After Solitude

Chapter 29

Nik's POV

"Is that Tammy bitch coming to the gathering in a few days?" Poppy asks.

"Yeah, she's required to go. All vampires are required." Wyatt tells her.

"We have to find her and speak to her before she comes. She still hasn't been confronted about Brexley or Poppy."

Wyatt nods in agreement.

"Brexley? Isn't that Zoey's old best friend, from the group home?" Poppy links together in confusion.

"They were best friends?" Wyatt looks back at her shocked.

She told us they weren't that close.

"Well yeah. She was the only person who was nice to her from what I understand. Zoey said she left the group home at eighteen since they kick you out. She's a few years older. When Brexley left, they lost all contact."

Anger bubbles inside me. Why the fuck would she lie to us?

I turn the car, making it go towards Tammy's house. The tires screech across the road, leaving skid marks in its tracks.

"What the fuck dude!" Poppy exclaims as she holds onto her door handle.

"He's pissed, don't make eye contact." Wyatt tells her jokingly.

I notice Poppy look down at her lap, avoiding my daring gaze.

Wyatt isn't wrong, looking me in the eye while I'm angry...my brain connects that as a challenge. It brings out the monster in me quicker.

"Nik?" Poppy asks after a while.

I look up at her through my mirror, signaling for her to continue.

"What about my boyfriend? Can I see him?"

I sigh. Normal humans shouldn't have an idea that vampires exist, it could cause utter anarchy, mass fear, or even create more hunters for us to deal with.

"No." I say bluntly, just ripping off the band-aid.

I hear her sigh as I make a left turn into Tammy's driveway.

"What if I promise not to eat him?" She persists.

"No, Poppy. It's too risky. Let's go." I shut it down quickly to not get her hopes up.

I notice her attitude as she slams my car door and walks with her arms crossed on her chest.

"Nik? Hey! How a-" Tammy freezes mid sentence, noticing Poppy.

I guess she heard us pull up.

"Tammy." I tilt my head, greeting her.

An awkward silence washes over us as we stand outside Tammy's house. It's small but modern, looks to maybe be a two bedroom home.

"We have a lot to talk about." I state, hoping to scare her a little.

Tammy nods, walking towards her door to invite us in.

She scrunches her nose as Poppy walks by, but that may be because she's jealous that she's with us.

"So," Wyatt says as we sit at the table, "care to explain why you're creating newborns."

Tammy's shoulders touch her ears, tension drawing from her back.

"What?" She asks, seeming honestly confused.