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Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
S.L. Cokeley
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January 31 - February 1, 2025
and she declined. I was only slightly disappointed. I tried my best to keep Kimberly calm and distracted as I scanned for any signs of danger. The rain made it hard to hear anything and left me blind. But I was determined, drunk or not. Nothing was going to hurt her with me around.
“So, this means you and I are officially friends, then, Burns?” “Yeah, it does . . . Coleman,” I teased. A wicked grin spread across Aaron’s face, and he held out his hand. I took it, and he leaned in closer to me. “Calem. That’s my real last name. Aaron Calem at your service. Let’s add that to our secrets list.”
I reached up, acting like I was yawning, and caught her gaze. My mind started to wander. What if William wasn’t the vampire but just a charming guy who was into Kimberly? What if she ended up liking him too? The rage bubbled in my chest. I tried to stifle it, but the thought of them together kept bringing it to the surface. I didn’t like William. Vampire or not. He wasn’t good enough for her. I wasn’t either. She’s ours.
“Who are you? What do you want?” Luke said. “Isn’t that obvious? I want the girl,” William said. I shook my head. “If that was true, why didn’t you take her before? You had plenty of opportunities.” William’s pointed teeth peeked behind a confident smile. “Are you sure you’re not just jealous you weren’t the only one to taste her?” I wasn’t prepared for the wave of anger crashing into me. Within seconds, I was shaking from head to toe. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. The voice seeped into my skull, making it harder and harder to think clearly.
Aaron stopped to pluck a huge white peony. He brought it up to his nose to smell it before handing it to me. “You’re doomed to receive flowers from me now until the end of time since I know which is your favorite.” Butterflies swarmed my stomach, and I sniffed the delicate flower. The petals were ivory, velvet between my fingers. “I think I can live with that.”
“Kim, I need to tell you something.” I hugged the wool blanket wrapped around me a little tighter. “Okay . . .” “No matter what happens . . . if we have to leave, I promise that I’ll come back for you. I would never leave you here alone, and I won’t just leave without telling you. So, if I disappear because something happens to me, I just need you to know how important you are and that I wouldn’t abandon you.”
“W-Would you be okay with telling my brothers? I’m kinda wondering if that needs to be our next step here. We’re out of leads, and I don’t want you to get hurt. It’s harder and harder to get my brothers to keep you safe without telling them anything.” “I’ve had the worst feeling about telling them ever since the formal. I don’t know why. But I think it logically makes sense to tell them. Do you think they’ll get really mad?” Aaron grabbed a twig and drew a smiley face in the dirt. “Mad at me, definitely. But you, no.” “Okay, let’s do it, then,” I said, my heart beating faster at the thought.
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We stood close to each other, completely still, waiting for the other to move away or to say something. But for some reason, I couldn’t avert my eyes. We couldn’t look away. The fire lit up his glistening brown eyes and the flecks of amber in his irises. My breath caught in my throat, and my attention shifted to Aaron’s lips and his to mine. “You should probably go to bed. We’ve got a big day tomorrow.” Aaron released my hands and stepped away from the light. I let out a breath, forfeiting any hope that had been building in my chest. “Yeah. Okay.”
“Come on. Fight with me. I’m an idiot. Just tell me what I did, and I’ll fix it.” Aaron stayed by the flickering flames. His compliance and yearning only made my head spin harder. I just wanted to do what would hurt less, and being alone hurt less. “No. There’s nothing to fix. It’s fine. I can handle it.” “You promised you’d fight with me.” Aaron walked closer to me, and I stepped back.
