Mirage (5 page)

Taking a deep breath, I hurried through the vestibule and made my way into the chapel itself, anxious to see who was there, invading our space.

Turned out it was only Jack. He and Aidan were leaning against the rearmost pew, near the wall. “I think I can work with the molecules some more, but you’re right, he’s definitely on to something,” Jack was saying.

I took two steps toward them, my fatigued legs trembling.

At once, they both looked over to where I stood. “Oh hey, Violet,” Jack called out, but it was Aidan’s face that my gaze sought.

He didn’t say anything—he didn’t have to. It was there, written all over his face. If I thought my legs were weak before, they were now near total collapse.
Oh, man.

I swallowed hard, barely able to believe that he was finally there, just a few feet away from me. My gaze skimmed over him from head to toe, taking in all the details I’d pressed to memory—his face, as pale as always; his nose still slightly crooked; his golden hair tousled as if he’d just raked his fingers through it; his eyes, the one bright spot of color in his face, the same blue-gray as I remembered, not yet faded as a vampire’s were wont to do over time but darkly shadowed from ignoring his nocturnal instincts for far too long.

He hadn’t changed, not one bit. And my heart still leapt at the sight of him.

I realized that Jack was speaking and pried my hungry gaze away from Aidan long enough to glance his way. “Maybe tomorrow afternoon, if he has some free time,” he was saying, carrying on their conversation as if I weren’t standing there. I couldn’t help but feel slightly resentful.

But then, Jack probably didn’t realize that this was the first time that Aidan and I had laid eyes on each other since June.

“That sounds great,” Aidan said absently, looking past Jack, his gaze still locked on me.

Jack, still oblivious, nodded. “Okay, I’ll check with him before football practice tonight. Anything else I should do?”

Aidan didn’t reply.

“Aidan?” Jack tried again. With a shrug, he followed Aidan’s gaze toward me. “I guess this is my cue to leave,” he muttered.

Yes, go find Kate or something,
I silently urged, even though he couldn’t hear me.

“I’ll catch you later,” Aidan said as Jack strode by me, headed toward the vestibule. “Let me know what Byrne says.”

Byrne? As in Dr. Byrne? I wondered what he had to do with whatever they were talking about. Probably something to do with their work, since Dr. Byrne was a science teacher.

I didn’t turn to watch Jack go; I just continued to stand there looking at Aidan. Jack’s footsteps faded away and, at last, the door clanged shut.

We were alone.

Oh, Vi …
His voice was like a sigh inside my head.

I launched myself into his arms. That connection we shared, an electrical current that seemed to flow between us, was there in full force. He wrapped his arms around me, lifting me off my feet as he hugged me tight.

How had I ever doubted it? How had I let myself believe that our feelings might ever change?

“God, I’ve missed you!” I said. I breathed in his familiar scent, burying my face in his neck as his fingers tangled in my hair.

“As I’ve missed you,” he said gruffly, sounding more like his Viscount Brompton self than my Aidan.

He set me back on my feet, and for a moment we simply stood there. And then, inch by inch, his head bent toward mine. I rose up on my tiptoes, meeting him halfway as his lips found mine. I heard him groan as I pressed myself fully against him, every cell in my body igniting, firing at once.

His kiss was gentle at first, almost tentative. Once, twice, his lips brushed mine, soft and featherlight, his tongue sliding across my lower lip as his hands pressed against the small of my back. I parted my lips, wanting more.
Needing
more.

I must have dropped the barrier around my thoughts then, because I heard the sharp intake of his breath, felt his fingers dig into my hips as he dragged me backward, pinning me against the wall in the blink of an eye.

His kiss was urgent now, his hands sliding up my body. I clutched at the back of his head as his mouth moved lower, toward my neck. With a sigh, he murmured my name, his teeth scraping against the sensitive skin beneath my ear where my pulse fluttered wildly.

Do it!
I cried out in my mind. I knew it was wrong, completely irrational, and yet at that moment, I wanted it more than anything—his teeth, buried in my neck.

Mercifully, he didn’t obey my silent command. Instead he went entirely still, his body rigid and taut against mine. I knew without looking what was happening, but I opened my eyes anyway. His were squeezed shut, his jaw clenched. A vein at his temple throbbed. For several seconds he stood just like that, unmoving.

