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When we finally disentangle from each other and climb to our feet, Jesse turns on the shower. While the water heats, he meets my gaze with an endearing smirk.
“Ready for round two?” he asks, the smirk widening into a genuine smile.
“Always,” I say, smiling back at him, and he pulls me into the shower stall before starting all over again.
40
GHOSTS OF THE PAST
“Eden.”
My heart stops as the familiar, unforgotten voice rings in my ears.
No. Wait. That’s not right. My heart doesn’t beat, so how can it stop? What is happening?
“Eden, look at me.”
I take a shaky breath, ignoring my inner voice when it reminds me I don’t actually breathe, and slowly turn toward the sound of the voice. My skin flushes hot like warm blood still flows through my veins as my gaze lands on the owner of that voice.
“M-m-mom?” I stutter out, and her mouth curves up into a faint, familiar smile.
My eyes are wide as I take in every inch of her, looking not like she did when I last saw her, but younger, more vibrant…an age somewhere between my real, actual memories and the image of her I’ve seen in my visions.
When I tear my gaze away from her, trying to determine where we are and how I got here, I realize there’s…nothing. Just a gray mist in a dark space where nothing else is visible besides her.
I meet her gaze again, and her smile turns sad before she looks to her right and murmurs, “Jonah, she’s here.”
Jonah? Who’s Jonah? What the fuck is happening?
I gasp as a second form materializes in the mist, and it only takes me a moment to realize who it is. “Dad?”
“Eden,” he breathes.
“What is this?” I blurt before I can stop the words. “What is going on?”
“We’ve missed you, doodle bug,” he says, and I start to shiver. “I’m sorry it’s been so long, but––”
“You’re dead,” I cut in, panic seizing each and every one of my muscles. “This isn’t real. I’m dreaming.”
“Eden, listen to me,” Mom says firmly. “You have to stop––”
I scream, cutting off her words as invisible hands grab my upper arms, shaking me gently. I fight the grip, thrashing until another voice cuts through my panic.
“Eden. It’s me. Wake up.”
I go still as a serene calm settles over me. Blinking my eyes open, I see Jesse hovering over me, a concerned expression marring his handsome features.
“Jesse? What? How?” I mumble, shaking my head in an attempt to clear the confusion.
“You were asleep,” he says. “You started mumbling and crying out, and I couldn’t wake you.”
“I was asleep?” I ask, sitting up when he moves back to his side of the bed and takes my hand in his.
I haven’t slept much since becoming a vampire. We don’t really need the rest, but sometimes we drift into a state of slumber just to turn our minds off for a while. But it’s never deep enough to need to be jerked awake.
And I’ve never dreamed.
“I saw my parents,” I say in slow, measured words as my mind tries to work through the dream. “We were in a fog-shrouded room, and they talked to me. Dad––Mom called him Jonah––said he missed me, and Mom was trying to warn me about something before you woke me up.”
