Wanderlust (11 page)

“Must be all the excitement. Not to mention the heat,” he said, wiping his own wet brow with the back of his hand. Something in his eyes told me that he knew my head had been spinning with more than these frivolous notions. If I had read the look on his face correctly, he was experiencing his own concerns.

In a flash, I was on the move with Eli and Addie struggling to keep pace. Addie knew me better than anyone, and I knew that if I sat there any longer, suspicion would kick in. Above all, I needed to keep her in the dark. And, the last thing I wanted was to put Eli on an ever higher alert than he already was. At this stage, I was worried that if anyone so much as looked in my direction, he would put his fist through their face.

For the rest of the day, as we moved from one attraction to another, it was as if someone was holding a competition to see who could be more attentive to my every need. Eli and Addie hung on my every word and action like I was the world’s most precious commodity--Eli out of an innate, and somewhat cavemanesque, masculine need to protect the damsel in distress, and Addie out of the sheer need to be the winner. Whether she was trying to win over me or Eli was yet to be determined.

For the most part, the rest of the day went well. Aside from taking in some of the world’s best-known sights, it was relatively uneventful--other than Eli tripping out on the London Eye. Any residual unease between Addie and I from the night before was quickly put to rest when we broke down in laughter atop the giant Ferris wheel. Eli was huddled in a ball on the long bench in the center of the transparent capsule that contained us as we hung high above the Thames. The big, bad, beautiful football player was a whimpering ball of nerves--his fear of heights kicking in full swing as we stopped at the top of the world.

The three of us walked hand-in-hand back to the hostel. At first, I was always in the center of our little trio, but as the day wore on and we became more comfortable with one another, our positions changed at random. I was amazed at how well Eli and Addie had taken to each other. What had been such a rocky start had become a fast-formed alliance. They had something in common--the fact that they both cared very deeply about me. I had become the butt of their jokes, the mediator to their misunderstandings, and both of them quickly bonded to each other. Addie never questioned how Eli and I had become so tight in the short time that I had spent in Amarillo, and I was thankful for that. She could not know the truth. Not now. Not ever. But the more I watched the two of them together, the closer I felt to Eli. If he could accept Addie and all her melodrama, he was someone special. As much as I wanted to, I just couldn’t deny it.

“But, Lia, after tonight, we only have one more night in London, and it’s only our second night on vacation. If you’re slowing down now, how much of a bore are you going to be by next week?”

“I don’t know, Addie,” Eli said in support. “Maybe we should get a proper sleep tonight so that we’re ready for day three of our sightseeing.”

“Maybe you and I should go out alone, Eli,” Addie said. “You don’t mind, do you, Lia?”

“No,” Eli said adamantly. “We can’t leave her alone.”

“Whoa. Okay. You don’t have to bite my head off,” Addie said, taking a step back with her hands up in mock surrender. “You guys are a couple of spoilsports.”

We sat in silence for what felt like forever. Eli listened to his iPod, while Addie flipped through the pages of a fashion magazine. I was content to close my eyes and enjoy the few moments of peace and quiet. Except that I must have drifted into a deep sleep because my mind was transformed into a pit of darkness as the nightmares that gripped my mind in Chaseyn’s absence ripped into the solitude of my sleepless state and took control.

“What’s going on? You guys look like death warmed over,” I said as my eyes focused on the torn bits of sheet that I was clutching in my hands.

“You were dreaming again,” Addie offered. “You were tossing and turning in a fit of rage and shouting something about being frostbitten.”

Eli shrugged his shoulders as if he, too, had no idea what she was talking about. “It was really strange. We’ll have to try to get to the bottom of it.”

In the past, I had been completely aware of the nightmares as they were taking place, but this time, I awoke oblivious to the fact that anything had taken place. I was thankful for the small victory. Maybe, I was making some progress. Still, I knew I couldn’t keep panicking my friends this way. Our trip had only just begun, and it would be a long three weeks if it continued in this way.

“We could start by calling
him
,” Eli suggested.

“Who?” Addie asked innocently.

“He wants to call Chaseyn,” I explained, shooting a fierce glance at Eli.

“You know we’re not supposed to bring him up,” Addie chastised Eli for the error of his ways. “Lia doesn’t want to talk about him right now. Besides, what can he do to help her sleep?”

“I’m still in the room,” I said. I hated being talked about like I wasn’t there. “It’s not that I don’t want to talk about him, Addie. It’s just that I don’t want him to be the focus of my every thought while I’m trying to sort things out.”

“You don’t have to do this,” Eli said, his face looking down on me upside-down with a sincerity in his eyes. “I know you’re trying to find yourself and all that crap, and I respect that you don’t want to become one of those girls who falls in love at the drop of a hat and gives up everything for some guy. But we both know that Chaseyn isn’t just some guy, and I don’t know why you’re running away from the truth. As much as it pains me to say it, you need him more than you need air or water. I wish I could be the one to give you whatever it is that he can, but I just don’t measure up.”

Addie returned in time to see me give Eli a chaste peck on the cheek before slipping on my shoes and grabbing my bag.

“Like I said, let’s go.”

Chapter 12 - London: Day Three

This morning, I had remembered not to set the alarm, and it was nearly noon by the time we pulled ourselves out of bed. As a result, we were in fine fighting form once again.

“I can’t believe you let us sleep this late,” Addie voice was accusatory.

