Wanderlust

Wanderlust
Heather Hudak

Published by Heather C. Hudak.

Copyright ©2011 Heather C. Hudak
All rights reserved.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to any real person living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the author.

Acknowledgements

There are so many people to thank for their continued support through the writing process. My parents always urged me to do whatever I wanted in this world, but they were always especially encouraging of my writing ability. I credit my Grade 6 teacher, Mr. Gordon Stewart, with convincing me that it was okay to be an artist. And, I owe him a thousand thank yous for that.

Then, there’s my husband, who tackles the housework and countless other errands so that I can spend my evenings and weekends writing. And, I can’t forget to mention my menagerie. I’m not sure how I would get through the day without one or another of them curling up on the computer keyboard or causing a ruckus.

Finally, to my many fans, I send a huge shout out. I had no idea that
Breathless
would garner so much support, and it’s thanks to each and every one of you. There are so many readers that have sent me messages and follow my blogs, and I am truly thankful for each and every one of you.

Wanderlust
By Heather C. Hudak

…
my thoughts go out to you, my Immortal Beloved, now and then joyfully, then sadly, waiting to learn whether or not fate will hear us - I can live only wholly with you or not at all - Yes, I am resolved to wander so long away from you until I can fly to your arms and say that I am really at home with you, and can send my soul enwrapped in you into the land of spirits…

I took a peak at the clock and realized I had only a mere few minutes to gather the remainder of my belongings. I began busily jamming extra sweaters and socks into my bag. I had just finished tucking the last of my toiletries inside my backpack when I heard the bedroom door creak open.

I paused for a moment before turning around. Part of me wanted desperately for it to be
him
. We parted ways more than a week ago, but I hadn’t stopped thinking about him for even a moment--was he still in town? Had he been watching me? Did he leave? These thoughts ran through my mind all day, every day. Even now, as much as I would be mad at him for returning against my wishes, there was a sense of relief at the thought that he had been thinking of me too. Then, I heard the voice, and I hesitated another moment.

“Have you got everything you need?” my mom asked as she entered the room.

My shoulders slumped, and I let out an audible sigh. Disappointment washed over me at the sight of her. I loved my mom, but she wasn‘t Chaseyn.

“I sure hope so. I don’t have any more room in my bag if I don’t,” I said through a half laugh. I didn’t want her to see the upset in my eyes. I missed him so much now, and I couldn’t imagine what it would be like in a few more weeks.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you to the airport, hon?”

“No, mom, I’m fine. You worked all night, and you have to go back in a few hours. Get some sleep. Addie’s driver is picking me up any minute.”

“Okay,” my mother replied, reluctance clear behind her ice-blue eyes. She hugged me tight before holding me out at arms length and inspecting me from head to toe. It was as if she wanted to remember me and this moment exactly as it was, forever.

“I can’t believe you’re all grown up, Lia. I’m so proud of you,” she said, tears welling in her eyes. “Be safe.”

A car horn honked outside, and my mother pulled me close one last time. I slung my oversized pack across my back and darted to the door. I paused for a brief moment before stepping outside and looked back.

“OMG, Lia, I can’t believe we’re actually doing this,” Addie squealed, throwing her arms around me while I slid into the backseat of the black Cadillac. “It’s so amazing--three whole weeks without parents, curfews, boyfriends. Aren’t you excited?”

I had been, until she mentioned the last part, and my thoughts instantly returned to Chaseyn--his emerald eyes, dark waves, long, lean muscles. I was acting like an insecure, lovesick, girl, which was the exact reason I needed time away from him, but my heart literally ached at the memory of our last kiss. I touched my lips gently, and I could feel the searing heat of our passion.

“Earth to Lia. Are you in there?”

“Uh, yeah, sorry. I was just…nothing. I’m so excited I can hardly keep my head on straight,” I gave my head a shake and lied. It’s not that I wasn’t excited, because I was. I had dreamed of this type of adventure--of seeing the world--for so long, and I couldn’t put into words the thrill of it, but my thoughts lingered on Chaseyn no less.

Addie had a point. Her parents had built an addition onto their home when Addie turned 16 so that she could have an entire wing to herself. She had full privacy 24/7. Not to mention that between work and travel, her parents were rarely home. She was an afterthought most days.

“Don’t get me wrong, there’s always the possibility we’ll get caught, but that kind of adds to the excitement. Don’t you think?”

“I wouldn’t know. Chaseyn and I never--”

“Come on, Lia,” Addie cut me off mid-sentence. “I know you guys were all secretive and all that, but it’s time to drop the act. Do you actually expect me to believe you’ve never stripped down and done the nasty with that gorgeous piece of a--”

It was my turn to cut her off, and I did so by waving my hands frantically in the air.

