Chapter 7

A couple of weeks had passed since I had broken up with Aiden. Jessica and Aiden were together now, I knew Aiden was doing it only for show and had no feelings for Jessica at all. Jethro had been avoiding me. He had missed school all of the last week. He even missed the end of year party. I hadn't seen Francis or Tyrone since prom night and things were going quite well. School had officially ended for summer break. I sat in my room that night. Not able to sleep or do anything else. I sat thinking of Jethro, how I wished I could be with him; but how it was impossible. He hated me, he avoided me. At Aiden's house on Prom night electricity had flowed between us, the look on his face that showed he felt it too. He's quickly moved away and when I told him I loved him, he'd put his head in his hands and then left quickly. I hated myself. I didn't care if he was a vampire, I was willing to take a risk. I'd taken a six-year risk by dating a werewolf in Washington and yet here I was today. I knock at my window interrupted my train of thought. Without thinking I stood up and strode over to the window. Jethro was on the other side of the glass, his breathtaking beauty still startled me. I opened the window and he climbed in.

"Ella, we need to talk." He said, walking straight past me and sitting on my bed. It took me a minute to regain control of my legs. I slowly walked over and joined him on the bed.

"Ella…" He began, but seemed to struggle to continue; there was a long awkward silence between us. Then he sighed and stared out of the window.

"Jethro?" I asked hesitantly, scared he was going to turn on me in an instant. I reached out a hand hesitantly to touch his shoulder comfortingly. But he quickly turned and his hand flew up and caught hold of my arm, his eyes were dark, the aquamarine blue that had shimmered in the light last time I saw them was gone. His eyes were as black as midnight again. He stared into my eyes, the anger in his eyes slowly drained, only to be replaced by confusion. The Electric current started up again, his bare flesh touching mine. His hand was ice cold against warm skin of my arm.

"I can't hide my feelings for you any longer." He whispered, looking down as if ashamed of himself. "I tried to keep you away, to keep you safe and hope that you'd forget about me." He sighed again, "but it didn't work, it made you unhappy that I was pushing you away and I couldn't stand to see you upset any longer. Seeing you upset made me unhappy. I know it would be best for me to keep away, but I can't." He struggled to say the last three words. And he looked at me through his thick, dark lashes and judged my reaction. I was stunned. He had feelings for me? That incarnation of pure beauty had feeling for me?

"Yes, I do have feelings for you." He confirmed. He'd read my mind – again. "I have very strong feelings for you." I felt my breath catch suddenly in my throat as the words sunk in deeper. I tried to exhale but my lungs wouldn't allow me to. He cared about me. I still couldn't believe it.

"Breath, Ella!" Jethro said urgently, taking hold of my shoulders and shaking me. "Breathe!"

I managed to exhale and struggled to breathe normally again. He rubbed my back gently to calm me; his cold touch was soothing. I eventually managed to breathe properly.

He took my hand is his, the electricity between us started up again.

"I love you, Ella." He whispered, "I love you and I never want to leave you again." He caressed his free hand against my cheek.

"I love you too." I whispered back, nearly in tears. I was scared that any minute I would wake up and this would have all been a dream.

"It's not a dream, Ella," he promised, he looked at me. "I'm here and I really do love you."

We stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, the electricity still flowing between us. I was suddenly aware that we were moving closer to each other. Our lips were almost touching when he pulled away. The electricity disappeared.

"Ella, for this to work we're going to have to have a few rules," He sighed and looked down, "I don't know how well I can control myself yet, and you smell pretty damn good, so we are going to have to limit down physical contact."

I nodded, it was a bit of a disappointment, but at least I had Jethro and he loved me. I think I'd be able to cope.

"Are you sleepy?" he asked, glancing at the time. It was almost 1:00am.

"A little." I admitted.

"Do you want me to watch over you tonight?" He asked, smirking slightly. He knew my answer before I could say it.

"Get in the bed then." He said, standing up. I crawled into the bed and pulled the covers over me. He sat on the end of my bed watching me.

