Dark Realms(69)
“Bullshit,” said Nathan. “No way is that going to happen.”
I turned to my brother and grabbed his arm, pulling him away. “Nathan,” I whispered. “Just, let me talk to him. He hasn’t hurt me. Not ever. Give us a few minutes alone, within eyesight of you two. Maybe he’ll give us information on those murders. I seriously don’t think he did it but maybe he knows who did.”
“No! He might sweep you away like he did last time,” said Nathan. “Besides, what do you have to say to this… monster?”
I stared into his eyes. “Nathan, nothing is going to happen, okay? Just, trust me. We won’t go far, and if I need your help, I’ll call you guys. Please?”
“What’s going on?” asked Duncan, moving closer to us.
He rubbed his forehead. “She really wants to talk to Ethan.”
Duncan’s eyes widened in alarm. “Why?”
“To see if he knows anything about those murders. Trust me, he won’t hurt me.”
“It’s him I don’t trust,” grunted Duncan.
“I could have taken her already,” volunteered Ethan loudly. Obviously, his ears were picking up on our conversation. “But I haven’t and won’t, if that’s her decision.”
“What about the mind control thing? He might talk you into it,” said Nathan.
I turned towards Ethan. “You won’t use that. Right, Ethan?” I asked, raising my voice, although I didn’t know what the point was.
“Of course not.”
“I still don’t like it,” said Duncan, advancing towards Ethan. “She’s my girl, asshole. Why can’t you leave her alone?”
Ethan ignored him. He held his hand out to me as I chased after Duncan, to stop him. “Nikki? Can we just have a few moments alone? Seriously, I don’t have much time.”
“Yes,” I replied, ignoring his hand. I knew my brother and Duncan were still angry, but I wanted to hear what Ethan had to say.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her,” said Ethan right before he grabbed my hand and flew away.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Ethan!” I shouted as soon as we landed. I stepped away and pointed at him angrily. “What the hell? You weren’t supposed to actually fly off with me like that!”
“I wanted to be alone with you. It might be our last time,” he pouted.
I sighed. “That wasn’t supposed to be part of the deal.”
“Sorry.”
“So, what is this about?”
He smiled. “I wanted you to come with me. To New York.”
My eyes widened. “I’m still in school and you’re a… vampire. I can’t just go away with you.”
He got down on his knees and stared up at me. “Would it help if I confessed my undead love for you?”
This time I laughed out loud. “You’re crazy.”
He stood up and pulled me back into his arms. “Hey, the only thing I’m crazy about, is you.”
“I’m not so sure about that. I mean, you keep calling me Miranda. I’m not this person and I’ll never be her.”
He tipped my chin up and stared into my eyes. “I know that. Look, Nikki, I’m drawn to you, and as far as I’m concerned, nothing else matters.”
“Drawn to me?”
“Yes. There’s this magnetic pull between us, can’t you feel it? It’s like, we were meant to be together.”
“I don’t know about a magnetic pull… I mean, I like you. I like you, a lot. But…”
“But what? Just throw caution to the wind. I’ll take care of you, Nikki. I swear I’ll keep you safe.”
“I just can’t do what you’re asking. My mother needs me so much right now, and I can’t leave my brother. You have to understand that? You and I… we don’t even really know each other.”
“I won’t force you to come with me, but I want you to understand that I can’t come back to this place.”
I stared at his face, which was so incredibly handsome. I knew I’d miss him. Whether it was real or not, I felt something for Ethan and wished things were different.
He bent forward and pressed his lips to mine.
“Your skin, it’s so cool,” I whispered, touching his cheek.
“I haven’t had time to… feed. I had other things on my mind.”
I touched his forehead. “When your skin is cooler, does it mean you’re weaker?”
“Yes, In fact, I’ll lose most of my strength if I don’t eat soon. That’s another reason I wanted to move quickly.”
“So, what exactly do you need to… survive?”