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Chad

xXx

As Collin's hand snaked his way into Lucy's, Sonny went even more rigid. I tightened my arm around her, but it didn't seem to help. Collin was obviously in pain, you can see in his eyes that he was hurting. Confusion swept his features for an instant, disappearing so quickly that Lucy wouldn't have noticed. She seemed to be getting totally lost in his green eyes. If Lucy said one more thing that required a response or an answer, Collin would have to pull in a breath, and he was holding on by a thread. In his mind, one more delicious sniff of the only human in the room would make him go insane with hunger.

There was a definite hunger in his eyes- anyone who knew what Collin actually was could see that from a mile away. But to Lucy it probably looked like an attraction. No wonder she was blushing like a maniac. Her blood rose to her cheeks in a very bad way. Sure, to another boy it would have been cute but to Collin it was another test of his restraint.

I didn't know Lucy could have this effect on the bloodsuckers. She smelled good, I guess, but apparently she was more appetizing to them then the others. It explains why Sonny had left so quickly after Lucy entered the house, and I was stuck alone with the crazy fan. She had hunted for a solid twenty minutes- it wasn't enough time to get her fully satisfied- at least I don't think so.

Both of the vampires in the room were frozen with fear and hunger- but Collin was the worst.

I felt left out, so I embraced the rigidity of Sonny and stayed still too.

All of that happened in about half a second.

"Well," Sonny laughed hardly. "I guess Hollywood is filled with hot guys, huh, Lucy?"

Lucy nodded, and the room was grateful she hadn't said anything- her breath hanging in the air- taunting Collin horribly.

"Collin, could you help me with something in the back?" I asked.

"Sure," he said as fast as possible- a little too fast. Lucy was too dazed to notice a thing. He still had the slightest bit of air in his respiratory system, ready to get some fresh air in the backyard.

I moved as quickly as a human would to get him out of the house. Who knows how scared Sonny had been just a moment ago.

I flung the door open when we were out of the girls' sight and Collin snuck out in an invisible movement. I pushed on the door so it would close quicker than it would have on its own. Collin leaned against the wall and practically started to pant, breathing in the fresh air.

After five minutes and thirty-eight seconds he slid down the wall and held his head.

He murmured, "She smells really good."

I laughed. He glared daggers at me so the chuckle stopped short.

"Look-" I began, not sure what I was going to say.

"I need to leave." He stood.

"What?" I was confused.

I didn't know what he meant- of he was leaving forever or what, but now I really needed him. Don't get me wrong- I am head over heals in love with Sonny, but another guy around is something I really need. Who knows what those girls did back in Wisconsin? The last thing I want to be stuck doing here is having Lucy painting my nail with curlers in my hair.

Collin chuckled, listening to my thoughts. This bugged me- but whatever.

And what was with him? Did I have to bring my wolves into this to keep him here? Seriously…I was scared to even think about him walking away now.

But then again, there was a good side to this. If Collin was putting Lucy in so much danger, everyone would just be done with all this stuff. Really- just two days ago we killed a whole bunch of wolves. The thought saddened me, but I pushed it away for now. If Lucy was in danger because of Collin, I would have no choice but to be on Sonny's side, despite Collin's and my friendship. I would be forced to kick him out for a while. Sonny was more important to me- he would understand. Hey, wasn't I the one who was thinking about asking Sonny to marry me? We're both eighteen now, and like I said, I love her-

"What?" Collin asked incredulously, staring at me.

Oh, my God.

"Dude, are you serious?"

"Get out of my head," I mumbled, extremely embarrassed, and opening the door to go back inside. He grabbed my shirt and pulled me back, slamming the door shut.

"You're not kidding are you?" He said seriously. "She can hear us right now, you know."

"Yes, I know. Just shut up. It was just a thought."

"A very reasonable thought."

I hesitated. "Really?"

