Crave (Harlequin Teen)

engine. With a quick wave, she was gone, driving fast like she thought she could somehow outrun the vampires.
    Savannah
    Vampires had come to Jacksonville.
    The thought pounded through my head the entire way home. On its heels came… Why?
    Obviously the council had sent them to watch me. Which was probably why the term watchers had come to me in the first place. My father had used that term to refer to council spies back when I’d first started changing. But why had the council sent watchers? Because they knew about Tristan and me?
    Well, if they hadn’t before, they had to suspect now.
    But if they knew about us for sure, why hadn’t they done anything about it, instead of just standing around all day watching me? Wouldn’t they have done something to stop us from walking together, something to make me get away from Tristan?
    They must be there only to ensure that the peace treaty wasn’t broken. Maybe they were waiting for me to lose control around him first, then they planned to step in if I attacked him or tried to drink his blood. If so, they were going to be disappointed, because I didn’t have the slightest interest in his blood.
    It was his heart I craved.
    He had run all over the campus to get answers for me tonight, so confident that he could protect me from the vampires. And then he’d tried to help me learn how to create fire by magic, despite the rules forbidding it.
    If he’d known I might be in the process of becoming a vampire and that I’d only pretended to try to create fire, what would he have done?
    I had to tell him the truth. He deserved to know the risks. Especially since he was breaking the Clann’s rules by dating me.
    But if I told him I was a dirty half-breed, he might not want to see me anymore.
    Although…we’d just started actually dating. Who bared their entire souls right after they started seeing each other?
    I should wait awhile, see how long we lasted before I started sharing more family secrets with him. Tristan was notoriously commitmentphobic. He’d probably get tired of me like he had all his previous girlfriends and break up with me after a few weeks.
    In the meantime, I would just have to be extra careful not to let the watchers see us doing anything romantic together. Like holding hands. Or kissing. No hugs, either. Public dates were even more out of the question now, of course. As long as the vampires or anyone else could see us, it would have to be strictly a working relationship, nothing more.
    Never mind how torturous that would be for me to endure.
    I pulled into the driveway, parked behind Nanna’s car and rested my forehead on the steering wheel. No public dates. No public displays of affection. No eating together at lunch or walking together between classes. How long would Tristan want to keep seeing me in a relationship like that? Did that even count as a relationship?
    Tristan
    I overslept the next morning.
    “Mom’s right, we should get you a doghouse.” Emily kicked my foot. “You’d better get up. You’re going to be late for practice.”
    Groaning, I dragged myself upright. Wow, I was wiped out, which might explain why I’d failed to dream connect with Savannah last night. I hadn’t had enough energy for it.
    “Do some energy drawing before you shower,” she suggested. “And give you-know-who this to wear when you see her this morning.”
    A braided ribbon bracelet dropped into my lap. “Is this what we talked about last night?”
    “Yep. It should work even if she gets it wet. So tell her not to take it off for any reason. See you at lunchtime.”
    “Thanks, Emily. You’re the best.”
    “I know.” Grinning, she went back inside the house.
    Hmm, she was right as usual. I could use an energy boost. Quickly, I spread my hand out flat on the ground and drew up the energy into my body. But I pulled too hard, leaving a scorched hand shape on the grass. I winced, then shrugged it off. It would grow back. Eventually.
    I rushed through my shower, deciding to go to school with wet hair so I wouldn’t be late for practice. I barely reached the sports and art building before Savannah arrived.
    From where I stood at the entrance doors, I could watch her every step of the way from the time she parked and got out of her truck until she reached the cement ramp. Watching her from here seemed a good compromise between keeping her safe and letting her have some freedom. Somehow, I didn’t think she’d appreciate it if I gave in to the urge to