A hand brushing against her arm caused herto nearly leap out of her skin. The unnatural sensation ofsomeone’s flesh sliding over hers made her breath lurch. She bit onher bottom lip to suppress the scream surging up her throat.
“Sorry,” a young turned vampire said to herbefore walking away.
Her skin crawled from the lingering effectsof his touch, memories of her imprisonment slithering forth like asnake from its den.
One, two, three, four, look at the door.
Her gaze latched onto the door leading outof the gym. She took a few steadying breaths as she took in thelock, the hinges, the glass window. Some of the constriction in herchest eased as her eyes slid closed. The warmth of someone near hermade her body prickle uncomfortably, and she knew Lucien hadreturned. She’d worked with him in training often enough torecognize his spiced scent.
Then she felt another presence, and thearoma of the outdoors filled her nose. Opening her eyes, she turnedher head to find David standing nearby. “Are you okay?” heinquired.
She forced a smile as the constriction inher chest eased. “Fine,” she replied.Now that you’re here.But she kept that to herself. Things were already strange enoughbetween them.
Her attention was drawn to Brian, Abby’smate, when he stepped onto the mat and walked over to where Abbywas jumping rope. Abby stopped before he reached her; a smilespread across her mouth as she stepped closer to him and leanedagainst his side. The love pouring from the mated pair caused Mia’sbreath to hitch. Brian turned his head into Abby’s hair, kissingher tenderly before bending to lift her into his arms. Abby grinnedas he carried her from the room.
Mia knew that for the two of them the restof the world had ceased to exist. She had witnessed the same thingoften enough with her parents while growing up. A simple touchbetween the two of them would make them forget she was in the room.She’d never doubted her parents’ love for her. She’d known theywould die for her as quickly as they would die for each other, butin those private moments between them, she’d simply been abystander.
She missed being that bystander. She missedthem.
Tears burned her eyes as fresh sorrowswelled within her. It had been seven years since she’d lost them.There were times when it felt like ithadbeen seven years,if not more. Then there were times, like now, when it felt as ifonly minutes had passed. Times when the grief became so consumingshe once again stood in the snow, the flames snapping high into theair as everything she’d ever loved crumpled before her.
“I’ve had enough for today.” Mia didn’t lookat Lucien or David before turning and walking out of the gym.
David watched her go with a heavy heart. Thesadness in her eyes, the defeated slope to her shoulders, was morethan he could stand.
“Aren’t you going after her?” Aidenasked.
He glanced over his shoulder at where Aidenstood only a foot away from him. Aiden’s leaf green eyes wereunrelenting as they held his. His once curly black hair had beenshaved down to stubble once Aiden started his training with Ronan’smen.
Though there were other vamps training underLucien’s supervision, Aiden was the only purebred amongst them. Hewas also the only one who would make it into Ronan’s inner circleif he passed his training. From what he’d learned, David knew mostpurebred vampires didn’t pass the extensive training, but he had nodoubt Aiden would succeed.
“I’m not sure she wants company right now,”David replied.
“She does,” Aiden said firmly.
“And how do you know that?”
“Because I’m not a fucking idiot,Shemp.”
Behind Aiden’s shoulder, Vicky giggled andgrinned at him as she waved. No matter how much he loved them,there were times he contemplated calling Liam to let him know hewas down one kid. This was one of those times. He knew the nicknamewould change and he would eventually become Moe or Larry againdepending on the mood of the kids, but Shemp was really grating onhis nerves for some reason when it never had before.
“All you Byrne kids are assholes,” Davidtold them.
“To be fair, Kyle and Cassidy are too youngto be assholes already, but we’ll get them there,” Aiden replied.“Now if I were you, I’d get going. A few of the turned vampireshere think Mia’s hot. You might miss your chance with her if youwait too long.”
David had heard the expression “blow yourtop” before, but he’d never truly understood it until Aiden’s wordscaused his fangs to elongate as a haze of red instantly shaded hisvision. He’d tear the throat out of the first one he heard call her“hot,” or who dared to get close to her.Noonewouldtake her away from him.
Aiden took a step back and held up his handsin a pacifying gesture. “Easy, David,” he coaxed.
His words barely penetrated the angrybuzzing in David’s head as he turned on his heel and stalked afterMia.
“Why did you say that to him?” he heardVicky ask her brother.
“I thought a little nudge might do him somegood. They keep dancing around each other,” Aiden replied.
“He almost tore your head off because ofthat ‘little nudge.’ You know better than to mess with a vampireduring this time.”
“I know better about a lot of things I do,but I still do them,” Aiden stated. “Besides, it worked, didn’t it?He’s going after her.”