"Aren't you tired?" I asked concerned that I was being rude and not offering to let him sleep in my bed or in my sleeping bag. To my surprise he laughed.

"I don't sleep." He smiled.

I felt rather stupid, but I couldn't have known that. I was still having visions of him rising out of a coffin every night.

It was hard to fall asleep knowing that he was staring at me, but I eventually did.

The next morning I awoke early. I quickly glanced around the room. He'd gone. Or maybe it had just been a dream. I started to question my sanity as I got dressed and went downstairs. Dad had already left for work at the garage. I made a simply breakfast of cereal and sat down at the table, still wondering if I'd dreamed the whole thing up. I washed up quickly after I'd finished and went to watch TV. I flicked idly through the channels, nothing really grabbing my interest. My thoughts were elsewhere. A knock at the door sent me spiralling back to reality. I walked slowly to the door and opened it. Two gleaming amber eyes stared back down at me.

"Hi, Ellie!" Courtney almost screamed, hugging my tightly.

"Hey – Court – ney," I gasped, since when had she been so strong? I couldn't breathe. She let go when she realised.

"Sorry," she smiled apologetically and then walked past me and sat on the living room couch. Elizabeth followed her closely. Elizabeth's eyes were the strange mesmerising amber colour of Courtney's. She stalked silently behind Courtney, looking very fragile, like the slightest touch could shatter her.

"New contacts?" I asked. She just looked at me then looked away again. Poor Lizzie, I thought. What has Courtney done to you?

I shut the door quietly and followed them into the living room. As soon as I sat down, Courtney burst into conversation, telling my about her new job at a clothes store called Classy Lass. I didn't really pay much attention, just nodded occasionally to make it look like I was listening. There was another knock at the door, I was annoyed that I was going to have a full house if this kept going but grateful that I could get away from Courtney's continuous babbling.

I got up quickly, and walked - almost ran - to the door. I swung the door open. I gasped, and stepped backwards almost falling over Courtney's coat – which she had dropped on the floor on her entrance.

"Hi Ella." Jethro smiled, kissing my lightly on the forehead. His blue eyes gleaming with enthusiasm. I noticed what he was wearing today. A light blue sweater that clung to his body, showing off his well-muscled chest, a pair of light denim jeans and black converse. It made a change from his gothic clothing. Blue suited him very well, but no colour blue in the world could match the beautiful colour of his eyes. I realised he was waiting and I was staring into his eyes.

"Oh, hi. Come in." I whispered shyly. A little embarrassed. He walked in but took my hand in his; I shut the door and let him lead me to the living room. His skin was cold but soft on mine. Courtney's eyes widened with shock when he entered the room holding hands with me. Elizabeth smiled slightly but hid it from Courtney. Jethro sat on the floor facing Courtney and Elizabeth but he was a reasonable distance away. I sat down next to him. Courtney was still staring, but most of the shock was gone and was replaced by anger. The only boy in the school, who didn't want her, wanted me. I felt myself blush as the thought of Jethro being mine resurfaced. I felt something cold around my waist; I looked down to see that Jethro had put his arm around me. He was smirking slightly and taking little glances towards Courtney. He was rubbing it in.

"So, Ella-" Courtney began, trying her hardest to control her voice. "You never told us you had a boyfriend. How long have you and Jethro been together?" She didn't want to know, she was just trying to act polite around Jethro.

"Oh, we're not-" Jethro cut me off mid-sentence.

"Only about a day." Jethro said calmly. Let me handle this, Jethro's voice said in my mind. Sorry, don't you want me as a boyfriend?

"Yes!" I blurted out. I'd forgotten that Jethro hadn't really said it out loud. Jethro a smug smile crept across Jethro's face and then quickly disappeared. Courtney and Elizabeth were staring at me.

"Yes what?" Elizabeth asked.

My mind raced, trying to find an excuse. My heartbeat sped up and I could hear it pounding in my ears and I was pretty sure Jethro could hear it too with his ultra-sensitive hearing.

