Creature of Habit (Creature of Habit #1) (23 page)

"These? I don't know, Amelia."

"Yes, these. It's summer, and you are clearly going somewhere causal, and boots are for winter. Or hiking. Sneakers are for summer,” I said. "If you want, I could find you a nice pair of flip flops."

Panic spread across his face. He unlaced his boots. I sat on the floor, mesmerized by his fluid movements. He paused before putting the new ones on. He seemed like he couldn't quite commit to actually wearing the sneakers.

I sighed and picked up the shoe in front of me and began loosening the laces for him. They were basic, navy, low top Converse. I had noticed them before while organizing the closet, and could tell they had never been worn. They still held the strong smell of new canvas and rubber.

"Let me see your foot," I directed, holding my hands out. He looked at me like I had asked him to take his pants off or something. I rolled my eyes. "Grant, just give me your foot."

He slowly moved his stripe-socked foot in my direction. His knees were up and his palms were back on the floor behind him. I picked up his foot and slid it into the shoe, meticulously pulling the long, white laces taut one row at a time. I kept my eyes on the shoe but I could feel Grant's eyes on my hands. In the quiet between us, I heard him take a deep swallow.

As I tied the top of the laces in a neat bow I found myself rambling to fill the silence. "When I was sixteen I got a job at the mall selling shoes. It was terrible. People would come in and want to try on shoe after shoe. They would tell me their shoes sizes and then I would have to go to the back of the store to find the style and size they asked for. There were these huge shelves of shoe boxes in the back. Rows and rows of boxes that all looked exactly the same and nothing was ever in the right place. Every time I had to go back there I would get completely confused and overwhelmed. They could've used Olivia to organize it for them." I took a peek at his face and smiled.

Then I picked up his other foot, adjusted the seam and smoothed out his sock before slipping the second shoe over his toes.

“What happened with that job?” he asked.

"After a couple of weeks I couldn't take the chaos anymore. I told my boss I had too much school work and my mother was making me quit. I wimped out, but that job wasn't right for me." I finished and felt Grant shift, wrapping his arms around his legs and placing his chin on top of his knees. My hands were still resting on the top of his shoes, occasionally adjusting the laces trying to get them to line up perfectly.

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I wish I could have known you then."

"You weren't missing much.”

“I doubt it was all that bad.”

“It was worse than bad. I was awkward and gangly. Super nerd. I had braces and some sort of problem with my hair that I couldn’t ever get under control. I would get so nervous around boys. I don't think I even spoke to a guy in my class until I was a senior and even then it was a hot mess."

He didn't look convinced. "I bet you were cute."

I felt the heat rush up my face and decided it was time to get out of this very close situation. I stood up, almost falling, and was caught on the shoulders by Grant's very fast hands.

"Thanks.” I grimaced. "See? Awkward.  By the way, those shoes look great. Change isn't so bad, huh?"

He looked in the full length mirror that hung on the wall, assessing himself. I also glanced over and saw us in the mirror together. Grant was tall and lean. He towered over me, and again I was struck how every part of him looked perfect, down to his shoes. I noticed though, that where he usually had been so distant and reserved with me, keeping such an intentional separation between us, his current body language revealed something different. He leaned in my direction, almost but not quite, entering into my personal space. His eyes were fixed on mine. It was almost if I leaned backward we would meet somewhere in the middle.

He broke his gaze with me and looked down. "No Amelia, I'm beginning to realize change, although difficult for me, can be very good."

Chapter 36

Grant

I followed Amelia up the stairs to her apartment, her black satchel slung over my shoulder. I allowed her to get a couple steps ahead of me for two reasons. One, with every step she took up the staircase I was enveloped in her scent. The second? I enjoyed the view.

Increasingly, I was faced with a difficult situation. My usual desires were being overshadowed by panic. I was truly entering into uncharted territory. I’d spent days formulating a plan for an opportunity to get to know Amelia a little better and break through some of the remaining tension. I'd almost done it today in the dressing room but the situation got away from me. One minute she was teasing me, the next we shifted into a more intimate moment. Amelia often calmed me, filling me with a sense of comfort with her words and movements. She made the most common moments so much more.

The boots were trivial, I knew that, but they were one of the things I clung to in my intentionally structured life. My inflexibility, and the stunted impact it had on my life, had become more and more apparent. I’d always thought this was something to feel accomplished about—my controlled, disciplined behavior—but Amelia was slowly showing me another path. One I’d never considered before. She constantly put me at ease, lulling me into a sense of peace.

