The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Two

Meredith held the fatigue gauge firmly against the valve of her left prat bore opus she check into it. The printing press was fine.The pressure on al simple machinedinal tires was fine. The antifreeze, oil, and transmission fluids were al topped glum, the motorcar battery was innovative, and the jack and spare tire were in perfect shape. She should present kn nourish. Her parents werent the voiced to stay spot from work to forecast her bathroomcelled to col ege. They knew she didnt need coddling, that theyd show their love by fashioning sure al the preparations were made, that she was safe and utterly ready for anything that might happen. Of course, they wouldnt tell her that they had checked e genuinelything, either theyd want her to continue defend herself.Thither wasnt anything she had to do in a flash object leave.Which was the hotshot thing she didnt want to do. drive with me, she said with kayoed looking up, despising the listless quaver she heard in her own voice. Just for a couple of weeks.You inhabit I cant, Alaric said as he b travel his mountain lightly bothplace her guts. I wouldnt want to leave if I came with you. Itl be better this way. Youl get to institute whoopie the first weeks of col ege like al the separate new students, without anyone holding you backwards. whence Il go down up and visit soon. Meredith turned to face him and found Alaric gazing back at her. His mouth tensed, just the tiniest tightening, and she could see that share again, later exclusively a few weeks unitedly, was just as hard for him as it was for her.She leaned in and kissed him softly.Better than if Id gone to Harvard, she murmured. more than terminationr.As the summer had ended, she and Matt had cognise they couldnt leave their friends and head off to out-of-state col eges as theyd planned. Theyd al been through so much together, and they cherished to stay together, to nurse one an early(a), more than they wanted to go an yw here(predicate) else.Their home had been nearly ruined more than once, and only Elenas blackmail of the aery Court had restored it and saved their families. They couldnt leave.Not while they were the only ones standing against the darkness out in that location, the darkness that would be drawn evermore to the Power of the magical ley lines that cut through the stadium around Fel s Church. Dalcrest was close sufficiency that theyd be able to come back if insecurity threatened again.They needed to nurture their home.So Stefan had gone wad to the administrative offices at Dalcrest and apply his vampire mojo. abruptly Matt had the footbal scholarship to Dalcrest hed turned down in favor of Kent State back in the spring, and Meredith was not only expect as an incoming fresh homophile that was housed in a triple in the best manor hall on campus with comme il faut and Elena. The supernatural had worked for them, for a change.Stil , shed had to take a shit up a couple of dr eams to get here. Harvard. Alaric by her side.Meredith move her head. Those dreams were incompatible, anyway. Alaric couldnt have come to Harvard with her. Alaric was staying here in Fel s Church to enquiry the origins of al the supernatural things that had happened over the towns history. Luckily, Duke was let him count this toward his dissertation on the paranormal.And hed be able to monitor the town for danger at the same time. Theyd have to be apart for now, no matter where Meredith chose to go, unless at least(prenominal) Dalcrest was a accomplishable drive away.Alarics skin had a soft tan, and a scattering of golden freckles crossed his cheekbones. Their faces were so close she could feel the eagerness of his breath.Whatre you figureing? His voice was a first murmur.Your freckles, she said. Theyre gorgeous. thus she took a breath and pul ed away. I love you, Meredith said, and then rushed on before a revolve of longing could overwhelm her, I have to go. She picked up one of the suitcases sitting by the car and swung it into the trunk.I love you, too, Alaric said, and caught her hand and held it tightly for a twinkling, looking into her eye. Then he let go and typeset the last suitcase into the trunk and slammed the lid.Meredith kissed him, industrious and hard, and hurried herself into the drivers seat. Once she was safely seated, sing in, the engine running, she let herself look at him again.Bye, she said through the open window. Il cal you tonight. all(prenominal) night.Alaric nodded. His eyeball were sad, entirely he smiled and held up a hand in fareWell.Meredith plump for out of the driveway careful y. Her men were at ten and two, and she kept her eyeball on the road and her breathing steady. Without change surface looking, she knew Alaric was standing in the driveway, watching her car drive out of sight. She pressed her lips together firmly. She was a Sulez. She was a vampire hunter, a star student, and completely levelheaded in al situations.She didnt need to cry after al , she would see Alaric again. Soon. In the meantime, she would be a lawful Sulez ready for anything.Dalcrest was beautiful, Elena conception. Shed been here before, of course. She, Bonnie, and Meredith had driven al the way up for a frat party petty(prenominal) year, when Meredith had been dating a col ege boy. And she pallidly remembered her parents bringing her for an alumni family event, back when she was little. entirely now that she was part of the instruct, now that it would be her home for the abutting four years, everything looked different.Pretty swanky, Damon commented as the car swept amidst the striking gilded gates at the schools overhear and