Amia
I don’t have to look around to know who it is. Every hair on my body is standing, my throat dries, and I ball my hands into fists. Calum’s eyebrow is arched and he turns his head slightly to this side. His eyes are no longer on me, they’re on the figure standing behind me, and he is not amused. I know hat I’m on a cafe full of people, but I can’t help my body’s automatic response.
Fear.
That’s the first thing that pops into my mind. That’s the word that describes what I’m feeling right now. I’m scared and I hate that our relationship has gotten to this point. The boy behind me holds so much power that he has chased the smart mouth angry girl that had just been sassing the man in front of her. I can’t avoid him anymore and I sure as hell can’t hide from him here in this small cafe. It’s time to face him, even if I’m not ready.
When I turn to look at Dylan, his cold eyes dare me to lie, his lips promise to tear me apart, and his fist promises pain. I couldn’t hide the tremor that shakes my body even if I wanted to. He’s mad, no, he’s pissed and the longer I remain silent the more he misunderstands the situation.
I open my mouth, but no words come out. I tell my body to move, to reach for him, to explain, to do something, anything. Nothing. I don’t do anything. I’m frozen in fear, in my seat staring at my boyfriend. He walks forward and slams his hands down on the table and I cower beneath his glare, my back pressing up against the booth as I try to get as far away from him as possible.
“So this is where you’ve been? I’ve been looking for you all damn day, but you’ve been avoiding me. I couldn’t find you, I waited for you after school, but you never came. You didn’t answer my calls, and then I get a tip that you’re in town. I rush over here worried about you and I find you on a date with some silver fox?” Dylan spat.
“I-I-It’s not—”
“I don’t want to hear your any pathetic excuses. I’ve caught you red handed, Amia! Do you not value yourself, or our relationship? Is this what you amount to?” Dylan asked as he jerked his head in the opposite direction.
My eyes follow and land on Calum. His eyes are wide with shock, but when they see the fear etched so plainly on my face, his eyes sharpen. A low warning growl rumbles in Calum’s chest as he focuses on Dylan.
“Dylan, let me explain,” I started.
“I don’t want to fucking hear it!” Dylan yells
That’s when multiple things happen at once. Dylan’s large hand wraps around mine. Calum’s hands slam on the table and his claws extend and dig into the wood. Dylan growls as his attention is demanded by another person. This person has Dylan’s arm in a vice grip, so tight that blood drips from Dylan’s veins. When I look closer I realized that claws have pierced Dylan’s flesh.
Claws.
When I look up I’m shocked to find Levi is the one holding Dylan. I hold my breath as I look behind Levi and find Liz standing to his side. She looks perfectly calm, minus her eyes. They are filled with anger and danger. I swear I hear her hiss. I turn my attention back to my best friend and boyfriend as they stand nose to nose in a glaring contest.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Dylan growled.
“Let her go,” Levi said.
His voice was so quiet that no human ear would be able to hear him. His voice was so quiet it couldn’t belong to someone human. It was thanks to my inhuman hearing that I could pick up his words. Dylan’s shoulders moved and the only way I could think to describe it was the way a wolf stalks it’s pray in the woods. Dylan wanted blood, he wanted Levi’s blood.
“Levi, it’s oka—”
“No, Ami, it’s not,” Levi said angrily. He didn’t look at me, he kept his eyes on Dylan.
“It’s not,” Liz repeated.
I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to admit it to myself and I didn’t want to admit it out loud, but they were right. This wasn’t okay. His attitude, his anger, and the way he talked to me, but my heart still hurt. I wanted to make the situation better. I wanted to appease his anger. I wanted to make him happy.
“This is fucking insane. I want to know what makes the two of you think that I won’t kill you right here, right now?” Dylan asked.
“Dylan—” I started.
“Don’t start, Amia, fucking don’t. We are in the middle of a fucking war and your best friends with a fucking vamp? How long have you known? The fact that you’ve kept this from me shouldn’t be surprising, especially after seeing you here on a date with an old man, but it is. He’s a blood sucker! Did you know he was stalking you here?!” Dylan yelled.
I don’t know what to say. I’m stunned to silence. Vampire? Who? I turned and looked back and forth between Levi and Liz. It didn’t make sense for one of these two people to be a vampire. Plus, I thought vampires couldn’t go out during the day? Didn’t they burn into tiny little bits and float away? Or was that just in the movies and novels I have hidden beneath my bed?
I know Levi more than I know myself. Even if the claws I saw were suspicious, Dylan can’t be talking about him. I turned to Liz and stared at her. We were the closest of friends, even though we didn’t talk about our home life, she’s the only one out of the two who could be a vampire. When Liz shook her head indicating that it wasn’t her, I was even more confused. I swore I saw her eyes flash earlier, didn’t that mean she wasn’t human. This didn’t many any sense.
Who’s the vampire?