Chapter 16

Kelly bounds through the door. The harsh wind whips around his shoulders, thick strands of his hair wiggling across his neck like silky snakes. His smile stretches from ear to ear, and his bold eyes sweep over the living room until landing on me.

I'm settled near the corner, huddled beneath a fuzzy blanket and trying to stay awake long enough to finish the assigned chapters from class.

"I have news," he shouts at me from across the room.

He takes a slow step through the doorway. I crane my neck to the side and raise a brow expectantly. To be honest, I'm surprised to see him. Glad, of course, but still – surprised.

"I didn't think I'd see you today," I admit. "With it being your first day of college and all."

Kelly plops down on the couch and digs his cellphone from out of his pocket. His foot is bouncing so fast it's making me nervous. He reaches over and tousles my hair.

"We always chill after our first day of school," Kelly counters. "I'm not about to let that tradition go out of style."

I grin and push his hand away, secretly pleased he didn't forget.

"So what's the big news?" I ask, setting my book aside.

Kelly presses a few buttons on this phone before turning it around and shoving it in my face. A picture is displayed on the screen of his phone. It's a candid shot, taken in class from the looks of it. A red haired beauty is glancing towards the front of the class, her body angled forward in preparation to take notes.

"And who is this?" I ask.

Kelly sighs and dramatically sprawls across the couch. He whistles low under his breath and glances up at the ceiling.

"That, my dear friend, is my future wife."

I snort and roll my eyes. Kelly isn't the girlfriend type. He goes on a few dates here and there, but he never dates anyone seriously. I glance down at the picture again, studying the soft dip in her cheeks and the natural pink kissing the tips of her cheeks.

She really is lovely.

"And what does she have to say about that?" I ask, tossing the phone back to him.

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet."

This time my snort turns into laughter. Kelly waves me off dismissively and continues to stare at the picture. This just makes me laugh harder.

"You're going to marry that girl," I say through gasps of breath. "And you don't even know her name."

Kelly turns towards me and smirks, a know-it-all look washing over his features. "All I said was that I haven't introduced myself yet."

I chuckle and shake my head. "Alright, alright. So what's the name of this red-haired vixen who will one day agree to put up with the likes of you for the rest of her life?"

Kelly sighs longingly and holds up the phone so I can see the picture once again. "Fiona. Her name is Fiona."

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The sudden memory floods my mind as Kelly ushers Bogdan to the door. Both of them put their hoods up, huddling together to identify the intruders. It feels like only yesterday since Kelly was rushing through my door to tell me about Fiona. Now he's rushing through a treehouse door to earn a blood bag for breakfast.

Oh, how the times have changed.

My eyes sweep over Kelly's body, a body not so different than the way it used to be. Sure, the texture of his skin might be different. His eyes are a different color, too. And yes – maybe his features have all become more conventionally beautiful...but he's still my best friend. In my mind, he's still the same musically inclined romantic who stormed through my door describing the love of his life.

Kelly whispers something close to Bogdan's ear before both of them turn to me. Bogdan's red eyes are blazing.

"Where's your phone?"

His voice is razor sharp. I fumble into my pocket and pull out my phone for him. Bogdan snatches it from my hands, eyeing the device with a speculative gaze. Then, without warning, he pops the door open with his foot and tosses it outside.

My jaw goes slack. Granted, now that I'm with Bogdan, I have no means to charge my phone. But still. What if I was separated from Bogdan down the road? What if Fiona tries to contact me?

"What was that for?" I question.

Bogdan closes the door and tells Kelly to keep a good ear on the door. He takes a cautious step towards me and glares.

"Did you know your phone has a tracking device on it?"

"Wh-what?"

Bogdan shakes his head. "Of course you didn't know. Your group of friends must have put it on. They've followed us here, and your boyfriend is leading the pack."

Leo.

My heart flutters. I don't want to go back with Leo. Really, I don't. Knowing he came looking for me and is now in harm's way, however, doesn't settle so well. Bogdan doesn't seem like a violent vampire, but there's a good possibility that Leo will run into other not-so-lenient immortals in his search to find me. What if he becomes injured because of me?

I chew on my bottom lip and huddle against the wall.

"They'll think you dropped your phone," Bogdan explains. "Hopefully they pick it up and move along. If they see us, I can't promise that they will remain safe."