"I just remembered that-" I paused to think of a good excuse. Courtney and Elizabeth were getting impatient. You're going on holiday next week, Jethro said in my mind. "I'm going on holiday next week." I repeated. Elizabeth didn't seem convinced but Courtney cheered up to the thought of me going away for a while.

"Oh, cool. Where are you going?" She asked, a little too enthusiastically. I threw a worried glance at Jethro but he kept his eyes on the TV, pretending to watch it. You're going camping in the mountains, Jethro's voice said in my mind.

"I'm going camping in the mountains, up north." I added the last bit, to show I was improvising. I saw Jethro smile slightly.

"Aren't there like, bears and lions and stuff up there?" Courtney asked, not seeming to care at all.

"Only a few." Jethro answered before I could react. "But she'll be safe with me."

"I don't want anything to happen to you." I know it was meant for Jethro but she looked at me as she said it. Jethro shook his head as if disapproving something.

"We'll be fine." Was all Jethro said and then turned his full attention to the TV. I was horrified. Lions? Bears? Camping! I hated camping, ever since I was little and a hungry bear had rummaged in our tents – while we were asleep! I had been scared of camping ever since.

Courtney and Elizabeth left a short time later. I turned to Jethro. "Camping!" I shouted. "You want me to go camping!" I was shaking my head, trying to shake away the thought. I realised that I was pacing and stopped quickly. Jethro was up and in front of me in an instant. His cool breath blowing against my face as he looked down at me. His arms were around my waist.

"I thought it would be fun." He smiled an irresistible smile. My panic and anger melted away instantly and I wrapped my arms around his neck. "You and me, alone together for a couple of days." He kissed my forehead lightly again, his lips cold and soft on my warm forehead. Alone together, I repeated in my own mind. Excitement started to bubble up inside me.

"I guess I could give it a try." I whispered. The irresistible smile reappeared and my heart melted and I rested my head on his shoulder.

"I love you." He whispered. Freeing one hand from my waist to stroke my hair.

"I love you too." I whispered back, smiling and closing my eyes to enjoy the moment. I felt him relax as he rested his head against my hair. "Isn't this hard for you?" I asked.

"Hmm?" He sighed, still very relaxed.

"To be so close to me?"

"Incredibly hard." He said, but didn't move.

"Then why do you?" I asked, feeling guilty for causing him so much strain.

"Because I love you. And I want to be close to you, no matter what it takes." He lifted his head and smiled down at me and then kissed my forehead lightly again. Every kiss sent shockwaves through my body.

"And why can't I kiss you properly?" I asked, realising that I'd never kissed him and our lips had never met.

"Pace yourself, Ella." He smiled, but I was not amused. "Don't test my self-control yet." He smiled again but his eyes were serious.

"Self control as a boy or as a vampire?" I smirked. He laughed.

"Both." He kissed my forehead again. "I still have to decide which is more tempting." He smirked.

"What do you mean?" I asked, starting to panic, but managing to hide it.

"I don't know which is more tempting, your blood or your body." He stroked my hair again. I laughed with relief.

"Which is winning at the moment?"

"It's equal." He glanced at the clock. "I think I'd better go."

"Will you come back tonight?" I asked, hoping, pleading he would.

"Not tonight, I have a lot of plans to make. I won't be able to come round for the rest of the week. Sorry." There was a touch of pain in his eyes as he said it. This was going to be a long week then, I was really attached to Jethro. I hugged him tightly.

"Look after yourself while I'm away." He kissed my cheek, but his lips lingered there longer than normal.

"Where are you going?" I asked, almost in a whisper.

"Over to Tasmania. We need more supplies." He sighed. His arms loosened and finally let go of me. "Stay safe while I'm gone." Then he was gone. Like he had disappeared into thin air.

I sighed and glanced at the clock too, it was past eleven.

I sat on my bed staring at the ceiling, thinking of Jethro. Imagining us together in the mountains together. Somehow it seemed appealing because of Jethro. If it had been anyone else I wouldn't have gone. But now I was excited about going. I dreamed that night of Jethro.

