Storm (Blood Haze: Book Two) A Paranormal Romance Read online

  prying ears of the other students.

  “Tomorrow’s my birthday,” he stated.

  “I know,” I told him. “I already got you a

  present.”

  “You… you got me a present?” he asked,

  obviously surprised.

  “Of course I did.”

  “I… wasn’t expecting that.”

  “Max, what’s wrong?”

  “My father wants me to leave town with him

  tomorrow to begin training.”

  It hit me like a ton of bricks. I felt an

  enormous weight bearing down on my body, and

  it felt like it was crushing the wind out of my

  lungs. My stomach lurched. He was leaving. Not

  only was he leaving, but he was leaving to

  become a hunter. He was going to kill my kind.

  “Do you have to go?” I asked, my voice

  quivering.

  “You know I do,” he answered softly. “It’s in

  my blood. I have to go.”

  I knew the day was coming, but I hadn’t

  realized it would be so soon. I thought maybe his

  father would at least wait until the end of the

  school year.

  “Can’t you wait until you graduate?” I

  begged.

  “It doesn’t work that way,” he explained. “We

  all have to go on our eighteenth birthday.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?” I

  demanded.

  “I didn’t want to ruin what little time we had

  left,” he admitted.

  “Tomorrow…” I whimpered, hanging my

  head.

  “We still have today,” he told me, his finger

  lifting my chin so I would look at him.

  As I stared into his dark eyes, I was breathless.

  I didn’t want him to go. I couldn’t stand it. He

  was my friend, my protector. He couldn’t leave.

  “Let’s get out of here,” he suggested. “Let’s

  just spend this last day together.”

  “One last day,” I agreed.

  We got into his car and he pulled out of the

  school parking lot. I thought of calling Kai to let

  him know where I would be, but I didn’t think

  there was any need to worry him. After all, if

  Max was leaving the next day to start training to

  be a hunter, I might not see him again for a very

  long time – perhaps not ever.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “Where do you want to go?” he questioned.

  “I don’t know,” I replied. “Why don’t you

  choose?”

  “I know just the place,” he said quickly.

  A few minutes later, we pulled into a large

  parking lot that was completely deserted. The

  pavement was cracked large chunks were

  missing. Tufts of grass grew up through the

  cracks. It was obvious the lot hadn’t been used in

  years.

  We got out of his car, and I noticed a

  dilapidated movie screen looming above us. I

  recognized where we were.

  “This is the old drive-in movie theater, isn’t

  it?” I asked.

  “Yep,” he said.

  “But it’s closed,” I argued.

  “Yep,” he said again.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see,” he said with a wink and a grin.

  I followed him across the parking lot, and he

  stepped over a chain into a grassy area. He helped

  me step over the chain, and we walked under the

  hulking screen. I could see boards hanging

  haphazardly from it. It was literally crumbling to

  pieces.

  He took my hand and helped me down a

  grassy embankment behind the movie screen, and

  we walked into the woods. At the bottom of the

  hill, there was a small creek. It bubbled and

  sputtered invitingly.

  “Wow, it’s beautiful,” I gushed.

  “Wait until you see the lake,” he smiled.

  We followed the creek for about a mile, and

  up ahead I could see a clearing opening up in the

  trees. We walked out into the clearing and we

  stood by a crystal clear lake sparkling in the

  sunlight where the creek spilled out of the forest.

  The grass was high in the meadow that

  surrounded the lake, and it waved in the breeze

  like sheets of pure silk rippling. The grass was

  peppered with wildflowers in virtually every

  color of the rainbow even though it was only the

  middle of February.

  “It’s so… incredible…” I whispered. “How

  are there flowers growing here in February?”

  “I don’t know,” he shrugged. “There are

  always flowers growing here.”

  I shook my head in amazement.

  “How did you find this place?”

  “When I was a kid, my dad used to bring me

  here to go fishing,” Max told me. “It was our

  special place.”

  “I can’t believe it’s real,” I uttered.

  “I can’t believe you’re real,” he said softly.

  “Max…” I started to admonish him.

  “Don’t worry, I’m not going to ruin the

  moment by making you slap me again,” he joked.

  “Very funny,” I groaned.

  “Come on, there’s something I want you to

  see,” he said, taking my hand.

  I followed him nearly to the opposite end of

  the lake, and we came upon a set of low, flat

  rocks. They were carpeted in thick moss, and they

  looked almost like big, mossy beds.

  “This is where my dad and I used to have a

  picnic every time we came here,” he explained.

  The moss is so thick it makes the rocks really

  comfortable.”

  He motioned for me to sit down and try it. I

  sank down into the billowy softness, and he was

  right. It felt like sleeping on a downy-soft bed,

  and it was perfectly dry, despite the dew that

  soaked the grass in the meadow.