And then, at last, he opened his eyes.

Just as I expected, they were rimmed in red—a terrifying sight, even now. I knew that his canine teeth would be slightly elongated, as they always were when he fought against the bloodlust.

I swallowed hard, erecting the wall around my thoughts, guarding them tightly. I was a little bit scared, and I didn’t want him to know it. It was something I’d never get used to, his transformation.

Still, I’d wanted him to bite me. I’d
asked
him to bite me. He’d refused, of course, but what if he hadn’t? What if he wasn’t always stronger than me?

“I’m sorry, Violet,” he murmured.

Guilt washed over me. He couldn’t help what he was, and I’d been the one to push. “You didn’t do anything, Aidan.”

“Not this time. And maybe not the next time, either. But someday …” He trailed off, leaning his forehead against mine. We stayed that way for a while, till our breathing slowed to normal.

Finally he stepped away. “How’s your gran?” he asked, suddenly unable to meet my eyes.

I reached for his hand, lacing my fingers through his. “She’s good. Much better. Melanie’s all settled in, and she and Lupe seem to get along, so I think it’s going to be okay.”

“That’s great. And what about Whitney? I bet she was sad to see you go.”

My blood ran cold.
Whitney.
The dream began to replay in my mind. Instinctively, I dropped his hand and took a step away from him, wanting to increase the distance between us.

At once his brows drew together over troubled eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing,” I stammered, my mouth suddenly dry, my throat tight. “She’s still really mad at her parents—you know, for making her miss the summer dance program she was supposed to go to—and I just … I’m going to miss her, that’s all.”

His eyes narrowed with suspicion; he knew me too well. “You’re sure that’s it?”

I nodded, biting my lower lip as I did so.

“Come here, then.” He reached for my hand, drawing me back toward him.

I hesitated, forced to remember the way Whitney cowered in fear—or at least the way I’d seen her cower in my dream—while Aidan advanced on her with bloodlust in his eyes.

“Violet?” Again, he tugged me toward him. Reluctantly, I let him. Releasing my hand, he cupped my face with his palms, staring down at me with troubled eyes. “About before … I had hoped I could control it better, after all this time apart.” He shook his head. “I’m so sorry, Vi. You know I don’t want to hurt you. I would
never
hurt you,” he corrected.

“I know.” It was better to let him think that his vampire reaction had made me skittish than to tell him the truth—that I’d had some stupid dream about him going after Whitney. I didn’t want to examine it any further, didn’t want to risk wavering in my certainty that it
was
a dream, and not a vision.

“But I heard you. In my head, willing me to bite you,” he clarified, as if I didn’t know exactly what he was talking about. “God only knows it’s hard enough …” He trailed off, shaking his head. “I would never forgive myself,” he said at last, his voice barely above a whisper. “You understand that, right?”

I swallowed hard, unable to speak. But I
did
understand, I really did. I knew Aidan well enough to know that if he lost control and bit me, I’d lose him. He’d leave Winterhaven and never look back. Who knows where he’d go or what he’d do—but whatever it was, it wouldn’t include me.

Finally I nodded. “How’s the work on the cure coming?” I asked, desperate to change the subject.

His eyes brightened at once. “We’ve made a breakthrough. Some cellular changes, though they’re minor. Still, we’re definitely on the right track now.”

I let out my breath in a rush. “Thank God. Was Jack around at all this summer to help you out?”

He shook his head. “Not much. I’ve been working with Dr. Byrne, though. Turns out he focused his doctoral research on malaria—go figure.”

“How much does he know?” I asked. Because it would be pretty hard to explain Aidan’s work to someone without, well … raising questions.

“I’m pretty sure he knows a lot more than he’s letting on. It’s okay, though. I guess Mrs. Girard figures she can control the situation if need be.”

“It’s just weird that it’s Dr. Byrne.” I shook my head, an uncomfortable feeling settling in the pit of my stomach. “Just yesterday he offered to become my new psychic coach. He has visions, like me,” I explained.

“Yeah, I know. About the precognition, I mean. He didn’t mention anything about the coaching.” His eyes seemed to darken. “You and Dr. Hottie, huh?”

