Talisman 01 - The Emerald Talisman

real.
    His door opened and he slid in, checking his rearview mirrors carefully first before turning to me.
    “I’d like to take you someplace so we can talk, if that’s okay with you.”
    I nodded, trembling, feeling a little safer in his car.
    “Can you please put on your seat belt?” he asked while putting on his own.
    I drew in a deep breath, straightened my legs and complied with his request. Once the seat belt clicked, he started the car, pulled out of the deli parking lot and headed towards the highway.
    “I owe you an apology Julia,” he started off.
    I turned my face towards him in disbelief. This had to be Nicholas’ twin brother or an alter ego of the one at the theater. Who did he think he was anyway? One moment he played the shining hero and the next a horrible ogre. I wasn’t going to fall so easily this time, even if I knew the apology to be genuine.
    “The night you almost fell off the cliff, I had to lie to you about what happened. I really wanted to tell you the truth, but I couldn’t, so I told you I’d killed a mountain lion.” His voice was low and even, as if he chose his words wisely. “What I actually killed was a vampire.”
    I gulped. That was the first time the word vampire had been uttered out loud, confirming that they truly existed. He hesitated when I didn’t respond.
    “You aren’t handling this very well, are you?”
    “No,” I hoarsely whispered, still feeling I couldn’t catch my breath.
    “You don’t have to be afraid,” he said with overwhelming confidence.
    “You’re kidding me, right?” I stated, wondering if he was in the same alley I was in a few minutes ago.
    “I just wish you hadn’t come into the alley. What were you thinking?”
    He clenched his jaw and gripped hard on the steering wheel. The sudden anger both internally and externally startled me.
    “I didn’t mean to.” I bit my lip and turned my head down. “I seem to be a magnet for trouble these days.”
    Nicholas’ abrupt chuckle confused me; I didn’t get the joke. But whatever I said eased his tension, so I didn’t ask.
    “So now you know why I couldn’t see you,” he said matter-of-factly.
    “What do you mean?”
    He paused and took a deep breath. I could sense his guilt.
    “I couldn’t tell you what really happened. You’d already found loopholes in my story. It was best to disappear from your life.”
    I felt a pang of dread in my heart. Nicholas’ disappearing was the last thing I ever wanted. Something deep inside me needed him to be there. I needed the safety he gave me, like a guardian angel.
    He checked his rearview mirror again. The lights of the cars behind us lit up his green eyes and reminded me of the surf from the night before. Their beauty stunned me.
    We turned onto an abandoned dirt road that wove through the woods and ended in front of a meadow. He parked the car and shut off the motor. The sudden silence became uncomfortable.
    “Why would it matter if I knew?” I asked softly.
    “It’s not something anyone would openly share. And trust me; you wouldn’t have believed me anyway.”
    “Maybe,” I said sheepishly, wondering if I would believe him or think he was crazy. “So, is that why you were rude in front of the theater?”
    When I said the word ‘rude’, Nicholas felt remorseful. It made me wish I’d chosen a different word.
    “It wasn’t what I wanted to do. A pack of parasites had just passed you and I couldn’t let them get away.”
    “So those were . . . vampires too?” I uttered, choking over the word.
    “You saw them?” He frowned. “I was afraid they’d see me talking to you. If they had any idea you and I knew each other . . . it would’ve been bad.”
    “Why?”
    “Because I think they’ve figured out who I am,” he said, his voice cold. “This group is different than the others—smarter. I’m usually able to eliminate witnesses.”
    “Do you do that often?” I asked with concern. “Hunt them?”
    “When I can, I do.” His pride swelled.
    I gulped hard, unsure what to say. It was one thing to realize vampires existed, but to find out he hunted them regularly was a whole different story.
    “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you eliminated the ones hunting me, but don’t you think it’s a little dangerous?”
    He turned and smiled.
    “Dangerous for me? No. Only when it comes to you, then it can get tricky. This was not your first run-in with a vampire. You’ve had others.”
    “I have?” I said startled.