steaming cup of coffee and smiled at me with a twinkle in her eye.

  “Yeah. He’s been a good friend.” My heart pounded slowly to match my somber mood.

  “Your dad went running this morning. He didn’t sleep very well last night either. I think the stress is really getting to him. I worry. He’s not as young as he used to be.” She shared with me.

  She was being so open. It wasn’t like her. Now that I was getting older, she was confiding in me as more of a friend than a daughter. “I worry about him, too, but he’s strong. He always has been. And he loves you.”

  “He’s been a good husband,” she agreed. “I wish that for you one day. A good husband and a family. Graduation first,” she joked.

  A soft giggle escaped me, lightening my mood for just a fleeting second, but then my next words would haunt me. “That sounds good.” It all seemed out of the realm of possibility now.

  The slider opened again, and my dad joined us. “What are my two favorite girls up to?” His mood seemed lighter today, the confession to me probably attributing to it.

  “Your little girl watched the sunrise this morning. I was just telling her how we should all watch it together next weekend. The weather is supposed to be nice.”

  My dad looked over at me with a knowing glance. “That sounds nice. I’m going to hop in the shower.” He leaned down and kissed my mom and then came to me and kissed my forehead—an unsolicited show of affection neither one of us was used to. I was still upset with him, but I couldn’t show it in front of my mom. It would just instigate more questions. “I want to take my girls to breakfast, so get ready.” He smiled widely and went back into the house.

  “He’s in a good mood today.” My mom giggled.

  I kept quiet. My dad knew today was possibly our last day together as a family, so maybe today I would just try to enjoy the day with them.

  “I’m going to take a quick shower, too.”

  “Okay, sweetie.”

  As I passed by her chair, I placed my hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly. “I love you, Mom.”

  She put her hand over mine. “I love you, too.”

  Today was about internal strength. Staying strong for my mom and giving her this last good memory of us as a simple family spending a Sunday together. That was all today needed to be about.

  My dad chose to avoid the bistro, which confused my mom since it used to be our traditional spot, but I helped him sideline the conversation.

  “I heard Eggs and Place was really good, Mom. It can be our new spot.” I smiled from the back seat of their car, my dad’s eyes meeting mine with approval. The last thing he wanted was to be around the Hunters. I looked away, staring at the trees outside blurring as we drove by. The day was clear, and the temperature was in the high sixties. Perfect for a Sunday out with the family. Perfect if heartbreak wasn’t looming.

  Eggs and Place was only a few doors down from the bistro, and it overlooked the lake. We sat out on the patio in full view of all the shops at the pier. I could see the bistro bustling down the way. Penelope was serving tables, her hair a bright pink now. It caught me off guard when her head lifted from the guest she was talking to and made direct eye contact with me as if she knew I was watching her. Something wasn’t right with her. I felt it from day one, but I ignored it. Maybe ignoring her wasn’t the smartest thing.

  “Honey, will you order me an orange juice? I’m going to use the ladies’ room.” My mom scooted out of her chair.

  “Of course,” my dad answered, carefree.

  When she was out of earshot, I leaned over the table and whispered, “There’s someone who works at the bistro that isn’t sitting right with me.”

  “Who?” His full attention was on me.

  “That girl with the pink painted hair that works there, Penelope. I’ve always had a weird vibe about her, and just now she was on the patio and looked straight at me like she knew we were here.”

  My dad was seated facing the water, so he could look sideways inconspicuously. “Pink hair?”

  “Yeah.”

  We both straightened up when my mom came back to the table.

  “What are you two whispering about?” she asked, genuinely interested.

  “Whether I should dye my hair pink,” I replied playfully.

  “You better not. Honey, please tell her not to ruin her beautiful head of hair.”

  He laughed. “Peanut, don’t punk out on us.”

  It was nice to share a laugh with my parents. The rest of breakfast was filled with light conversation and funny stories. We walked down the pier after breakfast and got ice cream and then sat on the beach for a bit.

  I dug my toes into the warm, dry sand just beyond the water’s reach, laughing as my parents acted like teenagers again—my dad chasing my mom into the water, lifting her up and spinning her around. That was what true love looked like. Easy. Fun. I was surprised how comfortable I was being here on the beach. Leaving my mom overshadowed the sense of dread this place once gave me.

  “Hey.” The sun shone brightly in my eyes, obstructing the view of my best friend. She stepped in front of it, bathing me in shadows
and holding her sandals in her hand.