drove on past twists of bastard Georgian brick and neoclassical marble. For America, that is. Well, we cant al flex up in Italian palaces, Elena answered absently, very conscious of the light pressure of his second joint alongside hers. She was sitting in the summit of the tr uck between Stefan and Damon, and there wasnt a lot of room. Having both of them so close was awful y distracting.Damon rol ed his eyes and drawled to Stefan, Well, if you have to play human and face school again, little brother, at least you didnt lease too hideous a spot. And, of course, the company wil make up for every inconvenience, he added gal antly with a gaze at Elena.But I stil think that its a waste of time.And yet, here you are, Elena said.Im only here to keep you out of trouble, Damon retorted.Youl have to excuse Damon, Stefan said to Elena lightly. He doesnt understand. He was thrown out of university back in the old days.Damon laughed. But I had large(p) fun while I was there, he said. There were al kinds of pleasures a man of means could have at university. I imagine things have changed a bit, though.They were needling distributively other, Elena knew, but there wasnt that hard, bitter keepary line to their sparring that used to be there. Damon was blithesome over her head at Stefan with a wry pump, and Stefans fingers were loose and relaxed on the focussing wheel.She put a hand on Stefans knee and squeezed.Damon tensed next to her, but when she glanced over at him, he was gazing in front through the windshield, his face neutral. Elena took her hand off Stefans knee. The last thing she wanted to do was disturb the delicate balance between the three of them.Here we are, Stefan said, pul ing up to an ivy-covered building. Pruitt House.The dorm loomed above them, a tal brick building with a turret on one side, windows glittering in the afternoon sun.Its divinatory to be the nicest dorm on campus, Elena said.Damon subject his door and hopped out, then turned to launch Stefan a long look. The best dorm on campus, is it?Have you been using your powers of judgement for personal gain, young Stefan? He shook his head. Your morals are disintegrating.Stefan got out on his own side and turned to give Elena a courteous hand down. Its conting ent youre final y rubbing off on me, he said to Damon, his lips move involuntarily slightly with amusement. Im in the turret in a single. Theres a balcony.How nice for you, Damon said, his eyes moving quickly between them. This is a dormitory for both boys and girls, then? The sins of the advanced(a) world. His face was thoughtful for a moment then he gave a bril iant smile and began to pul luggage out of the back.He had seemed about nonsocial to Elena for that second which was ridiculous, Damon was never lonely but that fleeting impression was adequacy to make her say impetuously, You could come to school with us, Damon. Its not too late, not if you used your Power to enrol . You could live on campus with us.She felt Stefan freeze. Then he took a slow breath and slid up next to Damon, r severallying for a stack of boxes. You could, he said casual y. It might be more fun than you think to estimate school again, Damon.Damon shook his head, scoffing, No, thank you. I parted wa ys with academia several(prenominal) centuries ago. Il be much happier in my new flatcar in town, where I can keep an eye on you without having to slum area with students. He and Stefan smiled at each other with what looked like perfect understanding.Right, Elena thought, with a left over(p) mixture of relief and disappointment. She hadnt seen the new apartment yet, but Stefan had assured her that Damon would be, as usual, bread and butter in the lap of luxury, at least so far as the close set(predicate) town could offer.Come along, kiddies, Damon said, picking up several suitcases effortlessly and heading into the dorm. Stefan hoisted his mainstay of boxes and fol owed him.Elena grabbed a box of her own and came after them, admiring their natural grace, their elegant strength. As they passed a few open doors, she heard a girl mock wolf-whistle, then express joy breathlessly with her roommate.A box leaning from Stefans enormous pile as he started up the staircase, and Damon caught it easily despite the suitcases. Stefan gave him a casual nod of thanks.Theyd spent centuries as enemies. Theyd killed each other, once. Hundreds of years of hating each other, bound together by misery, jealousy, and sorrow. Katherine had done that to them, severe to have them both when they each wanted only her.Everything was different now. Theyd come so far. Since Damon had died and come back, since they had battled and defeated the jealousy phantom, theyd come to be partners. There was an unspoken credit rating that they would work together to protect a little group of humans.More than that, there was a cautious, but very real, affection between them. They relied on each other theyd be sorry to lose each other again. They didnt talk about it, but she knew it was true.Elena squeezed her eyes shut for just a second. She knew they both love her. They both knew that she loved them. Even though, her mind corrected conscientiously, Stefan is my true love. But something else in her, that imaginary panther, stretched and smiled. But Damon, my DamonShe shook her head. She couldnt break them apart, couldnt let them involvement over her. She wouldnt do what Katherine had done. If the time came for her to choose, she would choose Stefan. Of course.Would you? the panther purred lazily, and Elena tried to push the thought away.Everything could fal apart so easily. And it was up to her to make sure that never happened again.