Nina
The morning light filtered through the enormous windows of our bedroom, casting a golden glow across the room. It was normally a sight that Ilooked forward to every morning, but today, I found it hard to appreciate.
Sleep had eluded me after last night. I couldn’t let go of the image of that door lying open in the tunnels, of the implications that it held. Was Edward back? Was it with a vengeance?
Enzo stirred awake as I tossed in bed, shifting to face me. ” Morning,” he mumbled, his eyes still bleary.
“Is it really a good morning?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.
He sighed, sitting up against the headboard. “We need to talk about it, don’t we?”
I propped myself up on my elbow, facing him. “The possibility that Edward was the one who let the burglar out… it’s terrifying, Enzo.
Edward should be long gone. Why would he come back here after everything?”
“I don’t know,” Enzo said, running a hand through his disheveled hair. “But you’re right; I was thinking about it a lot last night, and we can’t just ignore the signs. The burglar was held in a place that Edward once had access to. He’s the only outsider who could potentially know our security protocols. Or at least, he should be.”
I felt my breath hitch. “So you do think it could be Edward?”
Enzo hesitated, his eyes searching mine. “Listen, I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but we have to be prepared for that possibility.”
“And if it is him?” l asked. My voice trembled more than I would have liked it to. “What then?”
Enzo’s face darkened. “Then I’ ll find him. And I’ll stop him. Once and for all.” The determination in Enzo’s gravelly voice sent shivers down my spine, but it was also comforting in a strange way.
There was a silence between us, but it wasn’t our usual morning silence. The implications of what happened yesterday filled the space between us with a negative sort of energy, like a live wire sitting in a puddle of water.
“Is it bad that I’m scared, Enzo?” I found myself asking, my voice no more than a whisper. “Scared of what we might find, or what might find us?”
Enzo took my hands in his, bringing them up to his lips and gently kissing each knuckle. “It’s human to be afraid, Nina. But remember, if he’s lurking in the shadows, then he’s the one who should be afraid, not you.”
His eyes held mine, steady and unwavering, but it wasn’t enough to fully allay my fears. “And what if he comes for me again?” I asked.
“What if he tries to drag me back into his twisted world like he did before?”
“I swear I won’t let that happen,” Enzo vowed, his eyes darkening, the veins in his hands standing out as he gripped mine a little tighter. “I will be beside you, every step of the way. If he so much as thinks of even coming close to you, he’ll have to go through me first.”
“But you can’t be with me every second of evely day,” Targued, even though the thought of him protecting me eased some of the knots in my stomach.
“I can and I will,” he murmured. “I will have members of the pack keep watch when I can’t be there. We’ll increase security, consult with Luke’s witch about strengthening her spells. We’ll do whatever it takes to ensure you — and the baby— are safe.”
I leaned into him, my head finding the comforting crook of his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me, and for a fleeting moment, the weight of the world seemed to lift just a little.
“But what about you?” I asked, pulling back to look at him. “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me, because of Edward.” He cupped my face with his hand, his thumb gently caressing my cheek. “I can handle myself, and I can handle Edward.” I searched his eyes, searching for any hint of insecurity, but instead found nothing but a blend of resolve and softness there. ” Promise?”
He kissed me tenderly, lingering for a few seconds before pulling away. “I promise. Trust me,” he whispered into my ear, his warm breath sending a chill down my spine.
I nestled deeper into his embrace, holding on to him as if he was a lifeline in a sea of uncertainty. “Okay. I will.”
The day went by in a blur of preparations and errands. Enzo strengthened the pack’s security about not just our home but Mountainview as a whole, and sent out new orders for Luke and his scouts to search for Edward. Finally, it was well after dinnertime,and both of us were exhausted.
We were curled up on the couch, half-watching an old movie that neither of us were paying all that much attention to. His arm was around me, making me forget the trials of the day, if only for a moment.
But then, his phone buzzed on the coffee table, shattering our serenity. He glanced at the caller ID and frowned.
