Another email came through almost instantly, like he’d been sending it at the same time.
Ara-Rose. It said, and when I saw all the exclamation marks, I realised it was sent before he received mine.
How long are you planning to keep extending this honeymoon.
He didn’t even bother with a question mark. Wow, he must be mad.
You’ve been gone for over eight weeks. We haven’t heard your voice even once in that time. We’re getting worried! Very worried! Call me as soon as you get this. Or at least leave a new number. The one we have says disconnected. I’m not joking, Ara. You call me as soon as you get this.
The fact that he missed punctuation, then forgot to sign with Love, Dad, meant it was probably from Vicki. I smiled and switched my phone off. The email I already sent would tie them over for now.
“Knock, knock.” Mike pushed my door open and stood with a gleaming smile, carrying two steaming mugs.
“Hey, Mike.” I sat up in my bed.
“Want company?”
“Love some.”
He handed me a cup as he sat beside me. “You okay?”
I nodded. “Dad emailed.”
“He’s been calling my phone non-stop.”
“I know. He’s worried.”
“I know. I’m organising a phone line that redirects your calls and bounces them off cell towers all over the world so it won’t show up on his bill that you’re a local call.”
“When will that be ready?”
“Not for about three weeks. We’ve got a few other things on backorder as well, not to mention, telecommunications are a bit tricky out here because we don’t exactly have state-of-the-art communications towers or underground network cables.”
“I know. I’ve had two bars of service on my phone the whole time. I can only make calls if there are no birds flying past,” I joked, sipping my drink.
Mike laughed. “We’re getting it sorted. It just takes time.”
I bit my lip.
“What is it, Ara?”
“What makes you think there’s something wrong.” I smiled up at him.
He sighed and took my cup, placing it on my nightstand before slipping in bed next to me, shoes and all. “I can read you like a book, girl. Is this about David?”
“Shh!” I scowled at him. “Morg says we can't talk about him in here.”
“It’s okay, Ara. Morg’s just paranoid. You should be fine to talk openly in your room,” he said, laughing. “So, is it about him?”
I nodded into his shoulder, winding my fingers through his.
“What’s worrying you?”
“He isn’t answering his phone.”
“So?”
“I’m worried it’s because he’s mad at me, but I don’t really understand why.”
“Why would he be mad at you?”
“It’s just…we’ve been arguing a lot—even before the kidnapping and torture, you know, and...”
Mike’s fingers tightened on mine.
“And then he went and said he doesn’t trust me and all that other stuff.”
“He didn’t mean it like that, baby.”
“Yes, he did. He always says what he means.”
Mike looked down at our hands—together, then pulled it across his waist and tucked it under his elbow, wrapping his arms snugly around me. “You wanna know what he told me—when he called before?”
“He called you!” I sat bolt upright.
“He called to apologise for what he said—about my being capable of cheating on Em.”
I sat back on my pillows, dead-weighted.
“Look, baby, I don’t know why he’s not speaking to you. He loves you, and whatever reason, it’s not because he’s mad at you. So, I can’t help you there, but…I can help you with what he said—about the bind.”
“Well, what did he say?”
“That fight he started this morning—” He swiped his thumb over my chin, angling my face to look at him. “It wasn’t because he doesn’t trust you, or even me. He didn’t mean to take it out on you, but he’s so mad, Ara—at himself.”
“Why?”
“He said it’s been eating him up—that he wasn’t there to protect you when Jason was binding you. He says he wishes he had been the creepy stalker vampire, now, because none of this would’ve happened if he’d taken better care of you.”
I covered my mouth with slightly shaky fingers.
“He also said he wishes he was more powerful, so he could get in your head and undo the bind.”
“Poor David.”
Mike nodded.
“Why wouldn’t he just tell me all that?”
“Because he feels weak, baby. He’s a guy. Okay? He’s not going to admit when he can’t be the strong, dependable knight you need him to be.”
“I don’t need him to be that.” I sat up a little more, as if my words might reach David through Mike. “I just need him to be with me—to be honest with me.”
Mike nodded. “Did you tell him that?”
“Touché, Mike. Touché.” I pointed at him, then let all my emotions out with a sigh. “Does it bother you—David and Em?”
“What about them?”
“They’re at the house—alone, feeding from each other, hunting humans together. You know what the blood lust does. Are you worried they might—?”
“No.”
“Oh.” I looked down.
“Why are you worried, Ara? David would never—”
“I know. It’s Em I don’t trust. She’s always had a thing for him.”
“Ara! How can you say that? She’s your friend.”
“I know.” I shrunk a little. “It’s just—she can feel his thoughts. And…I mean, what does that mean anyway? How can you feel thoughts?”
He laughed once, as if he’d asked that very same question himself. “She says it’s like when you have your own thoughts, they’re always accompanied by a feeling; excitement, dread, lust, joy, warmth—she can sense that. She said it’s like a scent, like he changes cologne every few minutes. After a while, she started to recognise which scent went with which feeling, or thought.”
I kind of imagined it for a second; David zipping off to spray himself with different coloured bottles every few minutes. “Well, see, there’s that—that ‘special’ connection—then there’s the fact that she’s a vampire, like him; she’s pretty, blonde, carefree. She doesn’t cause trouble like I do—or fight with him.”