Page 29 of Those That Are Lost (Hidden Vampires #2)

AURORA

A few more weeks pass and it's the same, yet different.

Instead of late-night sex, we talk. Well, we do still fuck more nights than not now, but there’s a lot of talking. At night I feel like we are building something. I feel him sneaking through all my barriers and setting the old me free.

It’s not quite the old me but I feel that he’s taking the pieces and putting them back together, holding them in place as I find a way to be whole once more. At night we are open and completely uncensored.

During the day, however, we barely see each other, and when we do, I still feel a distance between us.

We never touch except when we’re in bed together.

There’s no casual hugs or hand holding or anything.

It’s confusing and I don’t like it. I did bring it up last night but Ty was half asleep by that point and mumbled something I didn’t catch.

Maybe tonight will be different. The winter Solstice has arrived and the pack has been non-stop excited because the forecast is good and it looks like we might even have another show of the Aurora Borealis .

It turns out that the further north you are, the more important the solstice is. I guess the turning point of winter is a big deal when you only get two to three hours of full daylight on the shortest days.

Because of the fine weather, absolutely freezing but clear, the pack have organised a celebration in their square.

Bunting and decorations were erected yesterday, as was the huge bonfire ready to light.

Ash has been cooking up a storm with several types of baked treats and the whole town is set to come together for a night of music, food, and dancing.

The atmosphere is electric and I can’t help but be swept up in it.

I’ve been out for a run with Luna—Colton’s mate—and Millie.

In human form I could easily lap both females, but with them in wolf form, I’m arriving back a sweaty mess.

I could’ve outrun them with my vampire speed but wanted the workout so didn’t pull on that side of my strengths.

The pathways are pretty slick too, even the ones frequently used, so I’d stuck to muscle power rather than magic, and avoided most likely skidding straight into a tree on the icy ground.

Luna’s past the sickness stage of her pregnancy now but had tired on our morning out and wanted to nap before the festivities kicked off in a few hours, so we’d dropped her home.

Millie and I make our way back to the main square, heading for the pack house, when we spot a few males putting up some more lanterns for tonight.

She has a crush on one of them and is quick to abandon me to go flirt.

I shake my head, hearing her erupt in giggles as I push open the door after stomping my cleated boots free of snow.

The warmth of the house is accompanied by the smell of freshly baked bread and even though I have no desire to eat any of it, I enjoy the smell. When I’d first turned, all food had been so nausea inducing, so I’m grateful I can at least enjoy the smell of it now.

I’m about to reach the corridor which leads to our room when I meet Henry coming the other way.

“Rory, glad I’ve caught you. Do you know where Ty is?” He looks concerned, which immediately sets me on edge.

“No, I’ve just got back,” I tell him. He walks past me, gesturing for me to follow. “What’s wrong?”

“Don’t panic, it’s not a huge problem. I don’t think…” he reassures me, but his tone is still serious.

I scramble after him as he takes long strides to the offices near the front of the house and catch up as he knocks on the door to Theodora’s and Etu’s study.

“Come in,” calls a familiar voice I’m not expecting. Is this where he’s been hiding during the day?

We enter and, sure enough, at one of the huge dark wood desks is Ty.

I’ve not been in here before, it's not like any office I’ve seen.

The walls, what you can see, are a dark green.

Most of them are covered by several bookcases and filing cabinets.

I can immediately tell the shared space is split between the couple that rule this pack.

One side looks organised and neat; there’s no clutter and all the books on those shelves are organised.

In contrast, the other isn’t exactly untidy but the cases have files and notepads shoved in amongst the books, and every available space has something filling it.

The desk itself is piled with more papers and files. It's organised chaos at its finest.

Ty sits on the neat side, using a laptop. He’s turned in the brown leather chair to face us, a look of surprise on his face at seeing me behind Henry. He reaches back and closes the laptop lid. That’s not suspicious at all.

“I’m afraid I have some news.” Henry distracts me from Ty’s odd behaviour. “I’ve got to return to West Scotia next week, my publisher has been trying to arrange a meeting for a while and I can’t put it off any longer. They’re also insisting it's in person. ”

“Oh.” I can’t hide the disappointment. We’ve been living in this town and ignoring the rest of the world. I guess it could only last so long.

