Midnight Whispers (The Midnight Duology #1)

Chapter 8

8

I watch from across the street as Cedar speaks to Lillia, my Lillia, inside of the bookstore. My vision blurs red, and I fight against every urge within me to crash through the glass and rip his fucking heart out. Thoughts of the last interaction I had with him bubble up to the surface.

After I changed Wren, we returned to L.A. reluctantly. Wren was desperate for anything other than the Alaskan wilderness and we knew he would love California as much as we had, so we sold our duplex and purchased a small manor in a gated estate in Bel Air.

Flame was still in L.A. so we knew we could find our old friends, but I knew I wouldn’t be welcomed back into their family. Asher was so excited to see Markus once again, thought the look on his face confirmed my suspicions that we wouldn’t be welcomed.

I attempted to get the two of them on the dance floor, but it only took a couple of moments for Cedar to hear the news of us being there before he stormed out onto the dance floor.

“Brace yourself.” I mutter to Asher. His eyes grow wide as he turns to see what I’m referring to.

“Hello, Cedar.” Asher greets cooly.

“You’re not welcome here,” he hisses.

“Did Markus say that? Or is that an order from you?” I taunt.

Asher has never been one for confrontation and starts to pull on my arm. “Please, Finnian. Let’s just go. This was obviously a mistake. Surely there are other clubs.”

“If you want to see how a real vampire lives, come with me,” he says to Wren. “But you two aren’t allowed in Flame.” He jabs his finger into my chest.

I can hear the panic in Asher’s voice and guilt flickers into my mind when I think of how much I’ve already put him through.

“Let’s go, Wren,” I instruct. “We can find somewhere else.”

Cedar holds his gaze and lifts the corner of his mouth in a smirk.

“I think I’m going to stay here. I’ll see you at home?” Wren replies and follows Cedar into the back room.

I snap back to reality as she leaves the building, Cedar’s eyes never leaving her body. His gaze lingers on her for a moment before his stare meets mine. He raises an eyebrow in challenge, tempting me to come to him and do exactly what I should have done all those lifetimes ago. I bare my teeth at him, a warning that she is mine.

Anger obscures my vision as the corner of his mouth rises in a smirk. Everything with Lillia is a game to him now, his need for revenge fueling him. He knows that humans are naturally drawn to vampires and he’s using it to his advantage with her.

He has been seeking revenge on me for decades, which started with Wren.

Once we had left Flame , Asher went into his room to watch the movie we rented from Blockbuster on our way home from the club. I stayed out in the living room, pacing back and forth until after the sun came up.

After the sun set again, I went back to Flame .

“You’re not on the list,” the bouncer says as I try to walk in.

I raise my hands in a gesture of civility and reply, “I just need to see if my… brother is in there. If I’m not allowed inside, can you at least get Markus?”

He nods before stepping inside. I pace the sidewalk as I wait, chewing the inside of my cheek while the little patience I have grows thin.

Finally, Markus appears, a look of irritation gracing his chiseled jaw. “Finn,” Markus sighs.

“Markus,” I grab onto his shoulder. “Is Wren here?”

“No, he’s not.”

“He was here last night when we left. Cedar took him into the backroom.”

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “ I know.”

My jaw clenches. “What is it?”

“Cedar and he left early this morning. I don’t know where or else I’d tell you.”

“But…”

“He promises me that he’ll keep him safe.”

Anger and grief cloud my vision, it’s a dangerous combination if you’re not in the right mindset. It was a driving force for my hatred all these years.

A few years later, I felt the moment he died. The pain that shot through me was unlike anything I had experienced since I had been made. I fell to my knees and clung on to my chest, as if my own heart was being removed from my body.

I always knew it was Cedar who killed him, even though he and his coven covered it up. Randomly I would check in on them, keeping tabs as the time went on. The number of vampires he was creating regularly was ridiculous and unnecessary. I stopped checking just a few years ago and at that point he was at thirteen; not including the original coven of himself, Markus, or Antoinette, who now goes by Annie.

That number also doesn’t include the vampires who chose to leave and seek refuge elsewhere.

Lillia’s friend, Flora, drives quickly back to their cottage, not being slowed by the rain. The girl is reckless, and it doesn’t take a genius to realize she was the muscle of the friendship. You can see the love they have for one another. I’m grateful that Lillia has someone who loved her the way her friend seemed to. Arriving shortly after they did, I spent a few minutes surveying the woods around the house for any signs of Cedar .

“Do you want to watch a movie?” Lillia’s voice projects through the house.

“Yeah!” Flora yells back. “I’ll pop the popcorn if you want to pick something out! I’m just going to change quickly.”

I sneak in through one of the windows and enter a room which is dark except for string lights draped across the top of the wall. The room has two walls lined with bookshelves that are practically full, much like the shelves in her bedroom. I look at my options while listening to the hum of the microwave, kernels popping, and the opening credits to the movie of choice.

The book I end up choosing is something that caught my eye based on the cover, which was simple in design but fluorescent in color. Even though I much prefer the classics, I do love to enjoy the modern-day options from time to time. I find a spot to sit on an oversized chair, basically a small couch really, and open the book. I’m careful not to snap the spine like I tend to do by habit.

I get about halfway into the book when I hear Lillia yawn and say, “That was a good movie! Did you like it?”

“Lil. We’ve watched Twilight basically every month since we were teenagers and saw it in theaters, and you still ask me if I like it every single time,” Flora laughs.

“Just checking!” The kernels roll around in a glass bowl as she moves off the couch.

“It’s still one of my favorites. Next movie night, we must binge them.”

“But let’s skip Eclipse . That one the worst.”

“I mean you're not wrong. Did they not think we’d notice the recasting of Victoria?” Flora scoffs.

