Blood of A Seeker

Blood of A Seeker -26-

Crickets chirped, the soft summer breeze nipped at my bare forearms and the stars were already out to play. I smiled up at the velvet sky and then down at the late townspeople who had arrived in time for the big dinner that was about to take place in fifteen minutes downstairs.

I, on the other hand, was on the roof with Tucker.

“So . . . you came here with Katherine?” I spoke up awkwardly and clutched tightly at the strap of my bag.

“Yeah I just needed a ride and she offered,” he replied with a shrug and sat down next to me, resting his arms on his knees and smiled. The feeling of relief washing through me was overwhelming and a tiny bit pleasing: he didn’t seem that interested in Katherine. “Who did you come with?”

“Rosemarie and Stefan,” I told him dryly. “They’re getting married in about two month’s time – around February.”

“I’m really happy for Rosemarie,” he said truthfully and inched closer to me.

“They both deserve each other.”

“I know.”

I leaned back and crossed my legs to prevent the breeze from lifting up my skirt, my hands keeping me upright. “Don’t you remember how we would lie out in your backyard and we’d try make shapes out of the stars?” I cocked my head up to the sky and trailed my eyes along them until a hand lay on top of mine, making my heart skip a beat.

“Yeah.” He fell silent beside me, the heat from his arm rolling off against mine. I leaned to the side, resting my head on his shoulder as we gazed at the stars for a moment, in peaceful silence. “Not very well. The code you gave me wasn’t strong enough – I can’t even remember my first day in high school.”

Frowning, I gave him a confused look. “Really? I thought it had done the trick.”

“Well it’s kept me dormant and that’s what the Specialists wanted, isn’t it?” he questioned in a bitter tone. No doubt he was annoyed that he was struggling to remember some things. I couldn’t blame him.

I tucked my knees into my chest, careful to keep my skirt in place and placed my chin between my knees. “This is all my fault. You’re suffering from your inner Seeker . . . because of me. If I hadn’t left and taken the emotional attachments away from you, you’d still be the same – but grieving. I didn’t want that. I didn’t want you chasing after me, especially because I know the Seekers would kill you the first chance they’d get.”

“And now I’m one of them.” I clamped my mouth shut and exhaled through my nose. “Sorry. Didn’t mean for it to come out like that.”

“No, no it’s fine,” I said hastily and got to my feet, brushing off my skirt then glanced at the balcony we had climbed up from. “We should get going.”

“Wait, there’s a reason I wanted you up here with me alone,” Tucker said quickly and caught my arm before I conjured up a stair of orange platforms for a safe return down. “You should know that even after all these years, even after causing me to become a monster, I love you, Alexi. I know it’s late but I always have, always will.”

It was like the world had stopped moving. All those retarded novels about how the two lovers acted as if they were the only beings in the universe? It didn’t seem so retarded anymore . . .

Turning slowly, I kept an impassive face and stared at him blankly, unable to muster a sound. My heart was hammering in my chest and I could feel my mind reeling with the three words, the three big words I thought I’d never hear him say to me.

“What –”

I was silenced by the press of his warm lips against mine. It was only gentle, but I trembled slightly under his touch. He must have felt my uncertainty, because he gave a little chuckle and held a strong arm around my lower back, supporting me. I felt my hands move to cup his face.