Awakening (Awakening, #1)

Chapter 16

I won't sleep, I can't. It's not really like I have much use for sleeping anyways. It's just a good way to pass the time and relax. But I can't do that anymore, not while Teegan's around. I know there's something off about her and my dream wasn't my own. She was inside of my head. If I'm not safe from her in my very own dreams, there's no point to even bother. When I'm met with the sudden aroma of bacon and sausage in the air, I'm jolted from my stare down with the miniscule chip in the paint on my wall.
Violet walks in and lays a hand on my shoulder. It's a gentle hand, but I jump a little despite everything. Before she asks, I save her the trouble. "I'm all screwed up. Teegan isn't who she says she is. I don't trust her." Violet seems surprised at my sudden assertiveness, but I pretend not to notice.
"Well, I definitely see where you're coming from. Something's up, without a doubt. I just don't know what. I do know that she's here to help you, and I can't interfere with that. It's not my place. This is something that needs to happen. She can teach you things that I just can't. I'm not like you."
I take her warm, soft hands in my cold, calloused ones. "But you are. You're so much like me, it's scary. You've taught me more in the past few days than I feel I'll ever learn from her. She's not...you." I'm not aware of what I said until the words tumbled out of my mouth on their own, and Violet's eyes soften. She crosses her legs beneath her on the bed and tilts her head a little and looks up at me.
"This wasn't my choice. What my dad says goes because he's the Alpha of our pack, even though I'm the unspoken leader. I take care of everything around here, whatever needs to be done," she says, placing a feather light touch of her hand on my cheek. "But if I had a say in any of it, I would say to hell with it all because you're fine, Jonah. There's nothing wrong with you. You don't need to be trained like some animal. You're the most delicate thing I've ever laid my eyes on, you know that?"
My throat runs dry at the sudden onslaught of emotions washing over me from her words. "You don't know the power you have over me. You saved me and...everything you do amazes me. I would do anything for you...even if that means going through this." I gently push a piece of hair back from her face. The way she closes her eyes and leans into my touch makes me want to just fall into a world where there could be just me and her. I lean in and kiss her gently on the lips and we both fall down onto the bed.
I break away and laugh when I see her giggling too. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing," she slowly stops giggling and her breathing evens out. Her eyes darken and cloud over and I feel a tingle jolt through my body. I know where this might head, and I want it so badly but-
"Hey, Jonah, ready to start?" Teegan walks in like she just owns the place. Violet gives me a look that says, Later. And I'll be damned if I won't take her up on it. Even if we don't do anything, laying down with her is honestly enough for me. Teegan sees this go down, and oddly enough, I don't care at all. I reluctantly let Violet up and she says hi to Teegan and walks out to finish the breakfast making.
"You didn't waste any time," she says.
"I know you were in my head. Since I'm only partially Awakened, I'll eventually figure out whatever it is you've done and plan to do. I'm not completely wiped clean." I point a finger to my head and she tries to pretend that she has no idea what I'm talking about. But that's okay, two can play at that game. "You know what? Let's practice hunting techniques. I'll be your prey." Coming from Violet, this would have been amazingly sexy, I'll admit. Teegan is purposely trying to get in the way of what Violet and I have going on. Too bad it won't work, though. I agree anyways, because I know I don't particularly have a choice in the matter. The sooner this is over with, the better.
"Okay. Pretend I'm a defenseless girl and you're a ravenous vampire. But I, defenseless girl, do not know that you are a vampire. The key is self preservation. Don't tip her off about what's going to happen. Or him, if you're into that sort of thing."
I give her the fakest grin I can muster and she scowls. But I decide to play along with her sick game because I know it's what she wants. I'm what she wants. "Let's go outside."
I follow her into the clearing just before the wooded area behind the house and she starts to play her part. "Oh, wow that was really a nice movie, right? Leonardo DiCaprio is really cute, definitely a movie I could watch a thousand times."
