Surfacing the Rim (Piercing The Fold) by Venessa Kimball Read Free Book Online

why they never told me about my aunt, uncle, or Xander. They said that they didn’t want to worry me with it. I was still young, and they thought it would be too much for me to handle. They said they didn’t think it was necessary to tell me about them.” Nate scoffs and kicks a small rock near his foot. “Guess they were wrong about that.”
    I touch Nate’s arm softly. “I’m sorry, Nate. What about everything else?”
    He knows I’m referring to the implantation and the link we share.
    Nate looks up into the sky and squints. “They said the exact same thing Ezra had said.” He looks down at me and shrugs. “You’re right, Jes. Everything our parents did was to protect us.” Raking both of his hands through his hair, he chuckles to himself. “When you left the room, I really let them have it.” He looks back at me. “Thanks for the space.”
    I nod and smile. “No problem.”
    “Jes, I was thinking about something. I think we should let each other have some privacy with our thoughts.” Nate pauses, gauging my reaction. Then he continues explaining his position on this. “I know that Ezra thinks it’s best for us to not block each other’s thoughts because of our link, but it doesn’t feel right, always being inside of your head. It feels like I’m a Peeping Tom.”
    I turn to look out toward the ocean before I responded. I feel relief flood over me, knowing that Nate is just as concerned as I am about our link.
    I sigh. “I agree. I feel bad about knowing everything you’re thinking, but I think we should put a caveat on this. We should only block each other when we feel no threat of an attack.”
    I think about telling Nate how I wonder if the physical attraction between us is because of the link, but I don’t. It’s selfish, I know, but a part of me wants to hold on to the comforting safety his physical presence gives me.
    Nate nods. “Agreed.”
    He nudges me with his arm. “You know, you’re pretty wise for a nineteen year old.”
    I nudge him back. “You’re not so bad for a twenty-one year old.”
    “Ah, yes! That’s me—the old, wise man.”
    I laugh. “Shut up.”
    Nate looks at me, smiling. “You know, when you came to our house that night after your mom was…” He trails off before he brings up her murder. “I was only six at the time, but I knew that I was supposed to protect you. No one told me. I was too young to be given that responsibility. Still, I could feel it in my heart. I was meant to keep you safe. I told my mom and dad to let you stay in my bed. I told them that I would sleep on the floor and watch over you at night.”
    Nate nervously runs his hand through his hair. “At first, my parents or Ezra came in and tried to carry me to the guest bed to sleep, Jes. I made such a fuss when they moved me. Finally, they decided to give up, rather than wake you every night.” Nate laughs a little at the recollection.
    He looks back at me. “When you left for Georgia, I remember crying in bed most nights because I missed you being there with me. I mean, even though I was just a typical, self-centered little kid, you meant that much to me. You still mean that much to me.”
    Case in point, this is one of the reasons a part of me is holding onto Nate’s comfort. The fact that he can say something so sweet and tender like that warms my heart.
    I smile. “Thank you for telling me that story.”
    “You’re welcome. Now, we better get going.”
    Nate clasps his hand in mine, pulling me along into the villa.
    * * *
    After the first month of being in Miami, Nate’s boredom had set in. He needed something to keep him occupied during the day.
    Ezra made sure we were busy while at the villa. We trained on the beach, needing to practice our combat skills and perfect our abilities. That took quite a bit of time, but it still left hours in the day with nothing for Nate to do.
    Ezra suggested that Nate work at the store with me. Knowing that I was with Nate made Ezra feel better