Neither (The Noctalis Chronicles 3)

“I'm nervous,” she says when I get in the car at the end of the driveway.

“I know.” Her emotions sizzle, and I try to absorb as much as I can.

Her phone vibrates with a message from Texas.

“She's on her way to Jamie's house. She says we can get the truck in ten minutes. God, what is she up to?”

“We shall see.”

Ava parks her car in an abandoned driveway not far from Jamie's house. This is the poorer part of Sussex, with a lot of smaller and more run-down homes. I put her in my arms and we run through the woods to the back of the house, staying under cover of the trees. Jamie's truck is the only one in the driveway, and there is one person in the house, but there is one person and one noctalis in the front yard.

“Jamie! Get out here!” Texas yells.

“What the hell, Tex?” he says, coming out of the house.

“Brooke isn't here,” Ava whispers to me as we watch the action at the front of the house.

“You're coming with us. Right now,” Texas says.

“No way. Get out of here.”

Texas crosses her arms and stamps her foot. “I'm not taking no for an answer. Get in the damn car.” She points at it.

“Tex, go away.”

“I swear, if you don't get in this car right now, my Russian is going to throw you over his shoulder and put you in it.”

“Do not make me do that,” Viktor says.

“Fine! Fine.”

Jamie goes down the steps and gets in the car, and Texas kicks up the gravel in the driveway as she speeds away.

Ava stares at me, bewildered. “Really? That was her plan? Kidnapping him?”

“It worked,” I say. She considers for a moment.

“True.”

We walk to the truck, but the keys aren't in it.

“Hold on,” Ava says, going into the house. She comes back moments later with his keys. “I'm glad they were easy to find. God, that house gives me the shivers. Like the negative energy seeped into the walls or something.” She rubs her arms as if she's cold. I take her hand and give her some happy energy. “Thanks, babe.”

“Anything for my girl.”

“I like being your girl,” she says. “Would I still be your girl even if I wasn't human?”

“You'll always be mine, human or not.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“I like thinking I belong to you.”

It is not in a possessive way. I simply meant that she will always belong to me as the one girl, human or otherwise that is mine. That I can... No. I can’t think the word, or let myself feel it.

“Are you okay?”

“I am fine.”

Close. I am getting close to the flame that will end my existence. I will have to be careful.

Ava

Peter drives my car to the car place and I drive Jamie's truck. He takes me out to lunch and we walk around Brunswick while we wait. He holds my hand, lets me steal kisses and makes me laugh. We sit in the park and watch people play with their dogs.

“This is a nice human afternoon,” I say, my head on his shoulder and his arm around me.

“I like our human time.”

“Me, too. I wish it could be like this all the time,” I say without thinking.

“Do you wish I were human?”

“No! I didn't mean that. I love you and who you are. I just meant —” He silences me with a finger on my lips.

“I know. I wish that, too.”

I get periodic messages from Tex, and I ask her what they're doing with Jamie, but she won't tell me. I even try calling her, but she doesn't answer.

“I really wonder about that girl sometimes.”

The truck looks amazing when we go to pick it up. Instead of a white/gray, it's now a shiny black, complete with a wax coating that will resist rust. The sales guy was very persuasive and I had quite a bit of cash from Viktor. He shelled out hundreds like he was handing out candy. Tex's eyes went wide at the amount, but she kept her mouth shut. I have no doubt that plenty of those hundreds are going to be spent on buying her shiny things.

We meet back up at the high school because it's the best central location. I pull in with the truck and Peter comes in behind me with my car.

Tex and Viktor are by her car, and I see Jamie, arms crossed, looking surly. He also looks sad. Helena and Brooke are MIA, which surprises me because I thought Brooke would be attached to his hip. Something has gone on between those two, and I intend to get it out of him.

“What's this?” he says when I hop out of the truck.

“Your new/old truck. I had it painted. Surprise.” I gesture to the truck like a car model. I should have made a sign or had some confetti or something. I always forget these things if I don't write them down.

His mouth drops open. “You did what?”

“I know you've always wanted your truck painted. I wanted to do the interior, but I didn't have the funds.” Well, I could have the funds if I asked Viktor for them, but I didn't want to be a gold digger.

“Is that why Tex kidnapped me?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“Why didn't you just ask to borrow the truck?” he says, coming closer and running his hand over the paint job. “That would have been easier than forcing me to go see a special screening of Dirty Dancing.”

“Tex, you did not.”

She puts her chin in the air. “I will not give up until he says that Patrick Swayze has talent and that nobody puts Baby in a corner.”

“I'm not going to say that if you make me see it a million times.” Jamie's still going over the paint job, and I can see the flicker of happiness on his face. “It's good. Where did you take it?”

“That place over in Brunswick. You know the one that's always on TV?”

“Wow,” he says, feeling the slickness of the coating. “Why did you do this?”

“I've wanted to do something for you for a while. To apologize for being such a crappy friend the past couple of months. I lied to you and hid things from you, and I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Jamie,” I say, walking over and putting my arms around him. I don't care if he hugs me back, but I need him to know that I love him and I need him in my life. I don't really care if everyone else sees me.

“I'm sorry too, Jamie. I knew Ava's secret and I didn't share it with you. But you knew about her mom and didn't share it with me. So I guess we're even, yes?”

Jamie finally returns my hug, kissing the top of my head and messing with my hair. “You went all out, Ave. Thank you.”

“You're not still mad at me, are you?”