I roll my eyes at her forced dramatics and reply, "Yeah...me, uh, me too. Definitely." She gives me a look like I'm the one that's not being realistic and I'm about done with this when she takes all of her voluminous waves and puts it all to the side and tilts her head. I laugh. Judging by the look she shoots my way, laughing wasn't what I was supposed to do.
"It's just that this is in no way realistic whatsoever," I defend. "So yeah, excuse me if I find this a little funny."
"Fine," she says. "I can't take this anymore." She slowly changes her entire composure and comes at me with a different approach. She walks up slow with measured steps and sways her hips side to side. And I'm standing completely still as she sidles up to my side and leans up close to my ear, her breath hot and uncomfortable because she's just not the one I want. Teegan lays her cold hand gently on my right temple and her eyes drift shut.
And I'm gone completely. Whisked away into a bottomless oblivion.
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"Well if it isn't the birthday boy himself. Finally decided to join the land of the living, babe?" Teegan looks as beautiful as ever. Honestly, how could I have been so lucky? This girl is the best thing to wake up to on any day, let alone my birthday. Oh, and you can't forget the birthday breakfast. I walk over to where she's cooking at the stove and I drape my arms around her waist from behind, breathing her in.
"Where's mom? Sam?" I ask, talking into her hair.
"Mom's at work, she felt terrible about not being here. Sam, I haven't seen him."
I'm in no way surprised by this, so I just shrug. Sam does what he wants when he wants, no matter who it might upset or hurt in the process.
Teegan taps the spatula caked with eggs against the pan and turns around to face me. She crosses her arms and smiles at me. A slow, calculated grin spreads across my face and I ask, "What are you hiding? Hm, what did you do, huh?" And she's just laughing on and on and that completely tells me something's amiss. I grab her and pull her flush against me and my mouth is on hers and life is just great.
"Stop, stop!" she laughs. "We gotta go, we gotta go to the hospital and see Mom and...shit. I ruined it, didn't I! Damn, damn, damn, see what you made me do?" And she just makes me laugh even harder than before, and my side hurts. She slaps me playfully on the back and I fold her in another hug and look her deep in her piercing eyes composed of so many colors, it's ridiculous. "I love you, you know," I tell her.
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Whatever Teegan did to me hurt. It hurt alot. There were thousands of tiny knives jabbing microscopic holes in my brain and it was one of the single most painful things I've ever been through that I can remember. "What did you just-," I start but I stop short when I see her biting her lip in an attempt to prevent it from trembling, but I've seen it already.
"Now do you see?" she cries, her voice breaking. "What....what we had? It was spec-...so special. And forgive me if it tears my heart in two seeing you with that girl Violet, and watching you parade around not remembering what we were. What we still can be. I can teach you what I know," she sniffs, "and I can help you finish your Awakening and you'll be in good hands. I promise you, Jonah. Just...come back. Come back with me, please."
I'm pretty sure my face is frozen in this permanent state of...awe. Teegan reached into my mind, my subconscious, and pulled out a memory from a deep abyss that I thought was empty and useless and gone forever. But after all that has been revealed, nothing has changed. I am completely the same person I was before, and surprisingly, even more at peace. I have a Mom and a brother. I have...family.
"Thank you," I say, smiling and completely overwhelmed with my new glimpse at my old life. "I can't thank you enough, really, I have a family, Teegan and you showed me that! This whole time I thought it was just me and no one else besides the new family I have here."
She looks at me and shakes her head sadly like I'm a child who just won't get the gist of something that's been taught over and over. "You don't belong here, Jonah! They're a bunch of werewolves and you're a fucking vampire. You need to own up to that fact and accept it! What the hell is wrong with you?"
I envelope her into a hug and she doesn't move. I hold onto her for a few seconds too long and say, "But I do belong here. I'm...sorry I can't be what I used to be. Or what you want me to be. Really, I am."
"Well," she says, running her hand slowly up the curve of my back. "I'm sorry to hear that." It is after she says this that I feel a pinch in the side of my neck that could and would have gone completely unnoticed if it weren't for the slow and then raging burn that spread through my body at the speed of light with the intensity of volcanic lava.
And then darkness.