"Do you know how many times her thoughts have flitted across that?" He lowered his voice to a whisper, noting the fact that Sonny was eavesdropping- though I didn't know if she was or not. "I'm not kidding, man. You guys are pretty crazy for each other."

"Do you even think it's possible?" I hated doubting what I wanted so much.

He sighed. "You're still not over the whole 'I'm a werewolf and you're a vampire and I was supposed to kill you weeks ago' thing?"

"Well, yeah, I am. But is she?"

"Yes."

I stayed silent.

"Leave." I said sternly. "I'll call you- maybe."

With a nod, he left. But I wouldn't know for how long before he came back.

Sighing, I shook my head, and went back inside.

Cool, so he's leaving.

I am officially doomed.

When the door clicked shut behind me, I walked quickly back to the girls who stood around the counter. Lucy on a stool, Sonny leaning against the counter on the opposing side. Lucy turned and smiled at me when she saw I had returned from Collin's and my secret conversation. Sonny eyed me suspiciously, and I was pretty sure my cheeks were beet red. But, of course, she didn't know anything.

Unless she secretly captured Collin's power when I wasn't looking and listened to all my thoughts!

Startled at my own thoughts, I turned around to look at Sonny, scared to think she had heard my fears. I sighed in relief when I realized she was still staring at me confusedly, not knowing what was running through my mind.

Thank the Lord.

"Where's Collin?" Lucy asked, turning her body around in her chair to look at me full on.

What? I wasn't more attractive than Mr. Bloodsucker? No offense, Sonny.

"He left. He was going to leave before he introduced himself to you but since you came he felt rude not to say anything. He told me to tell you that he's sorry for leaving so suddenly when you guys just met."

She nodded quite solemnly.

I didn't miss the look in Sonny's eyes when I confirmed the fact that Collin was leaving. He'd already left.

But if he wasn't back in time for whatever problem we had next, we are all doomed. Including Lucy.

Humans are such pains in the-

Sonny

xXx

I yearned to know what was running through Chad's mind right now- more than ever before. Collin was leaving? The way Chad expressed it and from what I'd overheard from their conversation made it seem like he wasn't coming back for a while. The thought saddened me- Lucy would be sulky when he wasn't around. But aren't we in more danger than ever now? We need him- we all do. Collin was the vampire who told me everything I knew about myself and my kind. Without him, we were going to be clueless as to where we should go next.

I have his cell phone number- do vampires even carry those around?

Ugh. This sucks.

And of course, my wonderful best friend Lucy came at the most perfect time. Shaking my head, I trued to stay involved in the conversation.

"Oh, right." I nodded, pretending to understand. "That little family thing he needed to get to. He'll be back sooner or later, though. He always did."

"Okay," Lucy said, trying to hide her disappointment.

"Oh, hey, Chad?" I said, getting down to business.

"Yeah." He said absentmindedly, staring around at nothing in particular.

"Why don't you go and get Jackson and Andrew and the rest of your little gang?" I suggested. "I'm sure they'd love to meet Lucy- get to know her better."

He caught the hint.

"Alright," He said. "I'll be back in a few."

And he left the room. I heard him go straight out the front door and run to the trees, but I was too far to hear him morph.

"Sonny!" Lucy exclaimed. She seemed extremely upset about something.

I looked up at her with wide eyes. "What? What's wrong?"

"You didn't even kiss him goodbye!"

"Oh!" I laughed, the worry fading away. "Trust me, he'll be back soon."

She nodded, her lips pursed.

"So, is Collin's girlfriend pretty?"

Here it is- the moment of truth. But should I go into complete truth and tell her why Collin couldn't be intimate with her that way? No, no, of course not. He's got a girlfriend…but will he follow up on that lie when he gets back?

"Um," I began, lost for words. Hollywood has a way of taking my correct words and hiding them in the best places. Because of that I decided to stall. "Why do you ask of a girlfriend?"

