Abandoned: Blood Hunter, Aurora Kryan [free novel reading sites TXT] 📗

Resting my head on Gavin’s stomach I sighed, eyes skyward watching the clouds. His hand draped across my stomach. I let it be. He was the only one I would let put an arm around my waist. Don’t ask me why, I never really thought about it. If I did think about it the reason seemed bizarre. Everyone else just seemed evil and I didn’t want them touching me. How stupid was that?

His fingers started to play at the edge of my shirt, running along my exposed stomach. I smacked him, letting my own arm cover his. I felt him chuckle and shift. We did this everyday, came out to the tree at lunch and leaned on each other. People probably thought we were an ‘item’. We weren’t, just close friends. He kept shifting and fidgeting. It was driving me nuts.

“You want me to move or what?”

“No your fine.” He said grunting.

There was an edge to his voice that sounded like fear. My eyes flicked away from the cloud shaped like a dragon. Craning my neck I looked up at his face. His messy brown hair was in his eyes, shadowing them. He was hiding something from me. Twisting I sat up on my left hip, hand pressed to his chest.

“What’s wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

My eyes narrowed. “Don’t play stupid, that doesn’t work with me Gavin. What’s wrong.” I pushed on his chest, repeating the question as a statement.

Sighing he shifted again, dragging himself up off the grass to lean against the tree. My hand dropped off his chest and I turned as well, sitting Indian style beside him. Cocking my head to the side I waited for him to speak. It never happened.

“Don’t make me drag it out of you.” I warned.

"Alright, alright, its just my sister,” he rubbed the back of his head, eyes avoiding mine,” she’s back in town and,” the hand dropped, face pulling up in a scowl,” damn there’s no way around it.” He grumbled to himself,” She wants to meet you because she has it in her head were dating.”

I just blinked at him, face blank. I knew for a fact that his sister was still across the country in Russia. Hell I just got a text from her less then three minutes ago. Unless she could teleport he was lying to my face. That pissed me off. Narrowing my eyes, ever so slightly, I punched his arm making him cock his head to the side in confusion. He didn’t know why I hit him, great.

“I can’t believe you tired to lie to my face.” My voice was even, a small hint of anger in it,” And that was such a horribly lie to begin with, I’m insulted you though I was stupid enough to believe it.”

“Sky-“

“No,” I cut him off pointing a finger at him like I was scolding a child,” don’t even try it. Either you tell me what is bothering you or I will never talk to you again.”

This time his face went blank and he punched my arm, lightly of course. If we ever actually hit each other he would be bruised for a week and I would be in a cast. He just out classed me that much, not that it bothered me. Ok it did. I hated to feel week and helpless but with Gavin it was hard not to.

He was nothing but lean well toned muscle. Not too bulky but not a stick either. He was perfectly sculpted. And to make things worse he weight lifted every day. Over achiever much.

He smiled at me. “Now who’s lying. You couldn’t go a day without talking to me.”
I humped, crossing my arms. “Mm-hum keep telling yourself that.” The smile that had pulled at my lips faded. “Seriously Gavin I know something’s bothering you. What is it? Please?”

Maybe it was the fact that I had said please that made his shoulders slacken. Maybe he just knew I wouldn’t let it go, either way he was about to tell me. Slumping forward he rested his arms across his knees, legs bent in the air slightly. Tilting his head back he watched the sky, blue eyes haunted in the sunlight.

“Gavin…” My voice was just a whisper but it felt like I was choking on a sob.

I had never seen him look so broken. Maybe I should have let it go. Maybe not. If it bothered him this badly I wanted him to tell me so I could comfort him. Didn’t I? Something in my gut was screaming at me to run, this side of him was dangerous. It didn’t make sense why I though he was dangerous. Sweet lovable Gavin a threat to me? Never.

“Sky.”

I jerked like he had slapped me. “Yeah?”

“Do you believe in the boogeyman?”

I blinked. Did I what? Was he serious? He wasn’t looking at me but his eyes flicked to me every now and then like he was waiting. He was serious.

“No, not since I was five.” I finally said.

