“And one last thing,” Alex says to Nicholas as he reaches for the crystal.
Nicholas sighs begrudgingly. “What now.”
“If you try anything, and I mean anything with Gemma while I’m gone.” He jabs a finger against Nicholas’s chest. “You’ll have to deal with two very powerful Witches and a Vampire who will do anything to protect her.”
“Whatever.” Nicholas rolls his eyes, though he looks a little worried.
Alex doesn’t say anything else as he places his hand on the glowing crystal ball. There’s a loud swoosh, then a blink of light and they’re gone, along with the electricity.
I miss him the second he disappears.
I miss him so much it hurts.
I’ve never missed anyone before and I’m not fully sure that I like it.
Chapter 10
I ask where Adessa is and Aislin tells me she’s tending to her store. Aislin quickly leaves the room to go find some fraxinus invisibili from Adessa’s storage room.
Once she’s gone, Laylen and I sit on the sofa and wait for Nicholas to return. There’s an awkward silence between us as the memories of bites and blood linger in our heads.
“So,” Laylen finally starts, bringing his knee up onto the spot of sofa to fill up the space between us. “How have you been feeling?” He rakes his fingers through his hair and doesn’t bother to fix it, leaving it sticking up all over the place. “God, that was a stupid question. It sounded so much better in my head.”
“I’m fine.” I pluck at a loose thread on the sofa, forcing myself to focus on the conversation and not memories of him sinking his teeth into me and blood or anything else that’s bringing me down. “And it wasn’t a stupid question. It was a much needed question… things have been really weird between us.”
“They have,” he agrees and then scoots forward on the sofa until our knees touch, invading the safe zone. I need space, otherwise I’m going to do or say something stupid; like please, pretty please bite me again. “And I don’t want them to be.”
“Neither do I,” I agree, blowing out a stressed breath. “You’re the only person I’ve ever felt normal around.”
His eyebrows lift in doubt. “Really?”
“Yes, really,” I say. “Minus what happened back with Draven, you’ve always made me feel like a person instead of a star.”
He puts a hand on my knee. “Can we forget about what happened and go back to being friends?”
I nod, relieved even though I can still feel a faint pull toward him and his fangs. “I’d like that.”
He smiles, but there’s reluctance behind it and he lacks the confidence that his words portray. “Then it’s settled. No more kissing or biting,” he jokes, but his voice is sad and full of guilt. I have a feeling that despite how nonchalant we’re both being about it, down the road sometime, it’s going to end up being a huge problem.
“I’ll never ask you to do that again,” I say and then unable to take it anymore, I lean in and give him a hug. “I’ll never make you do anything that will hurt you ever again.” God, he smells so good, I need to lean back. I give myself a few more seconds and then I pull away. I shake off the sensation to lean against him and tilt my neck to the side. It makes me feel so guilty because of Alex.#p#分页标题#e#
Alex. I should be thinking of Alex, shouldn’t I? I have no idea anymore. Alex or Laylen? How about both? What the hell is wrong with me?
As I sift through my thoughts of what’s right and what’s wrong, images begin to flicker through my mind as the prickle lightly begins to poke at the back of my neck At first it’s stuff I can already remember, but then suddenly they start to reveal lost thoughts from a place and time I once was forced to forget.
Alex and me picking lilacs in a field; watching other Keepers practice sword fighting in the castle; playing, having fun, smiling.
“Gemma, what’s wrong?” Laylen’s voice is far away as I begin to feel disembodied.
“I think I can remember some stuff…about my childhood…about Alex and I being friends.”
“You remember?” he asks. “Like actually remember?”
I nod as my vision goes in and out of focus. “They’re real memories... And I can feel how I felt when I was there… God, this is so strange….”
The emotions I experienced during each memory link to my heart, mind, body, and conclusively my soul, the most important part. In the end, it’s just Alex and me. Together. Like we were never supposed to be apart and all I can do is drift into the memory, letting it take me over.