Talisman 01 - The Emerald Talisman

calling. But night after night after night of hunting down the leeches . . .” He stopped and drifted off into thought.
    “And?”
    “It’s just not what I thought it would be. I want something different now.”
    “And what do you want?” I asked as my heart sped up in anticipation of his response.
    He thought hard for a minute, his face pensive and finally said, “I want to be normal.”
    I looked down and closed my eyes for a second. I couldn’t agree with him more, but that’s not what I wanted to hear. What I wanted him to say was that he wanted to be with me, but I knew he wouldn’t. He’d never allow himself to. He was too noble.
    “I’m sorry,” I said with a lump in my throat.
    “No need for you to be sorry. It’s what I am and I’ve accepted it.”
    He looked speculatively into the fire and his face became luminous. More than ever I wanted to wrap my arms around his neck and make the loneliness go away.
    “That doesn’t mean that it’s not hard,” I said softly.
    “You’re right. It doesn’t.”
    I watched his jaw flex, as I felt him keep his emotions down to a dull roar. We sat in silence for a minute, with just the fire crackling and the waves crashing for ambiance. I watched him with tender eyes, but he didn’t give me eye contact.
    “Do you have any other friends?” I asked quietly, still trying to be respectful.
    “I can’t.”
    I wanted to ask what had happened, to understand this pain he felt, but I refrained.
    “They always end badly,” he said, again feeling guilty. “Like I’ve said, I’ve tried to have that normal life before. It doesn’t work for me. It’s not my destiny.” He turned to me, his expression pained. “Julia, no one can know about today. It must be kept a secret. I couldn’t live with myself if anything happened to you.”
    “Okay,” I said, beginning to feel afraid, hoping we weren’t taking unnecessary chances since I’d already mentioned it to my dad.
    It was then I realized a normal relationship would be impossible. We’d always have to hide from everyone for fear of retaliation and because of that, there was no chance for a real future for us, and he knew it.
    Nicholas closed his eyes again and relaxed in the sand. I needed to change the subject, because if I didn’t, I was going to start crying.
    “So, what did you do last night?” I asked while gulping down the tears.
    “I went looking for Phil and the rest of them ,” he said while letting out a gust of air.
    “Having trouble?” I asked, secretly grateful Phil had eluded him.
    I felt his disdain and knew he’d have zero tolerance or patience for Phil once he found him again.
    “They are harder to track than the vampires I’m used to,” he said in frustration “I combed the city all night and came up with nothing.”
    “You were up all night?” I asked in surprise.
    “I normally am. It’s fine. I don’t require much sleep.”
    I studied his face and watched him breathe. He looked so perfect next to the fire, almost like he’d been airbrushed. I ached to reach over, touch his hand, but my mind warned me not too. This was someone I could never have, or ever be with, and it made my heart sad.
    Nicholas’ breathing deepened as he drifted off to sleep. I sat and drank in the peace he finally radiated while the fog rolled in. I didn’t want to disturb him after knowing what little serenity he did have and after his busy night. I was content to just be close to him and enjoy the small, simple moment together.
    After about an hour, he began to stir. I looked down to see him staring up at me.
    “Hi,” I said “Sleep well?”
    “You let me fall asleep,” he said, faking like he was angry.
    He sat up and stretched.
    “Let you? You told me you weren’t tired.”
    “True. You hungry?”
    To answer his question, my stomach growled loudly.
    “I’m not taking very good care of you, I’ll be right back.”
    In a flash he was gone.
    I suspected he was going to the car again, so I tried to act cool when he returned. But before I could think of a flippant comeback, he’d spread out his picnic lunch in an amazing display. I couldn’t help but gawk. Magically, a tray of sandwiches, with grape clusters, cheese, crackers and chips, appeared before me. He handed me a plastic cup filled with sparkling cider.
    “Brat,” I said, taking the cider. “How could I possibly compete with that?”
    “That’s the point. You can’t.”
    I turned my head and flipped my hair at him,