The irony was that as a vampire, I was supposed to be able to do this to my prey. It was second-nature for me to convince them to come near me, intrigue and tempt them. I’d never prepared to be a fly in another spider’s web.

We reached the top of the landing. I handed the satchel to her and she said, "Thanks, Grant. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

I didn't want to leave; every inch of my mind and body wanted to stay. It would be hours before I could sneak back. I needed to hunt and then resume my patrols for Caleb and his followers.  I watched her fumble with her keys, restraining myself from helping her. I watched her long hair curl over her shoulders before allowing my eyes to roam down to the hem of her skirt, settling on the spot where it grazed the back of her thighs. I lifted my eyes upward as she finally inserted the key in the lock and twisted the knob open, giving me a final wave goodnight.

I stopped myself before I turned the corner, gathering the courage to actually do what I had planned on all along. "Um, Amelia, I was wondering something…"

She turned away from the door and I could see her face in the fading daylight. She placed her hand on the edge of the door and leaned a little. "Yes?"

I was about to do something I hadn't done in my entire hundred years of existence as a human or a vampire. Thank God I don't sweat, I thought, as I fought to compose myself. I smoothed my face and made eye contact, hoping for once to use my abilities in my advantage. "I wanted to know if you would go with me to an exhibit tomorrow night?"

She paused, her face completely unreadable, but her heart pounded a bit faster. "An exhibit? What kind?"

I moved a little closer to her, near her fluttering heart. "An art exhibit. You had shown an interest in my collection at home, so I thought you may want to see some other work."

Her eyes lit up. "That would be great. In fact, I found a book at the library on impressionist artwork from the time period of your Jackson Pollock painting. I've been reading it at night."

The book was in her room, lying on the bedside table. That, along with her questions, prompted me to contact the local gallery and offer pieces from the Palmer private collection, along with a donation to the museum itself, if they would allow a small showing. When I told Miles I intended for her to be mine, I never said I would play fair. I planned on using every advantage I had to win over Amelia Chase.

I couldn't contain the smile creeping across my lips.

“So yes?” I asked, needing to hear the word.

“Yes, I would love to go, Grant. Thank you.”

"Wonderful," I said, attempting to conceal my excitement.

"So, tomorrow…after work?"

"Yes, after work." I nodded like a fool.

She smiled again and pushed the door open, moving inside. I waited a moment, inhaling the last wisps of her scent in the night air, mentally congratulating myself on successfully asking a woman out. A task that only took a century to complete. Forcing myself to leave, I ran, faster than appropriate, down the stairs to my car, heading to the forest in a celebratory hunt.

Sometime later I stood over the remains of a large elk. I recalled my gorging from weeks before and my first visit to Amelia's apartment. The shades of my inner animal were less now and I could almost feel the humanity emerging from the depths of my soul. My hunger was tempered by other desires. Something I’d never known to be possible.

Consuming the flesh came in more than one shade of red. The lure of her body was nearly as appealing as blood.

The satisfaction from feeding from Amelia would be fleeting and if things went wrong, my despair would be eternal. The act was one sided—requiring that I take and not give. Sharing our physical selves, if that was even possible? That was a shared action.

The thought of her proximity terrified me.

It was much more in my nature to want to keep a treasure like Amelia with me than to use them and cast them aside. I had rooms of knick-knacks, baubles, books and clothing to prove this point. Amelia was more than these mementos, a piece collected during my years. She was a living, breathing reminder of the fragility of humanity.

I buried the animal carcass and traveled back through the thick, dark forest. The air was cool as I traveled through the brush, using my senses to take me back to my car. I had hunted for several hours, making sure I was well fed, anticipating the strength I needed not only to resist Amelia, but to fight Caleb if necessary.

I scaled a large rock and scanned the area. A broken branch. Scuff marks on the ground. I moved faster, following the marks. I caught a hint of something foul on the breeze and inhaled.

“Get your fill?”

The voice echoed in my head and I spun trying to find the source. Nothing definitive jumped out. “What do you want?” I asked out loud. I refused to play the mind games.

“Just to check in with you. How have things been with your little pet,”
Caleb asked.

“She’s not my pet.”

