Chapter 530
I unwound my arms from Brandon, and he let me go. I took a step back. “Thank you, Brandon. I’m sorry. I freaked out. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“It’s okay. I’m glad you came. I’m so sorry that happened to you.” He reached up and brushed a few strands of hair behind my ear, his fingertips grazing my cheek, and I wanted to jump back into his arms.
I didn’t. “I’ve never had anything like that happen before.”
“It seemed really scary.”
“It was.” I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been that scared, but I imagined it had to have been before I Transformed. Probably when Zabrina had me, or when I was lying on the ground, turning into a Vampire.
Brandon stared at me for a second and then bit his bottom lip. I wanted to stay. The thought of going back to my apartment, alone, where Daunator had infiltrated my thoughts, was frightening. I couldn’t just invite myself over though. Besides, I couldn’t imagine he’d want me to stay after what I’d done to him, to us. “I should go.”
“You don’t have to.” I looked him in the eye, my head turned to the side. “I mean... if you don’t want to be alone. If you’re scared.”
I don’t think I could’ve admitted to anyone else in the world that I was scared, but I didn’t have to tell him. He already knew. “I don’t want to intrude any more than I have.”
“I wasn’t doing anything.”
I glanced at the TV behind me. There was a black and white comedy playing, but I didn’t recognize it. I wondered if he’d actually even been watching the show, though it didn’t look like he’d been doing anything else. His phone was on the floor, and even though it was upside down from where I was standing, I recognized my own Facebook timeline.
He’d been looking at pictures of us.
“I guess I could stay for a while. If you’re sure you don’t mind.” I knew Hannah wouldn’t be checking on where I was this time of night. She’d expect me to already be in my apartment for the evening, and if she was going to check, she would’ve done it by now.
“I’m sure I don’t mind.”
With a small smile, I made my way to my usual spot on the couch. It was just like slipping on my favorite pair of worn-in jeans. I rested my head on the cushion and sank in slightly, glad to be back.
Brandon picked up his phone and sat down near me, but not right next to me, not like he used to. We both focused on the TV and I realized we were watching Mr. Ed. I’d never actually seen an episode before, and most of the jokes didn’t seem very funny to me. Different references, I supposed. I yawned and realized I was exhausted. Fighting Daunator had taken more out of me than I’d noted while I was battling him. Now, the idea of closing my eyes and falling asleep was appealing, but I also didn’t want to get up and walk away.
My eyes were so heavy, I couldn’t keep them open anymore, so I stopped fighting it, no longer caring if it seemed weird for me to fall asleep on this couch. I’d done it before, probably at least a dozen times. What difference did it make that I was no longer Brandon’s girlfriend? All the difference in the world....
The next sensation I had was that someone was trying to replace my arm with a dead one, something like Frankenstein’s monster’s arm. I hadn’t even opened my eyes, but I knew my arm was asleep, and it was so uncomfortable. I wiggled around a little, thinking I would just roll over and go back to sleep, but then it occurred to me that I hadn’t fallen asleep in my bed, or even in my apartment for that matter, and that I should be sitting up on Brandon’s couch.
I wasn’t though. I had a pillow under my head and a blanket over me. The pillow was leaning against Brandon’s leg. How I’d gotten in this position, I couldn’t say, but I was no longer thinking about the ants creeping up my arm.
With my living arm, I wiped at my mouth, praying I hadn’t drooled while I was sleeping. It was well-past 9:00 AM, so I’d been asleep for a while. I sat up slowly, not sure what I was going to say, not sure what he might say.
He was smiling at me. It was a reassuring little grin, not an enthusiastic “let’s make pancakes” smile, but it was there just the same. “Sorry,” I said before I could even think of anything else to say.
“It’s okay. Can you hold that thought, though?”
“Sure.”
“Don’t go anywhere, okay? Promise?”
I nodded, and Brandon darted up off of the couch, and I watched him basically sprint down the hall, puzzled until I heard the bathroom door close. I wanted to laugh, but I kind of needed to do that myself. I should go....
But I’d just promised I wouldn’t.
I took a deep breath and looked around the room. It looked exactly the same as it always did but felt different somehow, like it wasn’t sure whether or not I belonged here. I felt the same way.
I checked my IAC while Brandon was gone and saw that my sister wanted to meet with my as soon as possible. A lump formed in my throat. That had to be about Christian. I’d need to tell my sister and Aaron what I’d found out about the creatures, too. I thought of Dala. She was still in that hole in the ground, poor girl. I hoped we could help her, but I wasn’t going anywhere near her for a little while, not with the memories of Daunator’s laughter still echoing through my mind.
