42. Erin
Chapter forty-two
Erin
I jolted awake. My chest heaving, sweat slicked my forehead. I frantically searched the room around me, searching for any sign of Libby.
I blinked, the space coming into focus.
“What?” A wave of confusion struck me. I fumbled out of bed, rummaging for my phone and pulled up my GPS history. Nothing. The last thing in there was from a few weeks prior. My brows furrowed.
What the hell?
When did I fall asleep?
I clamped my eyes shut and counted to ten before opening them again. I was in the spare room at Seth’s. A baggy shirt wrinkled and covering my torso, hung off of me. I felt along my thighs, neither straps nor harnesses still fastened around them. I shoved my hand under my mattress, anxiously feeling around for my daggers or sword.
Calm. We are here. The hum of my sword filled my mind, easing some of the building tension in my shoulders.
I let out a breath. “I’m getting really tired of these damn dreams,” I said more to myself than my sword.
You do not rest well, that is true. Your tossing made it difficult for my sisters and I to slumber.
“You guys sleep?” I cocked my head to the side.
Not in the same way as you, but yes. And given the intensity of your training as of late, we require as much rest as we can gather.
A pang of guilt rushed me. “I’m sorry about that.” I slumped against the side of my bed, head falling onto my mattress.
No need to apologize. It comes with the territory. Given your destiny.
“My destiny?” I cocked an eyebrow, as the lids of my eyes shut.
Why, yes. Only one other has had weapons such as us.
“Huh,” I clicked my tongue. “You want to tell me what this grand destiny is?”
You already know part of it. The rest has yet to be decided.
“Well, aren’t you cryptic,” I grunted and pushed myself to my feet, groggily walking toward the bedroom door. “I’m going to get something to eat, I’m starved.”
Wait…
I waved my sword off and padded into the hallway towards the kitchen. Only to stop in my tracks as I came upon Libby and Seth. Locked in a tongue tango. I choked back a sob. A crack splitting within my chest. “Seth?” I whispered, my voice wobbling.
Their eyes shot open. He pushed himself away from Libby, his deep blue eyes wide with surprise. “Erin?” His panicked eyes flicked between Libby and me. Tears welled in the corners of my eyes, threatening to fall.
I turned on my heel and bolted back into the bedroom, slamming and locking the door behind me. Seth banged on it from the other side, yelling my name. I grabbed my phone and sent out a text to the one person I knew who’d get me out of this then began shoving clothes into my school bag.
Tears streamed down my face as I reached under my mattress and grabbed my blades, my sword attempting to speak to me. I quickly hushed her, not wanting to listen and hear how stupid I was to believe there was something between Seth and me. As I piled my belongings into my bag, the photo on my nightstand caught my eye. It was from the night we all got wasted playing truth or dare. Seth had his arm wrapped around my shoulder, the goofiest grin on his face; drunken idiotic hope and adoration plastered on mine as I looked up at him. I grabbed the frame and threw it as hard as I could at the far wall of the bedroom, denting the plaster, and leaving a gash in the wall as the frame shattered and fell to the ground.
Good fucking riddance.
My heart shattered with it.
My cell phone beeped; the screen lit with the message that my ride was here. I hauled my bag over my shoulder, daggers poking out on the side, sword slung in the holster I clipped to the front. I got to my feet, not bothering with putting on shoes and stomped to the door, yanking it open. Seth stood. Blocking my escape. His eyes red and wet with tears.
Liar.
His hands reached for my shoulders. “Erin, please.” His voice broke. I met his eyes with a dead stare.
My insides chilled, the frost coating my vocal chords. “Get out of my way, Seth.”
His hands squeezed. “Erin, it’s not what you think, please, let me—“ I cut him off as sparks of electricity lurched forward, crackling their way up his fingers, and through his arms. He stumbled back, pain flickering across his features.
“You are worth every risk, Rin. Every damned one.”
“You are far more important to me than you know.”
Fucking horseshit.
I opened myself…for the smallest moment…
Libby reached for me as I barreled towards the front door and to my escape. I stared her down, letting my fire erupt within my irises as a warning.
I yanked the door closed behind me; the doorknob blackened and melted shut, my pain fueling the molten rage bubbling at my fingertips, not wanting either of them to follow me.
I reached the car waiting for me and tossed my stuff in the backseat not concerned with being polite. I stomped to the front and slid in, not bothering with fastening the seat belt. What would be the point when my heart was frozen? And soon…I’d probably die in our feeble attempt at protecting the humans…and the man who just broke what barely remained of my heart.
“Let’s go.”