“No?”
He shot me a memory of me climbing through the window at Amelia’s apartment. Then another of us in the car together. A flurry of images rushed across my mind, like the pages of a flip book. He’d been tracking me the entire time. Dread mixed with rage pooled in my stomach.
“Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe you’re her pet?”

“You’re out of your league, Caleb. Leave while you can. I won’t follow you out of my territory.”

“How generous. I’m afraid you don’t understand what’s at stake here, Grant. You’ve taken something that’s mine and I will not leave until you return it.”

I wondered for an instant if something in my collection was his. Had I poached a kill? Clearly he thought we had crossed paths before? “What did I steal from you? Tell me and we can negotiate. I’m sure I can pay you well above what the object is worth.”

“Sorry, not interested. Some things are worth more than money. I think you’re starting to realize that, no?”

“Don’t touch her.”

“Good night, Grant. We’ll meet again soon.”

From under the canopy of trees, I listened to the soft sounds of the night. Caleb was gone, if he’d ever been nearby at all.

~*~

It was past midnight when I left my car and quickly climbed the stairs to Amelia's apartment.

“Grant.”

I stopped in my tracks and peered into the darkness. "Olivia?" I said, lower than a whisper.

Olivia appeared around the corner, near Amelia's door. By her side she held a package in her tiny hand.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I had a vision, someone was here and it seemed faster for me and Elijah to check it out than to call you. Ryan's on his way down.”

"Amelia?" My eyes darted to the door. Olivia's hand wove into mine, effectively keeping me from leaving her side.

“She's fine, listen…”

I focused and heard Amelia’s faint heartbeat…
thump, thump, thump
…steady in its nighttime rhythm.

“Elijah is in the woods trying to pick up their scent.”

“It’s not Caleb, he was in the woods with me. Dammit! I’m sick of this mind-fucking bastard.” I pulled her back into the shadows, but where we could still see the stairway and Amelia's door. After a couple of deep breaths I asked, "What did you see?"

Olivia closed her eyes and searched her memory. "I saw flashes of Amelia's door, not open, closed like it is now. I saw pale fingers attaching an envelope to the door. Then they were gone. They didn’t try to get in the apartment."

"You saw them here, at the door, but not before they got here?" I asked putting the pieces together.

"Yes. No notice, they had already come and gone by the time I saw it." Olivia responded, her eyes flashing with irritation. "Somehow they manage the flow of information. I only see something when they want me to. I was worried it could be a trap for you."

“Caleb had me busy in the woods. They know I’ve been here at night. He wanted an opportunity so he distracted me.” I picked up a rock and crushed it with my hand. I needed to let off some steam—or rip someone’s throat out. "Will Eli catch them? Does he need our help?”

She shook her head. "No, it was a long-shot. He was hoping they would make a mistake."

I trusted Elijah to take care of it, but had little hope he’d be successful. Nodding at the envelope, I asked, "What's in it?"

She handed it over and I quickly opened it, inside I saw a delicate gold cross hanging from a chain. Another object was nestled at the bottom. I poured the jewelry into my hand, and Olivia quickly picked up the second piece. It was a golden brooch, designed like a flower. Its stem swooped into an elegant “A.”

Olivia asked, "Is it Amelia's?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. I've never seen it before. It looks antique though, Victorian perhaps. This one," I held up the delicate cross between my fingers, "looks like the one the media has shown being worn by the missing teenager, Jenna.”

“The brooch doesn't look like something a modern teenager would wear," Olivia said, her eyes narrowed as she took in the intricate detail. “Does this mean Caleb took Jenna?”

“Seems like that’s at least what he wants us to think. That he’s definitely responsible for the abductions. Olivia,” I said. “He knows how I feel about her.”

“He won’t get her,” she promised, a dark spark flared in her eye.

“Maybe I should give her up now. Leave her. It’s too dangerous.” The words came out like lead. One look from Olivia and she knew I’d never do it. It was too late.

“Elijah's coming back, let's go meet him,” she said. I hesitated, not wanting to leave Amelia and Drew alone in the house. Olivia touched my hand. "Ryan will be here soon, let him keep an eye on Amelia. We need to go back to the house and work on these clues. Let's see if we can figure out what they mean. I have a feeling time is running out."

I listened once more to the sound of Amelia's heart, thumping peacefully while she slept. She would be safe with Ryan outside keeping guard. As much as it pained me to leave her, Olivia was right, she wouldn't be safe until Caleb and the others were destroyed.