Blue Violet - By Abigail Owen Page 0,56

of those are in this group. I assume you’ll eventually get married, right?”

“Oh!” Ellie and Alex gasped in unison.

“You didn’t know?” Adelaide asked, confused. She knew what she saw between them, and it was undeniable.

“It’s still new to us, munchkin.” Alex lovingly mussed his adoptive sister’s hair. “We just had our first official kiss…we hadn’t gotten as far as discussing marriage just yet.”

Ellie didn’t say anything. She still felt a little shell-shocked. She’d never had a serious romantic relationship – dates yes, serious no. She’d been so young when her people were destroyed there’d been no opportunity, and then moving around so frequently and never meeting her own kind, serious just hadn’t been on the agenda. So having this brand new one so publically declared and categorized was a little overwhelming.

Alex gently nudged her and wrapped his hand around hers again. “You’re not embarrassed about me already?”

“No!” Ellie didn’t want him even thinking that, even as a joke. “I’m just new at this.”

“I’m so sorry!” Adelaide apologized, covering her mouth with her hands. “I assumed you knew. The relationship is so clear to me.”

Ellie shook her head. “Don’t worry, Adelaide. You’re not wrong. It’s just we haven’t had much time to talk about it yet.” She paused. “I’d love to see how you interpret what you see,” she added.

Adelaide grinned.

“Time to get going,” Nate reminded everyone, handing Adelaide’s bag to her.

With a quick hug for Griffin, Ellie grabbed her stuff and followed the others out the door. Alex walked with her to her car. Before she got in, he gave her a concerned look. “Please be very careful,” he implored. “I only just found you. I can’t lose you, not now.”

“That goes ditto for you, you know,” she replied.

He gave her a brief kiss, not caring that the others were standing right there. As he watched her drive away, a small smile played around his lips, despite the fact that he couldn’t quite breathe right when she was away from him.

Chapter 27

Ellie had a horrible time concentrating at school. How am I supposed to focus on mundane details like French verb conjugation when I have Alex at home waiting for me, friends to protect, and this horrible constant fear of losing my new family?

The hands of the clock seemed stuck in time. Lunch was especially difficult. All she wanted to do was talk with Adelaide, Lila, and Nate. But of course they had to act normal for their friends. So instead, Ellie sat next to Brian and Juliette.

“Hey, Jules, anything new at the theater?” Ellie asked. The two girls shared a mutual love of movies, and Juliette knew almost as many old films as Ellie did. Of course, Ellie never mentioned that she’d watched most of those old movies at the time they were first released.

Juliette grinned. “The latest Zach Efron movie is out now,” she said. “It’s great. Two thumbs up.” She mimicked her words by sticking her thumbs up into the air.

Ellie laughed. “Are you sure it’s that good?” she teased. “Or were you just busy watching a certain hunky actor?”

Juliette sighed in exaggerated appreciation. “He’s definitely yummy.”

“I’m sitting right here you know,” Brian grumbled good-naturedly.

Juliette and Ellie giggled. They spent the rest of the lunch period talking about the recent releases and debating the talent of the latest crop of teen actors.

As soon as the final bell for school rang, Ellie made her way outside and to her car. Lila, Adelaide, and Nate were not too far behind. Ellie hid her initial surprise at finding Alex waiting at Adelaide and Lila’s car. Still acting as normal as possible, Ellie sent him a friendly wave. She received a slow, sexy look in return, and her heart danced a little jig inside her chest.

Hopping in her car, she was aware of Alex and the others following behind her all the way home. Once they reached the house, she was headed inside when she felt Alex grab her hand.

She turned and wrapped her arms around his neck, receiving an achingly sweet kiss.

“I missed you,” Alex whispered. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply.

“It was only a few hours,” she teased, snuggling deeper into his embrace.

“There’s a pack of murderous Vyusher wolves trying to kill all of us. Give me a bit of a break here. I don’t feel right with you out of my sight. Especially given your tendency to gravitate to near-death experiences.”

“I know the feeling,” she agreed, ignoring his last comment.

With a resigned sigh, they mutually