by J. P.
“So basically, you’re indestructible? Good, I'll remember that for next time.” He grins at me as he fixes his glasses.
“What have you been up to?” I press, eager for any information I can get that doesn’t involve evil or vampires or plots or all three.
“Nothing really. I was the only one that was allowed to stay in school during this whole thing. Mostly I’ve just been studying. I asked dad if I could help with the vampire stuff, but he refused.” Paul lets out a deep breath. “Dad told me my role was to just act normal, which was especially difficult around Zach and Emma.”
“You’ve seen them?” I feel my eyes get wide.
“Yeah. Zach and I are still friends. Emma has been really depressed. She locked herself in her room for a few days. Zach and her parents were really worried.”
I bite my lip. “That’s sad. If you see her, please tell her I forgive her.”
“Really?” Paul’s eyes almost bug out of his head.
“Yeah. She didn’t know what she was getting herself into.”
“Okay. I’ll let her know.” Paul leans back in the desk chair he’s sitting in.
“Was anyone suspicious that we all left school?”
“Kind of. I started my own rumor, though.” He puffs up with pride as his eyes dare me to ask for more information.
“What rumor?” I ask with a laugh.
“I told Zach to tell the football team that you, Tyler, Luke, and Sean all got signed by Mason’s agency, and now you’re too busy with all your auditions and photoshoots to go to school. Everyone thinks you’re being homeschooled.”
I start hysterically laughing. “Paul, that’s brilliant.”
“Right? I thought it was clever and definitely believable.”
“That’s amazing.” I look at my little brother and frown. “I miss you guys. Do you know when you’ll be back?”
“I’m not sure. Dad and Jake have been super busy. They’re actually running some important errand now.”
“Are you in the house alone with Jeremy?” I ask, my eyebrows raised.
“No, Ben is here.”
“He is?” I ask.
“Yeah, he and all his brothers have been super helpful.”
There’s a knock on my door, and I glance over my shoulder. “I should probably make sure everybody is settling in here. Call me later.”
“I will,” he promises. “Stay safe, Nina. I love you.”
“I love you too, Paul.” I wave once before ending the call.
“Nina?” Tyler pokes his head in. “Are you okay?” he asks.
“Yeah, I just spoke with Paul,” I tell him as I turn sideways in my desk chair.
“How is he?” Tyler walks into my room.
“He’s okay. Everyone seems to be okay.” I sigh as I drop my head.
Tyler makes his way over to me and crouches down, so he’s at my eye level. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah. I just miss my family.”
Tyler pulls me into his arms and holds me tight. “I’m sorry, beautiful.” He sits on the floor, taking me with him. He keeps his arms around me as I rest my head against his chest.
“Thank you,” I mumble.
Tyler pulls back and looks down at me. “For what?”
“For being here for me.”
“Nina,” he takes my face in his hands, “I will always be here for you.”
I nod my head as he leans in and kisses my forehead.
“What can I do to help you?” he asks.
“I have to go to the mall to pick up a few things for me and the girls. Do you want to come?”
“I’d love to.” He gives me a smile that melts my heart.
I know what he did wasn’t right, and he took his mission two steps too far, but part of me is relieved that I don’t have to be mad at him anymore. I miss him.
I pull away from him and stand up before offering my hand to help him up. He keeps my hand in his and pulls me along with him to the stairs. I peek into Luke’s room to check on Olivia and find Tate lying in the bed next to her, both of them sleeping. I smile and shut the door.
“Is it safe to leave them here? They’re Ethan’s daughters. People might be after them,” I whisper as Tyler leads me down the steps.
“They’re safe. Marcy’s people are standing guard,” Tyler assures me.
“You trust them?” I ask.
“Yes.”
We get into the black SUV that we came here in, and Tyler starts to drive to the mall. He drums his fingers along the steering wheel, and for some reason, it makes me anxious.
Tyler’s admission was a lot to hear. I don’t know what I’m supposed to think or how I’m supposed to feel. And on top of it all, he’s ready to jump back into a relationship that I’m not even sure I want anymore.
I glance over at him, and my stomach pinches. I still have feelings for him, I know I do. What about Luke, though? I think about Luke and butterflies burst in my stomach. What the hell am I supposed to do?
“Is it weird for you being back here?” he asks suddenly, interrupting my thoughts.
“Yes, actually.”
“It is for me too.”
“Why for you?” I ask him.
“Because it feels like so much for us has changed, but everything here is still the same.”
“Yes, I feel the same exact way,” I tell him.
He laughs. “We always were on the same wavelength.”
I look over at him again, now dressed in grey sweatpants and a black crew neck sweatshirt. His cheeks are slightly flushed, probably from how hot it is inside the car. He catches me staring and smiles.
“I like that we’re back,” he says suddenly.
“Back on Termin?”
“Yeah. Hopefully, this vampire stuff will die down and we can do some normal stuff, like go to the movies.”
“Going to the mall is kind of a normal activity.”
“That’s true,” he says with a grin as he pulls into the mall parking lot. “Too bad we can’t get those pretzels you love so much.”