  “Hey.” I smiled. This was a nice treat. I wasn’t looking forward to disappearing without seeing Kendra. “What brings you down here?”

  “I guess my parents had the same idea. We just finished lunch at the bistro.”

  Was it lunch already? The time was flying by.

  “Your parents seem happy.” She laughed as she watched them frolicking in the water.

  “They do, don’t they?” I wanted this life for them. For us. For me. And before monsters became real, it could have been possible. Now it was just a fantasy.

  “How are you feeling?” She sat next to me.

  “Better. And you?”

  “So much better. Although I never heard from Elijah. You were right about him. Just another jerk.”

  I put my arm around her shoulders. “Good thing there’s a ton of fish in the sea.”

  She placed her head on my shoulder. “Good thing. How are you and Wes?”

  “Figuring things out.” I was trying to keep my bag of lies as small as possible.

  “Yeah, that relationship seems complicated. Take it slow, and I’m sure it’ll be great.”

  Kendra was ever the optimist. She was my sun in the perpetual darkness. “I believe that for you, too, Ken. Once they get past the blinding beauty,” I teased.

  “Stop. You’re beautiful, too. We are a couple of beautiful babes inside and out.” She looked back to the water. “Your parents are seriously adorable.”

  “They really are.” Seeing them this way made my decision a little easier, knowing that they had each other and wouldn’t be alone when I left, because either way I needed to go. My brother needed me.

  Looking over Kendra’s shoulder, I caught sight of a familiar face. “Is your brother home?”

  She looked back at him, too, as he approached with his shoes in his hands. “Oh, yeah. He told my parents it was fall break, but I have a feeling he just missed someone.” She winked at me. “Studying abroad the past year must have been torture on his pour little heart.”

  I turned back to the ocean, biting my lip. “It’s not like that, Kendra. It never was.”

  “That’s not what he thinks,” she sang quietly as he fell upon us.

  “Mom and Dad are ready to go.”

  I shielded my eyes from the sun as I faced Jack. “Hey, Jack,” I said politely. I really didn’t need this right now.

  “Hey, Abs. You look good.” His honesty was refreshing and a little bit embarrassing in front of his little sister.

  “Thanks.” The awkward silence hung in the air.

  Thankfully, Kendra stood up. “Eww. That’s our cue to go.” She laughed as she brushed off the sand from her capris, grabbing Jack’s arm. “I’ll call you tonight.” She waved.

  “See you later, Abby.” Jack dipped his head, smiling admiringly.

  “Bye.” I waved.

  Jack hung out with Kendra and me a lot when I was over, so naturally we became friends, too. He was only three years older and was always a lot of fun to be around. It was last year before he left for college that he decided to declare his affection for me. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I had never really gotten over Wes, and I had never seen Jack in that way. Before he drove away to college, he kissed me on the cheek. It was uncomfortable to say the least. Especially because his whole family was watching. He called me a few times while he was gone, but I never called him back. I felt bad, but in my eyes I was doing him a favor. And now I knew I had helped him dodge a huge bullet. My life was a train wreck.

  Of course, before I looked away at my two friends leaving, Penelope was watching me again. I was officially creeped out.

  We grabbed hot dogs on the pier before we headed back home. I knew time was running out, and I wanted to talk to Wes about Penelope. My parents were in the kitchen when I raced down the stairs, grabbed my car keys off the key ring, and tried to slide out unnoticed.

  “Abigail.” My father leaned on the threshold to the kitchen with his arms crossed. “Where do you think you are going?”

  “I have to say goodbye, Dad. I might not see them again.”

  He stepped into the foyer, lowering his voice. “Fine.” He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly, caressing my hair. “I’m so sorry, Abigail. It’s my job to protect you from heartbreak. I am so very sorry.”

  “I know,” I responded and then turned and left, my breath trapped in my throat as I made my last drive to Wes’ house.

  It wasn’t fair to leave without telling him the whole truth. He deserved to know. He had to know. As I turned the corner up Wes’ street, Penelope was standing in the middle of the road. I slammed on the brakes, my heart racing and panic taking over. What was she doing? I could run her over with my car, but there was no way I could kill someone. I pulled over and got out of my car. “What are you doing, Penelope?” I snapped.

  As casual as could be, she sidled up to me, smiling. “You know why I’m here, Abigail.” She looked up at the Hunter’s house. “We couldn’t very well have you spilling all of our secrets to them.”

