Blood Awakening Read Online Free

falling fabric, heat climbing my face yet again. Geez, Ava, control yourself. If I kept this up, I was gonna end up looking like a sunburned half-corpse.
    “Now, what can I do for you two?” He was now fully clothed except for bare feet (which was actually kinda hot—and made me feel like a skank for even thinking it), and a twinge of sadness tickled my throat at not being able to ogle his bare chest anymore. I seriously wanted to punch myself in the gut for focusing on Erik instead of Chance, the guy I loved. I mean, I didn’t think I could have been more inappropriate in my thoughts than at that moment.
    “Nothing,” Kayla said. “We just wanted to let you know we’re going on a little trip.” She was practically bouncing off the couch with excitement at finally doing something productive to find her dad, and I was genuinely happy for her. After focusing on just me for so long, it felt good to be helping someone else.
    “A trip? Where?” Erik walked into the kitchen and snagged a soda from the fridge. “Thirsty?” he asked us. I was, but no way could I risk putting anything in my stomach, as anxious as I felt. With my luck, I would’ve barfed it up right there on his beige carpet.
    “No thanks,” Kayla answered. I shook my head and watched as he popped the top and guzzled half the can’s contents before coming up for air. “And we’re just taking sort of a mini-getaway. You know, fresh air, new scenery. We just need a break from this place.” As soon as Kayla said those last words, I knew they were a mistake. I could practically see Erik’s face light up as he came back into the living room.
    “That sounds awesome,” he said, excitement trailing behind his words. “I could really use one of those right now.” Kayla cringed, realizing what she had said. What was she gonna do now?
    “Um, well, we were kind of thinking it would just be a girls’ trip,” she said. “Is that cool?”
    Erik’s eyes fell on me for a fraction of a second and I saw his sadness and disappointment before he smiled again, totally playing it off. “No problem,” he said. “Maybe we can all do something together later.” He tried to sound happy and unaffected by being told no, but his fluctuating heart rate betrayed his words and demeanor. I had made a promise to Erik after Lila’s death that I would be there to help him through, and now I was turning my back on him. I hated myself. And I hated that we had to lie to him. Well, it wasn’t really lying, I guess, if you just withheld the truth. At least, I kept telling myself that. But Kayla had been right: we had no idea if Erik was ready to discuss vampires or hunting…or Lila.
    “Are you sure?” Kayla asked. I could tell that she was uncomfortable, and I was actually a little mad that we weren’t just telling him what was going on.
    “Yeah, sure,” he answered. “It’s cool.” Suddenly, Kayla’s uncomfortable mood spread out across the entire room, and the tension became thick like a choking fog. I could feel Erik’s awkwardness curdling beneath his skin as the only two people he thought he could count on refused to help him when he needed it. The guilt was crushing me.
    “Okay then,” Kayla said quickly. “I guess we’re out of here.” She stood and crossed the room to the front door. “We’ll give you a call when we get to where we’re going.” She opened the door and made it one step across the threshold before my mouth suddenly flew open and words were spilling out.
    “She’s lying,” I blurted. “We’re not going on any vacation.” I caught Kayla’s dazed and shocked expression and had to look away before I lost my nerve.
    “What are you talking about?” Erik asked, now confused. He had finished off his soda and set the empty can on the bar next to him.
    “We’re going to Boston.” My word vomit was relentless. The anxiety I had been holding hostage in my stomach had now been replaced by a nauseating feeling that I was severely