Talisman 01 - The Emerald Talisman

every night and check to see if anyone has entered by foot or not.”
    “In the past, only lower lineage vampires would come into town and were easily tracked. Most of them were generally weak with no special abilities, making easy targets.
    “If they made a home here, I would have to wait until they came out at night to feed to attack them. I always wondered if the parent of the vampire kept tabs on where their children went and if they got upset when they were exterminated. Maybe that’s how my legend started.”
    “And Alo . . .” I caught myself. I’d been thinking about her so much, I almost said her name out loud. “Um . . . Bettina’s clan? How come they were so hard to catch?”
    “They flew into the city, so the scent has nothing to cling to, like following foot prints in the sand washed away by the sea. Plus, they were very careful about where they went and hid in multiple locations. All of them must have been close to the royal family to have so much power. That’s why I’ve been concerned about a potential backlash. It’s odd no one has come to avenge their deaths. We wiped out a whole coven.”
    He looked down at me, waiting for my reaction, and I looked away, trying to appear somber. I knew too much and didn’t want him to notice how uncomfortable this deception was for me.
    “Yeah, I guess we did,” I mumbled, biting my lip.
    “You don’t have to be afraid, Julia. Honestly, I’ve been in worse situations and I’ve had a lot of practice. I can handle this.” He pulled me tighter to his body and kissed the top of my head. He’d misinterpreted my reaction for fear, but that didn’t ease my conscience any.
    What a tangled web we weave . . .
    I sighed.
    “Are you okay?” he asked while petting my hair.
    “Yes. It’s just . . .” I fumbled for the right word, “Scary I guess. Not knowing, waiting for the other shoe to drop so to speak.”
    “Well, you have me and the talisman, so you’ll be okay.”
    I reached up and felt the necklace resting in the hollow of my throat. It comforted me knowing that if anything ever did happen, apart from Nicholas, I’d be safe. But I did live in fear of how the truth would play out.
    “Have you ever thought to ask your Dad for help?”
    Nicholas instantly stiffened and grew cold inside.
    “Only as a last resort—” he mumbled.
    I worried about this. Something must have happened to strain their relationship. I knew they talked occasionally, but doubted any true sentiments were ever exchanged. I was starting to believe that maybe Nicholas blamed his dad for his half-breed issues, but I didn’t feel comfortable asking him about it.
    “It’s fine, Julia. Really. I can handle it.”
    I decided to trust his judgment and not to push any further. He seemed confident enough.
    We sat in silence, but with each passing minute, his confidence slowly flickered to worry; I’m sure because I wasn’t talking. But I didn’t know what else to say. I hated the impending doom.
    I let my mind wander through all the events of our earlier interactions instead, like I did everyday. In order to never forget, I’d run through the details—unable to journal about it. Nicholas strictly forbade me to write down anything that would reveal the true nature of his identity. And then I remembered.
    “Um . . . I was wondering. Do you still have that note I wrote?” I uttered a little embarrassed.
    “I do,” he said, taking a worn piece of paper out of his pocket.
    “You carry this with you?” I said surprised, looking into his enchanting eyes with astonishment.
    “Yes,” he said, feeling nostalgic. “For a while, it was my only connection to you even though you were mad at me in it. But that was because you felt the same way about me as I did you.”
    I blushed and looked away, feeling a little ridiculous and then gently took the note from him and unfolded it.

    Dear Nicholas,
    I’m writing to say goodbye . . .
    I don’t know what happened to me after I met you, but something inside me changed and I can’t stop thinking about you or what happened. Why did you promise to come see me when you never intended to? I thought you were different. And when you didn’t show, I thought maybe there was a good reason for you not to come. But after the way you treated me in front of the theater, I knew I was wrong. You had no right to be rude to me. You’re just like all the other boys who like to flirt and make promises they NEVER INTEND TO KEEP! But the worst of it