“You’re not the only one,” Landon agrees, yawning. One by one, the five of us bunker down in our makeshift nests on the motel floor, turning on the lights and curling up in silence. The only sounds are the air conditioning and the guys’ breathing. The feeling of their bodies next to mine fills me with more comfort than I can possibly articulate, but even as my eyes drift closed, I can’t help but feel like things are only going to get more complicated.
Chapter 3
I don’t sleep well that night, and not just because I’m sprawled out on the hard motel floor. My dreams are restless and impossible to remember, a nonstop parade of incomprehensible, anxious fragments; I’m reminded of a time back when I was still in human school, the night before one of my most difficult final exams. It was pre-calculus, as I recall, and I’ve never been what you would call mathematically inclined. That was back when I was living with one of my worst foster parents, a man whose temper and perfectionism extended past his own children and to me as well. Afraid of the outcome, I spent the night thrashing around in bed until my sheets were drenched with sweat, equations, graphs, and numbers floating through my mind one after another. I ended up sleeping so badly that I nearly drifted off during the exam, but I was lucky enough to be moved to a new foster home before having to face the wrath of my then-caregiver.
This time, it’s different. Instead of maths running through my mind, it’s images of fire, destruction, and death. There’s Silas, half-dead and strapped to a laboratory table; the convention centre going up in flames; Hawthorne and his goons closing in on us from all sides…
This last one is what jerks me awake, my breath coming in fitful gasps as I put a hand to my chest, closing my eyes and counting to ten. It’s only as I come to that I realise where I am -- or rather, who I’m currently curled up next to. Hunter has me safe and secure in his lanky arms, pressed against his lean chest with his body curled protectively around mine.
Slowly, I feel myself start to relax, my heart rate returning to normal as I lean into the warm embrace of the vampire shifter. His breath is slow and quiet, the movement of his chest soothing against my back, and for a moment I wonder if he even intended to hold me like this. Did he sidle up to me before he fell asleep, or is he clinging to me subconsciously, trying to keep me safe even as we all slumber? A bright spot of warmth pools in the pit of my stomach at the notion, and I can feel my skin flushing even in the darkness of the room. Hunter has always been the more reserved type, although what I once mistook for a bad attitude has turned out to be years of insecurity about his own power. I’d like to think I’ve been able to defrost him a little, and it’s true that with my help he’s finally, finally learning how to harness his abilities, but he has a long way to go before he’s fully come into his own.
Part of me feels guilty. Whether I chose to be or not, I was the catalyst for everything that’s happened to these guys. Their lives are never going to be the same because of me, because of what they were put through to make me what I am, and now we’re on the run together because I can’t seem to stop sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong. The idea of something happening to Hunter because of me makes my blood run cold, especially when he’s the least skilled shifter of all of us, and yet here he is, comforting me in my sleep. It’s enough to make my heart melt, and I find myself shifting a little so that I’m facing him, subconsciously tightening my grip on him.
The movement is enough to make him stir, and his bright blue eyes open a moment later. “Sorry,” I whisper. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
He hums, still half-asleep, and whispers back, “That’s okay. I’m a light sleeper.” A moment passes, and then, seeming to realise that he’s holding me, his eyes go wide, and he lets me go. “I’m sorry,” he says hastily. “I didn’t mean…”
I raise an eyebrow. Even in the darkness of the room, I could swear it looks like… “Are you… blushing?” I whisper teasingly.
“What? No,” he retorts. “Vampires don’t blush. Obviously.” We lapse back into silence, and I can feel his body tense up next to mine. “You just looked like you were having a bad dream,” Hunter explains at last. “I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. I was just trying to get you to calm down, but then you came closer, and I…”
“Hey.” I crane my neck to look at him, but he’s deliberately not meeting my eyes. Blushing or not, it’s clear that he’s embarrassed. “It’s okay,” I whisper. “Thank you.”
Hunter hesitates for a moment, and then rests his chin on the top of my head, his hand coming up to brush my arm. “I should be the one thanking you,” he tells me. “If it weren’t for you, I don’t know if I would’ve been able to hold Lyle off.”
Thinking back to the battle at the Boston Academy, when the two vampire shifters went head to head, I’m struck with a fresh surge of affection for him. “It was a team effort,” I reply.
Hunter squeezes my arm for a brief second. “The thought of that bastard hurting you, Millie…” His voice trails off, and he pulls back to look at me; my heart is already pounding in my chest, and I’m thinking back to the time he kissed me, the feeling of his lips on my own.
But then one of the others sits up on the other side of the room. “Get a room, you two.” I recognise Shade’s voice, and bury my face in Hunter’s chest to stifle my laughter. I can feel him tense up with embarrassment. Things could be worse, though; considering I kissed the wolf shifter not long ago, he’s taking my closeness to the other guys rather well.
As for the others, well…
Now isn’t the time to think about that, I tell myself, allowing my eyes to drift closed. Snuggled against Hunter’s muscular frame, I let sleep consume me once more, and this time, there are no nightmares.
“All right, lovebirds, up, up, up.” I’m roused by Landon’s teasing voice, struggling to separate myself from Hunter as I open my bleary eyes. The siren shifter is standing over us with an amused smirk on his face, his hands on his hips. “Looks like you two were up to more than just sleeping,” he teases.
“We weren’t,” protests Hunter. “I-I mean, it’s not like-”
“Relax, I’m just fucking with you.” Landon laughs as he steps over us to draw back the curtains, flooding the room with sunlight and making me blink.
Elsewhere, I can hear Shade groan in protest, but as I sit up and look around, I can see that Silas is already in the kitchenette, staring down at his phone. Slowly, the five of us begin to rise, Landon and Shade bickering as they stretch while Hunter pulls me to my feet. I share a small smile with him before turning to my hastily packed bag. We left the American Academy in a hurry, and I left most of my stuff behind, but Hazel and I went on a run earlier to pick up some basic necessities: clothes and toothpaste, mainly.
“Has someone gotten up Hazel and the others?” I ask, pulling out a t-shirt, jeans, and a bra.
“I will,” Silas volunteers, straightening up. “We need to get to the airport. The sooner we leave the country, the less heat will be on us.” He leaves out the unspoken let’s hope, but we all get the message.