"Because Collin is gorgeous!" she squealed. "He maybe even measures up to Chad."

"Maybe?" I scoffed. "Sure, Lucy."

"But really, Sonny. Why did he look so mad at me? It was either that or extreme attraction- and no one looks at me like that."

"Oh," I shook my head. "He's just a little troubled with stuff going on right now. He had to leave to go somewhere- personal reasons…" I trailed off, choosing my next words carefully. "Maybe…maybe he'll tell you about it sometime. Later, though."

"Maybe…" She bit her lip.

"Just be careful, okay? Collin isn't always looking for a… relationship. I don't think you should either. You're going to be leaving soon."

"About that…" She shifted her hair to hide her face. "There's another reason why I came here with you- besides your birthday present."

I looked at her suspiciously. "Why?"

She turned toward me and put her hands up in a surrendering position. "Promise you won't be mad?"

"Lucy," I giggled. "This house could fit your whole family. I don't mind if you stay a while."

Lie.

"Well…" She sighed. "Okay, listen. My mom has pretty much gone insane since the divorce. Remember how we were talking about that when you still lived in Wisconsin?"

"Yes." I nodded. Duh, I remembered.

"Um…okay. She's getting so…stupid now, Sonny. She's dating constantly. Going out constantly…she's scared."

"I know what you're talking about. I understand completely." I said seriously.

"But I didn't even say much yet."

"Your mom is just going through a hard time. Your mom and dad's marriage didn't work out, which is fine…but that doesn't mean that the sudden change on their lifestyle makes their worlds easier. They need time to get back into their new love life, you know?"

"Well, yes." Lucy nodded, grudgingly agreeing. "And I know how good you are with saying the right things." Right. "You're right about everything actually…except for who she's dating, seeing, whatever she does."

"What do you mean who?" I began to actually get curious about Lucy's life. Hey, we were both going through a hard time.

"She brings these guys home every night. I've never even met a single one yet. But, I swear, Sonny, they're half her age."

"Half her age?" I pushed for more information.

"There these guys who are about twenty-one come home. It ranges from twenties to thirties. And she'll giggle and be all gross with them…but there's nothing in her eyes. She'll go out, bring the dude home, flirt, have him spend the night, and maybe they'll come back."

I thought about the whole thing for a minute. Lucy knows how good I am with this kind of stiff- I'm just good. So she waited silently as I thought.

"Well, Sandy definitely doesn't want to feel like a failure. Despite the fact that both your parents agreed to a divorce a few months back, she can still feel like she didn't do a very good job with her part in the marriage. The love part. Maybe she just wants to prove to herself by bringing these guys home that she's still worthy of love."

"So you're saying…" Lucy put a finger to her chin, her brow crumpled. "Continue. I don't understand."

I sighed, explaining more. "I think she would date these guys who are so young because the men her age are actually- well most of them- are looking for a serious relationship. You know, to settle down. But the younger dudes probably find her attractive because she's already dome that- think about it. She's got a house, a kid, money. And your mom feels like someone wants her again."

"Oooh," Lucy's eyes flashed with understanding. "So, you mean that she wants to date a whole bunch of guys so that she doesn't feel dumb?"

"No, Luce." I said seriously. "I mean, she doesn't want to be alone."

For a moment she was silent.

"You're right. Listen, Sonny. I just really need to stay with you. I was so ashamed and embarrassed to say it you over the phone and now I'm just going to be a jerk and spring it on you now."

"Aw, Lucy…" I went around the table and wrapped her into my cold arms. "It's fine. You're eighteen, now, right? Right. You're allowed to move in with me."

"You would let me move in with you? Oh my gosh, I love you, Sonny!" and she whipped her arms around me and we jumped up and down together.

"It's settled then." I nodded. "You're moving in whenever you want to."

Translation: It's settled then. I'm going to have to make you like me so you can alt least be happy…

xXx

Whoa! Who say that coming? Review and tell me what you think!