I swallow hard, nodding that I understand. The seed of trepidation cracks and creeps out of its shell to wrap around my intestines. In the distance, Leo's masculine voice mars the still night. His voice is rich with warmth. It's flawed and familiar, so unlike the perfect and sultry voices of the undead.

"Stay quiet," Bogdan warns.

He rejoins Kelly by the door, listening intently against the thin walls keeping us afloat by Nature's fingertips. Leo's voice becomes louder and louder. Though still muffled, I begin to make out his words.

"We're getting close," he says.

Leaves and twigs ruffle beneath their feet. It's odd how the man who kept me safe less than a day ago is now the man I'm hiding from. I close my eyes and focus on the distant voices. I'm not sure how many people are with Leo. It's evident he's not alone, but how many of the group did he bring along for this little search party?

"Radar is going crazy over here."

Mark's voice is louder than Leo's. More footsteps trample over the cold ground. Twigs snap. Leaves crunch. Bogdan must have thrown my phone far enough away to keep the treehouse out of sight yet close enough so it didn't show movement on the tracking device.

"Oh. Oh! I think I found it, guys!"

This time it's Midge. Her harsh, feminine voice is drunk with pride. The footsteps move in a thumping rhythm before halting altogether. I notice a flash of muted light through the small crevices of the treehouse.

There's silence for a while after. Then Leo barks for everyone to keep looking. He doesn't sound relieved in the slightest. On the contrary, he sounds furious. The crunching footsteps move in all directions, but the muted light remains.

"Anything?" I hear Mark say.

There's a pause and then Leo says, "They were in communication."

I frown, trying to understand what they're talking about.

"It was a set-up?" Mark asks, both surprised and angry.

"It appears to be. Finn emailed him and asked to be taken away."

My heart strums with fear. I forgot to lock my phone. My email is still running... and all the messages with Bogdan, Fiona and me are in plain view. That must have been the reason for the silence. Leo was reading through my phone, reading the very messages that took me away from him.

I try to take a deep breath, but tears collect in my throat and I struggle to get a good breath.

"I told you there was something off about him," Mark hisses quietly. "He and that redhead aren't like the rest of us. They don't believe in the revolution and don't give a damn about our freedom."

Silence.

"They only stuck around for information and resources," Mark continues. "And now that bitch is off with our car. And Finn? He's probably feeding and immortalizing the entire vampire population as we speak. Oh, if I ever get my hands on him –"

"Enough."

Leo cuts off the degrading and menacing threat. He still sounds angry, but the hurt ebbing into his voice is tangible. I grimace and silently hope he doesn't buy into Mark's words. I would never do something like that – use my blood to fight against my own kind. I especially would never use Leo as bait while I did it.

He has to know that. He has to see through Mark's words to know that they aren't real. Right?

"You won't mention this to the others," Leo instructs. "Not a word. Do you understand?"

Mark grunts under his breath.

"We'll continue with our searching as planned. But if we find him," Leo threatens. "You bring him to me."

My chest constricts painfully. What started out as their rescue mission is now becoming a capture mission. The tears welling up in my throat spring to my eyes. This isn't happening. This can't be happening. So many of my nights were spent in Leo's arms, his reassuring whispers and strong hands keeping me safe whenever I needed them.

Now, after seeing the emails sent between Bogdan and Fiona, he doesn't just feel betrayed as a lover. He also feels betrayed as the leader of this revolution. I want to scream down to him that it isn't what he thinks. I will never join the other side. I'm not on other side, really.

I would never abandon my own kind. I may not support the revolution like Leo does, but I would never turn my back on mankind. When I left, I did it to protect the others. To protect Leo. With me in their clutches, danger would always be knocking at their door. The hazy tears surrounding my eyes feel warm as they spill down my cheeks. Bogdan's red gaze flickers over to me, unreadable as ever.

Shameful guilt floods my body. Maybe I didn't leave to protect Leo. Maybe I did it for myself, to stupidly get closer to an immortal who will never be mine. Now I can't take it back – not any of it. Any vampire who gets their hands on me will keep me captive for the rest of my days.

And if I try to return to the rest of society, I will be killed or exiled.

Leo shouts to Midge that they're moving forward with the search. The tremor of pain in his voice magnifies my guilt.

What have I done?