Crave (21 page)

My body ached as I spun, bowing my back and struggling to keep my face relaxed.
Don’t show the pain. It won’t last much longer.
I hit the ground hard, my elbow taking the brunt of the impact as I slid across the cold surface.

“You’ll get it, Ava. Let’s try the Axel jump next,” My coach, Victor, called from the side of the rink. I nodded, exhaling as I shook my cold hands in hopes of making the numbing subside.

“Can I take five?” I asked and slid to the door. He nodded, giving me my blade guards and I slid them onto the bottom of my skates before heading to the locker room.

The woman’s locker room only had three stalls and all were occupied with a line of four more girls waiting to use the facilities.

“Great,” I grumbled as I headed back out to the rink, stopping at the men’s locker room door. I glanced at Victor, who was sipping a fresh cup of coffee, the steam rolling up to his face as he ran his hand through his graying hair, unconcerned with where I was.

I shoved against the men’s door and slipped inside. The hockey team wouldn’t be in until later and there was only one other male skater on the ice today, practicing a pairs routine with his partner.

I hurried over to the stall and closed the door behind me, struggling to get my pink leotard down my body before I exploded.

The door to the locker room creaked open on its hinges before slamming shut.

“Damn it,” I grumbled to myself knowing Victor was never going to let this one down. “I couldn’t hold it,” I called out. There was no reply. “Are you going to just stand there and listen?” I laughed but it died in my throat when he didn’t respond.

I hurried up and flushed, pulling my outfit back over my shoulders. I slid the lock open on the door and looked out into the empty locker room.

“What the hell?” I mumbled under my breath as I went to the sink and washed my hands, my arm thudding in pain.

“Don’t mind me,” A voice called out and I jumped before looking over my shoulder.

I noticed the guy leaning up against the end of the lockers, his hands shoved into his jean pockets. My eyes continued down further and I noticed his sneakers. There was no equipment bag in site. He clearly wasn’t here to skate unless he was renting his skates. Maybe he was on a date or something.

“Sorry. The girl’s room had a line.” I took a small step back, rocking on the blade covers of my ice skates.

“No need to apologize to me.”

I turned back around, looking him over. His basic white tee hugged the muscles of his chest and he was a few inches taller than me, even with my skates.

“You here to skate?” I asked.

“God no,” he said with a little too much disdain.

“Yeah. It’s a lot tougher than it looks,” I shot back defensively.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to offend you,” he placed his hand on his chest as he took a few steps closer to me. “I’d probably make a fool out of myself. You looked great out there, by the way.”

“You were watching me?” I turned back to him.

“It was kind of hard not to. I’ve ever seen anything so beautiful. The skating I mean…” He stumbled over his words with a sheepish grin.

“Oh… thank you.” I felt my entire body heat up and I hoped I wasn’t turning as pink as my outfit.

“You should let me look at that,” he lifted his chin and I looked down at myself, my eyes widening in embarrassment as I covered my chest. “No! No!” he laughed, running his hand through his thick, short hair causing it to stick up haphazardly. I momentarily got lost in the gesture wishing I could be lucky enough to run my fingers through his hair. “Your arm,” he clarified as he sauntered toward me.

“Oh! Right,” I shook my head feeling like I was burning up inside of my own skin. “It’s nothing. It happens all the time.” I waved him off as he stopped just inches from me.

“Mind if I…” his voice trailed off as his fingers slid across my arm leaving goosebumps in the wake of his touch.

“S-sure,” I stuttered, looking up at his face, taking in the hard lines of his jaw and the way his chocolate eyes narrowed as he looked me over.

“I don’t think you did any real damage,” he said as he examined me, his finger running over the scrape and catching a wayward drop of blood. He looked like he might pass out.

“Not a fan of blood?” I asked, scrunching up my nose in disgust.

“Nah. Not really my thing but we should probably get you cleaned up.” He smiled and his eyes met mine. “Have we-”

“No!” I yanked my arm back from his grip, embarrassed he thought I was the type of girl who just slept with random guys and didn’t even remember them.

“Met,” he finished. “I feel like we have met before.”

“Oh… uh… I don’t think so.” I felt tears prick my eyes out of embarrassment.

“Come on,” he took my hand and pulled me back to the sink, turning on the water and waiting for it to warm before holding my arm under the stream and rinsing it clean before rubbing some soap on the wound.

“You should be more careful,” he said as he examined my injury.

“I think I’ll live,” I joked and he laughed. “Unless you came in here to murder me or something. You’re not a serial killer are you?”

“No. No worries there.”

“Vampire?”

“Not a very good one if I can’t stand the sight of blood,” he deadpanned. “We haven’t had vampires for hundreds of years.”

I rolled my eyes as he studies my arm. “If you believe in bedtime stories. I think people just made those stories up to keep their kids from going out at night. Are you a doctor or something?” I asked and he laughed, shaking his head.

“No. Not yet. Hopefully one day. You know, it’s because of doctors that we don’t have monsters like that anymore. Are you up to date on your shots?” He teased and I stuck out my tongue.

