Chapter 40

My eyes opened wide.

"Lana?" I murmured, looking at her standing in front of Nick, her hands clenched tightly. Greg stood not far from her. "What are you doing to Ella?" She sounded somewhat hysterical as she asked Nick, who seemed too surprised to answer.

"I'm taking her home," he said, walking past the frozen Nick. Lana's blue eyes looked very angry... and they were focused on me. But just a few steps later, Nick quickly turned around and grabbed Lana's hand to stop her. The next moment, Greg grabbed Nick's arm. "Let go of her," Greg's voice made the fine hairs on my back stand up.

"You can't take her back," Nick completely ignored Greg's warning, his gaze fixed on Lana.

The three of them looked ridiculous in their tug-of-war. Although I knew the atmosphere in the room had become tense, I couldn't help but stifle a small laugh. My mood had drastically changed upon seeing the three of them. I guess this is one of the effects of pregnancy.

"Of course, I can," Lana retorted sharply before looking back at me. "You. Go back to San Francisco now, we'll talk on the way."

I couldn't remember the last time I had seen her; it felt like a long time. Lana had cut her long blonde hair slightly, just below her shoulders. She was wearing a knee-length semi-formal navy blue dress with matching stilettos. The only change that couldn't escape my notice was that Lana looked even thinner. How long had it been since we last met? A month?

"Miss Morrel—"

"Let go of her, Nick," Greg cut off Nick's words.

"I... can't go back now, Lana."

"Now and forever," Nick added quickly. I glanced at him briefly before looking at Lana. "I'm sorry," I said sincerely.

Her blue eyes looked slightly watery. "Did he change you?" she asked, her voice strained. I opened my mouth to answer, but my brain moved faster. "How... did you know?"

The four of us stood in silence before I opened my mouth again. "Greg?" My gaze shifted to him; he looked like someone who had just been caught stealing. "Did you tell her?"

"I didn't—"

"He didn't tell me," Lana cut Greg off before he could finish his sentence. "He only told me about... about Volder. But I knew you had changed as soon as Nick opened that door; you looked different, Ella. I'm not blind."

"Oh," I replied weakly. "I—I didn't mean to hide it from you..."

Lana didn't answer me. We stood in awkward silence. The strange smell in the room grew stronger; I couldn't quite explain it, but it smelled like chemicals and... blood. My eyes widened as I realized the source. I furrowed my brow slightly, trying to sniff it out again. What was wrong with Lana?

"Ella?"

"Y—yeah?" I looked back at Lana, feeling a little guilty. What was wrong with Lana?

"He didn't hurt you, did he?" she whispered. I was sure Nick could still hear her clearly. "You don't need to lie to me," Lana added.

For the first time, I smiled at her. "No. Of course not. I'm fine."

"But you looked sad when I first saw you earlier."

Well, my sadness was for a different reason. It wasn't Nick hurting me; it was me hurting him. "We were just talking about something sad," I replied, half lying. I just realized that since earlier, Nick and Greg hadn't spoken. The tension between them was still palpable.

"You just arrived in Manhattan?" I asked, trying to make small talk.

"Yeah, an hour ago."

I nodded slightly, trying to find another topic, but the awkwardness still lingered between us.

"I'll go back to my hotel," Lana said suddenly. "If you're not too busy, you can visit me..."

"Okay. I'll definitely come." I replied, smiling again. Both of us had a lot of questions that needed answers.

"Okay." Lana looked hesitant as she glanced at Nick briefly. "Well, bye. Call me if... something happens." She threw a stern look at Nick and then left with Greg. Before the private elevator they used closed, I could hear Lana say to Greg, "I don't like your brother."

***

Nick didn't mention Lana at all for the rest of the afternoon, and neither did Greg. He went back to work an hour after Lana left. We planned to have dinner together at the hotel where Lana was staying. I knew Lana wouldn't return to San Francisco before making sure I was really okay, and I would do the same if I were in her position.

Without asking me, Nick told his secretary to buy a dress for me since I didn't bring many clothes when I arrived in Manhattan. Well, I didn't plan to go to Manhattan at all. A champagne-colored dress was delivered from a boutique just one block from Nick's office, complete with nude high heels and a pair of gold earrings. I looked at the luxurious package with a frustrated expression. Nick didn't need to buy me these things just for dinner with Lana.

I waited for him to return, but by 6 p.m., he still hadn't. My hand unconsciously rubbed my stomach. I was starting to feel hungry again, even though I had just drunk Nick's blood this afternoon. As far as I could remember, there were only two blood types tolerated by my body right now: Nick's and Alastair's. Alastair had given me his blood through a transfusion when he kidnapped me, and there were no side effects from his blood. In fact, his blood gave me strength longer than Nick's. My gaze returned to the penthouse door for the umpteenth time before finally deciding to take a shower.

"Eleanor?" Nick's voice came from the living room as I had just finished showering. I put on my robe and came out of the room. Nick was pouring two glasses of wine mixed with blood on the kitchen counter and handed them to me. Ugh. "I'm not very hungry," I muttered, although I still accepted the glass.

"Drink, Eleanor," he replied shortly before drinking his wine in one gulp. His eyes were fixed on me as he drank, waiting for me. I put the rim of the glass to my lips, pretending to drink. The pungent smell pierced my nose, making me nauseous again. I wrinkled my nose and placed the glass back on the counter. Nick pulled the corners of his mouth down but didn't say anything.

"What's wrong?" I asked when he didn't take his eyes off me.

Nick put down his empty glass and shook his head once. "You look different."

"You've said that twice now, Nick."

He smiled faintly before stepping closer to me and pulling me into his arms. "Yeah, maybe because I'm not used to it yet," he said, kissing my temple. Slowly, his kisses moved to my lips, his hand tangled in the knot of my robe, his fingers twisting it for a moment. "Nick," I whispered in the midst of our kiss, "We don't have time for this." I swallowed my saliva to moisten my dry throat, Nick's smell making my hunger even stronger.

He pulled his head back, pouting, and took a deep breath. "Give me 10 minutes to shower," he grumbled before kissing me briefly and letting go of me. I smiled at his annoyed face, even though he still complied with me.

Thirty minutes later, we were ready. Nick was waiting for me to dress in the living room. When I came out of the room, he was sitting on the sofa facing the penthouse garden, his black suit hanging next to him. From the side, I could see his handsome silhouette, his strong jawline, neatly styled brown hair, and his blue eyes staring straight at the glittering night in Manhattan. I felt like he was thinking very seriously at the moment. I didn't know how a man like him could like me; he could have any woman he wanted. But he chose me. Me.

A feeling of guilt hit me instantly; I couldn't keep this secret any longer. Slowly, his head turned towards me, and for several seconds, his gaze didn't blink. He stood up, his hands in his pants pockets, never breaking eye contact with me. The atmosphere between us changed drastically, as if there was a strong magnetic pull between us. I parted my lips slightly to speak, but something prevented me from doing so. The same went for Nick.

Right now, there was only the two of us in the world.