Her laugh, the way she bit her fingertips, the push of her glasses when deep in thought. It was her witty humour or our lively verbal battles. It was watching her cook and boasting at how masterful it was. The way she would become animated when explaining something she was obviously passionate about, like explaining storylines to things she wanted me to watch. And during these times, the way she unknowingly would nod or smile at the TV when she agreed or sweetly found something touching on the screen.
It was all of these things that finally made me understand the full depth of my love for her. For it wasn’t the things that I would have believed most important in claiming a Chosen One. Like the way she ignited for me in the bedroom, or the addictive taste of her blood, a flavour granted by the Gods and labelled my own personal flavour. It was all the things I never would have believed could be important to me.
And Gods, I missed every single fucking one of them and I wanted them back!
I wanted her back.
And I was starting to believe that she wouldn’t be going through the same longing as I was. Well, that was until on the twelfth day, I finally received word and this time it wasn’t from one of my contacts.
No, it was from her.
Her drunken phone call.
Chapter 15
The Chasm of Hearts
The moment my phone started ringing I pulled it from my jacket pocket and not recognizing the number I answered it, expecting it to be one of my contacts on the road.
“What have you got for me?” I asked, which these days was the usual way I answered most calls. I had been on my way to Dom’s office, where he seemed to spend most of his time. Although, I had been informed that he had some new evidence that she had been seen on some security footage at a shopping mall in Jacksonville where she had been spotted.
So naturally, I had been on my way there as he told me the footage was being sent to him. It was our joint hope that whatever it was she was seen purchasing might then lead us to the next clue to follow. Although, granted I didn’t see what it was that she could have bought from a shopping mall that would give us much to go on. Unless it was a ticket to a destination, road map or better still a travel guide on that particular area. Naturally, I didn’t hold out much hope for either of these things.
No, instead my hope came, unbeknown at the time, in the form of answering my phone on the way there and finally, after nearly two weeks without it, I heard her voice.
“Nothing but hello, I guess,” she said softly, referring to the way I answered the phone. I swear in that moment I had to question whether I was fucking dreaming or not, for my steps faltered until I found myself struck frozen in the middle of the hallway.
“Amelia?” I said her name in question, doing so now in a hushed tone, as if testing my own sanity.
“Hey, yeah it’s me,” she said sounding strange and I was soon to find out why.
“I know, sweetheart, and I am…”
“I am so tired, Lucius,” she said interrupting me, her words mirroring the sound of her voice. However, I couldn’t help but take pleasure in the fact that she was back to calling me Lucius.
“Then stop running and come home to me,” I told her softly, trying to keep my voice steady, even though to do so wasn’t easy as my body was anything but relaxed. I wanted to say so many things in that moment, but I also didn’t want to push her too soon, too quickly. Just the fact that she was reaching out to me was a huge step, not one I wanted to squander by making demands I knew she wouldn’t like.
“Or you could just give up and let me go,” she suggested making me close my eyes against the very idea of it.
“That is never going to happen,” I told her, still keeping my tone as calm as I was physically capable.
“But I am so tired, I just need to sleep, and you won’t let me,” she said in such a small voice that my heart ached for her. She sounded so alone, so lost and even a little scared that it made me question what had happened.
“You can sleep, sweetheart, in fact you need to,” I said in an urging tone.
“No, but that’s the thing, I can’t because you won’t let me and I know you won’t because every time I do, I feel you there or I wake up scared that you’re trying, so I am just getting these useless power naps which is starting to make my brain useless and like mush.”
“Amelia?” I said her name in question as it was clear something wasn’t right.
“No, seriously, some old guy asked my name today and I told him it was cornflake, because that was what I was eating at the time,” she said on a rush of words and I knew then the reason she had been brave enough to make this call.
“Amelia, have you been drinking?”
“Yes, I have recently developed a taste for cocktails, but there is this one that’s called a long island iced tea and it’s yummy but so very dangerous, as I spent a while looking for my room and I was at the wrong side of the, let’s call it a place, ‘cause I am being sneaky remember…Ssshh,” she said in an endearing way that made my chest ache because all I wanted was to be there with her. To scoop her up in my arms and take care of her.
As what if being drunk could make her vulnerable? It could put her in a dangerous situation, like if she was unable to fight? Gods, I hated that I was forced to think this way, but without knowing where she was, then being paranoid had become an everyday occurrence. One only fueled now by the sound of her being inebriated.
But then I also knew I couldn’t scold her for it, as she would most likely hang up and I would have lost my opportunity. No, I needed to keep her talking. Besides, it looked like she might be in a hotel because she mentioned looking for a room.
So in hopes of it sounding like an innocent enough question, I asked,
“Did you find it?”
“Find what?” she asked, ending it with a little hiccup that again, made me ache for her sweetness.
“Your room, sweetheart, did you find your room?”
“Oh that, yeah I am here now. Why, do you want my pillow chocolates?” she giggled making me swallow hard through the sound and tell her softly,
“You keep them for me.” I then held back from adding, ‘for when I get there’ knowing that it would only remind her that she was being hunted. Something her drunken mind had chosen not to focus on if the lighthearted part of this phone call was anything to go by.
“Then why did you ask?”
“Because I want to imagine where it is you are, whilst I am speaking to you,” I told her in a subtle way.
“Ha! So, I can give you a clue as to where to find me…nope, nope, I don’t think so,” she said in a playful tone and I could hear her shaking her head, which must have made her burp, as she giggled again at the sound. So much for her mind not being focused, I thought wryly.
“I think you’re safe by telling me if you are sat on the bed or on a chair,” I pointed out.
“Bed and it’s comfy,” she said, obviously giving it a little bounce as I could hear the slight squeak. I dragged a hand through my hair in frustration and, forcing my tone to continue to be calm, I asked,
“And do you still have a drink in hand, or did you leave your last cocktail at the bar?”
“Nope, I left it at my table, although I should probably drink some water, they say that’s good, right?” she asked making me sigh,