I nodded, impressed. “Nobel job… saving lives.”

He shrugged off my compliment as he rubbed a wet paper towel over my scrape and I winced, trying to pull my arm back but he held it firmly. “You gotta do something,” he finally responded.

“What about you? You’re an ice skater?”

“Nah.” I shrugged, embarrassed. “I mean, I’ve always wanted to be but as you can see… I’m not very good. I’ll probably go to school to be a veterinarian or something.”

His eyes narrowed as he thought that over. “I don’t know. I think you should stick with this… if it’s your dream.”

“Maybe I will,” I mused.

“Are you sure we haven’t met?”

“I think I would remember,” I replied nervously.

“I just have this intense case of Déjà vu,” he laughed as he rinsed the soap from my arm.

“I don’t believe in any of that weird, magic stuff.”

He laughed. Patting my arm dry with a fresh paper towel, he smiled widely, hesitating before letting my arm slide from his grasp.

“All better.”

“Thank you.” I let my arm fall to my side as I walked backward a few steps, waving awkwardly. “I guess I’ll see you around.”

I turned and pressed both palms against the heavy wooden door and it squeaked on its hinges as it began to open.

“I didn’t catch your name,” he called from behind me and I paused, hesitating before responding.

“My name is Ava. Ava Ó Muireagáin.” 

“Ava,” he repeated with a smirk. “Doesn’t that mean
life
?”

“Um… I don’t know,” I laughed. “Maybe. What’s your name?” I asked as I stepped through the door. It began to swing closed between us but he spoke up just before it slammed closed.

“Elijah. Elijah Malakai.”

A lot had changed since I’d leapt from the building with Eva. Science prevailed and vampires where eradicated when a new vaccination made human blood unable to satisfy their hunger.

As far as anyone knew.

I did my best to single handedly wipe out thirteen major Sectors and seven of the ten Elder Council members. Moses still eluded me but I was confident he was long dead. I was willing to do anything to make the world safer for my love. Ava was getting a shot at a brand new life where nothing was going to stand in the way of her dreams.

I wasn’t a vampire.

I was
more
.

Ava’s blood hadn’t just given me true eternal life. I was stronger now and able to control my hunger. I could walk out in the sun with no worry other than getting a sunburn. And I held onto every single memory I’d had of her. But the one thing I couldn’t control was my need to protect her.

I was the strongest and most dangerous creature to walk the Earth.

I’d watched her for weeks, afraid to get too close to her. I wanted her to know about our history together, but if she found out too quickly, she would think I was crazy. I had to take my time and luckily, I had nothing but time.

I’d learned my lesson.

I’d watched my soulmate, now Ava, grow into a beautiful woman. I’d watched her begin to follow her dreams. I stood in the shadows and kept my distance as a boy from her school courted her. I watched him cheat on her and make her cry.

His body was found three weeks later on the bank of a ravine.

I watched her cry. Again.

She mourned the loss of him for weeks. It killed me inside that I’d hurt her and I couldn’t go to her to make it better.

I wasn’t the hero of her story.

I vowed to stay away from her because I knew her life would be better that way. I wasn’t ready. Maybe the next lifetime… or the next.

But I couldn’t.

I wouldn’t.

As hard as I tried to fight the special bond we’d made, it physically pained me not to be with her.

In a moment of weakness, I went to her, as a predator tracks his prey. She had isolated herself from the safety of the other humans. For a fleeting moment, I entertained the idea of turning her in that locker room. We’d never have to play this game again. But as I watched her out on that ice, living out her dream, I couldn’t take it away from her. Instead, I asked her out on a date.

And another.

And another.

I spent two years making her fall in love with me again, all while keeping the darker truth hidden from her.

She’d never understand the things I’ve done… but I’ve done them all for her.

THE END

TERESA MUMMERT
grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania where she began dating her husband when they were only sixteen years old. They married at eighteen and soon moved to Louisiana as her husband began his military career. They are the proud parents of four children that they are raising in Georgia.

Teresa began writing when her husband was deployed to Afghanistan as a way to cope with him being away at war. She soon became a 
New York Times
 and
 USA Today
 bestselling author. Her work includes the word of mouth bestselling, 
White Trash Trilogy
, which landed her a three book publishing deal with Simon & Schuster. She has also written the 
New York Times
 and 
USA Today
 bestselling novel 
The Note
, the
 USA Today
 bestselling novel 
Safe Word
, as well as
Perfect Lie
, 
Pretty Little Things
, the 
Honor series
, 
Rellik
, 
The Good Girls
, 
Something Wicked
,
The Death of Lila Jane, Crave 
and the
USA Today
bestselling co- written novel
Sweet Nothing
. 

Future releases include
Cruel, Depravity, Hollow, Weeping Willow, Paper Doll, The Deep, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead,  Rocked, Before I Wake, Fall to Pieces,  Something in the Water, Superficial,
and
 Victim.  
She also has a Middle-Grade children's novel coming out soon titled 
The Seeker 
under the
 
pseudonym T.S. Mummert. 

Find Teresa at
TeresaMummert.com

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