Blacken by Alandra Rankin (i love reading books txt) 📕

“I can take that he will hate me, I can take that I will probably never see him again. But I couldn’t take that I was the one that broke him and left him in that state. I just want him to return to his senses, and now I think that’s possible.”

“Aww, sugar bear, come here,” Sandra reached over to pull her into an awkward hug, “I think you’re right; he will come back to himself eventually. And in the end, that’s the most important thing, right?”

“Yeah, thank you for talking to me, I needed to hear it. And thank you for understanding.”

“Always,” they broke apart, “listen sugar, my house is hectic, especially in the mornin’, but if you need to spend the night, my home is open if you don’t want to be alone.”

“Oh, that’s so amazing for you to offer! I was actually going to go out of town for maybe a few days.”

“Shit, what’s his name already? You said after the trial you’d tell me all about him!”

She smiled, “I said I could tell you about him, but his name is a secret.”

“What? Aww, c’mon sugar, why? He some kinda celebrity?”

“I don’t know if you would believe me…”

Avie giggled, before recounting how they met—the first meeting interesting in its own way, and how it seemed like he wanted nothing to do with her. But he kept coming to her, finding out he had an odd curiosity, wanting to know more about her as much as she did with him. The two of them bonding over movies, books, dancing, and family matters over time.

“He was so difficult to read; I could never know what he was thinking. One night, he asked me to dance just out of the blue, and all I could do was stare at his face, his eyes, his lips. That night I kissed him, and I thought I had made a mistake until he was kissing back.”

“That’s so romantic, y’all are out of a storybook or somethin’. You absolutely light up when you talk about him, you know that, right?”

She blushed, looking out the side window, “I always figured, he told me recently that he doesn’t believe in fate, but he believes something greater must have brought us together. I couldn’t agree more. I love that man with all of my heart.”

The two of them pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex. Exhaling through her nose, she had to think about what to do with the information let out in the courtroom and how people will search for something in the woods. They may dismiss it as a wild rambling tale, but she knew there would be at least a few curious patrons as word spread that would make their way through and find Rhulle’s manor.

“He better know how good he’s got it with you, never seen someone with a heart as big as yours, sugar bear.”

“Thanks, Sandy. And thank you for the lift, I’ll come to bug you at J&K’s soon!”

Avie entered her small residence, flicking on the light and looked over her home. It was cozy, and it was hers, but it missed the warmth that Rhulle possessed with him. She would have to return to him and talk over what to do with individuals coming to look for him now that the proverbial cat was out of the bag.

She collapsed onto the sofa, staring up at the ceiling. The redhead thought of the future, in a few months’ time, the snow would melt, and make way for lush greenery and fauna nurturing in their natural habitats. Avie loved the winter, but it halted her plans, and all she could think about was the need to start and to start now.

Would people be able to stumble upon the manor so easily, or was she over thinking things? It wasn’t a well-known place in Blacken, some only finding it in the past as shelter or for more unfortunate circumstances. The police department located it with no qualms because they knew all of Blacken and its surroundings. The general public didn’t care enough to figure out why people were drawn into town to begin with.

She felt the itch of Rhulle’s need to feed wash over her; the feeling she lacked since the first time he tasted her blood. It was agreed upon that she would go to him when the need arose, but in this moment, Avie wanted to keep a low profile, she didn’t want to be seen sneaking into the forest. Was she being too paranoid too soon?

With a quick change of wardrobe and layering the winter wear, she left to seek him out as the vibrating rattled more intensely as the minutes ticked by.

The woman was able to pick her speed back up to almost normal as she trudged through the snow-laden woods, having her wounds heal to a purple scar that faded every day. Avie was thankful that she had mobility in the first place, some were not so lucky in less severe circumstances. Her stride was slower in comparison and had a slight limp with her unable to take bigger steps, not to mention the lack of ability to run or walk for long distances; it still was nothing short of a miracle in her opinion.

Rhulle came out of the manor, seemingly watching for her arrival as he glided over, scooping her up in his arms.

“Darling! I have missed you; do you feel it again?”

“I’ve missed you too, my love! You need to feed, I felt it just a moment ago.”

He leaned down, pressing his forehead to hers while he carried her back to the warmth of the manor, “I had it start this morning, it was only a matter of time. I did not want it to interfere with your business. How did it go today, dear Avie?”

They entered the living room, temperature warming the pink frost touched skin as she was set down on the couch, Rhulle joining beside as he awaited her report.

“It happened,