Venom (The Reawakening Series Book 1) by Daniele Lanzarotta Page B

good and not only that, you handed her off to her ex. That, Nicholas, is all on you. So get your shit together and be the brother that Sarah needs you to be. This is all new to her and I’m sure she is scared. She needs you.”
    “ Fine. But I need to feed first.”
    He lets go of my neck. “Grrr. Just go feed. And don’t do anything stupid.”
    “ Yes, father!” I give him a smirk and he shakes his head. Harvey is not much older than me. He was in his late twenties when he was turned, but he acts much older. He turns around and goes to another room and I go to the table where he always leaves the key fob to his Aston Martin. In a blur of movements, he is back and trying to take the key fob from me.
    “ I don’t think so,” he says as he yanks the key fob off my hands.
    “ Come on, man.”
    “ You’re not driving my car. Take your own.”
    I look over at my old Camaro sitting outside, knowing that every time I get in it, brings back memories of her.
    “ Damn it, Nicholas. You need to see a therapist or something. And sell the damn car. You need to do whatever it takes to get over her.”
    “ Driving your car would help,” I say.
    I can tell he is frustrated but it’s a sweet car and worth dealing with his bad mood later. He throws the fob toward me. “Fine. If anything happens to it, you are paying.”
    “ Yes, fath—” He gives me a warning look. “Thanks, Harvey.”
    “ Uh-huh.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
    SARAH
    By the time I get up, there is a summer dress on the bed along with an unopened toothbrush. Ally is gone, so I get dressed and before I get out of the room, I get a text from Harvey saying that everything seems okay and I should go to school.
    I stop by the bathroom to brush my teeth and hair. When I open the door, I run into Ian.
    “ Good morning,” he says.
    “ Good morning.”
    “ Am I taking you home or to school?”
    “ School, I guess.”
    “ Are you ready?”
    I nod and follow him out of the house.
    He rushes in front of me and opens the passenger side door of his truck. I climb in and he goes around.
    We end up stopping at a fast food place on the way to school.
    “ What would you like?” he asks.
    “ Just an orange juice,” I grab my bag to get money, but he stops me.
    “ It’s on me,” he gives me a crooked smile.
    Neither one of us say anything on the short drive to school. Minutes later, after he has parked the truck, I can’t seem to move. I sit there, staring at the school. Near the front door, I see Megan talking to Cassie. I can’t say that I’m surprised. Everyone told me they pretty much leave each other alone, but right now, they have something in common. They both hate me.
    “ Are you okay?” he asks.
    I nod.
    “ You’re shaking.”
    I shiver. “I don’t think I can go in.”
    I don’t have to say anything else.
    “ I don’t either. Let’s get out of here.” He starts the truck and drives off.
    He drives for a while and I don’t ask where we are going. After a while, he parks the truck in the middle of a field.
    “ Where are we?”
    He shrugs. “Just a place I like to come to think.”
    We stay in the truck, listening to his music. After a while, I lean my head back, close my eyes, and just try to relax. I can feel him watching me though.
    I open my eyes and he looks away. With the uncomfortable silence, I say the first thing that comes to mind. “Your sister said I should stay away from you.”
    “ Did she now?” he laughs.
    “ What’s funny?”
    “ I don’t know. I guess that she is the one trying to protect me when she needs protection.”
    He sighs and something about his tone is tense when he speaks again.
    “ I thought of a way to help you,” he says.
    “ What is it?”
    “ We could pretend that we are dating. They should back-off then.”
    “ But, what about Megan? Besides, your sister—and my brothers—”
    “ Megan and I were over before we even started. I will handle things with her. What is the problem with my sister and your