Love in the Dark

Chapter 17

Dallas

I called Nick three days later. I had been crashing on Missy's couch for long enough, and I felt it was finally time to talk to him. I already had the things I was going to say planned out, and the questions I was going to ask were fresh in my mind as I dialed his number.

He picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?" He asked, his voice concerned. "Are you okay? Are you safe? Where are you?"

My heart warmed at the worry, but I pushed down the feeling. Right now, I needed to keep a level head.

"I'm safe. i've been staying with Missy for the past few days. I'm okay. I have some questions that I want to be answered before I move back in." I kept my voice clipped and my words direct. I didn't want him to think I had forgiven him completely yet—I hadn't.

"Anything you want, I'll answer anything you ask," Nick said quickly, without hesitation.

Damn, he was really desperate, wasn't he? I felt kind of bad about keeping him in the dark for so long, but he deserved it for keeping me in the dark.

"My first question. Have you ever killed a human?" I asked. His answer was immediate.

"No."

"Have you ever killed a werewolf?"

This time, it took him a moment to answer. "Yes."

"How does the whole...changing thing happen?" It wasn't that important, but my curiosity won out.

Nick breathed a sigh. I guess it was an easy question for him. "When we turn fifteen, we have our first change. It's the most painful, and it takes us the longest to figure out how to turn back into a human. It's kind of like deciding to put on clothes. You just tell your body what to do, and it does it."

Interesting. I moved on to my next question. "Why didn't you tell me this before I moved in?"

Nick doesn't answer. I hear the buzz of the phone for a few minutes and assume he's formulating an answer. When he finally speaks, his words are full of regret. "I didn't want to scare you. It's also a very big secret, and we don't tell anyone that we don't trust completely. I put the entire pack at risk by telling you, so I'm begging you; please don't tell anyone about us. If the authorities find out, it'll cause another witch hunt."

I wasn't planning on telling anyone anyway. I knew that Nick had trusted me with the biggest secret of his life, and I wasn't going to betray his trust like that.

"I promise," I said, "I won't tell anyone."

He lets out a sigh, and I can feel the relief through the phone. "Thank you."

"But," I held up a finger even though I knew he couldn't see me, "I'm not going to be in the dark anymore. You tell me the truth, all the time, and the whole truth. That is the deal I'm making to move back in."

Nick said yes immediately. He didn't hesitate like I thought he would, he didn't pause to even consider it. Which led me to believe that he had already decided that on his own. For some reason, the fact that he had already decided to tell me the truth made me feel warm and fuzzy.

What a god-awful thing. Ew.

Shaking myself to get rid of that disgusting feeling, I said goodbye to Nick and hung up the phone. Then, I texted him.

I'll be home tonight, My text read.

Want me to pick you up? He texted back.

Sure, I replied. He texted a time, and I told him I would be waiting for him. Then, I went to Missy and told her that I would be leaving her house.