Chapter 25 PULLED IN TWO DIRECTIONS

Chapter 25 PULLED IN TWO DIRECTIONS
Lily’s POV

Everything hurt.

Not pain exactly. More like this deep ache spreading through my body. My eyelids felt heavy, glued shut with exhaustion. The first thing I noticed was the steady beep of a machine nearby and the sharp smell of antiseptic mixed with that cold, unnatural scent vampire hospitals always seemed to have.

I tried to move my fingers. They obeyed, but barely.

“Lily?” A warm hand closed gently over mine. “Hey, you’re awake.”

Jake.

His voice sounded rough, like he hadn’t slept in days.

I forced my eyes to open properly this time. The room slowly came into focus, white walls, dim lighting, and an IV connected to my arm.

Jake was sitting beside the bed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. His blond hair was a mess, and the expression in his brown eyes made my chest tighten. He looked relieved, but guilty too.

“You scared the hell out of me,” he whispered. He brought my hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to my knuckles, the same gentle way he had on our date. “The car came out of nowhere. I tried to reach you but…”

“I remember,” I croaked. My throat hurt like hell. “There were headlights… then everything went black.”

He nodded, jaw tight. “They said you have a concussion, bruised ribs, and a fractured wrist. Nothing life-threatening, thank God. But you’ve been out for almost twelve hours.”

My mind slowly tried to piece everything together. Saturday night, the date, the walk, the kiss… then the car.

“Jake… did you see who it was?”

He shook his head. “Tinted windows. Gone before I could even get the plate. The police are looking, but…” He trailed off, anger flickering across his face. “It wasn’t an accident, Lily. That car aimed for you.”

Caitlyn’s face immediately came to mind, especially that smirk she had when she tried to run me over weeks ago. But this didn’t feel like that. It felt bigger.

Before I could say anything, the door opened and Alexander stepped in.

He froze the moment our eyes met. Something I couldn't quite read flashed across his face. He looked like he hadn't slept either. His grey eyes were shadowed, his hair slightly disheveled and his hands were clenched at his sides like he was physically stopping himself from moving closer.

“You’re awake,” he said, voice low.

Jake glanced between us. “Yeah, she just woke up. I was about to text you.”

Alexander nodded once, but kept his gaze on me. I felt it immediately, the bond pulling at my chest, stronger the moment he stepped into the room. My pulse quickened on the monitor. Jake noticed and squeezed my hand.

Alexander’s jaw flexed. He stayed by the door, arms crossed, like the distance was the only thing keeping him sane.

“I felt it,” he said quietly, almost to himself. “Last night. Like someone ripped something out of me. I knew you were hurt before Jake even called.”

Jake’s brow furrowed slightly, but he didn’t press. He probably thought it was just their close friendship.

I swallowed. “I’m okay now.”

“You’re not,” Alexander said. His voice was rougher than usual. “You’re in a hospital bed because some bastard tried to kill you.”

Tension filled the small room. Jake shifted uncomfortably. Alexander didn’t take his eyes off me. There was too much unsaid between us, the sofa at midnight, the almost-kiss in the alcove, the way he’d searched for my pendant in the field and let someone else take the credit, the way he looked at me like I was the only real thing in his world, even while helping me chase his best friend.

Jake cleared his throat. “The doctors want to keep her another day for observation. I’m staying until they release her.”

“I’ll talk to the coach,” Alexander said. “We’ll cover practice.”

He finally stepped closer, stopping at the foot of the bed. Close enough that I could see the faint tremor in his hands. The bond hummed louder. My skin felt too warm. I remembered his lips, the way his breath had brushed my neck in the nurse’s bay, the way he’d pulled back even when every instinct screamed for more.

“You should rest,” Alexander told me. His voice softened, just for me. “Don’t push it.”

Our eyes held. For a moment, it felt like Jake wasn’t even in the room. The pull was magnetic.

Jake’s phone buzzed. He checked it and sighed. “My parents. They’ve been calling nonstop. I’ll be right outside.”

He leaned down and kissed my forehead gently. “I’ll bring you real food later. Not this hospital crap.”

I smiled weakly. “Thank you, Jake. For everything.”

He gave my hand one last squeeze and left.

The door clicked shut and Alexander moved instantly. He pulled the chair closer and sat, elbows on his knees, leaning toward me like gravity demanded it.

“Tell me the truth,” he said, voice low. “How bad does it hurt?”

“Everything aches,” I admitted. “But I’m more scared than hurt. Jake thinks someone targeted me.”

Alexander’s eyes darkened. “It wasn’t random. I smelled the fear on you from miles away. The bond… it nearly drove me insane until I knew you were alive.”

His hand hovered near mine on the bed, not touching, just close enough for the heat of his skin to reach me.

“You gave him the pendant,” I whispered. “Mr. Banes told me. You dug through the field… and let Jake take the credit.”

Alexander looked away. “It was the right move. He showed up at your window like a hero. That’s what you wanted.”

“Is it?” The question slipped out before I could stop it.

His head snapped back to me, grey eyes stormy as the bond flared hotter and my breath caught.

“Lily.” His voice was strained. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?” I challenged softly. “Don’t ask why I can’t stop thinking about you even when Jake kisses me? Don’t ask why your voice in that doorway yesterday felt more real than anything else?”

He leaned closer, close enough that I could see the faint red at the edges of his irises, the vampire fighting for control. His hand finally brushed mine, just fingers, a barely there touch that sent electricity racing up my arm.

“You’re hurt,” he said, almost a warning. “And you’re on a date high with my best friend. This isn’t the time.”

“But you feel it too,” I breathed. “The bond. Or… whatever this is.”

His thumb traced a slow circle on the back of my hand. The gentlest touch, yet it felt more intimate than anything that had happened on the sofa. His jaw clenched so hard I thought it might crack.

“I feel everything,” he admitted, voice barely audible. “Every bruise. Every heartbeat. Every time you smile at him. It’s killing me, Lily. But I made a promise. I’m keeping it.”

The tension was unbearable. We stared at each other in the quiet hospital room, the monitor beeping faster. His hand stayed on mine and neither of us pulled away. The moment stretched thin between us, close enough that it felt like one breath could ruin everything we’d been pretending not to feel for years.

A knock on the door shattered it.

Alexander pulled back instantly, standing and putting distance between us just as a nurse entered. He shoved his hands into his pockets, face carefully blank again.

But his eyes still burned when they met mine over the nurse’s shoulder.