Shades of Amber (21 page)

“
You can ignore your
feelings, but your body is going to remind you of your denial. I’m
letting you go because I know you’ll come back. ”

My insides were in
turmoil. A small part of me wanted him to make me stay so I could
pretend I didn’t have a choice.

“
Right,
you’re just going to let me go, like
this
?” I waved a hand in front of my
robe.

He eyed my curves and took
my hand. “Let’s get you some clothes, then.” His voice was deep,
tinged with regret and maybe lust. I followed him through the
house, anxious to see if he would really let me go.

JADED

Her love

Means more than life
itself.

A true beauty,

She shines like nothing
else.

Her mind

And spirit is more than
unique.

Her love…

As precious as an
antique.

I see her here

And think I’ve
won…

For she has no
idea

What I’ve done.

But,

How can this love truly
last…

When we’ve both
been

Jaded by the
past.

-Troy

Chapter 26

I paused in the doorway,
overcome by nerves. If he was going to let me leave, I wanted to
get gone before he changed his mind.

“
Stop second-guessing it.
You’ll come back of your own free will and then you can finally
stop denying your feelings.”

“
Right,” I muttered as I
sat on the couch.

Troy cheated. If I
returned, it would be because he drugged me with his
blood.

He went to the dresser,
removed shoes, jeans, a t-shirt, and a coat and laid them next to
me. I studied him as he knelt at my feet.

This man was handsome,
endearing, and could be mine if I wanted, so what was my
problem?

My eyes traveled over him
until they met his piercing gaze, and then I remembered exactly
what his flaw was.

If only he was
mortal.

Troy lifted my chin. “Then
what, Jade? You had a hard time believing I loved you the first
time around, and I was mortal then.” He sat back and rubbed a hand
over his face. “What can I do to convince you?” He closed his eyes.
“You don’t have to be afraid to love me.”

I tried to remain strong,
but he was getting to me. His words, his voice; everything about
him was wearing away my defenses.

“
I can’t do this.” I
grabbed the clothes and ran for the bathroom. As I dressed, I
looked at the mirror one more time, realizing that it was the only
one I’d seen.

Why would he have a mirror
if he couldn’t see himself?

When I entered the room,
Troy was facing the fireplace with his head down. I moved to the
right. The gold picture frame in his hands didn’t match the black
theme on the mantle. My curiosity pulled me forward even though my
mind demanded I leave.

A moment later, he laid it
face down and turned around. I moved toward him, lured by his
solemn expression.

Was it because of me? And
what picture was he looking at?

I paused a few feet away,
seized by his beauty and all the memories of our past. He used to
be the person who mattered most.

Could I really cut him out
of my heart?

I closed the distance
between us. “Why do you have a mirror in the bathroom if you don’t
cast a reflection?”

“
You need a
mirror.”

“
What?”

His gaze warmed me from
head to toe. “I figured you’d need a mirror to do your hair and
brush your teeth. I knew you’d want one.”

I can’t really identify
all the feelings, but they melted my heart. “Why would you do
that?”

“
I came back here for you.
I knew it would take a lot of coaxing to get you to forgive me and
let down your guard, but I never considered you’d fight this
hard.”

“
What will you do
now?”

He looked desolate as he
sat in the chair a few feet away. “What else can I do but wait for
you to change your mind? You already have
my
heart and soul.”

I glared at
him.

Was he trying to be funny?
There was no chuckle or mischievous smirk, so maybe he meant
it.

“
Is that why you came
back?” I sat on the arm of the chair.

“
I meant what I said in
the beginning. You are perfect for me.” He cupped my
cheek.

“
Your power frightens
me.”

Troy dropped his hand as
if I’d burned him. “A part of me doesn’t blame you.”

“
No, you can’t.” I caught
it and kissed his palm. “This whole time, I’ve been worried about
how much you’ve changed, but I forgot to take note of how much of
you is the same.”

“
My love for you has only
intensified.”

I nod. “I want to try to
share my life with you. Pushing you away hurts more than when I
thought you were dead.”

He pulled me onto his lap.
“Love is the strongest emotion. It can’t be ignored or buried. It
transcends.”

Together

Common sense tells
me

We shouldn’t
be.

After all,

You are totally
different

From me.

I find myself giving
in…

To the thought of
you

In my life
again.

In my heart,

You’ve made
yourself

At home.

Now,

I feel as though we
really

Belong.

-Jade

Chapter 27

“
So how are you guys?”
Faith pushed her lunch tray aside and leaned closer. “It’s been a
week right?”

Mariah shook her head. “If
my boyfriend came back from the dead, I’d have a hard time
adjusting.”

She had no
idea.

The other day, I woke up,
terrified when I saw him leaning over me, but I don’t want to
discuss it with them. Troy has been helping me cope by convincing
me to spend every free second with him.

We’ve even gone out with
my friends a few times, but he hated when they tiptoed around the
past. They treated him like a prince who defeated evil and found
his way home, but I knew the truth.

He was the monster in this
tale.

