Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 92043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
“She’s getting it,” Beau joked.
“But none of you discussed it,” I argued, glancing at Ambrose’s brother. “You didn’t plan it.”
“They’re over a hundred years old,” Charlie said without opening his eyes. “They all know what the others are going to do before they do it.”
Beau huffed. “Accurate.”
“I’m sorry,” Ambrose murmured in my ear. He gently kissed my temple. “I should’ve warned you.”
“Yeah, no shit,” I mumbled.
“If it’s any consolation, it couldn’t have been comfortable for Matthias either. No one will touch you again.”
“Don’t make that promise,” Beau warned.
My eyes widened. There was no way he’d heard what Ambrose said.
“Our mother is going to hug you,” Beau continued. “But it shouldn’t bother the bond.”
“How the hell—”
“Vampires have really good hearing,” Ambrose explained.
“Interesting,” I replied, glaring at my brother. “That’s something I would’ve loved to know.”
“I can feel you looking at me,” Charlie said, his eyes still closed.
“You don’t think this is something I would’ve liked to have known, oh, I don’t know, months ago?”
How many times had I whispered to Charlie, assuming Zeke couldn’t hear us?
“How good is your hearing?” I asked Ambrose.
“Very.”
“Give me an example,” I ground out.
“You could’ve whispered to Charlie in the hotel room next door, and I would’ve heard you from the bathroom even if both doors were closed.”
Frigging hell. I couldn’t even remember how many times I’d said something quietly to Charlie, assuming that Zeke couldn’t hear me. I was pretty sure I’d mentioned Zeke’s ass. I’d warned Charlie not to get attached so quickly. I’d bitched that he was leaving me alone again, even though we’d stopped staying in hostels, and Zeke had paid for nice hotels. I’d bitched about Zeke paying for our hotels. God, I couldn’t even remember all the things I’d said. The comments I’d made, believing that they were just between my brother and me, were plentiful and colorful, to say the least.
“He didn’t mind,” my brother said gently. I looked up to find him watching me. “He thought you were hilarious.” He swallowed hard. “He was glad that I had someone who was so protective of me. He wasn’t ever offended.”
Zeke must’ve thought I hated him. The things I’d said…well, they hadn’t been very complimentary at first. Who could blame me, really? Some Vampire had walked up to us one day, and everything had suddenly changed. Charlie had jumped into that bottomless pond with both feet, but he’d always been the dreamer. I was a pragmatist. I’d seen almost every way that things could’ve gone wrong. We didn’t know Zeke. He could’ve been an absolute creep.
Eventually, he’d worn me down. Surely, he’d known that before he left. By the time we’d parted ways, he’d known how important he’d become to our little family, right? Not just to Charlie, but to me too?
I’d never have the chance to ask him.
Pulling my bag closer, I rested my chin on it. I needed to remember that these Vampires could hear everything. No conversations were private. It put a damper on my plans to discuss with Charlie whether or not we’d bail, but that was a worry for a different moment.
Less than two hours after we’d taken off, Chance spoke over the speaker, telling us that we were getting ready to land. Looking out the window, I couldn’t see anything but trees and a small river. There were no signs of civilization beyond a couple of empty two-lane roads.
“How long until we get to your parents’ house?” I asked Ambrose as we dropped closer and closer to the trees.
Barf. I looked away from the windows.
“What do you mean?” he asked as Charlie sat up in his seat. “We’re landing on the property.”
“It’s a five-minute walk to the house,” Beau explained.
The plane wobbled a little, and Charlie turned green.
“Don’t you dare,” I whispered to him.
He nodded, the air sickness bag clutched in his fist.
Then we landed with a small bounce, and I was thrown back against the seat as Danny hit the brakes.
“The seat belt was a good idea,” I said under my breath as we finally came to a stop.
Ambrose chuckled beside me.
The next few minutes were a little chaotic as Chance and Ambrose opened the door at the end of the plane. Beau was out the door and gone before Danny had even come out of the cockpit. Chance disappeared behind him.
Then Ambrose was reaching for my hand and leading me out into the damp air. It was strangely quiet as we made our way down the stairs. I was used to hearing traffic and noise in the distance. We were in the middle of nowhere, and everything was green. The trees, the grass, the ferns and bushes, everything. It felt like the edge of the world. No wonder Zeke and his brothers were so sure that we’d be safe here. I wasn’t even sure how anyone would be able to find the place if they didn’t know exactly where they were going.