Shades of Love by hima (books you have to read TXT) 📖

their outfits should match. Nikki helped to pick for Carl and Ethan.

“One more thing…” Rachel yelled suddenly.
“What…?”
“Ethan needs an outfit for the ball…” “You could have said that instead of shouting…” Eva scolded her. Rachel made a pretty face and Eva laughed at her.

They picked up a gray suit for him… “I don’t think it will be good on him…”Nikki said tentatively.
“Your pick then…” They moved aside giving her way to take a look at all the suits. Nikki glanced at all the suits that hung, one suit caught her attention. She selected a black prom tuxedo style for him. She imagined it fitting perfectly to his translucent skin; she could see his square jaw line, deep golden eyes, perfect nose, full lips, and an alluring smile dazzling the people in front of him. His thin framed body looked so exquisite in the tuxedo.

“Hey…to earth…”Rachel said waving her hands in front of Nikki’s face. Nikki’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

They finished and headed back home…Rachel sat with her in the back seat. “I don’t know how I should say this to you…” She started tentatively.

“Just say it…”Nikki said turning her full attention to Rachel.

“Ethan wasn’t supposed to change you… he did it for Ethan… as it was his last wish but… we can’t take Ethan’s name because it would bring up the subject that he was adopted by our family which was very wrong…” I cut her off.
“Cut to the chase…”Nikki replied irritated of her going round in circles.

“We said that we found you when you were a new born vampire and you don’t remember anything from your past…” Rachel said quickly. Nikki nodded.
“You are okay with it…?” Rachel exclaimed.
“Stop acting like that. It’s not like I’m going to scream at you for everything you say…” Nikki snapped.

Rachel just hugged her, she didn’t know that Nikki was such a sport; she surely hadn’t seen her this way. Eva listened to the conversation and was as surprised as Rachel when Nikki just nodded. It must be this very nature of her that attracted her human brother Ethan towards her. Eva always wondered how Ethan loved such a girl, he always liked the girls who are sports and from the day she saw Nikki, she did nothing but cry…

Fond memories of him… brought tears to her eyes. Nikki sat thinking about Ethan who gave away his life to save her and an involuntary tear rolled down her eyes, she wiped it away remembering her promise to Ethan.

“How did you two meet?” Rachel asked tentatively. Nikki didn’t reply, Rachel didn’t expect her to.

“We were in the same college but never once met…” Nikki spoke in hushed voice. She continued staring into the forest outside. “My bestie was crying in girl’s room when I asked her she said that a boy named Ethan teased her calling names… I was furious at him for making her cry, I asked some of my friends to show who he was, and they pointed to a blonde in the cafeteria with a gang around him. I marched to him and slapped him on the face…” Nikki heard Rachel’s deep intake of breath.

“You didn’t…”
“It turned out that I got the wrong Ethan…” Nikki sighed.
“You are stupid…” Rachel said.
“I went to apologize to him but turned out that I slapped him yet again…” she said. “You went to say sorry and slapped him, why…?” Rachel was like eager child.

“He said that he loves me and he liked my guts to show up like that and slap him…” “So you slapped him again to show how much guts you got…” Rachel laughed. So…Like my brother to get slapped by a girl twice…Eva thought.

Rachel was about to ask something when she froze and concentrated on the message that Carl was sending. “It’s Carl…He wants us home…” Rachel said. Eva revved up the engine and hit 100.

Nikki was looking at Rachel confused. “Vampires can talk to one another using mind link…”Rachel said. Nikki nodded. “Why do you talk always then…?” she asked after a while. “I guess it’s a human habit that hadn’t gone yet…” Rachel said.

They reached home and Ethan was waiting by the door and as soon as the car skidded to halt, he helped Nikki out and walked her inside, his muscles were tense, she could feel his tension, she clutched his hands tightly. He squeezed her hands assuring that he was with her.

Nikki was pretty much tensed when she felt a peculiar, overpowering scent in the air. She tensed at the thought that there is another vampire in the house; she never got to meet another one in real. This would certainly test her strength. She stood ground and waited to see who it was and what purpose was his visit.

Carl walked him into the living room where the rest of the family was waiting. The stranger was dressed like a gentleman, he was tall, thin and good looking but one look at his eyes would change any opinion of him being a gentleman, his eyes were burning red, Nikki shivered as his gaze darted towards her, she tried not to make any eye contact with him.

“Young lady…It’s nice meeting you. I’m Charles an associate of Carl…” he said taking her hands gently into his and kissing on the knuckles. Nikki flinched at his bold touch and he intimidated her more than anyone, in normal world she would have punched him but here she didn’t know the game rules.