Amelia smiled. She knew
what he was, but Faith and Mariah had been happy to hear that
“vampires” didn’t really exist.

Didn’t they find it odd
that we had to go out after sunset unless it was cloudy? If so,
they hadn’t mentioned it.

Compared to Faith’s
boyfriend Tyler and Mariah’s guy, whom she lovingly refers to as
Cricket, Troy is an enigma.

“
You know Halloween is
tomorrow,” I said, tapping my planner with an orange
fingernail.

“
Yep, Troy’s masquerade
party is also tomorrow.”

I smiled at Faith. “Oh,
you’re right!”

Our table erupted in
laughter.

“
You’re all going to come
right?”

Amelia and Faith nodded.
“Yes! We’re all coming… the whole book club,” Amelia shook her
head. “This is the third time you’ve asked, you know.”

Faith leaned forward. “Do
you realize you guys are following the same pattern as last
time?”

I rubbed my chin. “Oh,
you’re right!”

Amelia’s eyes narrowed.
“You really haven’t notice how déjà vu it is?”

“
Trust me, things are
definitely different, but I’m sure Troy is aware of
everything.”

Amelia laughed. “I’m sure
he is.”

“
Well, I need to make sure
my costume is finished.” I got to my feet and exchanged hugs with
my three best friends.

“
What are you going as,
anyway?” Faith whispered.

I rubbed my palms
together. “I stumbled upon a gorgeous dress at Costume Emporium, so
I’m going as revitalized version of Christine
.

Mariah rubbed her
forehead. “Umm, didn’t you guys already do
The Phantom of the Opera
?”

“
Yeah, but if you stop
talking so loud no one else will remember that!”

Amelia smiled. “You know
what they say about history….”

Faith cocked her head to
the side. “What do they say?”

“
Those who don’t pay
attention the first time are doomed to repeat it,” We both
replied.

“
See you guys
tomorrow!”

My mother’s dehydrated
orchid beckoned, but my thoughts chained me to the steering
wheel.

Somehow, I had accepted
Troy’s death easier than his return. That wasn’t surprising since
the list of differences got longer by the day. He was flesh and
blood with a heart and soul—that should be enough for me, but could
I really look past his vampire upgrade? I was trying.

I grabbed the garment bag
from my backseat as the last bits of purple and orange faded from
the night’s sky. Unease followed as I made my way to the porch.
Pausing at the first step, I listened for the usual signs of life,
but the crickets and night crawlers were nowhere around. A breeze
lifted my hair as it caressed my skin. It was nice, but couldn’t
distract me from feeling his gaze.

“
How long have you been
here?” My skin was on fire, but the cold key kept things in
perspective.

“
Long enough,” said the
shadow.

My hand shook slightly,
but my voice held steady. “Nothing better to do?”

“
I worry about your
safety.”

“
I’m sure you
do.”

“
What if I was a predator
out to get you?”

“
I’d tell you to get in
line.” I slid the key into the deadbolt as his voice drew
closer.

“
What did you do
today?”

“
Why so intense?” I
stepped inside and flipped the light switch. Goosebumps lined my
arms, despite the warmth of the house.

Troy leaned against the
doorjamb, filling the space with his broad shoulders. “I’m always
intense, cher.”

“
You still haven’t told me
how long you’ve been here.” The garment bag fell twice as I tried
to find the coat rack without taking my eyes off him. The longer I
looked, the more I wanted to run my hands beneath his black blazer
and navy V-neck.

He chuckled. “And you
haven’t told me what you did today. Did you go
shopping?”

My lips curved up as I
shrugged.

We were at a
standstill.

“
I asked you first,” I
said as I placed my hand near his.

“
Let me come in before the
heat escapes.”

I laughed, “I don’t think
so.”

Troy lifted his hand,
tracing the curve of my cheek as if we weren’t separated by the
three magical inches of my parents’ threshold.

“
You wouldn’t tease me if
we were at your house.”

I simply
smiled.

“
Come on, cher. Just say
the words.” His voice wrapped around me like a warm blanket, urging
me to abide. My blood warmed as I considered inviting him
inside.

We could lay on the couch
and I could let him….

I shook my head. “This is
my parents’ house, I can’t invite you in.”

His ring sparked as he
held my gaze. “Of course you can.”

“
No, I
can’t. You’ve been invited into
my
house. What if I need some alone
time? This is my only refuge if I need to escape you.”

“
Are you tired of me
already, cher?”

I looked at his mouth,
remembering how good it felt when he kissed me. “No, I just need a
place to put my costume. I also have to water the plants. My
parents are on vacation.”

“
Why can’t you leave the
costume at your house?”

“
I don’t want you to see
it before tomorrow,” I said, blocking the bag from his
sight.

“
And why is
that?”

“
I want it to be a
surprise.”

“
Alright, I won’t peek.
Come to dinner with me.”

The tone of his voice made
me step back. “Is it just me or do you get more intense every
day?”

“
Hmm, I think it’s just
you,” he whispered.

My hands twitched as I
considered running them along his abdomen. “I see what this is.” I
covered my ears. “You’re trying to seduce me.”