Jason climbed in on the driver's side of Liam's backseat. Looking out the window instead of at either one of them. Message sent. He'd said his peace, but he wasn't done being cold and distant towards Talia.
Not even close.
A week. A week was all it took to make one new enemy in this town. And an enemy Talia didn't want to make. And she hadn't done a damn thing to make this enemy except be around. She gritted her teeth and laid her feet on Liam's dashboard. She could play the cold shoulder game too.
"Anyone up for music?" Liam asked both of them. And when neither of them answered he put on a soft gothic version of Nirvana music.
It didn't help to alleviate the tension between her and Jason.
It only seemed to make his glowering worse and her anxiety soar through the roof as she eyed him every few miles. She tried to not let his rejection and all-out antagonism towards her bother her. She reminded herself that she hadn't wanted to make enough connections here to make leaving worse for her. That she wanted to be as distant as she had been in Seattle. But his rejection burned. And it turned into a slow ache forming in her chest. Worse then the aches she caught passing Third beach for work every day.
He ignored her. His grey eyes watching the passing roads with disinterest and soon he was laying in his hand making soft snoring sounds. She quit watching him, instead of turning to watch the streets as Liam continued through Forks and then down the road towards La Push.
The ache from Jason turned into the anxiety-ridden burn that filled her chest during the drive. The deeper Liam drove into the tree-lined highway, the more painful the ache became. Until Talia gripped the handle in the panel of the door until her fingers turned white. Even though she'd driven this road for the last week, schooled her anxiety to push through the grey filled memories and ignore the feeling to turn back, it became different when she wasn't the one driving. when she could kick and scream until the car turned around and the monster inside her was satisfied with ruining her plans and her life.
So she began to count the roads they passed before they pulled into Lonesome Creek's parking lot.
Twelve.
Twelve roads passed from three river's resort to Lonesome creek and she still had the slow ache curating in her chest. She pushed open the car door without a glance towards Jason and told Liam she would buy the firewood and smores.
It didn't surprise her to hear the car door open and shut behind her or that Jason was walking beside her a second later. His eyes watching the porch of Lonesome creek and not her.
On the porch, near the entrance stood three men who drank and talked. Each one varied in size and age. The tallest of the three caught her eye and smiled. One side of his ichor colored hair had been shaven and braided along the top to emphasize it. His narrow face and slightly upturned eyes only accentuated the thin lines tattooed under his eyes. Like ys. When he talked those y's turned into a horrifying cut.
all they needed was blood to go with them.
Though his midnight sea eyes were bright and full of mischief.
He was familiar. In the way that Jason was familiar. Except she'd never seen him in her dreams. Or anywhere.
Great. One Quileute being familiar wasn't bad enough, she thought.
But when his feral smile crossed his lips at the stares she'd been giving, Jason's hand touched the small of her back and ushered her through the entrance quickly and blocking her from the man with tattoos. She tried glancing back but only ran into Jason's shoulder.
What was his problem? she thought.
"Hey Ness," Jason waved to a plump woman behind the register. She smiled. "I see you've got some riffraff outside,"
Her brown eyes flicked towards the entrance. "Even the riff-raff need things." She saw Jason's hand on the small of her back. "What can I get you guys?"
Talia slid her hands into her pockets, took a side step out of Jason's touch, and told ness that they needed the fire permit and fire package. Ness smiled.
YOU ARE READING
The Heart of the Sea- A supernatural thriller
Misterio / Suspenso"Are you sure you want to know what I am talia?" Jason spoke. The huskiness in his words made her toes curls. She swallowed hard. She'd had the nerve on the drive here. Even gave her self pep talks to be able to confront him. But looking at his bar...