“It’s Tim,” he said, almost reluctantly picking it up. “I should take this.”
I nodded, trying to stifle the disappointment that crept up on me. ”
Go ahead.”
He pressed the phone to his ear and got up, pacing around the room as he talked. “Tim, how are you? It’s been a while… What? An incident?… Are they okay?… Yeah, of course, I’ll look at the files… A week?”
His eyes met mine, clouded with hesitation and something else I couldn’t quite place. “I don’t know, Tim. I’ve got a lot going on here … All expenses covered?… Let me think about it and get back to you.” He ended the call and set the phone down on the table, his eyes heavy with thought. “That was my recruiter. There’s been an incident with the team I’m supposed to coach. Apparently one of their best players broke his ankle hiking this weekend, and the team is in shambles. They’ve got a game coming up soon and Tim wants me to come down and give them some coaching for a week.”
“And what did you say?” I asked, sitting up.
“I told him that I’d think about it,” he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “They’re offering good money, Nina. They’d cover theflights and lodging, but —”
“But you don’t want to leave me here,” I finished for him, my eyes narrowing as I tried to gauge his reaction.
He looked at me, his gaze almost imploring. “Not with everything that’s happening, no. Not with Edward possibly lurking in the shadows. I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone, even with the pack around.”
A knot formed in my stomach. “So you’ll turn it down?”
He sank into the couch, dragging a hand through his curly brown mop of hair. “I don’t know, Nina. I don’t want to turn it down, but the timing is just… I don’t know if it’s a good idea, you know?”
The weight of the situation settled on my shoulders, and I realized that in that moment, Enzo’s dilemma was also mine.
“Well, what if you didn’t have to choose?” | blurted out, surprising even myself.
He looked puzzled as he glanced up at me. “What do you mean?”
“It’s just a week, right? What if I came with you?”
Nina
Enzo stared at me incredulously for a few moments, his eyes wide.
*What?” I asked, standing. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Enzo shrugged, running his hand through his hair again in a way that I knew all too well as his way of thinking. “I don’t know. It’s just You’d really want to do something like that? With me?”
I nodded. “I’m more than okay, Enzo. I think it could be good for us,” I replied, holding his gaze. “Maybe we could use a trip out of town together. And it’s not like I have anything else going on, really.
Unless you don’t want me to come…”
He sat back on the couch, looking pensive. “It’s not that I don’t want you to come, Nina. It’s just leaving the house unguarded-” I cut him off. “Enzo, we have the pack. Some paragraphs are incomplete if you are not reading this novel on Jobnib.com. Visit Jobnib.com to read the complete chapters for free.And they’re more than capable of holding down the fort. Plus, I doubt Edward would make a move so soon. He’s not an idiot.”
“Yeah, but—” He hesitated, searching my eyes. “That’s not the only reason. You’re pregnant, Nina. Flying can be risky.”
His words hung in the air, and for a moment, I felt a twinge of doubt. Was I being selfish? Reckless, even? Maybe he was right; maybe it was too dangerous. But what was more dangerous – staying here by myself, or going with him for a week?
“How about this?” I suggested. “Once we get back, I’ll go straight to the doctor for a check-up. We’ll make sure everything is okay after the flight.”
He looked at me for a long moment before finallynodding. ” Alright.
If you promise to get that check-up, then let’s dothis. Let’s go on this… working vacation. It could be fun.”
The tension in the room dissipated. “So you’re really okay with this?” I asked, half-expecting him to change his mind
He smiled, his eyes softening. “I am. I’d like to bring you with me, show you off to the team.”
I let out a sigh of relief at his words. Maybe, in my own way, I wanted that too. And maybe in another way, I was craving visiting the city. I hadn’t been there in years, after all, and Mountainview could get a little too… quiet sometimes.
“You know,” I said, sitting back next to him, “I’ve never met a professional hockey team before. This is going to be interesting.” Enzo chuckled. “I’d hardly call them professional. More like… a bunch of oddballs in hockey uniforms.”
