Immortal Fire - Book One
Chapter 36

Opening my eyes, I saw Hayden and Damien both bending over me.

“What’s going on?” I was still in bed and the looks on their faces seemed to be worried.

“You wouldn’t wake up,” answered Damien.

“Yeah, well I was sleeping; in case you two dipshits haven’t noticed, I haven’t done much of that lately…” I said annoyed. It was Hayden that answered me this time.

“No, you wouldn’t wake up. You looked like you did when you were in that coma. We’ve been trying to wake you up for an hour straight; we even threw water on you…” I suddenly realized that I was indeed wet and freezing. The bed was soaked. For fuck’s sake…

“Okay well, thanks for that…” I grumbled at them. I did not know what else to say to them.

My dream still lingered in the back of my mind, but it was sketchy. I could not fully remember it, but I remembered that I was scared.

“I’m okay. I just need a shower and some dry clothes. I’m fucking freezing, thanks to you two geniuses.” I glared at both before me.

Maybe it was a bit harsh, but I was in a weird mood, and being cold did not help at all. Hayden passed me a towel and some dry clothes after fetching them from another room. After Hayden and Damien had decided that I was probably okay, they left me alone. I was going to get up and go shower when my cell beeped with a text message. Digging in my backpack, I eventually found it and opened the message. It was from my mom.

I had not spoken to her since I was in Lunzos, and guilt gnawed at me. She said that my dad and she were so sorry and that they would explain everything when they got the chance to do so to my face and not over the phone. She also said to take as much time as I needed; she knew that I was safe with Hayden…

I wanted to reply, I did, but I did not know what to say. I was still mad that they had lied to me and my whole life had been one big secret. I left my phone as I went to go and shower. I had not replied to my mom. It was probably better to wait for once I was not in such a bad mood to reply to her. The shower was blissful and eradicated the cold from my body as well as most of my sour mood.

Hayden had given me a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt that wasn’t mine. It was too big for me and was probably his as it smelled of thundershowers. My old clothes, which were lying in a heap in the corner, smelled of sulfur and burnt timber… Why would they smell like that? I decided to ignore it and go see what everyone else was up to.

Wondering downstairs, I found Jesse in a rage. She was screaming at someone over the phone. She almost ran straight into me when she decided to pace on the opposite side of the large living room. I threw my hands up in surrender and dodged out of her way.

Hayden was sitting on the couch watching the dramatics. I sat on the opposite side of the couch, and whenever we were close, I felt a tug toward him and a build-in electric charge. He felt it too. It was obvious that he did. He sucked in a breath and turned his head the other way, running his hands through his blonde hair. Jesse hung up the phone and swore.

“What’s up?” Hayden finally asked. She was still pacing but answered in irritation.

“The Coven is in a panic. There have been six Vampires killed and they want answers from me.” Just then, Damien appeared in the center of the room. We all looked at him and he noticed the tension around us. Saying nothing but lifting an eyebrow. He went and stood against the wall.

“Where have the killings been?” Hayden asked, clearly interested now.

“Around Central Park; I don’t know how they expect me to just miraculously know who the hell did it.” She slammed her phone on the counter and started to gather her things. I was about to mention Hunter when Damien shot me a noticeably clear ’shut the hell up’ look.

My lips closed and I shuffled uncomfortably. No one knew about Hunter’s whereabouts besides the two of us, and the killings at Central Park could not have been a coincidence. I wondered if Damien had found anything useful about that symbol on Hunter’s chest yet. Jesse was leaving and slammed the front door on her way out. None of us said anything as she left, and Damien shrugged as I looked toward him.

“Well, I have things to do. I just wanted to check up on you…” Damien said.

“Thanks, I’m fine though …” I insisted. Damien looked toward Hayden who said nothing and rolled his eyes. He disappeared in a shroud of golden light. The whole situation since I had come downstairs was odd and I almost giggled from the strangeness of it all. This was my life now?

Hayden and I sat in silence on the couch, and I could not stand it any longer.

“Hayden…” I started. He looked toward me, and I decided, that now was probably the only time I would have been alone with him for a while.

“What’s going on with you? I know you have a right to be upset about what I said about Jesse, but I think it’s more than that…” He looked away again.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He answered, sounding agitated.

“I think I do. It’s me Hayden, I kind of know when something’s up with you even though we haven’t been around each other that long.”

He faced me now and I could see that wall of his come up. Leaning close to me, I sucked in my breath. I could smell thunderstorms and pine leaves; he was so close. His blue eyes bore into me, and my heart raced.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said coldly.

He all but sneered at me as the words left his mouth. With that said, he got up, grabbed his car keys, and left. My heart broke. It must have eventually been too much for me to handle, and I broke down. I was crying. I hated the fact that I was crying; it was humiliating.

To make matters worse, Jesse came speeding in to grab her helmet that she had forgotten when she had left in a fury and saw me on the couch. I tried to hide my face, but it was too late. She had already seen me crying, and probably ran into Hayden when he left.

It was clear that she felt as uncomfortable as I did. She stood in the center of the room, juggling the helmet from one hand to another. Looking at me, she placed the helmet on the counter and slowly, stepped toward the couch, as if she were afraid of me. Sniffing back a tear, I pulled my legs up onto the couch.

She sat down on the far end, assumingly to stay away as far as possible. “It’s Hayden, isn’t it?” she finally asked.

I nodded and wiped my face with my sleeve. She looked around and then groaned. She shuffled closer very reluctantly and looked me in the eyes.

“What did he do now?” she asked.

“Now...?” I asked confused. She smiled slightly.

“I’ve noticed how he has changed. He has become, well… an ass. Especially towards you…” I would have laughed at that if I were not feeling as horrible as I did now.

“I asked him what was going on and he just told me that I didn’t know what I was talking about. It is like he is purposefully trying to break me down and push me away. It’s like… he doesn’t want me at all.” Saying that out loud, made the full force of how much I hurt, crash down on me.

More tears escaped and I quickly wiped them away. Jesse was watching me intently and I could see that she was fighting an internal battle. Finally, though, she stood up and gave me one last look.

“I’ll speak to him.” I could not believe what she was saying. This was Jesse after all; she was practically in love with Hayden, and she was going to speak to him for me? I did not know whether I should be happy about it or not.

“Thanks.” was all that she got from me. After grabbing her helmet, she left, and the warehouse was eerily quiet.