kind of fear.
“Can you promise me something?” He sounded breathless.
The word left my lips under no control of my own.
“Anything.”
I surprised both of us and seizing my rare moment of cooperativeness he quickly said, “Promise me if anything happens at all —if anything even remotely bad looks like it will happen, you’ll come right back.”
I swallowed hard. “Alex, I can’t—”
He placed his hand across my mouth. “I know you feel like you need to save her—and I completely understand that. But you also need to understand that you might be the one person who can save the world. So if it all comes down to it, you’re going to have to save yourself.” I was breathing loudly, so loud the sound filled up the room.
He moved his hand away and suddenly he was panicking, his foot tapping madly against the floor. “I should be going with you.”
“No, you shouldn’t.” I shook my head. “Aislin needs you. I
—I didn’t realize that about your mother.” I stared down at my feet. “No one should be alone in the world.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “It hurts…a lot.”
It was quiet for a moment as my thoughts drifted back to my old life filled with loneliness. As dangerous as my new life was, I don’t think I would trade it back. I never wanted to go back to that.
“You need to let me start doing things on my own—let me make my own decisions.” I met his eyes. “No one ever has.” He nodded. “I know I do.”
Silence enclosed around us again.
“Gemma,” Alex whispered, and I knew what the softness of his voice meant.
I should have stopped him—I know I should have—but I found that my lips were incapable of forming a refusal. So I let him lean in. I let him brush his lips against mine. I let him kiss me.
I waited until my skin started to heat, and then I pulled away. He nodded, as if he understood. Then we got up, and left the room as if nothing happened.
Laylen was a little freaked when he saw me holding the Sword of Immortality. And that was okay—I was a little freaked out by it too. I could just see myself doing something stupid, like tripping and accidently stabbing him with it.
It made me nervous.
I stood in the living room, one hand holding Laylen’s hand and my other gripping the sword. My pulse pounded as I tried not to panic at the huge responsibility I had put on myself.
“Are you ready?” I asked, tilting my head up at the six foot four vampire.
“Are you ready?” he replied, his voice pressing me to make sure.
I nodded and shut my eyes. “I am…let’s go…”
“Wait. Wait.”
My eyes shot open as Aislin came running into the room.
She tripped over a small maroon rug and shot it a dirty look as she stopped in front of me. “I have something for you.” I furrowed my eyebrows. “You have something for me?”
“Yeah,” she said with an excited sparkle in her green eyes. “It’s to help you see in the dark.” I thought she was going to hand me a flashlight or something, which didn’t seem like such good idea. It would be like saying: ‘hey we’re right here, come and get us.’ But instead she whispered, “ iuvo vos animadverto ,” as she raised her hand and blew something in my face.
Instinctively, I dropped the sword and pressed my hands to my eyes. “Oh my God! What was that?”
“Oh, sorry,” Aislin apologized. “I was just so excited because I figured out how to do it, but I guess I should have warned you.”
I rubbed my eyes. “Thanks, but a warning would have been kind of nice.”
“Jesus Christ, Aislin,” Alex said sharply. “What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking I was giving her night vision,” Aislin retorted.
I dropped my hands and blinked a few times. Everything looked normal. “Night vision?”
She smiled, looking a bit like her old cheerful self again
—something I hadn’t seen in a few days. “Yep, night vision.
So you don’t have to stumble around in the dark basically
“Can you promise me something?” He sounded breathless.
The word left my lips under no control of my own.
“Anything.”
I surprised both of us and seizing my rare moment of cooperativeness he quickly said, “Promise me if anything happens at all —if anything even remotely bad looks like it will happen, you’ll come right back.”
I swallowed hard. “Alex, I can’t—”
He placed his hand across my mouth. “I know you feel like you need to save her—and I completely understand that. But you also need to understand that you might be the one person who can save the world. So if it all comes down to it, you’re going to have to save yourself.” I was breathing loudly, so loud the sound filled up the room.
He moved his hand away and suddenly he was panicking, his foot tapping madly against the floor. “I should be going with you.”
“No, you shouldn’t.” I shook my head. “Aislin needs you. I
—I didn’t realize that about your mother.” I stared down at my feet. “No one should be alone in the world.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “It hurts…a lot.”
It was quiet for a moment as my thoughts drifted back to my old life filled with loneliness. As dangerous as my new life was, I don’t think I would trade it back. I never wanted to go back to that.
“You need to let me start doing things on my own—let me make my own decisions.” I met his eyes. “No one ever has.” He nodded. “I know I do.”
Silence enclosed around us again.
“Gemma,” Alex whispered, and I knew what the softness of his voice meant.
I should have stopped him—I know I should have—but I found that my lips were incapable of forming a refusal. So I let him lean in. I let him brush his lips against mine. I let him kiss me.
I waited until my skin started to heat, and then I pulled away. He nodded, as if he understood. Then we got up, and left the room as if nothing happened.
Laylen was a little freaked when he saw me holding the Sword of Immortality. And that was okay—I was a little freaked out by it too. I could just see myself doing something stupid, like tripping and accidently stabbing him with it.
It made me nervous.
I stood in the living room, one hand holding Laylen’s hand and my other gripping the sword. My pulse pounded as I tried not to panic at the huge responsibility I had put on myself.
“Are you ready?” I asked, tilting my head up at the six foot four vampire.
“Are you ready?” he replied, his voice pressing me to make sure.
I nodded and shut my eyes. “I am…let’s go…”
“Wait. Wait.”
My eyes shot open as Aislin came running into the room.
She tripped over a small maroon rug and shot it a dirty look as she stopped in front of me. “I have something for you.” I furrowed my eyebrows. “You have something for me?”
“Yeah,” she said with an excited sparkle in her green eyes. “It’s to help you see in the dark.” I thought she was going to hand me a flashlight or something, which didn’t seem like such good idea. It would be like saying: ‘hey we’re right here, come and get us.’ But instead she whispered, “ iuvo vos animadverto ,” as she raised her hand and blew something in my face.
Instinctively, I dropped the sword and pressed my hands to my eyes. “Oh my God! What was that?”
“Oh, sorry,” Aislin apologized. “I was just so excited because I figured out how to do it, but I guess I should have warned you.”
I rubbed my eyes. “Thanks, but a warning would have been kind of nice.”
“Jesus Christ, Aislin,” Alex said sharply. “What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking I was giving her night vision,” Aislin retorted.
I dropped my hands and blinked a few times. Everything looked normal. “Night vision?”
She smiled, looking a bit like her old cheerful self again
—something I hadn’t seen in a few days. “Yep, night vision.
So you don’t have to stumble around in the dark basically
Similar Books