“Seriously? You’re mad that I didn’t set the alarm. Yesterday, you kicked me in the head when it went off, I took that as a clear sign not to let it happen again.”

“Ladies, let’s all just try to make the best of it. If we stand around arguing all day, we won’t see anything,” Eli broke in after watching from afar for a few minutes. He wrapped an arm around each of our shoulders and guided us down the street. “Let’s go check out some torture chambers at the Tower of London.”

The thought sent shivers down my spine.

“Oh, Lia, I never even thought of how you might feel about that,” Eli burst out and then, realizing his error, quickly slapped a hand over his mouth.

“Why would Lia have a problem with that?”

“I don’t, Addie. You know I’ve always had a bit of a dark side.”

My quick cover seemed to suit Addie, and we continued walking to the nearest tube station. I kicked Eli in the shin, and he raised his shoulders in an apologetic shrug, mouthing the words “I’m sorry.” Truth be told, I had my qualms about visiting the Tower. It seemed as likely a place as any to fall victim to an inhuman species that would likely know how to make good use of the torture chamber and all of its creepy weaponry.

I soon realized that I had nothing to fear. Security at the Tower was tighter than bark on a tree, and even those with supernatural abilities would have to raise too much of a ruckus to try anything inside that place. We had a great time checking out all of the exhibits, with the exception of the Crown Jewels. Addie kicked up quite the fuss when she realized that, after standing in line for 45 minutes, she wouldn’t be allowed to try on any of them. It was then that we decided--or rather were asked--to leave the Tower.

From there, we walked across the infamous London Bridge and took a cruise on the Thames. Just before sundown, I pulled a small piece of paper from my pocket. Contained within the all-too-familiar scrolling script were the names of some of Chaseyn’s favorite places in London. This was his home after all, and he wanted me to see the sights that meant the most to him.

At first, I had been reluctant to visit them. I was always so concerned with the fact that I didn’t want my life to be all about him, but at the same time, I felt it would be remiss for me not to spend some time following in the footsteps of the person I loved most in the world.

“What’s that?” Addie asked.

“It’s part of the letter you gave me from Chaseyn,” I explained. “He wrote down some of the places he thought we should visit.”

“That’s a great idea,” she said enthusiastically. “We’ve still got time. Pass that list over here, and I’ll put a plan in place while we grab a bite to eat.”

“Thanks, Addie,” I said, giving her shoulder a quick squeeze. Affection wasn’t my strong suit, but I wanted her to know that her support meant a lot to me. I had been changing my mind about Chaseyn a lot lately, and I appreciated that she didn’t take the opportunity to point it out.

***

Fish and chips. It seemed like the only affordable option, but I’d had it last night, too, and I wasn’t crazy about fish. I smothered the chips with so much salt and vinegar that Eli wrinkled his nose in objection.

“Gross,” he said, pinching his nose closed. “How can you stand eating that?”

“It’s the only way I can stand eating it,” I chuckled, watching as he slathered his own meal in ketchup and wrinkling my nose at the smell of it.

While we ate, Addie made several circles on the well-worn pocket map we had picked up from the concierge the day before. When we were done, she pointed out three places from Chaseyn’s list that she was fairly certain would be open late. We began walking in the general direction of the first one, a little-known art gallery just off the beaten path.

When we walked through the door to the building, we were immediately greeted by the smiling face of a middle-aged woman. She was a plump woman with short grey hair and a bright white smile.

“Cordelia Jameson, I am so glad you made it,” she said, folding me into a chilly embrace. If I had any doubts about what she was before, they were immediately put to rest. I wasn’t sure how I felt about running into another vampire, but she seemed to mean no harm, so I relaxed a little.

“How do you know Lia?” Addie asked the woman.

“Follow me,” the woman replied and motioned to us as she glided through the doors leading to the gallery. She paused in front of a massive oil painting and turned around to face us. “Here.”

Staring back at us, in a rainbow of colors, was a wildly abstract--yet perfectly accurate--portrait of me. I recognized the brushstrokes and style instantly.

“How did you get this?” I asked, a little breathless at the sight of myself.

“We have always be happy to display
his
work,” the woman said cheerily. “He’s such a talented artist. He sent these down a few weeks ago.”

“Who?” Eli asked, completely oblivious.

“Chaseyn, you idiot,” Addie scorned. She had caught on almost instantly and was gushing over the gesture. I could tell by the way she would squeeze my arm every time the woman spoke of the elusive artist. “Did you know he was an artist, Lia?”

I nodded my response because words would not come out. My head was reeling with thoughts of him. This was the portrait he had shown me the first time he took me to his studio--a small room in the attic of his house back in Evergreen. That was the night he told me I was his inspiration. I blushed at the memory.

There were other paintings, too, flanking the portrait of me. Some of them I recognized from that day, but others, though I could tell they were painted by Chaseyn, I knew they were from another time and place in his life. They were darker, more sinister, but they still resembled his style.

“These are amazing,” Addie said. “You’re so lucky.”

There was no denying it. I was incredibly lucky. And, loved.

Eli had left the gallery abruptly, and I knew what I had to do. I excused myself and made my way to the front door. I found him standing just outside mumbling to himself, kicking stray stones, his hands in his pockets.

“How am I supposed to compete with that?” he asked, looking at me with sadness in his eyes. “I mean, is this some kind of a joke? The guy tells me I can make my move, but then he goes and does something like this. It’s like he’s the star of his own romance novel.”