I laugh as he pulls into a spot. “Too bad. Speaking of food though, we should probably figure out what we should do. Either a trip to the woods or some blood bags.”
“Good thinking. I’ll make a call.”
We climb out of the car and walk side by side as Tyler types away on his phone.
“So, the Chrome Solider—” I start.
“If you’re about to roast me—” Tyler interrupts with a smirk.
“I just didn’t know they were giving out cool nicknames,” I tease.
“I didn’t pick it. They just started calling me that.”
“Sure they did,” I say with a laugh as we walk through the automatic sliding doors. I shiver immediately as the cool air hits my skin.
“Okay, so we need clothes, anything else?” he asks.
“I need a new phone,” I add.
“Let’s do that first. It’ll definitely take the longest.”
We walk to the pristine glass store with employees running around in blue shirts. After an hour of waiting and setting everything up, I walk out with a new phone.
As we start to make our way to a clothing store, I keep my head down, trying to sign in to my account. I sigh in relief when my contacts are all on my phone, and I try calling my dad. It goes straight to voicemail. Speaking to Paul before was so nice, but I need to speak to my dad. It’s stressing me out that I’ve gone so long without talking to him.
We pick out clothing for ourselves, and Tyler picks out a few extra things for Jake, Paul, and Luke, while I get things for Olivia and Tate. The woman gives us a strange look as she rings up our plethora of items, but we ignore her.
“Let me get that,” Tyler insists as we walk out of the store. He tries to take my bag from me, but I swat him away.
“I’ve got it.”
“It’s going to take us five years to get to the car. C’mon, I’m super strong, in case you forgot,” he tells me with a smirk.
I roll my eyes as I surrender and give him the bag.
“Tyler?”
Tyler and I spin around, and my stomach drops. Standing in the middle of the mall is Tyler’s mother.
“Oh my God,” she cries as she drops the bags she was holding and rushes over to him. She throws her arms around him and kisses his cheeks.
“It’s okay, Mom. I’m okay,” Tyler tells her.
People are starting to stop and stare, wondering what’s going on.
“Where have you been?” she asks. “I have been looking everywhere for you! Soccer camp called at the beginning of the summer and told me you never made it, and I nearly had a heart attack! How could you do that to me!” Her face turns red as she starts to get angry.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“To what? Scare me half to death? Well, you did. Where were you?” She places her hands on her hips as she looks up at him.
“I—” He looks over to me, and his mom follows his eyes.
“No.” She shuts her eyes and squeezes the bridge of her nose. “Don’t tell me that you ran away to be with your girlfriend.”
“Mom, she was in trouble,” Tyler says under his breath.
Her eyes widen as her face turns red. “Tyler Lombardi, did you join Chrome?”
He doesn’t answer, and she goes ballistic.
“I told you, you were never to join! How dare you! How dare you disobey me and go God knows where without letting me know!” She’s out of breath by the time she’s finished talking. “And you!” She turns to me and I feel myself go pale. “How dare you take my son away from me!”
“Mom.” Tyler jumps in front of me. “It’s not her fault.”
“You are coming home with me right now, and we are having a talk.” His mother grabs his arm.
“I have to drive her home—” His mom silences him with one look.
“Now.” She repeats.
Tyler turns to me. “I’m sorry, I’m going to try and calm her down. I’ll meet you back at your house.” He tosses me the keys and additional anxiety piles onto my shoulders at the thought of driving.
“No, you won’t,” his mom says from behind him.
“Will you be okay?” he asks me.
“Yes. I’ll be fine,” I assure him. I take the bags from him and watch as his mother pulls him towards the exit. She continues to lecture him as they leave the mall.
I feel bad for Tyler as I hoist the bags higher on my arms and make my way to the opposite exit, where the car is parked. I walk out the doors of the mall and start sweating almost immediately when I step into the sun.
I start to make my way to the car when I hear someone calling my name. No, they didn’t call it, they whispered. I tune into the sounds around me, and I hear it again.
I whip my body around in the direction that the whispering is coming from. I see someone standing in the corner of the building, his head down. Immediately, my body goes cold.
He picks his head up, and I recognize his dark eyes instantly. Will.
“Wow, that hearing ability really is something.”
I stop dead in my tracks, still twenty feet away from him. I go to run in the opposite direction when I hear his voice again.
“Don’t make a scene.”
I freeze as adrenaline rushes into my system. How the hell did he find me so quickly?
“Come here.”
I glance around and notice multiple people walking through the lot. He can’t do too much damage with all these witnesses. I sigh as I slowly make my way over to Will. I slump my shoulders, defeated.
“What do you want?” I ask, already annoyed that this is happening.
“I want to finish what I started.” He licks his lips.
“No,” I tell him flat-out.
Will laughs. It’s actually such a beautiful sound, it almost makes me forget the kind of person he is. Almost.
He takes a step closer to me, and I take a step back. “C’mon now. Don’t be that way.”
“Just leave me alone.” I go to turn away from him when he grabs my wrist.
“Is that any way to talk to your superior, half-breed?” he snarls.