  He sat down beside me and I saw him reach

  toward me as if he wanted to take my hand, but

  he paused, and then pulled his hand back.

  “This place is indescribably beautiful,” I said.

  “It’s not half as beautiful as you,” he said,

  scanning my face as if he were trying to

  memorize every detail.

  I felt my face grow hot as I blushed. He

  chuckled.

  I watched a flock of birds cross the clearing

  and settle into the trees on the other side of the

  lake.

  “It must be nice to be a bird,” I said.

  “Why do you say that?” Max asked.

  “They’re so free,” I answered. “They have no

  worries, no pain. They just fly away to the next

  beautiful place before anything bad can happen.

  “Fly away with me,” Max said suddenly.

  Startled, I glared at him. “What are you talking

  about?”

  “Let’s go,” he pleaded. “Let’s run away

  together. My father’s never met you, so he won’t

  be able to track you. Let’s just run away

  together.”

  “You know I can’t do that,” I reminded him.

  “Your family can come with us,” he said.

  Then, gritting his teeth, he added, “Kai, too.”

  “Your f
ather has met Kai,” I mentioned.

  “What if he gets suspicious and tries to track

  him?”

  “He won’t.”

  “How do you know?”

  Max was silent for a moment, and then he

  sighed.

  “I don’t,” he admitted.

  “Then how can you ask me to do that?”

  “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I didn’t really

  mean it, I guess. I just… I can’t stand the thought

  of leaving you.”

  “I don’t like the thought of you leaving either,

  Max.”

  “Really?”

  “Of course! Max, I like being around you.” I

  wanted to say more, but I couldn’t find the

  words.

  “Is that all?” he asked.

  “No,” I admitted. “But I can’t say it.”

  “I’m leaving tomorrow,” he reminded me.

  “We may never see each other again. Please say

  it.”

  “I…” I tried to say, but I couldn’t.

  “Fine, I’ll say it,” he said. “I love you.”

  I was overwhelmed with emotion. I don’t

  know if it was because I was losing my friend or

  because I really felt more for him than I realized,

  but I began to cry. All I knew was that I didn’t

  want him to go.

  “Please don’t go!” I sobbed, and I felt his

  strong arms close around me.

  “Don’t cry,” he muttered in my ear. “I can’t

  stand it.”

  “I don’t want you to go!” I blubbered. “I want

  you to stay here… with me!”

  “Why?” he asked. “You have Kai. You don’t

  need me.”

  “But I… you’re…” I stammered, unable to

  find the words.

  “Say it!” he urged.

  “I… I care about you,” I managed to spit out.

  “Is that all?” he mused, disappointed.

  “Isn’t that enough?” I asked, looking up into

  his eyes.

  He brushed a tear away from my cheek and

  nodded.

  “Yes, I suppose that’s enough... for now. But,

  Alice, can I ask you for one thing before I go?”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Promise me you’ll give me this one thing,”

  he pleaded.

  “How can I do that if I don’t know what…” I

  began.

  “Promise me,” he begged.

  He was leaving the next day, and I didn’t know

  if I would ever see him again. I couldn’t deny

  him one request.

  “Fine. I promise,” I agreed.

  “Kiss me goodbye,” he asked.

  “Max, I…” I started to say, but he placed on

  finger on my lips.

  “I’m leaving tomorrow,” he reminded me.

  “We might never see each other again. Kai never

  has to know. Please, just give me this one last

  gift. Tomorrow is my birthday, after all.”

  I shook my head, but it was a weak protest. I

  felt I could hardly deny him the one request. I

  closed my eyes and surrendered to him. All of my

  will to fight him had disappeared, and I felt his

  lips press against mine softly. Normally, Max’s

  kisses were crushing and powerful. Today, his

  kiss was gentle and forlorn. This kiss was

  goodbye.

  For a moment, just one fleeting moment, I

  forgot about everything and everyone but him.

  No one else existed. We were just like Adam and

  Eve in the Garden of Eden. There, surrounded by

  the exquisite beauty of nature, it was only him

  and me. Nothing else mattered.

  His hand found its way to the back of my

  head, and his fingers tangled through my hair,

  pressing my face to his. I felt his warm lips soft

  against mine, and the love he felt for me coursed

  through every kiss. I slipped my hands inside his

  shirt and felt his smooth skin with my cold

  hands, but he did not flinch when my winter

  wind-nipped fingers met his hot skin.

  I parted my lips to allow his tongue to explore

  mine, and I tasted his sweet breath. It was like

  ambrosia, and the sweet nectar lingered around

  me like perfume from Heaven.

  One of his hands slipped under my sweater

  and pressed into the small of my back. His hands

  were warm, despite the frosty air, and they felt

  intensely comforting against my skin.

