The Certainty (Book Four in The Illusion of Certainty Series)

Birds and the Bees, Flowers and the Trees

"Αγάπη"

"Oh thank god," I said.

Michael stood over by the window and I ran to him. He took me in his arms and hugged me. I pressed my face against his chest and closed my eyes. My heart ached for him. This wasn't going to end well. He was going to hate me.

"I miss you," he whispered.

"I miss you too. Please come back."

"You know I can't. Not yet."

"Please Michael. I need you to come back."

He pulled back from me and cupped my face.

"What's the boy done?"

I shook my head. "I don't want him here. Why is he here? Bad things happen when he's around."

He frowned, his mouth becoming a hard line. "What happened?"

I played it over in my head, watching his reaction as he watched it in his own mind. I felt the anger boil through the room and I closed my eyes. I knew he'd be angry with me. I just knew it. I'd done everything wrong. Very wrong. I shouldn't have gone to the party. I didn't want to go.

That whole thing just proved how weak I was.

"I'm sorry, Αγάπη."

I looked up at him. "Why are you sorry? It's not your fault. I'm the one who did something wrong."

"If I'd stayed like I planned...none of this would've happened. He wouldn't be back and he sure as hell wouldn't have laid a finger on you."

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"Don't be sorry. There's nothing to be sorry for. It's fine." It wasn't. Just like all the times before, the room was charged with both of our emotions. His contribution was anger, raw furious anger. The kind that urged category five hurricanes onto land.

"Come back. Please."

He rested his forehead against mine. "I can't. I've already tried. I can't get through the veil."

"I don't understand why they're doing this. Why do they care where you are?"

"They like to have control." He rubbed circles into my skin. "I'm one of the more powerful Vampires and they like to remind me on occasion that I belong in their world and that they have power over me."

"This isn't fair."

"I know—" he gave me a soft kiss "—but I'll be back soon."

"Not soon enough."

"Just stay away from him, Αγάπη. Promise me."

"I'll do everything I can."

"Promise."

"I promise."

He kissed me then and even though it was a dream, I tried to imagine it was real life.

Sunday. The most boring day of the week in my opinion. I sat at the kitchen table, Matchbox Twenty blaring in my ears, with my offers spread across the dark wood.

I had already flipped over the ones I didn't want and I was down to five, Sword & Arrow among them. Lena had sent over a new offer Saturday morning, one that was looking better and better to me as time passed. She'd stated that if I chose Sword & Arrow I had a better chance of climbing the ranks faster than I would if I chose anywhere else. Technically she wasn't allowed to offer me any incentives and technically she didn't. She didn't have to. For me, Gregori came with the package. I now counted him among my friends after he brought me coffee earlier that morning before he had to leave.