I make a mental note to either ask Asher if he’s seen these movies or make time to watch them myself. As I listen closely, I hear them cleaning up the remnants of their movie night. The floors in the older homes are loud and creak as they walk around the living room and kitchen. Their footsteps are easy to tell apart; Lillia’s are soft and easy while Flora walks with more strength. Flora’s footsteps get closer to me before stopping, I’m assuming at her door.

“Love you Lil. I’m going to bed.”

“Love you most, Flo. Do you want to go to the beach tomorrow?”

“Sure! Picnic?”

“Absolutely.”

The door opens and closes, and Lillia begins to turn off the lights throughout the cottage before walking down the hallway toward her room. I open the book back up to my page and finish reading while Lillia falls asleep. It doesn’t take long for the sound of her breathing to flow into the room.

Gently, I close the book and replace it on the shelf. The door squeaks as I open it, but nobody stirs. Entering her room, I immediately go to the window and look out the front of her house. There’s a silhouette of a man in the distance, just outside of the gated boundary. I know that it’s Cedar, but he has his hood pulled down covering his face. I don’t know if it’s the pull I feel toward her or the protectiveness that consumes me, but realization hits me that I would do whatever it takes, kill whoever it takes, to ensure her safety.

I stare out the window and in a quick motion, the figure is gone. My feet don’t budge as I survey the perimeter of the area, scanning the street and sides for any movement. Lillia moves to adjust herself and get comfortable, a small whimper leaving her lips. I turn to look at her; the moonlight shines in through the blinds and illuminates her face. Her brow is furrowed, the whimpers turning into low pleads. Whatever her dream was before, it’s quickly turning into a nightmare.

My instincts echo in my head, demanding I go to her as she gets twisted up in her sheets. I turn back to the window and try to push my desire away. She thrashes once more, the word no escaping her full lips.

”Fuck.” I sigh and cross the room, sitting on the edge of the bed. I run my hair through the strands of hair and push them off her face, curling them behind her ear. Scooping her up and into my arms, I settle on the bed beside her. She curls into me, nuzzling into my chest. I hold my breath and halt my movements as she gets comfortable.

Lillia’s breathing returns to its normal pace, her heartbeat following shortly after.

The possible scenarios of what she was her dreams consist of passed through my mind. Curiosity of what darkness plagues her thoughts so frequently that it haunts her dreams goes through my mind. I want nothing more than to shield her from every demon that exists in her mind.

Shortly after I wrap her in my arms, she drifts off into a restful sleep and I remain still, obsessively looking over every detail on her face. From the freckles that scatter her nose and cheeks to the smile lines that frame her mouth, I want to know every detail as if it were my own. I’ve studied them enough that I know them well, but I can’t stop. I’m quickly becoming addicted to everything about her.

I lose track of time and before I know it the sun is shining into the room, giving me my cue to leave. How she never woke while I held her, I don’t know. But I don’t care enough to question it. I got to hold her, to soothe her.

Carefully, I pull my arm from under her neck and ease my way off the bed. I am full of reluctance to leave her, to leave this moment, but I know finding a strange man in your bedroom isn’t the way you want to wake up.

The house is quiet as I sneak my way out and into the woods behind it, looking around the perimeter one more time before taking my leave back to the manor.

When I arrive home, I find Asher in the foyer. He has a clipboard and is scribbling away at whatever paper is there.

He looks up at my arrival and chirps, “Good morning, Finnian.”

“Asher. What are you doing?”

“Waiting for the designer to get here.” He checks his watch. “They should be here soon. He told me seven.”

“Oh. Can I ask you about something? A movie?” He looks up and raises a brow, muttering a hmm . “What do you know about a movie called Twilight?”

“Finnian! I know what we're doing today.” He puts the clipboard on the table in the middle of the room. “Movie niiiight,” Asher sings dramatically.

“So, you’ve seen it?”

“Hasn’t everyone?”

“Uh. Not me.”

“Well, I can’t say that surprises me. Your tastes are… limited.” He looks me up and down. There’s a knock at the door. “Go to the living room and I’ll meet you there.”

I turn and do as he say, walking across the house to the living room. It doesn’t take long for him to come into the room and we both find our spots on the couch.

“Prepare to have your mind blown .”

He flips through the apps on the television before settling on one of them and scrolling through the movie options. Once he found the one, we’re watching, he shimmies himself to get comfortable. A girl's voice speaks over a black screen until a deer appears. Following Asher’s lead, I make myself comfortable and prepare for the marathon.

“How many movies are in this franchise?” I ask curiously .

Asher smirks. “There are five, but only four of them are worth watching.”

“Is everyone in this movie teenagers?” He answers with a mmhmm, unable to remove his eyes from the screen. “And you like this?”

“Oh yes. I think all the rattys will tell you they're so bad it makes them good.”

“ Rattys?”

“My goodness, Finn. Don’t you use any kind of technology? We really need to get you caught up with the current times.”

We spend the next ten hours and seven minutes watching the entire saga . Asher eventually got annoyed with me asking questions and told me to refrain from asking any more during the movies.

As the final movie ends, Asher turns to me expectantly. “So, what did you think?”

“I mean they weren’t terrible,” I replied with a shrug.

“I sense a but coming.”

“They were completely unrealistic.”

“They’re just silly movies, the book was much better.”

I check the clock on my phone; it’s after five. Lillia had mentioned going on a picnic with Flora today and I’d like to be there for that, to protect her. I had no idea what time she would be going, so I said goodbye to Asher. He stopped asking me where I was going or what I was doing. I don’t know if it’s because he wouldn't like the answer, or because he already knows. His stance on human and vampire relationships has always been known, but a part of me doesn’t care. I will always love and respect Asher, but when it comes to Lillia all logic seems to disappear.

I need her.