Love & War Book 1 in The Arcadia Falls Chronicles Read online

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  Christina dropped us off, and we filed into the house. It was around three in the morning, and we were all exhausted. Alice and I went straight to our room and practically fell into bed. She passed out immediately, but even as tired as I was, I tossed and turned in bed. Finally, realizing I wasn’t going to be able to get to sleep, I did something I had never done before.

  I crept out of bed as quietly as I could. The hardwood of the floor was cold against my feet, causing me to shiver. I had on only my shorts and tank top, but I didn’t let myself stop to get my robe. Sneaking out the door, I hurried down the hall to Drew’s room and entered without knocking.

  I stopped right inside the doorway and quietly eased it shut. Drew lay in bed on his side, snoring softly. The window shades were drawn so the moonlight shined through and bathed him in glowing light. Slowly, I approached him, peeled the covers back and slid in next to him.

  He startled, and I realized that climbing in bed with him while he was asleep was akin to a car backfiring around a soldier with PTSD; probably wasn’t the best idea that I’d ever had.

  He didn’t reach for his gun or hit me, after the initial confusion he realized it was me. "Chloe?"

  "It’s me."

  "What are you doing in here?" I snuggled as close to him as I could get and still remain facing him, His arms found my waist and rested there.

  "I couldn’t sleep."

  He smiled. "I don’t have that problem."

  "I’m sorry," I told him. "I can leave."

  I shifted, intending to let him sleep. I should have known it was a bad idea.

  "No, no. It’s all right." He tightened his arm around me and pulled me against him. I pulled my leg up and rested it on top of his legs because it was more comfortable that way. Strange how we could probably cuddle this same way on the couch downstairs and it would seem far less intimate and more playful.

  I looked into his eyes, searching for something, although I didn’t know what. "Is it okay if I just lie here with you?"

  "Of course," he whispered back to me and then kissed my lips softly. "Are you all right after meeting Zander?"

  "I don’t know. I hope that he’s telling the truth, but fact is, we don’t really know if he is."

  "So if he is telling the truth, how do you feel?"

  "I have to think about it some more. I guess if it’s true, we will probably have to spend some more time together. He is a vampire killer, too, so it makes sense. It just feels weird to have us, as this whole community, as a family, and then to have my… brother," I choked on the word, "out there fighting them all by himself."

  He nodded, understanding my dilemma.

  I thought for a few minutes before I continued to speak. "I also wanted to make sure that you knew Gavin left."

  He narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, he left?"

  "He left. He’s gone. I don’t know where, but he told me that he was going somewhere, but that he would be back."

  Drew rolled his eyes. "Good. I’m glad he isn’t around. It’s one less thing for me to worry about."

  I let out a huge sigh. I should have known better than to say anything. I just kept hoping that one day he and Gavin would let go of their animosity and just be brothers. So what if Drew’s mom is a bitch? I had seen Drew and Gavin fight together. They were a great team. They could be a great team, if only they could bring that into other aspects of their lives.

  "Do you want him to come back?" Drew asked softly.

  I so knew better than to answer that. "I don’t want to talk about it. I just wanted you to know he isn’t around."

  "Are you sleepy yet?" Drew yawned while he spoke.

  "I can try. Will you let me stay with you?"

  "Sure." He reached up and moved some of my hair away from my eyes. I turned around so my back was to him and his chest was pressed against my back. He placed his arms around my waist and entwined his fingers with mine. I could feel his breath on my neck, his heart beat against my back, and the heat of his body keeping us warm. I hadn’t felt so utterly peaceful in a long time.

  "Oh, and Chloe?"

  "Hmmm?"

  "We’re gonna take the Talon Building."

  About the Author

  Jennifer Malone Wright resides in the beautiful mountains of northern Idaho with her husband and five children. Between the craziness of taking care of her children, whose ages range from sixteen all the way down to two years, and being a homemaker, Jennifer has little time left for herself. The time she does have left, usually leading far into the night, is spent working on freelance work or her beloved fiction.

  When she grew up, Jennifer always had her nose in a book. She has been writing stories and poems since grade school. This love of the written word and her strong interest in the paranormal is what has led to her first novel “The Birth of Jaiden.”

  In addition to being a mother and homemaker, Jennifer is also a very proud military wife. Moving around the country for the last ten years has made her a bit of a nomad and she finds it difficult to be in one place for too long.

  Jennifer is also the author of The Birth of Jaiden, a paranormal novel filled with action, suspense, and even a love story.

  Visit Jennifer Malone Wright at www.jenniferwrightauthor.com

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thevampirehuntersdaughter

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Jennichad217

  Goodreads:

  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12363064-the-vampire-hunter-s-daughter-part-i