Tessa’s POVThe moment was gone before it began. We stood only inches from one another. I could feel his breath on my features and his eyes were fixated on my lips. I knew what he wanted, and I wanted it too.I was seconds away from closing that gap between us and pressing my lips against his. To feel the softness and comfort that his kiss provides me. To taste him against me.But he stepped away, leaving me standing alone and vulnerable.I blinked several times, trying to wrap my mind around what had happened.Knowing that he cared enough to do research on apartments for me, I wondered why he wanted to keep the distance between us. Was it all about the professor and student thing? Or there was more than that?He ran his hand across the back of his neck and averted his eyes from mine. My face warmed and I glanced at my feet.“I chose an apartment,” I said, my voice sounding distant.He managed to look at me and raised both his brows.“I chose the one that’s closest to the school,” I t
Tessa’s POVI woke up early the next morning, momentarily forgetting where I was. I forgot I wasn’t at Joseph’s house any longer. My heart was still hurting, for the ambiguous attitude Joseph left me with. It felt as if he was pushing me away and pulling me towards him at the same time.The push and pull made me anxious, but I knew I still had to plant a smile on my face and get through today. I also had to figure out how to get through tonight.It was Monday, which meant I had to get through his class without breaking down. I tried my best to brush the thought out of my head as I grabbed a clean outfit and went to take a shower.Once I was done getting dressed, I looked at myself in the mirror. I wore a skirt that rested just above my knees and a black blouse with sleeves that hung just under my shoulders. I allowed my hair to freely fall around my shoulders but kept a ponytail around my wrist just in case.I added a little bit of makeup under my eyes to keep them from looking red du
Tessa’s POVI tried to pay Brian no attention despite being able to feel his eyes on me the entire time I was sitting with Joseph. Others were also noticing our awkward lunch and I knew they were whispering about it and probably starting rumors.I probably shouldn’t have sat down like this. What was he thinking? Having me sit with him like this. How could he remain so calm and casual?It was like he had no care in the world.“Are you prepared for today’s exam?” Joseph asked just as casually as he looked.Joseph had been talking about this exam for a little over a week. While I was out, he made sure I had everything needed to pass this exam. I studied like crazy, and it seems pretty straightforward. However, I was still a little nervous because it was the first big exam that counted for a bit portion of this quarter’s grade.I had to pass it.I nodded to answer his question.“Yes. I appreciate you for getting me all the necessary materials.”He nodded as well.“You’re my student. It’s
Tessa’s POVMy talk with Brian earlier left a chill down my spine. I could hardly concentrate on studying in the library and I was practically a drone in my next class.Only one more class and it would be Joseph’s evening class. I had a knot in my stomach thinking about it. We had a nice conversation in the lunchroom and I’m hoping things don’t have to be weird between us. But now everybody was talking about it.Once I got to Joseph’s class, he was talking to a few teachers outside his classroom, including Emily.She gave me a smile as I walked by, though it seemed strained and she stepped closer to Joseph, almost protectively. I tried my best to return her smile as I walked into the classroom.I felt Joseph’s eyes on the back of my head.Ruby was sitting at our usual desks in the back of the room, speaking to some girls as I sat down.“They are fake rumors, so, stop talking about it,” Ruby hissed to the others who only gave one another knowing before turning away.I knew they were ta
Tessa’s POV“Do you like tomato and basil soup?” I asked from the kitchen, peering over at Joseph sitting on the couch.“Sounds good,” he answered.I was surprised when he agreed to come inside, even more shocked that I invited him. But now that he was here, I needed to prepare dinner for us both. I was pleased that he was here. Despite our many differences and the fact that I hardly saw him during the day, I missed hanging out with him in the evenings.It was like a part of me was missing these last few days and now that he’s in my living room, sitting on my couch, waiting for me to return with food, it felt like that missing part has been filled.I felt good about our friendship. I’m glad we talked a little bit earlier and cleared some of that negative energy away. But there was still stuff I wanted to say to him. There were still things I needed to tell him.I was so lost in thought, that I hadn’t even noticed that he was now in the kitchen.“Do you need help with anything?” He ask
