Broken

Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Someone was calling my name, but I really didn't want to wake up. I was still so tired, and I'd had the most wonderful dreams. They were a little foggy now, but they seemed to involved Alec coming to my rescue, and then holding my hand as I went to sleep.

It wasn't until I finally placed the familiar voice, that everything started coming back to me. I sat up with an abruptness that nearly knocked Alec off of his perch on the edge of my bed. Him still being there, looking at me with a barely restrained amusement glimmering in his eyes, calmed my racing pulse.

"You're still here."

"You sound disappointed. Do you want me to leave?" His expression had taken on the guarded blankness I still hadn't learned how to read, so I wasn't sure whether he was joking or not.

"No, not disappointed, just surprised. I figured I'd wake up and find everything had just been one amazing, crazy dream."

I'd hoped that my reassurance would make the mask drop, but if anything Alec was looking at me even more seriously.

"Would you prefer things to take that course?"

It took me several heartbeats to understand what he was getting at, long seconds in which his face seemed to grow increasingly remote. "No, how could you think that? Why would I possibly want to have you vanish when I've just now finally found out it's you that's been watching over my mom and I since we got here?"

Alec looked away for a moment, and then stood up and walked over to the window. "It would be for the best you know. I could arrange for you both to leave the state, and never have to come back to Sanctuary again. You'd be safer."

I felt my mouth drop open as his words hit me with almost physical force. I wanted to turn and run away, but the quasi dream from the night before was just barely vivid enough to keep me in the room.

"Is that what you want? Not what's best for me, or what you think is best for me, but what you really want?"

The silence seemed to stretch into hours before Alec finally shook his head.

"Good, because I don't want to leave. You said last night that your life felt meaningless before I came here, well mine was even worse. The only thing that's kept me sane has been your behind the scenes help. I want to stay with you. I want to be with you."

Alec studied me for a moment longer, and then nodded, a short, choppy motion with little if any of his usual grace. "Very well then. It's just after ten o'clock. Your mom is about to pull into the driveway. Do your best to convince her you spent the night safely at home. We'll stay here and watch over the two of you. Also, if you can convince her it's safe to leave on an extended trip, that would be very helpful. Once she's gone, I'll come back for you."

I opened my mouth to ask him what he meant, only to be distracted by the sound of the Jeep's engine as it rolled to a stop on the cement pad.

As I looked back, Alec's eyes seemed to capture me. "You're sure this is what you want?"

I managed a nod, and then the downstairs door crashed open. "Adri, honey. Where are you?"

Alec was gone when I looked back, only the slight sway of my curtains gave evidence he'd just casually jumped out of my second story window.

I heard mom's equipment bags hit the floor one after another. The sound of her tromping up the stairs finally roused me from my state of shock.

"I'm in my room mom."

Apparently the sound of my voice was at least slightly reassuring, she was only a little wild eyed by the time she opened the door and stuck her head in my room.