Destined Demons

Chapter Forty-Five | Dolor Amoris

NOAH'S POV

My eyes droop as I stare at the blurred words of the second bestiary I've read tonight. I tilt my head back and begin scratching at the side of my face, causing Liam to glance over at me with a raised brow.

A soft yawn erupts from my throat and I slowly look around the silent living room, finding Gabby fast asleep on the couch across from me and Ax, who's sitting on the floor in front of Gabby's couch, asleep with his head laid back next to Gabby's.

The sight normally makes me disgusted and angry, but for some reason it makes me smile. As long as they don't fucking kiss or hold hands in front of me, I'm completely fine.

Sighing softly, I look back down at the book in my lap and try to continue reading. But this feeling in my chest that all of this just isn't worth it won't go away.

A frown takes over my face at the thought, because I need to know this girl.

I need to find her.

All three of them said that she meant more to me than anyone else in my life, and if that's true, how the hell did I let her go so easily? Where the fuck was I?

"Noah?"

"Hm?" I hum without taking my eyes off the words.

"Maybe you should go upstairs and get some sleep," Liam suggests and I look over at him with a curious look on my face.

"Can you tell me about Alaina?" I ask softly, ignoring his basic demand to go to bed. "I can't remember a damn thing about her."

His face pales at my question, but somehow it causes a smile to tug at his lips. "It was about a month and a half ago," he starts with a chuckle as he closes the bestiary he was reading and sets it down on the table, "you came home incredibly irritated and I couldn't really understand why, because you always used to come home mad.

"But you came in all angry and I said to myself: 'Oh, boy, what did Gabriella do now?' And we came over and sat right here," he pats the couch we're sitting on, "and you told me that...that there was a new girl at school. And everyone was falling in love with her. Everyone except you. And you thought it was so bizarre because she was just this girl. And you called her clumsy and annoying a couple of times," he states and I can't help but laugh when he does.

"You just went on and on about how you couldn't understand why both Gabby and Ax wanted to be her friend so badly, because you thought she was crazy. You told me that on her first day you all went to the diner and she locked herself in the ladies room and started screaming."

My brows furrow at his statement and I feel my stomach tighten. "What?"

"And then about a week later, you guys had a friend throwing some party and Gabby invited Alaina, and she went. But the catch for you going was that you had to 'babysit' her. That's why you were so annoyed that day when you came home because you had to protect this girl that you didn't even know.

"Gabby told you that Alaina was bit, right?" He asks and I nod. "It was the night of the party that she got bit. You weren't watching her, I guess, and she wandered off."

"You're making her sound like a child."

He shrugs slightly, "Mick found her. And he bit her. And you're the one that found them, you said that he was trying to kill her. So you went in and helped her, you almost killed Mick for hurting her, Noah," he whispers and my eyes flicker down to my hands.

"And then you went to help her but she didn't want your help because you terrified her. And that's how you ended up tied," he states and I look up with drawn brows. "Remember the night of the fair when you came home, I pulled at your shirt to see your collarbone?" He asks as he gestures to his own.