Eternally Blue (Sunset Cliffs Vampire #1) (Paranormal Teen Romance) (13 page)

Chapter 9

After I got ready for bed, I sat on my bed with Stacey’s laptop, adding music to the playlist called “Blue Lips, Blue Veins” that she created for me to sync my IPod to. I note that Blue Lips is also the first song in the playlist, by Regina Spektor and while listening to it I have to stop myself from laughing out loud at the irony of the lyric ‘Blue; the most human color’.

When I was about a third of the way through her artists, I came across another singer I’ve never heard before, Kate Nash, and listening to a song called “Navy Taxi”, I lay back on my pillow with my eyes closed. I have my ear buds in and I am overcome with the sound of her voice and the piano. The sound of her voice makes it feel as though my chest is caving in with sadness and I feel like I am about to start crying for no reason when I hear a noise outside of the ear buds.

I frown and sit up quickly. It is my brother at the closed window looking angry. I roll my eyes and get up to go open the window. He is balanced precariously on the ledge. I make sure the door is closed and locked before actually opening the window though; I can’t be caught with a strange boy in my room after all.

“
About time”. He huffs as he lands silently on the carpet.

“
I could say the same to you”. I glare at him with my hands on my hips. Seeing him cock his head I add “We need to talk”.

“
You first”.

“
OK but this is pretty incredible, take a seat” I say patting the bed next to me, “your making me nervous pacing all around”.

He shifts uncomfortably and finally sits on the floor and tucks his knees up to his chin looking guilty.

“
Aww, I’m sorry Annie, I guess I smell like a snack huh? That is so weird isn’t it?”

He nods with wide eyes. “You’re telling me, it’s really creepy how you still smell like family but you also smell like food so get on with it so I can go find somebody to eat”.

I let out a loud breath. “OK, so there is a European Princess staying across the street, which I take it you know or at least suspect, since she said you have been sniffing around there. She is the maker of Noah, a friend of mine who is now immortal and since you’ve been being nosey she decided she wants to hang out for awhile and make sure he is ok”. I give him a glare for good measure to let him know that I am
not
pleased with the fact that she’s taking up space in my potential boyfriend’s house.

“
What does this have to do with me?”

“
What does this have to do with you? What are you doing scenting their house, and mine for that matter, you’re not supposed to be here Annie.”

“
You know I came here to tell you to come home and marry Nikolai, we miss you. It’s not my fault that immortal appeared on your doorstep while I was visiting you, which is how I first smelled him. I thought it was strange that you found another immortal so fast, so I wanted to investigate deeper. I was protecting
you
!” He said that last bit as an accusation.

“
Annie, that is really sweet, but I don’t need protecting from him. However since the princess has decided she is staying she has requested that you inform the council of her arrival and tell them she requests their protection for the duration of her stay, and she would like protection for Noah and his little brother as well.”

He snorts, “And what makes you think I am going to do that for her? I should suck her dry; we don’t need any euro –trash hanging around.”

I got serious “Because
Annie
, if you don’t, she is going to see to it that I go in your place, and before you say she can’t do that, you know damn well she can. She is royalty, and if the council finds out that we have the whole royal army over here making trouble for us in our home, because the child of a council member wouldn’t go to the council with her request for protection, we will be both be fried. Much less imagine she is actually hurt. We will both be killed before you can say ‘immunity’”.

He rubs his eyes with his hands. “How long do I have to decide?”

“
Until tomorrow night.” I deadpan.

“
Shit Blue,” He looks up at me. He looks so small sitting there on the ground, so tired, that I almost feel sorry for him. He is about 20 human years and the youngest of the boys in Nikolai’s group growing up. I always thought keeping up with them wore him out, but with the exception of tonight, these past few years he has really grown into himself. I feel so bad for putting him in this position that I am about to call the whole thing off and tell him I’ll go myself when he agrees.

“
Fine, I’ll go tonight. I know you need your sleep so just leave your window cracked and I will slip the councils answer in through the window before morning”.

He stands to leave and I go to hug him, but he puts up his hands as if to keep me back. I shake my head, realizing that I again forgot how hard this must be for him, and mutter an apology under my breath knowing he could hear me perfectly well. He could probably tell me the heart rate of every person in this house right now including the dog.

He perches on the windowsill and I thank him and say goodbye and watch him leap off into the night. He is gone from sight before he even touches the ground but I still stay at the window awhile hoping to catch a glimpse of him. I don’t though and before I close my window I look over at Noah’s house.

I see Lainey looking out the front rooms window at me, not even trying to hide. I raise a hand in hello and she returns the sentiment before letting the curtain fall back into place. I close mine thinking she is so creepy I wonder how scared Noah and his brother are having her there.

That gives me a pause; I had only ever considered Noah being enraptured with her beauty, but really, he’s been there, done that, and wanted out. If anything he should be scared she will get hungry and come for a midnight snack. I shuddered. I hope he is sleeping with his door closed.

Thinking about that I drift off to sleep, and this really freaks me out when I wake up – I dreamt about being a vampire and trying to make a meal of Noah. It’s weird because as a vampire I dreamed about eating people sure, but this was a nightmare since I care about him, and also because now that I’ve experience life on the ‘other side’, I can imagine his terror in different ways.

