It had nearly been five hours since we had left Royal Court. Needless to say, my ass had gone numb and my legs were growing restless. I bounced my leg up and down in a way to distract myself. I bit down on my nails as I looked to the stretch of darkened highway. There were no lights along this back road highway, just our headlights guiding us along the way, illuminating the wooded area around us.
Within the last hour we had been at eachother's throats. I guess that's what happens when a group of people are confined to a small space for several hours. Caleb had complained he was starving, Adrian complained he needed cigarettes, I complained about my backside being numb and Christian complained that we all needed to shut our mouths or he would do it for us. That was twenty minutes ago and patience was wearing thin in this SUV.
I rested my head against the headrest. I closed my eyes for a moment, hoping to get some rest. No such success. Every time I closed my eyes, that Strigoi was haunting me, painting the back of my eyelids to only see his face. I opened my eyes again and turned my attention back to the blackness zooming past us.
Christian lifted his arm from the steering wheel, looking to the dashboard. "Looks like I have to make a stop. We're running low on gas."
Adrian pressed his hands together as if he had been praying. "Thank you Jesus!"
Christian turned to him. "Since when have you become religious?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Since I've been praying for the past half hour for us to finally stop. I'm fresh out of cigarettes and had to rely on a higher power to make the Hitler behind the wheel finally listen to us."
Christian rolled his eyes.
"You two are giving me a headache." Caleb rubbed his forehead.
After another twenty minutes the headlights glowed against the gas station tanks. Behind it was a small convenient store. Christian pulled up to a tank and turned off the car, hopping out. Adrian and Caleb rushed into the store.
I got out of the car and slowly stretched my limbs. I walked around the car and leaned against it as Christian filled the tank. The smell of gasoline burned into my nostrils.
"You're not going in to get anything?" Christian nodded his head towards the convenient store.
I shook my head. "I'm good for now." I bit my lip and kicked the gravel beneath my feet.
"Listen, I know it's none of my business, but Caleb is an idiot if he doesn't see how amazing you are. And to go for a girl like Adriana...that just makes him a complete ass." He shrugged.
I nodded my head. "Thanks Caleb."
"I know we have only known eachother for weeks now, but regardless, you're my cousin. I want you to be safe. If he ever does that again, tell me, I'll light his ass on fire." He smirked.
I smiled. "Thanks for the offer, but I think I can manage that on my own."
"Well how about we do it together?"
"Sounds like a plan." I winked.
Christian locked the handle to the pump and stood against the car with his hands crossed over his chest, his eyebrows coming together.
"Worrying about Lissa?"
He shook his head. "I trust your sister and Dmitri. They would never let anything bad happen to her."
I turned to face Christian, my shoulder leaning against the car. I tucked my swaying hair behind my ear. I looked into his blue eyes. "I know at first you guys were a little apprehensive about me, but I promise you, I would never let anything bad happen to any of you...not if I can help it."
Christian smiled, his blue eyes shimmering in the light of the moonlight. "Yeah, likewise."
"Thanks."
"Hey, that's what family is for, right?"
"Amen." I burrowed my hands into my winter coat's pockets, the steam of my breath filling the air around my face. "I'm going to check if they have a bathroom. Do you want me to get you anything while I'm in there?"
"Unless they now bottle blood, no."
I laughed. "Wouldn't that be a treat." I turned away and walked into the convenient store, the winter air biting the skin of my cheeks.
Adrian was at the counter buying a large carton of cigarettes. He turned around as the bell to the door opening chimed. "We leaving?"
"No, just checking for the bathroom." I looked to the cashier. He was a young teenage boy, ruddy hair and his cheeks were burning red. I smiled.
He turned to Adrian. "Is that your girlfriend?"
"Wife...don't get any ideas kid." The boy quickly turned away embarrassed and Adrian turned around, his emerald eyes twinkling with amusement.
I smiled as I shook my head and followed the bathroom signs.
After I was done, I washed my hands and took a quick glimpse at myself. Purple circles were coloring the skin beneath my eyes. My lips were pursed together as if I was experiencing physical pain. I splashed water onto my face and quickly dried it off. I didn't bother to take another glance at myself before I left. I looked horrific.
I reached for the handle of the door as I heard Caleb's voice fill the hallway. I opened it slightly, trying my best to keep the movement silent. I inclined my head to catch what he was saying.
"Yeah, yeah I had fun too...Yeah, I'm okay...What's going on at Court?...Good, that's good...Yeah, um...I don't know, I'll try to call you if I can...Listen, what happened between us Adriana, it...I made a mistake...I...It's never going to happen again. I'm someone's guardian now. I can't be frolicking around with some girl...Yes, some girl Adriana...I'm sorry, I just don't feel that way for you. Last night was about me needing a distraction, and I'm sorry, but I'm just trying to be honest...No, no. Essa and I are just friends, less than that, I'm her guardian. I don't feel that way about her."
That was about all I could stand. He had slept with her and he considered me less than a friend. I felt my heart fall deep into the pit of my stomach. So this is what heartbreak felt like, rivers of ice traveling through your veins, freezing your heart until you could no longer feel it beating.
I stormed out of the bathroom.
"Listen, I have to go." I heard Caleb say before he caught up with me. "I didn't realize you were in the bathroom."
"Yeah, well, I was."
I bolted out of the store and towards the SUV. Adrian was leaning against the car, smoking. Christian was lecturing him about what a fire hazard that was. Typical of the moroi who specialized in fire to be constantly going on about fire hazards.
Adrian lifted his head to look at me, his emerald eyes growing wide. "Everything okay?" He looked my face over curiously.
"Yeah, can I sit up at the front with Christian? I've had about enough of sitting in the back." I pulled open the door as he nodded. I slammed the door behind me, biting my lip. If Caleb just wanted to be my guardian...that's exactly how I was going to treat him.
Christian lifted himself into the seat next to me. "You alright, you look pretty pissed off."
I turned to him and put on the best smile I could manage. "Yeah. Just tired."
He examined my face closely. He nodded his head and started the car.
Caleb got into the SUV. I could feel his eyes burning into me, but I didn't dare turn to look at him, as much as my body burned with the urgency.
I turned my attention out the window and watched as we left the gas station behind. We returned back to the highway, the darkness swallowing our SUV whole, along with my heart.
