"Leo, are you okay?" Dakota whispered once he stood next to my car.
"Just processing what just happened," I replied, opening my eyes and looking back at the stars. "Those drunks who had attacked me…are they really what they said they were?"
"Unfortunately yes, I am sorry that you got brought into all of this. That was never our intention when we moved here."
"Is your family the same as you?"
"Yes, except Paul. He was adopted into the family and knows nothing of what we are."
"Can you tell me why you're always glaring at me?" I sat up and looked at him.
"It's your scent," he smirked."Being what I am, my senses are stronger and that first day we met, I felt as if I was being pounded into a wall by your scent. Acting coldly seemed to be the only way that I could stay in control and not the beast."
"What about what happened at the pool today? What happened there?"
"I lost control. When I saw you starting that water fight, I was okay at first until I saw Eric kick you when he was swimming back to the surface. I dived in and I thought I had grabbed him. When I heard your whimper when I hit you, I panicked, realizing that it was actually you that I was hurting. I have become protective of you and I'm sorry."
"Was it you that texted me saying 'predators don't stalk their prey forever?" I growled.
"Yeah," he laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that, my instincts took over when you snapped at me and went to that hotel. You could say that I had a panic attack."
"If you knew where I was then why didn't you come out of hiding, instead of sending me those texts?"
"I couldn't bring myself to because I kept wondering what I had done to make you act that way. I knew I was an icicle in your eyes but when I heard you talking to Dylan, I heard so much anger and pain in your voice."
I cleared my throat and pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my head on the top of my knees. I could feel his gaze on me, but I couldn't look at him. This conversation was going nowhere I wanted it to; I couldn't answer the question I knew he was going to ask. I couldn't tell him why I ran.
"Leo, why did you act that way?"
I took a deep breath and locked away all my emotions and lifted my head. I slid of the hood and pulled my keys out of my pocket and unlocked my door. I was about to open my door when his arms came on either side of me, trapping me in his arms.
"Leo, why?"
"I can't say," I whispered, turning my head to the side, keeping my emotions on a tight leash.
"Leo please, I need to know." His forehead came forward and rested on my cheek. "Why Leo, what did I do to make you so angry and sad at the same time?"
I took a shaky breath and closed my eyes as I felt my eyes start to burn as tears threatened to spill. My hand clenched around my keys, letting the jagged edges dig into the palm of my hand as my eyes stung. I couldn't tell him why I ran. He wouldn't understand that he hurt me just by saying an innocent statement.
"I can't tell you," I spoke quietly, trying to hide the shakiness but he heard it and pulled back and made me look at him. "I'm sorry..."
"Leo," he growled softly touching my cheek and I felt them wet. I lowered my head and looked at the ground as the tears fell. "Please just say what is wrong. I promise to try and help whatever it is."
I took a shaky breath and tightened my fists. "It was something you said to Dylan when he was about to call Ben to hang at his place. When you said it, I acted up even though it shouldn't have bothered me..."
"What do you mean?"
I took a deep breath, forcing tears back and emotions completely locked before speaking.
"Let me go Dakota, I don't think of you like that," I spoke calmly and he stepped back as if he had been slapped. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."
I slid into my car and looked at him once before driving off. His face had been full of pain and surprise. I had to tell him what made me run but couldn't exactly tell him that it was that. So I just acted the way he did that day.
To say that Dakota was shocked as she drove away was a huge understatement. Her words seemed to cut into him. They were the exact same words he had said about her to her brother Saturday morning in the orchards. Was this why she had snapped at him and ran? He couldn't sense anything from her aura to see if she truly meant those words or if they had been just a lie. She had acted like she was just a shell when she had said that painful sentence.
He got no sleep that night and felt horrible the next day. He didn't see Leo at all during the morning classes, no matter how much he tried to catch onto her scent. When he talked to Dylan during lunch, he said that she had never come home after she had left to go to a party at Kyra's, but Dakota realized that she had lied to come and meet him at the bridge, but then never came home.
"Kyra, have you seen Leo today?" Todd called to the cheerleader as they walked over to where she sat.
"She hasn't answered my texts," Kyra shrugged. "Why?"
"Dylan said that she went to your place for a party and was going to crash at your place and no one has gotten her to answer texts or calls," Todd frowned.
"Something's wrong," Dylan spoke as he came over. "This isn't like her at all. I know she's been touchy lately but she'd never do something like this."
Dakota pulled out his phone and ran out of the cafeteria, dialing her number.