  “The Order?” I had my suspicions that might be what it was.

  “Who else? Don’t tell me you thought I was one of them.” She looked to the Hunter’s house, disgusted.

  I put on my best poker face. “I was just coming to say goodbye to them. I’m leaving town with my dad on a trip.”

  “That’s very sweet and all, but the fact that you are knowingly in love with an immortal makes me sick. But you’ll understand soon enough. You’ll hate them as much as the rest of us.”

  “You don’t know them,” I hissed vehemently.

  “All I need to know is they are immortals. That’s enough for me.”

  Hatred poured from Penelope. She wasn’t much older than me, so to know that kind of anger made me feel sorry for her.

  “So, now what? Are you going to hurt me? Drag me to The Order? You’re a little late for that because I was already on my way.” She stepped closer. “Have you ever heard of personal space?” I snapped.

  “Maybe I’m not bringing you to The Order.”

  Shock shook my body. I looked from her to Wes’ house and back, unbelieving what I was hearing. Was she kidnapping me? Trying to kill me? Did she know about my gift? I searched the ground for something to use as a weapon. I thought about screaming. Wes would probably hear me. I even thought about running, but to where?

  Penelope watched as my thoughts spun out of control, ready to launch if I made a move in the wrong direction. Her fingers opened and closed into fists, and her knees were bent and ready to chase me. My heart shredded as I looked back up to Wes’ house, considering my chances of making it there before her.

  “Back off, Penelope.” Elijah stepped from the tree line.

  Penelope glared violently and then took off quickly.

  “Are you okay?” Elijah rushed to my side.

  “Yeah. What was that all about?” My hands were still shaking.

  “I don’t know, but Penelope is bad news. Trust me on that.”

  “Why did you come here?” Looking at Elijah after last night was hard. Different. He had been hiding so many secrets, but he was also carrying a tragic burden. Ultimately, he was a part of the reason I was leaving, and it made me want to hate him just the same.

  “We couldn’t risk you telling them about us.”

  “But my dad knew I was coming. He gave me permission,” I pleaded softly.

  “He was afraid you would lose it in front of your mother if he said no, so he sent me. I made your dad a promise to watch over you, and I owe him for taking care of me after my dad was killed.” He held his hand out for mine.

  “So, this is for my dad?” I challenged him, but his reaction told me it was something more. He cared for me. I’m not sure how deeply or in what capacity, but he cared whether I lived or died, and nothing I would say to him now would convince him to let me go. I took his hand apprehensively.

  A branch snapped, echoing down the street.
>
  “Let’s go.” He directed me to the passenger’s seat and then practically dove into the driver’s seat. I wanted to say something, but he was on high alert, scanning our surroundings. He floored the gas, and we went flying forward, tires screeching as we hugged a corner. We hit the highway in half the time, never losing speed.

  “What’s going on?” I held onto the side of my seat, petrified by the speed in which we were traveling.

  “Penelope went rogue from The Order. How do you know her?”

  “She works at the bistro.”

  “So she’s been watching you.” He shook his head. “I’m glad I got there when I did.”

  “Why would she want me?” The thought that I was possibly moments from death made me tremble again.

  “I honestly have no idea, but I’m going to find out.”

  My town whirred by as we headed for the interstate. “I didn’t get to say goodbye.” I wiped away my tears.

  “I’m sorry, Abby. I really am. And what your father did…giving away your brother…you have to know that it couldn’t have been easy on him.”

  I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. It was too much to think about.

  “I’m here for you, in whatever capacity you need. I’m your friend, and I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.” His hand fell on my thigh, and I let it stay because comfort in any form was the only thing that was going to get me through this.

  “WHERE ARE YOU TAKING me?” The silence had been unbearable, but my mind was muddled and I needed sleep. We had been driving for several hours, and it was dark outside. I wondered what excuse my dad gave my mom about my sudden disappearance.

  “Somewhere your dad felt you would be the safest.” Elijah’s voice was troubled.

  “This is nuts. You know that, right?” I stared at him incredulously.

  “I haven’t experienced anything that slightly resembles ordinary in a very long time, Abby. This is just another day in a world of chaos.”

  It made me think about his mother’s kidnapping. I tried to remember what I was doing when I was six. Probably playing with dolls and dressing up with my friends without a worry in the world that monsters lived under my bed. Or just outside my window. How does a child even process something like that? Having his mother ripped from his arms was bad enough and then to discover it was by an immortal.