I furrow my brow as I stare at him. “What happened to you that made you hate me so much? Your parents were apart of Chrome. They loved my dad.”
Will flinches as if I smacked him. “Do not speak about my parents,” he growls. He yanks my wrist so hard that I fall into him, and he wraps his arms around me, holding me still.
“Let go!” I shout as I throw my elbows, trying to break free.
Will doesn’t say anything. He drops his head down and bites.
20
“Excuse me.” A man clears his throat, and Will’s head snaps up.
Will’s eyes widen in surprise as he takes in the sight of the stranger. “What are you doing here?”
The man takes a step closer to us, and he looks oddly familiar. He reminds me of someone. His dark hair is buzzed close to his scalp, I can tell he’s older even though his face is almost perfect. His dark eyes look between Will and me.
“I can take it from here.” The man holds his hand out to me.
Will laughs and throws me behind him. “Get your own.”
Now it’s the stranger’s turn to laugh. “Okay, if you want to do this the hard way, that’s fine with me.” The stranger takes a stake out of his jacket pocket, and I notice Will tense.
Will looks back at me, and the second his eyes leave the stranger, the man grabs him and slams him against the nearest wall.
“You’re going to leave Termin. Now. If I see you here again, I will not hesitate to kill you.” The stranger slams him against the wall again. “Understand?”
Will grunts as he tries to throw the man off of him, but he isn’t successful. He throws his body from side to side, trying to get free of the man’s grasp. Finally, he sighs as he drops his head. The man throws Will to the ground and Will scurries up.
“You’ll regret that,” Will threatens before he runs off.
I glance around, grateful that no one seemed to notice the encounter between them.
“Are you alright?” the man asks as he takes a step closer to me. “Did he hurt you?”
“No.” I check my body to make sure. “He bit me, but only for a second.”
“Good. Next time try to keep moving and squirming. It’ll be harder for him to drain you.”
I stare at the stranger. Who the heck is this guy? “Thanks. I’m—”
“Nina Blair. I know who you are,” the man says with a warm smile.
“Oh.” I’m taken back for a second. “Do you work for Chrome?”
“Yes.” He nods once. “I’m not on your case, but I have heard all about it. I’m glad I was able to help you.” He glances around. “Can I escort you home? I would hate for that kid to give you trouble again.”
“That really isn’t necessary…”
“I insist.”
I stare at him again, squinting, trying to figure out what his intentions may be. “Okay,” I finally say. “My car is this way. Do you know how to drive?”
I see the stranger smile. “Yes. I can drive you.”
The man sits in the driver’s seat as I direct him to my house.
“So, you’re familiar with Will?” I ask, my curiosity killing me.
“Yes, actually. I knew his parents.”
“Right, because they were in Chrome.” I stare at the guy, trying to think about who he reminds me of.
“Exactly. I was surprised to hear he joined Malum, but I’m hoping for his brothers’ sake it’s just a phase.”
“I don’t know about that,” I say under my breath.
The man laughs, and it sounds so familiar. Who does he remind me of?
“You can turn left here.” I point to the street coming up. He makes the turn and then drives down the street. “It’s the last house on the right.”
The man pulls into the driveway and puts the car into park. “Here, I can help bring these in
for you,” he says as he takes some of the bags that I put at my feet.
I’m about to argue with him, but I know that it would take me forever by myself. “Thank you.”
We walk through the front door, and he helps me bring the bags into the living room.
“Thank you again for saving me back there. I appreciate it more than you know,” I tell him with a smile.
“I have been following your case in my free time. You should know that I’ve been rooting for you and your family. I’m glad that you don’t have to worry about Ethan anymore.”
“Hopefully, things will be quiet for a while. I think we could all use some time to live as normally as possible.”
“I’ve heard you’ve gathered quite the crew. How many people do you have living here?” the man asks as he looks around the living room.
“Me, my two brothers, my dad, my two friends, and my friend’s two sisters. Eight people altogether,” I count in my head.
“With only your dad to look out for all of you?” he asks.
“It would seem that way,” I sigh.
The man rubs his chin as he squints his eyes. “Let me make a phone call.”
“Okay,” I say as I watch him walk into the foyer.
He presses his phone to his ear and looks back at me. I look away and pretend to be sorting through the clothes as I listen in on his conversation. Savior or not, I don’t trust this guy yet. The only reason I invited him into the house is because I know Marcy’s men are around, and if I scream, they will save me. Hopefully.
“It’s me. I was out here on personal business when I ran into our friend Nina Blair almost getting drained by Will Adams,” the man says.
“What!” the person on the other side shrieks, before they sigh. “That poor girl. I’m going to have to get her a guard twenty-four seven.” Marcy. “I thought once Ethan was gone, it would be better for her.”
“Actually, I think I might be able to help. I would like to volunteer my services. I want to help this family.”
I hear Marcy sigh again. “I don’t know. I might need you for something else.”
“Let me stay here, then, in the meantime. It’s been a while since I’ve been back on Termin.”
Marcy is quiet for a moment. “Alright, fine. You can stay with the Blair’s until I figure something else out.”