“I don’t want to talk about this. And, no. We never did that, and you know it. Believe me, it was hard sometimes to resist, but I need to be sure of what I want first. I’m not rushing anything that I can’t undo.”

“Are you saying I should have waited?”

“No. What’s right for me might not be right for you. I’m just saying that I know I love Chaseyn, but I can’t be sure that he’s my future.”

She had no idea how deep it cut to admit that. Chaseyn was everything I ever wanted--every hope, every dream, and every lust-filled fantasy. But, he was also half-vampire. The implications of that were almost too much to bear sometimes.

“But it sure would have been fun,” Addie said with a sly smile, and I could almost see her thoughts. “Do you think he would take his boots off? Just think about stripping him out of his Henley and black jeans. I bet he’s all sinewy under those dark layers.”

She was practically drooling, and I would be lying to say that my mind wasn’t working on overdrive at the thought. Still, this was the last thing I wanted to discuss right now, or for the next three weeks for that matter.

“Stop,” I said, raising a hand to her. “No more talk of Chaseyn. We need to establish some rules right now, and he is totally off limits as a topic of conversation, unless I say otherwise. Agreed?”

July 4
^th
is one of the quietest travel days of the year. In fact, the airport was all but empty. In our excitement, we had expected massive line ups and huge delays, so we arrived at the airport a solid three hours early. Instead, we were greeted by half-a-dozen agents who were bored out of their minds and eager to assist us. We were through customs and at the gate in less than 30 minutes.

“So, what do we do now?” I asked, drawing circles in the carpet with my right foot. “Is it always this boring at the airport?”

“We could go to the arcade,” a deep voice said from behind me, his hand clamped on my shoulder. An unexpected guest--at least, unexpected to me--had stopped me in my tracks.

“Eli?“

In that instant, I knew that everything I had planned for this trip was about to change. Eli Bethsby would be joining Addie and I on our trip. The thought made my stomach turn. Not because I disliked Eli, but because I liked him a little too much.

Chapter 1 - Leaving

Waiting to board the plane felt a little like graduation convocation. It took so long for my name to be called that I nearly forgot the reason why I had been sitting there all those hours in a ridiculous hat and enormous muumuu. Days later, here I was again, waiting with baited breath for my name—or aisle rather—to be called.

The flight attendant spoke in muffled words over the PA, but despite the static, the message was clear--our plane was ready to board, and we would be piling on any minute. Before boarding, I decided to make one last sweep of the newsstand. It was going to be a long flight, and I wanted to be sure I had sufficient reading materials so that my mind would have less opportunity to wander to thoughts of Chaseyn.

The past year had been an emotional rollercoaster, and I was in desperate need of some time away to sort through my thoughts before I moved from Evergreen to Denver in August. I wanted to stay as near to my mom as possible, so despite being offered scholarships across the country, I was starting freshman year at college there in the fall--less than an hour drive from home. In the meantime, I needed to come to a decision about my relationship with Chaseyn.

For now, I needed to focus on something else.

“Hey! Wait up,” Eli shouted after me as I walked quickly toward the magazine racks.

“What’s up, Eli?” I asked only half caring what he had to say. To imply that I was only moderately disappointed that he had crashed our girls-only getaway was the understatement of the century. The thought of spending the next several weeks under his watchful, and perhaps slightly lustful, gaze was disconcerting to say the least.

“Chaseyn said it’s okay, you know?” he said cryptically. Chaseyn. The absent, but ever-present, love of my life. I had asked him to give me space to carve my own way in the world, but now, with Eli looking so eager to please, I was regretting my decision.

“Lia, we’re going to be spending a lot of time together over the next few weeks, and I am confident that you will see me in a new light.”

“Look, Eli. I’ve told you this a dozen times. I love Chasyen.”

Chaseyn was my everything. He was my love, my rock, and my biggest fear--not so much because he was half-vampire, but because he meant so much to me. I worried about the risks I would take to be with him. I worried that I would give up everything I had ever wanted for myself in order to be with him. That’s how much I loved him, and it terrified me. I didn’t want to be one of
those
girls, but I could appreciate how easy it would be to fall into that pattern. That’s what had led to me to this point.

For now, we were on a break, and he promised to keep his distance until I could be absolutely certain that I was comfortable with us…
him
. He had assured me time and time again that we would build a life together…not one based on his wants alone. But before we could do that, I needed to determine want I wanted, aside from being with him. Even now, warmth swept through me at the mere thought of his hungry kisses, and a blush rose in my cheeks.

“Yes, but I’m here instead of him. There must be a reason why you sent him away, and I am determined to find out why. In the meantime, I’m going to make you love me.”

I just laughed and rolled my eyes.