AEGIS ↠ EMBRY CALL [R.U]

51| LEARNING ABOUT THE NOMAD

Callas shrugged. "Just that he knew me before, that he wants me to remember. But I don't know what that means. I've only ever seen him in my nightmares."

"Compulsion," Edward concluded.

"What?"

"Certain vampires have abilities, that you now know about. Will must have compelled you to believe they were nightmares so he could show up more often. When did they start?"

"When my dad died."

Edward hummed, a strange look cast over his face. "You were emotionally vulnerable, that made it easier for him to get to you."

She shuddered, with an expression of unease plastered upon her face. "That's... less comforting."

Bella shook her head. "Don't worry, he won't be able to get you here." Bella placed her hand on Callas's shoulder, it was cold, colder than she thought it would be, and stronger too—she assumed it would have been a delicate touch, clearly that was wrong to think.

"I... don't think he wants to hurt me though." Callas thought about it. The only time he had hurt her was when she stabbed him in the arm—which was a sentence she never thought she would have had to have admitted to before.

"Why's that?"

"Well, when I was running, before my first physical encounter that I wasn't,"—Callas looked towards Edward as she spoke slowly, unsure if what she was about to say was the correct thing—"compelled,"—Edward nodded and Callas continued—"to think was a dream, he didn't hurt me. He could have, there were no witnesses. In fact, he stopped me from falling, even though I did get cuts and bruises trying to run away from him. He just talked, told me to remember him, then he left." Callas glanced up, noticing Bella looking at Edward before she turned her gaze back to Callas. "I thought I was going insane for the longest time, but now that I know it's real, insanity doesn't seem like a bad thing anymore."

Bella spoke softly, "We're going to find him, I promise."

"I don't think it's that simple." Callas sighed.

"Why?"

"I think he only shows up when I least expect it. When he knows he won't be caught—physically at least."

Seth sat forward, his eyebrows drawn together. "You've lost me."

Callas turned her head to Seth. "In my dreams—or whatever you want to call them—and on my run, in the back of the truck on the way home from the beach, the bonfire, my house, even my bathroom—they were all times that he was there but wasn't stopped—"

"Hold up, he was in your bathroom?"

"Do not get me started on that." Callas groaned, placing her face in her hands. Seth held his hands up and sat back on the sofa, but Reed sat forward.

"No more secrets, remember?" He reminded her.

Callas nodded weakly. "Yeah, I remember. No more secrets."

"So, what happened?"

"It was the day I told you about Will, during dinner," Callas started, Reed nodded. "It was the first time I saw Will in person. I went to have a shower, I locked the door..." Callas thought back to the disturbing images her mind had conjured up and shook her head slightly. "I got out and saw that something was written on the mirror."

"What did it say?" Reed's voice seemed to carry off with the faint draft in the house, worried for Callas.

"'You can't lock me out by sealing your window forever, Callas.'"