Tessa’s POV“Tess—”“I’m serious, Joseph,” I said, cutting off whatever he was about to say. “Are you seriously going to sit there and tell me you didn’t feel anything when we kissed? Was it that meaningless to you?”“We’ve both had a little too much to drink,” he said, shaking his head as he stared down at the wine glass. “It’s probably better if we—”“I will never have the courage to say any of this sober,” I told him, keeping my eyes locked on the side of his face. “Do you regret that kiss?”“Yes,” he said meeting my eyes.It felt like someone had stabbed me in the heart. I couldn’t stop the tears from filling my eyes. I looked away from him so he wouldn’t see them as well.“But not for the reason you are thinking,” he continued. “The life that I live is a dangerous one. It’s not for a human. Especially a young human girl with an entire future ahead of her. You deserve better than a vampire like me. It’s a dark and lonely world I live in. It’s no place for you.”I found myself reac
Tessa’s POVHe’s gone.I woke up this morning and he was no longer in my bed. I knew before I even got out of bed and into the living room that he wouldn’t be there either. He wasn’t in my apartment. I could feel it.He left.It must have been in the middle of the night. Maybe he waited until he was sober enough to drive home. Or maybe it was immediately after I fell asleep.This was nothing more than I mental game that I was falling victim to. How was I so easily tricked all the time? First Brian and now Joseph.I knew it wasn’t fair to compare Joseph to Brian. But I felt used.I was still naked when I woke up. I don’t really remember falling asleep, but I woke up covered by my blanket. I remember him kissing my forehead and telling me to go to sleep. I remember feeling like everything was going to be okay and that things were going to be different going forward.Now I was feeling like a fool.I pressed my knees to my chest and allowed a few tears to let loose. That was all I was goi
Tessa’s POV“What do you mean love? You think you love him after he ghosted you?” I asked, trying to hold back my second round of laughter.However, the sadness in her eyes made things less humorous and jabbed painfully at my heart.“No,” she admitted, looking down at her hands. “But I thought maybe I could love him someday. I don’t know why I feel so sad over this one guy. I only knew him for one night and had sex with him once. I’ve had sex with guys before and never felt this attached afterward. At least not since, Todd,” she said, naming her ex-boyfriend.I sighed and took another swig of wine while pouring her another glass. Once I put the wine bottle down, I pressed my knees to my chest and took a sip of the wine in my glass.“I don’t know much about love myself,” I admitted. “But I know it’s a feeling like no other. A connection between the heart, mind, and soul. When you kiss, it’s like you’re the only two people in the room. His eyes pouring into you will keep you in a trance
Tessa’s POV10 years later!“You got called here too?” Ruby asked as I walked up the steps of the middle school. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair, letting it fall around my shoulders.“Are you really surprised?” I asked her, rolling my eyes.She wrapped an arm around my shoulders and held me close to her.“Just take a deep breath. Maybe it’s not too bad this time,” she said, trying to appear soothing.I gave her a pointed look.“Please, when is it ever not that bad?”“Well, they aren’t vampires yet. So, it could be worse,” she said, shrugging her shoulders and chuckling.“I can only imagine the trouble they will get into once they are vampires,” I muttered.Ruby only laughed harder as we walked into the school. We went down the hallway and towards the principal's office, but a familiar voi
Tessa’s POV“Breathe, Tessa. Just breathe!” Ruby said as she held onto my hand tightly.I’m glad she’s a vampire and strong because if she was a typical human, I would have broken her hand by now. Pain shot through my lower abdomen and into my spine, crippling me in agony. I screamed out in pain, my entire body quivering.“You are doing great,” the doctor said, looking at my vitals. “That was a big contraction. It won’t be much longer until it’s time for you to push.”“Where the hell is Joseph?” I asked through my teeth.I knew he was working when I went into labor but that was several hours ago. I thought he would be here by now.“He texted Carter a bit ago and said he was almost here,” Ruby assured me. She placed a cool cloth on my forehead, and I sighed in relief. The pain in my body started to simmer down for a moment, but I knew th
Tessa’s POVA month after the big battle 4 years ago, Amelia called me and told me that they had taken Ruby to the most elite healers in California where Amelia is originally from. Carter hadn’t left her side since they took her there. They were able to get her heart beating once again, but she remained in critical condition for a little over a year.Nobody, including me, was allowed to see her. The only ones allowed near her were Carter, her true love, and Amelia, her mother. However, Amelia tried to keep me updated as frequently as possible but for a long while, it didn’t seem like Ruby would ever wake up.But 18 months later, she finally woke. It was a long road to recovery though. Even though she was healing and awake, both Carter and Amelia thought it would be best if she remained in California and stayed isolated until she was 100 percent ready to return. Apparently, she suffered some serious PTSD, along with minor memory