  “Say it,” he implored, pressing his lips against

  mine again.

  I was weakening. My resolve was breaking. I

  didn’t know how much longer I could keep

  denying it. Did I? Was it possible that I…

  “Say it,” he whispered beseechingly into my

  ear, his hot breath sending pleasant shivers down

  my spine.

  I cracked. Every fiber of my being was

  screaming his name, and every bit of strength I

  had melted away in one moment.

  “I love you,” I whimpered. “I love you! God

  help me, I love you!”

  “Alice…” he whispered, kissing me even

  more deeply than before.

  I was lost in him. In that moment, I had not

  only admitted to him how I felt. I had also

  admitted it to myself. I didn’t want to feel that

  way, but I had no choice. It was as if Fate stepped

  in and shouted, “It’s inevitable! You love him!

  Just give up!” And it was true.

  I felt his weight pressing against me, and I

  gave in. He pushed me gently down into the

  downy softness of the moss. I could smell the

  sweet, earthy scent underneath us as his body

  covered mine. His weight felt so comfortable on

  top of me, and his head bent down to deliver

  another intoxicating kiss. I desperately wanted to

  feel his skin against mine, and I lifted his shirt

  over his head. He responded my tugging at mine,

  and I rose up to allow him to take off my

  sweater.

  The morning sun had slowly crept into the

  shade, and we were bathed in golden sunlight.

  Despite the frigid temperature, the sun combined

  with our body heat and it was almost sweltering.

  He lowered himself on top of me, and the

  sensation of his skin against mine was

  maddening.

  I wanted him. I’d never really thought about it

  before, but suddenly I wanted him more than I

  had ever wanted anything in my life. I wanted

  him to be my first… before it was too late. I had

  decided. It was time.

  My fingernails raked a path across his back

  and I struggled not to tear his remaining clothing

  into shreds. It was all I could do to keep from

  begging for it as his passionate kisses melted into

  me. I reached down and began to unfasten his

  belt, and his dark eyes stared into mine, suddenly

  understanding what I wanted.

  At that moment, just as I was about to

  abandon everything, a queer sound escaped from

  his pants. It was the muffled sound of his phone

  chirping inside his pocket. The two of us exhaled

  a heaving breath, and he rolled off me and onto

  his back beside me. We both panted furiously,

 
trying to regain our composure.

  Finally, he took a deep breath and pulled the

  phone from his pocket.

  “Hello?”

  “Max,” I heard Kai’s voice through the phone,

  sounding edgy. “Have you seen Alice?”

  Max sighed. “Yeah, she’s right here.”

  He handed me the phone.

  “Kai?” I answered.

  “Alice! Where have you been? I’ve been

  worried sick!” he shouted.

  “What?” I mumbled. “Why, what happened?”

  “The school called your mother,” Kai

  explained. “They said you didn’t show up to

  school today and they were calling to see if you

  were sick.”

  “Damn,” I muttered.

  “Where are you?” Kai asked. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I told him. “Max and I skipped

  school, because he’s leaving town tomorrow. He

  wanted one last day together.”

  I heard Kai’s teeth grating together through

  the phone.

  Through clenched teeth, he said, “You’re

  alone with him?”

  “Kai, he’s leaving tomorrow,” I explained. “I

  might not see him again for a long time, maybe

  never. I just thought I should spend the day with

  him.”

  “What are you doing?” he demanded to know.

  “We’re just hanging out,” I lied. “Talking.”

  “Where?”

  “I don’t know,” I said truthfully. “Some lake.”

  “Oh, my God, you’re at a lake with him?

  Seriously?”

  “Calm down!” I insisted. “He’s leaving

  tomorrow, anyway. So what’s the big deal?”

  “You would say that,” Kai grumbled.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I demanded.

  “Nothing,” he muttered. “Have fun with him.”

  With that, he hung up.

  “He’s pretty mad, huh?” Max asked.

  “Seems that way,” I agreed with a sigh.

  “I’m sorry,” Max said sincerely.

  “It’s not your fault,” I said. It was true. I knew

  it was all my fault.

  “It’s

  not your fault,” Max insisted. “I

  shouldn’t have brought you here. It was my idea,

  and it was a mistake.”

  “Do you really mean that?” I asked, hurt.

  He was quiet for a moment, and then he said,

  “No, I don’t mean it. It wasn’t a mistake. I’m

  only sorry you’re being hurt by it.”

  Neither of us said anything for a minute, and

  then he spoke again, “Are you sorry you said it?”

  I shook my head. “No, I’m not sorry. I meant

  it. I just… I didn’t realize it before.”

  “I don’t want to lose you, Alice,” he

  murmured.