Vampires Rule // Colby Brock

~| 53 |~

"Lydia, you're-"

"I'm not having flashes." The words come out in a rush. "I'm not- Why the fuck aren't I passing out right now?" My hands quickly slide up onto Colby's forearms, my other hand latching onto him, and suddenly, we're very close. "What the fuck?" I breathe.

Colby just stares at me. He appears to be frozen and so am I. I don't understand what's happening or how I am able to be so close to him when I can't be close to anyone. I am touching him and still standing upright. Completely, with not even a headache building—except for the one caused by trying to figure out how this is possible.

"Why aren't you triggering me?" I whisper to Colby, somehow drifting close enough that our hips collide, and watch as he physically loses his breath. I feel a little breathless myself, but the shock of this situation is taking over every other sense.

"Lydia," Eliza says; I look at her sharply. "You aren't affected at all?"

"No."

"But- Wow."

No one knows what to say. I don't even know why I'm still clinging to Colby . . . except for the fact that I am so touch-deprived, I would do just about anything with him right now. Although, a part of me thinks that isn't just because I'm a little lonely.

I blink out of it. "I want answers," I demand, first at Eliza, then at Colby.

He's yet to speak even though I can feel that his fingers have wrapped around my elbow so he can touch me more. There is something clearly going on here that I don't know about, and I'm fed up of not having answers.

"Someone fucking tell me something." I break away from Colby, despite myself. A breeze brushes my back, but I'm too focused on Eliza's guilty face to check what happened. "You know something, I know you do. And so do all of them. If I don't fucking learn something, I swear-" I cut off when I glance back and realise Colby has run away.

"Lydia," Sam starts, "there's so much to explain."

"I want to know everything anyway," I reply.

Sam and Eliza exchange glance, telling me that my sneaking suspicion was right. I knew she shouldn't have had any numbers for the clan, so she clearly had some form of communication with them no one knew about.

Although, Lilly, Andy and Tyler are looking awfully guilty right now.

"Alright," Sam decides softly, "we'll tell you everything. But we should do it somewhere safe."

Eliza takes the lead. "The coven house. Come on, we'll go back to the doorway and open up a portal. Contact Colby and get him back here, he should be around for this."

Sam nods so everyone moves back toward the rooftop with the door on it. I leap ahead of everyone else, more eager to get back and finally learn the past that's been eluding me for far too long now. I should've done all of this sooner. I can't believe I didn't. How stupid was I not to care about my past until meeting Colby's clan? I should've given a damn; should've learnt what I've been missing out on. I'm fucking pissed.

By the time we get to the coven house, Colby is already there waiting on the porch outside. Eliza lets him in the traditional way, then we all find seats around the living room. Most are on the numerous couches while I choose to lean on a window sill staring at each individual face in turn. I stare at Colby for the longest, even if he's doing everything he can not to meet my eyes.

Finally, everything begins to pour out of everyone in a rush of information. They selectively choose what to mention first. I soak up all of their words.

Eliza told me about how she'd heard about the witch who cremated Tom's face while he was still alive—something she'd tell me about in a minute—and that she'd lost her memories. She said that when she came to find me, lost, she took me in, which of course I already knew. But she said that she'd known everything about my past at the time and thought the least she could do for the vampire who once saved her was look after one of his friends. Kevin. The mad man had protected her once, and I was her way to repay him.