Tessa’s POV4 years later. “This had got to be the longest engagement in the history of engagements,” Hannah said as she continued to fuss over my hair for the last several hours. “I’m so happy it’s finally coming to an end.”I smiled at her through the vanity mirror, feeling a lightness in my chest that I hadn’t felt in a long time. Not since my daughter, Amaya, was born.“I know,” I told her honestly, biting my lower lip, making Amy huff with dismay as she grabbed more lipstick to fix my makeup that I unknowingly ruined. “With everything that went down 4 years ago, marrying Joseph just didn’t seem right. I really wanted to get my life back in order. I wanted to succeed in my career, Joseph needed to adjust to his new role as Overseer, and plus, I didn’t want to get married pregnant.”This made both girls pause what they were doing and lo
Tessa’s POVMost of the coven stayed with me in my father’s home. Esme went out to help the police look for Penny.There was no way I was going to leave my father alone if Penny was still out there and planning on killing him. My father and I talked a lot about everything that had happened, and he apologized countless times even though I told him it wasn’t necessary.None of this was his fault and I hated that he was blaming himself.He set up sleeping bags, and air mattresses and pulled out the couch for everyone to sleep on. He has one guest bedroom that Laura and Austin occupied. Joseph and I were going to sleep in my childhood room, but I really didn’t want to leave my father and plus, I had missed him throughout these years.Even though he was in my life these past few years, with Penny around, we didn’t really have a great relationship. Now I understood why; because Penny had her claws dug deep i
Tessa’s POVThe Moon Goddess had completely taken over my body and spoke to everyone through me. She warned them what would happen if anything were to happen to me or my baby. Now it was up to them to decide if they wanted to continue hunting me to gain the powers of the Heavenly Heart, or if they were going to trust the Moon Goddess with her decision.Seeing the horror on everybody’s faces, I knew the choice they would make. It was the obvious choice; I had seen what they had seen, and they would be stupid to chance it. Their lives and the state of this earth were in their hands.Silence consumed us as everyone processed what they had just seen. Only the yelling of Carter brought me back to the present moment. I turned to look at him and I could see the straight-up horror on his face as he screamed for Ruby.I turned to see Ruby lying on the ground, her body completely still and it was clear she wasn’t breathing. But mo
Tessa’s POVEsme, Patty, Cole, Claira, and Bennet worked on putting a shield around the circle while the rest of us gathered around while Ruby stood in the center. Everybody looked equally nervous except Ruby who looked confident.I could hear the battle ongoing around us and my heart was breaking for the lives that have been lost. I glanced at my father’s house, hoping and praying that he was still inside and that he was safe.I glanced over my shoulder and through the fighting I saw Joseph kneeling on the ground beside Benard who had blood pouring out of his neck. My heart shattered in an instant. My entire concentration and faith had been broken as I felt sick from the sight before me.Bernard… no… He couldn’t be… My thoughts went back to Anna’s vision a while back about Bernard dying during a battle.Was this the battle he was meant to die in?
Tessa’s POV“We’ve enchanted the house!” Esme said as she rushed towards me. “Nobody besides your blood can get in. Including any of us.”“What about Joseph?” I asked, shouting through the chaos. “We weren’t able to exclude him either,” Esme told me. She grabbed onto my arms and gave them a gentle squeeze. “You need to go inside and protect yourself. They are here because they want your heart.”I looked around at the ongoing fight. My stomach twisted. People were dying and I couldn’t help but feel responsible. I needed to fix this, not hide like a coward.“We need to find Ruby,” I told her firmly.“We are on the lookout for her, but so far we haven’t been able to see her or Eevee,” Esme said, looking around with a frown on her face.“Have you checked everywhere?”“We c
Third Person POV (Ruby)At some point, Ruby had fallen asleep. Though, she knew right away that it wasn’t a normal sleep. It was a vision.This one felt a different thought. She was surrounded by my dark smoke, though it didn’t feel like smoke, it only looked like it. She couldn’t exactly see what was happening, but she could hear the sounds of death and destruction around her. Innocent people screaming and crying for mercy. The sounds of supernatural’s fighting and killing one another.There was so much darkness and despair, that Ruby felt a sense of dread weighing on her chest. Her breathing hitched when some of the smoke cleared, and she saw blood soaking the grass around her feet. Puddles of blood were everywhere. The sky was hazy and unrecognizable.Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at all the bodies that occupied the earth. This was too much for her to handle; why did she have to be cursed with seeing