A few days had passed since I’d seen Seth and Libby. The two of them kissing, swapping saliva, forever burned into my brain. I squeezed my eyes shut in an attempt to push the image away and felt a fist clench around my traitor of a heart. I thought…
I wiped the tears pouring from my eyes on the arm of my long-sleeve heartbreaker shirt. Talk about ironic. I grabbed this first shirt I could when I snuck back into Seth’s place this morning. I wasn’t ready to face him yet, so I asked Josh to shoot me a text when Seth left.
The text came through around seven a.m.
Seth is leaving now. He just pushed his key into the lock and is heading down his front steps to his vehicle.
Do you want me to come pick you up?
I blew a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
No, I’ll drive myself over.
I hit send then added,
Thanks though.
Josh had brought my car over the day prior, suggesting that it might be best so I would have access to leave his home if needed.
The whole trip took an anxiety-inducing ten minutes. I had no idea exactly how close Josh lived to Seth. Not that I’d known the guy that long but still. I made it to Seth’s and after gaping at the damage I had done to the front, the handle melted into the burnt door, I rushed around the outside until I found a weak point in one of the windows and bashed it open.
I’ll figure out a way to pay him back, or not.
I ran into the guest room, which for whatever reason had the door already flung open, and grabbed a handful of clothes from my bag. I ran back out and down to my car, flinging it out of park and into reverse. I was still surprised I didn’t hit anything speeding my ass out of there.
I rested my chin against my hand, looking out the front window of Josh’s house.
I still don’t understand…I know we weren’t…dating but…something was there. I could feel it. Like there was something building between us…and then he just…kissed Libby.
And it was a pretty damn passionate one based off of the two seconds I witnessed before bolting. It’s not like he didn’t know I was there.
After I’d gotten in Josh’s car, I’d scrolled through my messages, seeing if there was anything that might’ve made sense or distracted me. Seth had apparently texted me the night before, asking to hold off on training the following morning so we could run through our defense plans against the Demons.
Did he want me to see them? Was that his way of telling me he’s not interested? That the other night hadn’t happened?
I felt the tears starting back up again.
Get it together, Snow. You have more important shit going on, like I don’t know, stopping Hell’s Angels from murdering a bunch of missing people?
“Ugh! Get it together!” I shouted. “This is fucking stupid.”
“What is it, Miss Snow, that you find stupid?” I jumped, not realizing Josh had came up behind me. Or that he had returned.
“Nothing. It doesn’t matter,” I mumbled, still looking out the window.
“It doesn’t seem like nothing. Do you wish to talk about it? I’ve been told I’m an excellent listener.” His dress shoes tapped against the floor as he stepped into my peripheral vision and leaned against the eggshell wall.
I rolled my eyes. My head turned, still resting on my hand, and glared at Josh. Sending my best leave me the fuck alone look I could muster. “What’s it to you anyway?”
Josh chuckled, light and throaty. “Well, you are currently squatting in my home. I’ve left it for the past few days but I would like to know the reason as to why I felt the need to provide you with shelter.”
I sighed.
Oh, what the hell.
“Well. Do you want the short version or the stupid version?”
“Miss Snow, if it is something that has you this distraught, I wouldn’t deem whatever the situation is as stupid. Potentially rather dramatic, but hardly stupid.” He shot me a smile.
“Uh. Huh. Sure.”
Dramatic, might be pretty spot on.
“Well. How much do you know about Seth and me?” I caught myself, there was no ‘Seth and me.’
“Truth be told, I don’t know a whole lot outside of the two of you having been childhood friends and that he seems to be a type of interest to you, based on how you’ve become rather flustered around him on more than one occasion.”
A blush crept its way up my neck. “That’s the basics. You’ve pretty much got that down.” I leaned back in Josh’s burgundy vampire-esc lounge chair and crossed my arms across my middle. “We’ve been friends for years, as you know. Best friends, actually. We’ve always told each other everything. I thought so at least, until he divulged this whole being a Nephilim thing to me. Which hurt. I mean I get why he couldn’t tell me and why he waited so long but it still hurt. And now…with Libby…I…they both told me they weren’t dating. That they were history and just friends now,” I took a ragged breath. “But clearly, that wasn’t—isn’t the case. And I was just getting my hopes up. When Seth was clearly never interested.” I blinked, another tear escaping.
“Have you always…cared for him this way?” Josh asked quietly, a hint of pity tracing his words.
“Yes. No…I…I don’t know. I don’t think so. But I noticed it a few months ago, around the time this whole Nephilim mess started. I chalked it up to hormones and changing. But it feels like so much more than that. I mean, I’ve had crushes before, dated a few times but none of it felt like this. When I saw…when I saw Seth kiss Libby…it felt like my heart split in two.” I choked, tears free-falling down my cheekbones.
