AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And when it’s time, I’ll be there, waiting for you. Now, go. Have fun. Live life. Be free.
As he blew me a kiss and I caught it, he faded out of sight. And then he was gone. And I felt truly alone.
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
At precisely eightp.m.,Faron arrived. Fancypants retreated to the bedroom as I opened the door. Faron stood there, staring at me. He wore a pair of black jeans, a form-fitting button-down blue shirt that was open to the second button. His hair was pulled back in a long, sleek ponytail, and he was wearing motorcycle boots. His eyes glittered as he held out a bouquet of red roses.
“I figured, after the other day, I couldn’t go wrong with flowers,” he said, shifting uncertainly to his other foot.
“Thank you,” I said, taken aback. “Let me put these in water before we go.”
I invited him in while I went into the kitchen and found a vase. I would cut the stems later. I filled the vase with water and set the flowers on the counter.
“I’m glad you like them,” Faron said, startling me. He was behind me, leaning in so his hands were on the counter on each side of me. His face was near my neck and I could feel his breath. I started to panic.
“Get away from my neck!” I half-turned, shoving him back.
He stumbled, looking startled. “I’m sorry,” he said, holding up his hands. “I wasn’t going to attack you, I promise!”
I wrapped my arms around me, images of the Butcher running through my mind. He had been standing behind Rian, his fangs buried in Rian’s neck. I tried to clear my head.
Damn it, the vamp’s curse made every memory feel like it had happened yesterday. My mind knew that it had been over a year, but inside, the images were too vivid, too clear. I could once again hear the sound of the vampire sucking, I could hear Rian’s moan—the Butcher made his assaults passionate at first, before turning up the fear and the pain.
Faron stared at me, worry filling his face. “Are you all right? Elphyra—I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
I shook my head. “No, you…I know you didn’t.” I forced the panic down, counting from one to ten. Then I reached out and started tapping on the side of my left hand with my right index and middle fingers. I breathed through the fear as Faron watched, and after a moment, I let out a long breath and relaxed.
“I’m sorry about that. I would have warned you that I have PTSD, but I didn’t think…”
“That I would intrude on your space like that,” he said. “I’m so sorry. That was inappropriate. I won’t ask what happened to bring that on, but if you ever want to tell me, I’ll listen. I didn’t think,” he added, holding me with his gaze. “Again, I apologize.”
“I told you, it’s okay.” I stared at him back, well aware that for wolves the move was a challenge. But I wasn’t going to look away. I wasn’t going to be the one to break contact because I wasn’t the one in the wrong.
He paused for a moment, then said, “Do you still feel like going to dinner? I’ll understand if you say no—”
“Do you stillwantto go out with me after…” I stopped. Then, taking a fresh breath, I said, “Faron, I come with a fuckton of baggage. I haven’t dated anybody in over a year—and I have my reasons. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. I’m not looking for a relationship. I’m not looking…for anything except peace of mind.” I shrugged, feeling resigned. Resigned to what, I wasn’t sure, but this had shown me that I wasn’t healed. I might never heal. And I had to get used to that idea.
I couldn’t read the look on his face, but he straightened and smiled. “I’d still like to have dinner with you, if you’re willing.”
Feeling oddly relieved, I nodded. “All right, then. Let’s go.” Grabbing my purse, I led him to the door and locked it as we exited. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I felt like I’d at least made a little progress by keeping the date.
* * *
The driveto Bianca’s Bistro took all of ten minutes—it was at the center of town—and during that time neither one of us said anything. I was trying to process what had happened and whether I should tell Faron my background, but by the time we pulled into a pay parking lot not far from Bianca’s, I was no closer to an answer.
We parked a block from the restaurant, as close as we could get, and Faron hurried around the car to open my door for me. We walked in silence to the restaurant. The hostess led us to a booth and I slid in on one side, Faron on the other. She took our drink orders—Faron asked for scotch on the rocks, and I ordered a lemon daiquiri. Leaving a basket of breadsticks on the table, she left us with menus as she headed back to the bar.
“So, how is Starlight Hollow treating you?” Faron asked.
I stared at him for a moment, then—not wanting to play the small-talk game—said, “I’ll tell you why I reacted like that. You deserve an explanation.”
“You don’t have to—” he started.
I shook my head. “No, but I want to. If you’re going to be in my life at all, you need to know this. I warn you, it isn’t pleasant. In fact, it’s pretty gruesome, so if you want I can wait until after dinner.” I paused as the waitress brought our drinks.
When she was gone, Faron said, “Go ahead. I’ve seen a wide spectrum of things in this lifetime and they haven’t been all pleasant.”
So I told him. He didn’t interrupt me as I laid out what had happened, and how the Butcher still had cords latched into me. “May is going to help me get rid of those attachments on Saturday. Hopefully, that will prevent him from tracking me down later. And maybe, just maybe, that will break the hold he has on me so that every time I think about Rian’s death, it doesn’t feel like it happened yesterday.”