“Oh, so you’ll fit right in,” I teased, nudging him.
We found ourselves in the bedroom a little while later that night, suitcases open on the bed, packing for a trip neither of us had anticipated. The plane tickets that Tim bought for us were already printed out and sitting on the dresser. By 8:00 AM tomorrow, we would be flying to the city.
“What should I pack?” I wondered out loud, staring at my closet as if it held the secrets to the universe.
Enzo walked over, wrapping his arms around me from behind. ” Well, considering you’ll be the unofficial mascot of the team for a week, I’d say go with comfortable… but stylish.” He winked.
I laughed. “Comfortable but stylish, huh?” Lasked. “You really are trying to show me off, aren’t you?!!
He burst into laughter, his breath warm against my neck, “Of course I am. You’re my wife. I’ll want to show you off until the day I die, you know?”
We were up before the sun even rose the next morning, fully dressed in our oh-so-fabulous airport attire: matching sweatshirts and sweatpants. It was surprisingly Enzo’s idea, but I had no complaints. It was cute. I had my hair in my signature braids, and was wearing my glasses instead of my contacts, a book tucked under my arm for the airport.
“Last chance, Nina. Are you sure you want to come? I mean, really sure?” he asked as we zipped up our bags.
His voice held a note of caution, but the glint in his eyes said otherwise. I grinned at him, feeling uncharacteristically excited despite everything. It was as if, in a weird way, going away together was like a vacation from our problems.
“Come on, it’s a whole week away together,” I said, nudging him. ”
Think of it as a vacation.”
He raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. ” You do realize I’ll be working the entire time, right? It’s not exactly a holiday.”
I shrugged, grabbing my bag from the bed. “Well, sure. But it’ll be nice to get out, see the city, maybe even do some touristy stuff. Who knows?”
He closed the distance between us in a few strides, taking my facein his hands and kissing me softly. ” Alright, you’ve convinced me. I promise totake you out to some nice restaurants and show you the sights when I’m not working.”
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of queues and questions, we found ourselves on the other side of the security checkpoint at the airport. A sigh of relief escaped my lips as I looked around for a place to sit.
“How about there?” Enzo pointed at a cozy-looking cafe near our gate, a welcome sight amidst the cold white tiles and fluorescent lights of the airport.
I nodded, and we made our way over, settling into a quiet corner table. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee enveloped us as we scanned the menu:
“T’ll have an Americano,” Enzo decided, setting the menu aside. ”
What about you?”
“A cappuccino, please,” I replied, handing my menu to the waiter.
Our coffees arrived, accompanied by an assortment of pastries. We took a moment to appreciate the spread, then Enzo took a sip of his latte. “Man. I needed that. I’m not the same without my morning coffee.”
“Enzo, you’re a whole new man,” I laughed, lifting my cup to my lips. “To think that a year ago…”
“I know, I know,” he teased. “I said that coffee was for the weak.
Now look at me.”
I laughed. But then, just as I was savoring that first delicious sip, I saw it-across the terminal, its form hazy and indistinet butunmistakably there.
The shadow entity was waving at me, its hideous grin stretched across the void that was its face. My heart plunged into my stomach, my hand trembled, and I nearly spilled my coffee.
As quickly as it had appeared, the entity vanished, obscured by a passerby who had no idea of the apparition he had just walked straight through.
“Nina? You okay?” Enzo’s voice pulled me back to reality, tinged with concern, his eyes scanning my face for any sign of distress.
I looked at him, my heart pounding in my chest, and made a split-second decision. “Yeah, I’m fine, Just thought I saw… someone I knew, that’s all.”
That was a lie. A blatant, unequivocal lie. But I couldn’t tell Enzo the truth, not now, not when I knew that he would turn around and take me to the hospital right this second
No, for now… For now, I just wanted to get out of Mountainview, away from the ghost of Edward, and away from the shadow entity altogether.