Heart of Ice

Chapter Nineteen

Song: If Tomorrow Never Comes- Garth Brooks

It dos not take long for me to look through my book collection at the cottage and realize that I have read every single book-- some twice-- and have nothing available to read. Sure, I could find something else to do, but when we aren't training or sleeping, I have absolutely nothing to do. Hunter spends a good bit of his time in the spare room working out or drawing in his sketchbook (which I still haven't been able to see), but all I can do is color or sit on the back porch.

I need something to do. Or else, I'm going to go stir crazy, and that will kill me before Demetrius can even touch me.

So, after finishing training in the morning, I change into different clothes and decide to head to the library. It's a risk, but we've been off the grid at the cottage for a little over a month, so it will take a good bit of effort for Demetrius and his pack to find us. Plus, I take all the necessary precautions. It's mid December, so the heavy clothing, jacket, and beanie I wear disguise me pretty well. Once I'm ready to go, I concentrate and close my eyes, transporting to the library closest to the safe house. I make my way to the romance section and my jaw drops at the bountiful selection they have. I have almost decided on some young adult romance when my eyes land on a classic I've been dying to read-- Pride and Prejudice.

After successfully securing it, I stroll further down the romance aisle before wandering to other aisles. The peace and quiet of the atmosphere is a nice change of scenery from the noise of everything we've been on the run from the past two months. Even though I feel calm at the safehouse, there's just something different about the serenity at the library, surrounded by thousands of different worlds that only take time and interest to delve into. Maybe escaping to another world is what I need to forget about the terrors in my own.

As I curiously skim through the titles in the thriller section, someone rests their hand on my shoulder, their fingers digging into my skin, and I jump, my heart hammering against my chest as I glance behind me to see Owen. He smirks when he sees my reaction. "Hello, Alaska. Here to indulge in fictitious worlds?"

I force myself to calm down before I face him. I have to show him I'm not afraid of him, or else he will use that to his advantage. After all, he's just the help to Demetrius, and he has no idea where Hunter and I are staying. I look him up and down before noticing the book tucked against his side. "A Guide to Killing Vampires, Written by A Vampire," I read off the cover. "How inspiring."

"You think so? I thought it would add a nice effect to how only one of us will be leaving this library today."

His smile is sickeningly sweet, and I match the same attitude before glancing around the library, taking note of other people in different sections. "You think it's smart to cause a scene in front of the public?" I sigh, patting his shoulder. "And here I thought you were smart."

Owen's smile falters. "Touché. Shall we take this outside, then?"

"You may. I, however, have a date. Have fun with your imagination." 

Before Owen can grab me, I imagine the safehouse and immediately transport to it. I land in my room and let out a breath of relief, thankful that I managed to get out of there before he could bring the rest of Bloodbound to where we were. There is no way he can find us at the safehouse even with seeing me at the library, so I don't have to worry. I slide out of my jacket and sit on my bed, my back resting against the headboard. I spend the majority of the day reading, and almost finish the book when Hunter opens the door, leaning against the frame as he crosses his arms over his chest. He watches me read another page before smirking. "You have a date, huh?"

My eyes shoot up to his, and his smirk only grows bigger. "How did you hear that? You weren't there."

Panic fills my chest again at the thought that he knows Owen was there too. If Hunter knew I had interacted with him, he would be on the complete opposite end of being happy. Even if our encounter was by chance, it wouldn't matter. Hunter had made it clear that we needed to be as careful as possible, and although I knew he wouldn't be upset about me going to the library in the first place, he would be absolutely livid if he knew about Owen-- which is why his nonchalant, playful attitude confuses me more than ever.