Josh brought his hand to my shoulder, squeezing it. “I’m sorry, Erin. I imagine that must be hard. A love squashed without ever having been explored.”
I let out a half sob half laugh. “I’m pretty sure that’s the first time you’ve actually used my first name. I really must be a complete wreck.”
“Not a complete wreck, dear.” The warmth from his smile hit me like a freight train.
“Prick.”
“Yours, truly, Miss Snow. At your assistance.” We both laughed.
I wiped the treacherous tears from underneath my eyes and pushed myself to my feet. “I’m going for a run.” I needed to get out and stop moping about. I wasn’t going to find these humans on my own sitting around and feeling sorry for myself.
“Would you like me to accompany you?” Josh asked softly from behind me.
“If you want.” I felt his golden-flecked, piercingly blue gaze burn a hole into my back. Yet when I peaked over my shoulder he was gone. I shrugged and reached for the door handle.
“I’ll be just a moment, Miss Snow.” I jumped as Josh shouted from down the hall.
While waiting for him to come back out, I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and swiped up to find an absurd amount of unread notifications from Seth, with a few from Libby sprinkled in. I’d kept my notifications off from all contacts and apps with the exception of Josh and Ashlin, not that there were many from either.
I blew out a sigh and bit the bullet. I scrolled through the texts from Libby first, as there were far fewer to sort through.
I’m so sorry, Erin.
Erin, I know you’re upset. I would be too. Please let me explain.
It’s not what you think.
I’m so sorry.
I know you probably don’t want to see me right now but please call or text me. We need to talk.
The last one from her caught my attention.
I might have found something on the humans. Call me ASAP.
I moved my thumb over the screen, to select the texts from Seth, and hesitated. Deciding I wasn’t ready to conquer that hill yet. I tapped on Libby’s contact in my phone and let out a breath, bracing myself for whatever she was going to say. I played the possibilities in my mind while I waited for her to pick up.
“Oh yeah, Seth and I have been dating this whole time.”
“We were drunk.”
“We didn’t know you were home .”
Okay that last one hurt a bit more, since I hadn’t yet called Seth’s place home . I hadn't even let myself consider that.
“Hello? Erin?” Libby answered, her voice hushed.
“The one and only. What do you want?” I snapped and chastised myself; reminding myself that I needed to be civil, let her explain. I needed the information about the humans.
“Look, I get you’re upset but we’ll deal with that later,” Libby clipped. “I might know where the Demons are hiding them. Where they’re keeping the humans.”
My heart raced. This was it. “Spill. And leave absolutely nothing out.”
My eyes widened and blood hummed in anticipation with each word. I bit back a growl when Josh returned, joining me in his foyer. Concern or fear flashed in his speckled eyes as they widened, his pupils dilating. I couldn’t tell which and nor did I care. Sparks sizzled at my fingertips; fire began to rumble within my abdomen.
Libby finished, leaving me space to digest everything she had dumped on to my plate.
This is it.
I cast a dead stare at where Josh remained standing. “How quickly can you be ready?”
A beat passed before Libby responded, a fierce determination in her voice. “You tell me when.”
“Now. We go by foot. It’ll be quieter and attract less attention. Grab everything you need. And be prepared.” I hung up, not awaiting a response and sent over where to meet. My lips pressed together.
“Change of plans, I presume, Miss Snow?” Josh said, a chill of ease in his voice.
I pushed past him, my shoulder ramming into his abdomen, and grabbed my bag from the pleated chaise lounge on the other side of the foyer. “Yes. Now turn around and don’t fucking look. I catch you sneaking a peak and I will torch you.”
“I am a gentleman, Miss Snow, I would never.”
As if.
I rolled my eyes and tore through my bag pulling my fighting gear out: weapon resistant long sleeve and matching black padded leggings. I quickly threw them on, then slid into my jacket, fastening it; my arm and leg guards in place, making sure all the vital parts were protected. I strapped on my harness for my sword and the two for my daggers on my thighs before sheathing each blade. I grabbed a knife from the side pocket of my bag and slid it into my waistband, as an added precaution. I wrapped my long brown hair into a high ponytail and spun around, heading straight for the door, leaving Josh in my wake. “Do not follow me,” I stopped at the bottom step. “And leave Seth out of this. I might be pissed, but this is bigger than that. I’m not letting him risk his life, when I’m what they want.”
“Noted,” he clipped.
I flipped him off then ran. Every minute I wasted, put those humans at more risk. I snuck another glance at my phone as I reached the forests dividing us and Riverside.
Time had flown by, and we were out of time. Tomorrow would be the night of the blood moon. It truly was now or never.