“I don’t mind travelling back by myself, I just wanted to let you know.” Henry directs at Ty.

“To be honest it’s probably a good time for us to move on.” Ty surprises me by saying.

“Are we in danger here? Has there been a sighting of your old pack?” I jump to the thing that I’ve been dreading.

“No,” Ty quickly reassures me. “But if we stay anywhere for too long they’re bound to track us down.”

He’s right, I know he’s right but I can’t help the way my breathing has shortened or how I’ve started sweating.

“Red.” Ty stands to reach for me, and I quickly move so that I’m beside him. “You’re safe. You will remain safe. I know we’ve been living without fear here but you moved around a lot to avoid detection before. We still need to do that. And this time you won’t be alone.”

I know it, truly I do. In the last couple of weeks, however, I have finally felt settled. For months I had been living in constant fear, always looking over my shoulder. Here I have started to feel like myself again and the thought of that feeling being taken away shoots burning fear down my spine.

Going back on the run, indefinitely, is not something I think I’m strong enough for anymore.

But I have been worried about what would happen if the wolves had to get involved in our fight.

It wouldn’t be fair to them. They’ve been more than welcoming.

Once the winter snow starts melting, it’s more likely Adicious’s pack will start searching this far north, especially as they’ll have scoured the continent pretty thoroughly by now.

“You two really don’t have to come with me,” Henry reiterates .

“Ty’s right,” I force out, then take a deep breath before continuing. “We can’t stay here forever.”

“I’m assuming you’ll put up with us tagging along with you as well.” Ty looks at Henry, but his thumb starts tracing small circles on my palm where he’s holding my hand.

“Of course, you’re welcome to stay at my place,” Henry says. But he winces. “Although… to warn you, I might have a bit of a pest problem.”

I forget my anxiety for a moment. Henry does not seem like the person who would live in a place where there’d be rats.

“What kind of pests?” Ty’s eyes narrow.

“One that I said could crash in my flat a few nights ago when he messaged me, and I know won’t leave until I kick him out.”

“A vampire?”

“Yeah. He’s harmless really, but I can’t guarantee he won’t be there when we arrive.”

“Who?” Ty’s voice has dropped a little and laces our fingers to pull me closer to him. Henry’s eyes say he notices it also.

“He’s a rogue I helped a few years back. He has a flair for trouble and comes to me like a stray when he needs feeding or patching up. I could message him to make sure he’s not there when we return but I know that’ll just make him curious.”

“He’s not in a pack?”

“No.” Henry’s hands shoot up, placatingly. “God’s no. I’m not sure any pack would have him.”

“He won’t sell us out?”

“No, I wouldn’t risk that. I hope you know that.” Henry’s face draws tight and he puts a hand to his chest like even the insinuation physically hurt him.

“We know you wouldn’t.” I step around Ty to reassure Henry. Ty’s grip on my hand tightens. I shoot him a look before placing my hand on Henry’s arm and giving it a squeeze.

“You’ve done nothing but help. It’s us that’s the burden on your life.”

I wholeheartedly mean it. He didn’t need to come with Ty in the first place and now he’s offering to shelter us in his home.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it that way.” Ty backtracks although still holds my hand in a vice like grip and the tension rolls off him in waves.

Henry gives Ty an assessing look that I can’t quite read, and it’s over in a second before he’s stepping into our space and wrapping his arms around us both. I’m momentarily squished between the two male vampires who tower over me.

“It’s okay, I get it.” I hear Henry say to Ty over me. He whispers it so I’m not sure he intended for me to hear but I can’t not.

As we all step back, I glance between them, confused as to what just occurred.

“So… are we all going back to West Scotia then, after the Solstice?” I ask.

“Yes, I’ll get us booked on a ferry. There’s not much point in delaying, shall we leave the day after tomorrow?” Ty looks for confirmation.

We all stay in the office a while longer, planning the trip before we get interrupted by Millie. She’s come to drag me away as I promised to get ready with her for the celebrations.

It’s time for a party.