She saw a small chuckle escaping from Ethan but he quickly suppressed it, but most of them noticed and ignored it for the time being. Charles looked at her as if he was studying her, He came closer to her and inhaled her scent then let go, and he did the same for a while. Nikki felt the strong urge to kick him but clenched her fists to stop doing so.

“Carl…I need to talk to you…” Charles said in a serious tone. He gestured him to follow. Nikki relaxed as the guy went away from her.

“What were you thinking…? Do you know how powerful he is…?” Ethan said laughing. My family gathered around us to know what the joke was.

“Do you go around punching the people who intimidate you…?” he asked still laughing.
“If someone intimidates than show him how scary you can be…” Nikki memorized those lines.
“What…?” Rachel asked.
“That’s what Ethan always told me…” Nikki said as a silent tear passed down her cheeks. Ethan went rigid at the mention of his name. Everyone stared at her with painful expressions.

“Anyways that old man missed my world famous punches…”Nikki joked to relieve them from the pain she has caused. Carl came in with a grim expression on his face.

“What happened…?” Jane asked. Carl looked at Ethan and as if in cue Ethan pulled me towards my room. “Wait…I want to hear what he said if it is about me…” Nikki protested.

Carl nodded his head. “Charles thinks that there is something wrong with her scent…”
“Do I smell bad…?” Nikki asked quickly. Ethan nodded his head no, smiling.
“Vampires have a specific scent. Didn’t you smell him when you entered in…” She nodded.

“What’s wrong with it? Don’t I smell vampy?” she humored.
“He said that you smell different from vampire…”
“I was made a vampire just a month back so maybe I still have the human scent…”
“It’s not like that Nikki…The scent is not of human either…” Carl said. “It’s no big deal if I don’t smell like vamp, right?” Nikki asked.

Carl could tell that this was going nowhere so he just let it go. Ethan walked her to her room. “Hey, do you read mind? How did you know what I thought?” Nikki asked.
“No…It’s just when you drank from me a sort of bonding happened that’s how I feel everything you feel…” he said. Nikki remembered how she hurt him that day and mumbled sorry to him.


Next two weeks was a blur in Reed’s house hold; school, hunting, packing. Every one’s mind was consumed with the upcoming event except for Carl. He still couldn’t figure out why Nikki scent was different.

Nikki was no longer somber, she truly kept her word. Even at college she would spend some good time with her family. She took a liking to Ethan and Rachel most, Ethan for always being there for her and Rachel was a good companion to her.

“Ethan…I think you should tell her about how you feel…” Eric remarked in his mind.
“I don’t know…” Ethan watched Nikki playing chess with Rachel. She changed a lot but he knew deep down she still craved for Ethan and his confiding of love may pull her back to that dark mood once again.

“Ethan…” Jane called him. Rachel lost the game; Nikki knew tactics and played well. Nikki followed Ethan into Jane’s room, Rachel tagged along with her. Eva and Jane were looking at Jewelers, Jane spread her whole bed with them, and there are antique jewelers, modern day jewelers, simple and authentic. One ring caught Nikki’s eye; it was a diamond studded ring, the platinum metal wove around it in cross patterns, the cut was simple and small leaves wove around the diamond, Nikki picked up the box and examined it. She wanted to try it on her finger.

“Hey…Careful it is Ethan’s mother’s ring, he planned it to give it to his mate. “Rachel pointed.
“You know I could marry you for this ring…” Nikki said to Ethan not taking her eyes from the ring. She gently placed it in Ethan’s hands.

“Nikki… I think this would go well with your dress for the ball…” Jane said showing Neck chain with floral patterns and white diamonds.

“Ow! You opened a jeweler shop here, Jane…” Felix smirked. Jane smiled at him. “Which cars did Carl pick for journey? I’ll go and check them and get them into running…” Jane shrugged her shoulders.
“What do you mean by which car…?” Nikki asked.

“Haven’t you seen our garage yet, sissy?” Felix asked surprised.

“Come along…”he said dragging her with him. Nikki was amazed to see their garage filled with a wide range of cars all the best at speed. They were placed in a row; she counted them all, total 10. At the end of garage a bike was parked totally covered. Nikki ran towards, she removed the cover and was surprised to see Ethan’s bike. She ran her fingers tentatively on it.

“Um…That was Ethan’s bike…”Felix mumbled. Nikki nodded. The key was in the ignition, she sat on it and could feel as if she was sitting in his laps, she ran her hands through clutches, it felt like she was holding his hands.

“Do you know how to ride this thing…?” Felix asked. “Ethan taught me on this very bike…” She mumbled remembering how they had long rides on this bike. Two tiny drops slipped through her eyes. “You should teach me sometime then but not on this bike, Ethan would kill me if it got a scratch…” Felix said eying Ethan who was standing right next to him. Ethan looked at Nikki, she was crying, he felt the urge to wipe away her tears but clenched his hands from doing such things.

“Do