Luckily I don’t have long to think about it because I realize that I should have heard back from my brother by now which will hopefully prove to protect Noah from anyone eating him. I dart over and scour the floor around the window for a note and find an envelope under the bed with the councils seal on it. My hands are shaking and I want to tear it open but I figure Lainey will not be happy if I break the seal, I don’t want her doubting me, no matter what the verdict is. Although, on second thought, I don’t really want her taking her anger out on me or Noah either. I think for a moment, and I finally decide I will let Noah make that determination and get ready for school in record time.

I usually ride with Stacey and see him at school but I wanted to catch him before he leaves his house, so I race across the street once I confirm his car is still there. To my surprise it is Lainey holding the door open for me and I smile awkwardly and try to pass her into the house, but she stops me and snatches the envelope from me, calling for Noah at the same time. “Pet, your pet is here with news, come quickly”. He comes into the foyer looking disheveled from sleep and grins when he sees me.

She has already started ripping the envelope open after having examined and smelled and felt the seal, and starts reading silently. She smiles triumphantly upon finishing and only then does my heart start to return to a normal beating pattern. Noah pulls me off the ground and spins me around, and all three of us are laughing and he doesn’t put me down until I am dizzy and have tears in my eyes. I guess I am not the only one worried about the outcome. I wonder if we were all worried for the same reasons and doubt it.

Apparently having shown far too much human like enthusiasm, or perhaps upset at me and Noah’s displays of affection, Lainey excuses herself to bed, and I wait for Noah to finish getting ready for school in his kitchen since I see Stacey’s car has already left.

We can’t stop talking excitedly the whole way to school, and now I feel confident that a huge weight has been lifted from us. We still have a lot to deal with, such as getting Lainey to leave, and getting my brother to stop coming around and getting Lainey all worked up over nothing, but my fragile existence doesn’t feel like it’s in any immediate risk of being extinguished any longer and I wonder if I can stay this happy forever. Stay immortal forever.

That thought sobers me and I look at Noah’s handsome profile, smiling and paying attention to the road while grasping my hand in my lap and tapping along to the beat of the Silverstein song “My Heroine” playing on the radio, with the pointer finger of his driving hand on the wheel. His hair is blowing back from his window which is halfway down, and his lips move slightly along with song, only the occasional noise escaping from his lips which he has to constantly stop singing to lick. I realize I don’t want to go home. Seeing my brother was great and will always be great, but this is where I want my life to be, here with Noah.

I think with a pang of Nikolai. He will be crushed, and I hate hurting him. He has been nothing but good to me even as a kid when the other kids would tease us about getting married. Our marriage wouldn’t be forced as I said, but still it was expected, and with us being raised the way we were, everyone figured there was no way we couldn’t fall in love, which was in part true, there would always be some part of me that loves Nikolai, but it just doesn’t feel like passionate love.

I try to think of whom else I could see him ending up with and only my cousin Taylor comes to mind. She was a little younger than me and adorable as a doe. I can’t think of a happier or more innocent girl out of our bunch. I’m surprised at the pang I feel inside imagining him wooing her. She would expect to be courted traditionally unlike me, and he would oblige. Showing up at her door with gifts, she would giggle and he wouldn’t be able to help but fall in love with her. In fact if I weren’t born she would be the one everyone would expect him to marry and sadly they seem like a much better match than I ever did with him.

He was too good for me I think in despair, but he is not what I wanted I remind myself, I had plenty of time to think about what I want and what staying here would mean for me and Nikki. I am only thinking like that because I am actually considering making this my permanent home and I’m jealous about my spot in the family being taken and being forgotten completely.

“
Whhyyy sooo serious?” Noah attempts his best joker voice, jolting me out of my revere, and I laugh, giving his hand a squeeze. I look into his eyes for a long time, noticing for the first time the telltale flakes of violet that vamps share. His are like mine - seriously subdued since we no longer share all the qualities of our nighttime brothers. I smile a small sigh of contentment, and we lean in at the same time for a kiss.

“
Mmm better than coffee to get your day started” he says pulling away a minute later. “I agree,” I say trying to lean in for another kiss. He backs off suddenly though, and looks past me out the passenger window and I turn in time to see Courtney motioning at him to put the window down. Groan. She is so not better than coffee in the morning.

He fumbles for the window down button and after he finds it I hear “Heyyyy it’s my favorite Noah!”

“
I’m the only Noah you know” He grinned, leaning across my lap to talk to her.

“
Doesn’t make it any less true. Hey I just wanted to know what you’d prefer for dinner for after we study? I’m undecided between whether I should have my mom make lobster or steak. She says we might as well do both since you’re a growing boy, but I wanted to make sure you don’t have like a seafood allergy or something. I don’t want you walking into my house and breaking out into hives just from the air you know?” She looks earnestly at him for his decision.

“
I didn’t plan on staying to eat”.

“
It’s no trouble Noah, and actually silly me, we booked our study time for like right before we usually do dinner. As long as you don’t have a seafood allergy I’ll just text my mom and tell her to make both. You don’t have to decide now but I know when you smell it cooking, and after we are studying soooo harrddd, that we will both work up an appetite”. Is it just me or did she flash me a look while emphasizing that last sentence? Bleh.

“
OK Courtney” he laughed, “I look forward to it”.

Wait, what? I turned around to look at him and was still just smiling out the window at Courtney’s retreating figure. I roll my eyes and open my door, “Come on, we’re going to be late”.