The next day was slow and uneventful; Adrian was home. He'd said I was too old to call him dad now. I just had to call him Adrian. As I got ready for bed I heard a tap at me window. Jethro I thought swinging around and running to the window. I flung the curtains open and froze. Amber eyes stared at me from the other side of the glass. I opened the window and Connor climbed in.

"I missed you." He whispered, hugging me tightly.

"I missed you too." I whispered as the tears fell from my eyes. I wasn't sure if I was crying because I was happy to see him, or crying because this was probably a dream. His body was warm against mine as I pressed my face against his chest. He picked me up with ease, so my feet dangled and my face was just above his head. I looked down at him.

"How did you get here?" I asked, tears still welling up in my eyes. He was really here. His warm breath; his extremely high temperature, his long curly brown hair, his blazing amber eyes. My big werewolf boy, how I'd missed him.

"I have my ways." He smirked and laid me down on the bed and crawled on top of me. His body was heavy but bearable, his face was just above mine and he stared straight down at me.

His warmth breath on my face.

"No offence Ella, but you stink." He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "And it isn't a familiar smell. What have you been doing? Rolling in garbage."

I rolled my eyes, same old Connor. "Maybe you should go if I smell so bad." I said through my teeth.

"Nope. I think I'll stay a bit. I still love you even if you smell." He grinned, his cute toothy grin. His head moved closer to mine, expecting a kiss. Why shouldn't I let him do this? Why was this wrong? The smell. Connor was a werewolf, something smelled horrible to werewolves. Vampires. Jethro! My thoughts screamed, Jethro is your boyfriend now! Don't hurt him! I quickly freed my arms and held Connor back. He looked disappointed.

"What about Emily?" I whispered, not wanting to confess just yet. Connor sighed, got off of me and sat on the edge of the bed. I sat up too.

"I love her, Ella. I love her so much." The pain in his eyes as he said it was nearly unbearable, "But I love you too, more than anything. But I can't choose between you." He dropped his head into his hands.

"Connor-" I hesitated, I was going to have to tell him now. Tell him about Jethro, but not that he was a vampire. Connor would have a fit if he found out that part. "I took your advise and I found someone. Here. In Crystal Waters."

"Oh." He said, "I guess that's good. What's he like?" Connor looked down, he didn't want to hear it really.

"He's cool." I said, to save Connor the pain.

"Well I guess I can still love you." Connor said, "but we'll just be friends." I smiled at him, I was glad he'd taken it all so well.

"So whats this guys name?" Connor asked, raising an eyebrow curiously, "Who's the lucky guy who took my girl away from me?" He smirked but there was a touch of anger in his eyes.

"He's called Jethro." I said calmly, not showing any emotion at all.

"So when do I get to meet this Jethro?" there was a touch of menace in his smile now. The breath caught in my throat. Bad idea. They could never meet; they'd smell each other instantly. They were natural enemies and I loved them both. This wasn't going to turn out well.

"Soon." I lied. I tried to lighten the mood a bit. "Try not to kill him straight away, please."

"I'll try." He smirked. There was an awkward silence as we both thought of something to say. A few questions were cycling around my mind, I asked the first one that I could focus on.

"Why did you come here?" I asked.

"I followed Francis." He grinned at me. "I promised I'd never let him hurt you and I intend to keep that promise. And I wanted to see you." He added the last bit quickly as if not to hurt my feelings. I yawned against my own will. Connor smiled. "Time for bed."

"I'm not tired," I protested, folding my arms across my chest in a childish pout. I was not going to miss a minute with Connor now, not after our long separation.

"Well I am." He smiled, before I knew it I was under the covers and he was lying next to me. His body was warm against my back. He put his arm around me and pressed my body back against his.

"Goodnight." He said, kissing the back of my head.

"Goodnight." I replied stroking his arm and then settling back into his warm embrace. I felt consciousness slip away quickly and I soon fell asleep. Connor slept next to me for the next few nights.