I hadn’t thought about that in years. When I was little I swore there was a monster in my closet. That kid with glowing red eyes peeking at me through my closet door haunted me for months. It had scared the bajesus out of me as a kid. But when I meet Gavin the kid kind of just went away, my fear along with it. How odd.

“What about vampires?”

This was beginning to get ridiculous. I was about to accuse him of avoiding the subject but stopped. His eyes, god his eyes, they were so broken and scared it hurt to even look at him. Staring at me he waited, still as a statue. Was he even breathing? My stomach knotted, cold sweat creeping down my back. He was scaring me, actually scaring me, by doing nothing but staring.

Staring like that little boy.

I jerked back standing like I had been bitten by something. Grabbing my arm I sucked in a breath. I didn’t even notice I had stopped breathing. Gavin didn’t say anything he just looked away, eyes dimming like I had hurt him by backing down from his gaze. I couldn’t help it, that look was just too haunting for me to take.

“So is that a yes or a no?”

“What?” I said like a moron.

“Vampires, do you believe in them?”

I didn’t say anything. What could I say? No I don’t believe in them but deep down I know I was stalked by one as a child? Yeah I don’t think so. Then again I had my secrets, not just ghost of the past, but secrets that made his question every bit as threatening as it felt.

“Are they real?”

“Yes.” My eyes went wide. Shit, I had said it out loud.

“Then you believe.”

“No I don’t.” I said trying to back track. Maybe he wouldn’t notice. But of course he did.

“You know you sound crazy, yes there real, but no I don’t believe. Which is it yes or no?”
“Why does it matter!” I shouted.

He flinched back like I had slapped him. I frowned shoulders slackening. I didn’t mean to snap at him, the subject was just sensitive for me. I rubbed my right arm, feeling for something that wasn’t there, not yet anyway. How did I answer him, truth or just switch the subject? I had said yes and no for a reason and that reason was as complicated as the day was long.

Yes they were real, I was hunted and hurt by one. No I don’t believe, because then my nightmares were real and that one thing I was so terrified of would come back and finish what it started thirteen years ago. But if I didn’t believe then they would just disappear like a nightmare and leave me alone. Right? I sounded like a lunatic.

“What does this have to do with what’s bothering you anyway?” I asked opting for a subject change.

“Everything, it has everything to do with what’s bothering me.” He sighed, the sound long and frustrated. “Would you believe me if I said I knew they were real, and that,” he paused, eyes on me again,” I know about the mark.”

My body went cold. That word, mark, it had only one meaning. He knew about the scar on my arm in the crook of my right elbow. No one knew about the mark except me. No one knew because it only showed up when true dark covered the city and the monsters came out to play.

Sitting in my room I slammed my physics book shut, forehead smacking it as I collapsed on the bed. I groaned frustrated with my mind. It kept roving back to Gavin and the fact that he knew about my scar. Just thinking about it made my arm itch. At that time he asked if I believed in vampires I was scared, scared he was going to jump at me and rip my throat out.

As if he were one of them. I raised my head and smacked my forehead down on the book. I was an idiot; Gavin wasn’t a vampire, no way in hell. But that look. Rolling out of bed I cracked my door open. Light washed into my room like a tiny tower on my floor. The living room light was shining down the hall; dad would be up watching TV still.

Kicking my feet into the fuzzy slippers I kept by my bed I shrugged into a sweat jacket that hid my camisole. I needed some daddy daughter time to make the monsters in my mind go away. I know it sounded childish but I wanted to, almost needed to. I felt like I was going to loose him soon, just something else to scare me. Seemed like that was all today was, one fright after the other.

“Sky?”

“Can I sit with you?”

He blinked at me, brown eyes like black pools of comfort. “Of course baby girl.”
Sweeping popcorn crumbs off his plaid blanket he scooted over, dropping his feet from the abused coffee table. I sunk into the softness of the simple cream sofa. Pulling my knees up to my chest I slid the jacket over them, hugging my self under the tent I made. He sent me a few concerned stares, rubbing his short prickly beard. He finally got up the courage to ask.

“What’s troubling you baby girl?”