The Empath's Mate

Chapter 14

Veronica POV

               I opened the back door of the house to step outside. There was a small porch that was around 20x20. Nikola was sitting in a chair next to a fire pit. There were lights that went around the railing of the porch giving off a soft glow. The fire was crackling as Nikola smiled.

               “Where did that come from?” I asked pointing to the fire pit.

               “Tovi’s idea, do you like it?” His voice was melting me like butter.

               “It’s amazing, I love sitting by the fire.” I said stepping slowly towards the chair.

               Nikola stood and wrapped his arms around me within seconds. I didn’t hesitate this time, I pressed my face to his chest, holding on as if my life depended on it.

               He ran his hands over my back and along my arms, massaging gently. I pulled back slightly to look up at him. I could see he was exhausted from helping me all day long. I cupped his face in my hands staring up at him. He dipped his head and pressed his forehead to mine.

               I moved my hands linking them around the back of his neck. I could feel his lips graze mine as he rubbed his nose to mine. I giggled slightly under my breath. I couldn’t hold back the smile. I let everything go, in that moment, I pressed my lips to his.

               He instantly responded parting my lips with his. He tasted so amazing as our tongues danced. I felt something burst inside me covering my body in strange sparks. The sensation was beginning to make me light-headed, but I didn’t want to stop. My legs gave out, he caught my back pulling me into him.

               He broke the away first, I placed my head on his chest trying to catch my breath. I felt him shift slightly before he sat down pulling me onto his lap. I was overrun with emotions throughout my body. I never wanted to be away from his touch. I felt like he was the missing piece my entire life and I was finally whole.

               “I should text Jeremy and let him know I don’t need him tomorrow.” I said suddenly causing Nikola to flinch.

               “It’s already after midnight. Plus, I let him know you were all set when we arrived.” Nikola replied. I eyed him suspiciously causing him to chuckle before continuing. “I may have convinced him to let me come help tomorrow morning, before I texted you.” He blushed slightly. “I didn’t want to wait until Monday to see you.”

               “I am glad you texted me.” I said placing my head back on his shoulder as he squeezed me.

               We stayed curled up by the fire for over an hour. We talked about our favorite foods and I told him a summary of my relationship with Travis. He was easy to talk to, I didn’t get a sense of judgment or boredom. My phone vibrated and I lifted it up. As soon as I went to place my thumb on the sensor, the screen went black.

               “I should plug this in.” I said standing up. Nikola’s phone began to vibrate.

               “It’s Jessie.” He said before answering the call.

               “Text me the address, we are on our way.” Nikola said before hanging up the phone.

               “What happened?” I asked him as he put out the fire.

               “He can’t seem to find Tovi, I am sure it’s nothing. There was a guy that approached her 45 minutes ago, she brushed him off, now she hasn’t been seen for 20 minutes. Jessie is just worried and thinks muscle for backup will help.” He shrugged his shoulders.

               “When did he get your number?” “Wait, speaking of that Niko? Tovi called you that earlier.” I jumped around with my questions. “And why do I feel so cold when you aren’t touching me?”

               “I made sure he had my number before going to the party, my family and friends call me Niko.” He answered two of my questions ignoring the third.

               “Does that mean I can call you Niko?” I asked with a grin.

               “You can call me whatever you like. Now let’s go scare some teenagers.” He laughed leading me through the house.

               He opened the door to the truck, and I climbed in. He spent a few minutes near the back end, I figured out he was dropping the trailer. He jumped in and started the truck plugging the address into the GPS.

               “That’s in the middle of nowhere.” He said looking at the map.

               “That’s where teenagers go.” I pointed out laughing.

               After we drove for 25 minutes we pulled over onto the side of the road. There were quite a few cars parked everywhere, I knew we were in the right place. I was nervous not knowing what was going on with Tovi. Nikola being with me gave me a sense of security and comfort. We both exited the car; I could see Jessie running up to greet us.           

               “I am so sorry Mom. I just went to piss.” Jessie said, clearly, he had been drinking.

               “Just take us to the last place you saw her.” Niko said walking forward.

               We followed Jessie through the woods to a fire, there were only 15 or 20 teens standing in various locations. I glanced around seeing no sign of Tovi. A few of the players from the football team said hi as we walked by. This wasn’t my first time searching for a teenager at a party. Usually it was Jessie missing curfew.

               “Miss S!” Brandon called out from the trees. “What did Jess do this time?!” He was laughing.

               Brandon was an inch or two shorter than Jessie, he had red hair with pale skin covered in freckles. He had played football with Jessie since freshman year. He was a good kid but sometimes he didn’t make the best decisions.

               “Hi Brandon, I’m actually looking for Tovi, you haven’t seen her, have you?” I asked.

               “Sorry Miss S… I can say she isn’t down by the river if that helps.” He shrugged, walking away.

               “Who are you?” He stopped, staring at Nikola.

               “My name is Nikola.” He said with a grin.

               “He’s cool Bran.” Jessie spoke in front of me.

               “Cool” He said before eyeing Niko head to toe and shaking his head.

               We turned left and followed Jessie down a short trail. I was happy I had my boots on, I wasn’t sure what I was walking through. We stopped at the keg that was hidden in the bushes. There was a bucket filled with cups and trash.

               “Nice to know where that green bucket disappeared to.” I said laughing.

               “She was right here, I stepped back over there, and she was gone when I came back.” Jessie rushed out clearly still worried.

Niko’s eyes seemed to glow slightly, and I swear I saw him sniff the air. He started looking around and I followed him. I swear at one point I heard a growl, I tried to push it out of my mind. I tripped over a log and Nikola instantly caught me. I heard him sigh and I paused.

“I’ll just head back and look the other way.” I suggested turning around.

               “No.” He said taking my hand in his.

               “Seriously we can cover more ground if we split up.” I protested pulling against his grip.

               “No!” He raised his voice.

               I froze, I felt like I was seeing a different side to him. He was angry and possessive? I know the woods can be dangerous at night but there are people all around, there is no way anything is that close.

               “Do not speak to me like that.” I said using my strength to break his grasp on my hand.

               “Let me know if you find her.” I said as I heavily walked away.

               I looked around and didn’t see anything or anyone. I pulled out my cell phone to try the flashlight and it had already died. I heard something in the bushes, I jumped.

               “Tovi?”

               “No, my name is Rick.” The shadow said, “I didn’t mean to scare you. Aren’t you a little old for a high school party?”

               I could make out his features, he had blue eyes and dark brown hair that looked almost black. He smiled at me as I tried to get a sense of him. I wasn’t able to feel anything, like earlier when that Jackson fellow showed up at the house.

               “I am looking for my daughter. I could say the same to you. You’re not old enough to have a teenage daughter or son.” I replied irritated.

               “You’re not wrong, I am looking for my brother, Isiah.” Rick replied. “But who knows if I was 13 when I had my first child, I guess they would be around 16 by now.” He laughed off my tone.

               “I’m sorry the woods just have me on edge.” I said tripping over another log.

               He caught my arm to save me from falling and his cold hands caused me to jolt. It wasn’t cold enough outside for someone to feel like that. He noticed my hesitation and took a step backwards.

               “Sorry, I would never let a lady fall.”

               “Joke is on you; I am not a lady.” I laughed.

               “That, I simply do not believe. If you see a younger version of me can you send him to the fire? I am going to look around more before heading back.” He said taking another step away.

               “Sure thing.” I replied losing my view of him.