I decided to ignore that comment. “Yeah, he said Mrs. Girard suggested it. I don’t know, I guess it’s just a coincidence.”

“That, or Mrs. G. wants him to keep an eye on us. On what you see.” He seemed to consider it, then shrugged. “But even if that’s the case, I can’t really see any harm in it. It might even prove useful. You know, in case you have any more visions involving me.”

And they usually did involve him.

“Anyway,” he continued, “I have to admit he’s brilliant. Byrne, I mean. Graduated from high school at sixteen and got his PhD at twenty-four. From MIT, no less. He’s been extremely helpful, and now with Jack back on campus and the three of us working together, I’m more confident than ever. That’s what we were talking about just now, Jack and I—an idea that Dr. Byrne suggested. I think it just might work.”

The excitement in his voice was contagious, and I couldn’t help but smile. “You really think so?”

“I do. I want this, Violet. It’s the only way.”

I nodded. “I know. I want it, too.” I meant it, with all my heart.

So then why did a cold knot of fear lodge in my stomach when his lips moved toward mine this time?

4 ~ … And Vampires Suck

Y
ou’re not hanging out with Aidan tonight?” Sophie asked, setting down her steaming mug on the glossy tabletop in front of us. The café was crowded tonight; you had to yell to be heard over the din.

I shook my head—I’d spent all afternoon with Aidan, and truthfully I was glad for a little a space, a little time to get my head on straight. “It’s girls’ night, remember?” I shouted. We’d made a pact that this was going to be our new Friday night tradition. “Anyway, I think Aidan’s with Jack, working in the lab tonight.”

Kate let out a long sigh. “Yeah, what else is new?”

Marissa reached across the table to pat her hand. “Aww, poor Kate. You’ll live.”

Kate wrinkled her nose at Marissa. “I swear, it’s all he can talk about lately—the work in the lab. It’s like he’s totally obsessed now or something.”

I shrugged. “It sounds like he and Aidan have become pretty good friends.”

“It
is
kind of a life-or-death situation,” Sophie said. “For Aidan, I mean. Well, maybe ‘life or eternal life.’” She shook her head. “Or something like that.”

The big group of underclassmen milling around near the counter finally made their way out the front door, and the noise level dropped considerably.

“Isn’t it kind of weird for you, though?” Sophie continued, lowering her voice a decibel. “I mean, knowing that he’s been alive all these years, pretty much invincible, and yet
you
have the power to destroy him?”

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, my face flushing hotly. Because yeah, of course it was weird. Really weird, and totally unsettling. I mostly tried not to think about it, tried to forget the satisfaction I’d felt when my stake had done its duty—not once, but three times. Julius, and the two females he’d brought with him.

Sucking in a sharp breath, I squeezed my eyes shut, willing away the horrifying memories, but it was no use. They came back in a flood, raising goose bumps across my skin in their wake.

The initial resistance as the stake first pierced vampire flesh; the ear-splitting shriek as the sharpened wood found its mark; terrifying convulsions as dark, nearly black blood pooled around the protruding shaft; and then
…
total stillness, vampire eyes staring at the sky, unseeing.

It could have been Aidan.

I tried to swallow, but my mouth was too dry. I reached for my steaming mocha with shaking hands, draining it in one long gulp, the hot liquid burning a path down to my stomach.

As I set the mug back on the table, Cece put one arm around my shoulders, drawing me close. “Hey, it’s okay,” she murmured. “Just take a deep breath.”

I nodded, doing just that.

Cece turned on Sophie, her dark eyes flashing. “What’s wrong with you? I can’t believe you just said that to her.”

“No, I—it’s okay,” I stammered. “Really.” Sophie’s eyes had filled with tears, and I reached across the table for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Seriously, Soph.”

I glanced over at Marissa, who’d remained silent, watching us with wide eyes. She looked pale and just as shaken as I felt, and I realized that she was probably absorbing some of my discomfort. I wasn’t quite sure if it was intentional or not—I still didn’t know exactly how her gift worked.

“Yeah,” I said at last. “It
is
weird. But … well, he could kill
me
pretty easily if he wanted to. So I guess we’re even. A balance of power, right?”