Forever Yours (#4) Page 5

  “Do you have to bang things like that? It’s really annoying.” I say as I take another swig of my drink. “I’m Sorry that I annoy you, little lady.” I roll my eyes at his thick southern accent. “You seem a little … upset. Is everything okay?” Nicholas asks as he rests his arms onto the kitchen counter. I push my loose hair away from my face, and I meet his stare. He looks very handsome today dressed in a dark blue suit. His hair is pushed back from his face, and his eyes are a deep shade of brown. I realise that I may be staring at little too hard at him, so I close my eyes for a brief second and I exhale. My eyes open and then I answer his question.

  “I had a pretty rough day.” I say as I swirl the coffee around in the cup. I can hear Nicholas’s breathing increase, and I get the feeling that he is nervous. I stare at him again and my mind begins to rush. Why is he being so nice to me? Nicholas isn’t the most approachable guy, but somehow he makes me feel at ease. My brain freezes, and I remember that Nicholas killed his own parents. How could he do such a thing, and what was his reason? I don’t understand why he is compassionate towards me, when he was so hurtful towards his family. Why does he care about me, and why did he agree to turn me?

  “Do you wanna talk about it?” I’m so confused right now and I don’t know how to respond. Is he fooling me into thinking that he is a nice guy? I stare at him more and I try to see into his head. Imagining what he is thinking and what his motives are for being nice to me. I will always be grateful that he turned me, but that doesn’t mean that I am under his command. Dalton has told me about his brothers past, and the things that he has gotten up to. Nicholas has lived a very different life to Dalton. He doesn’t like to travel the world; instead he chooses to stay in the USA, at all times. He moves around from place to place, feeding and lusting on girls. Dalton has said that Nicholas would get close to a girl, feed on her and then turn her. All of his antics were just for fun. He didn’t care about any of the fifty or so girls that he has turned. He saw them as easy, vulnerable and someone to pass the time with. He would make them into vampires, and then into his slaves. I don’t know the extent of what he did to them –Dalton thought it would be best to spare me the gory details. But as I look at him with my new vampire eyes, I know for sure that I will not become one of his slaves.

  “Not really,” I say as I place the cup down onto the counter. Nicholas presses his full lips together, and he glides over and takes the seat next to me. He reaches out and places his hand onto my shoulder. I flinch and pull away from him –he isn’t impressed.

  “Relax I’m not gonna bite, unless you want me to?” I frown at him. “That’s not funny and so inappropriate.”

  “Relax it was a joke. But seriously do you wanna talk? You look sad little lady.” “Stop with the ‘little lady’ it’s annoying. I look sad, because I am sad. I had to say goodbye to my friends today, and it was a lot harder than I thought it was gonna be.” Nicholas flashes me a wicked a smile, and I know that he is going to poke holes in my words.

  “Forgive me, but didn’t you want this?” “I did … I do. It’s just hard to let go of my family and friends. I truly believe that I was born to be a vampire. But it still hurts me to say goodbye to the life that I always knew. I don’t expect you to understand.” Nicholas scowls at me – he isn’t happy with my choice of words.

  “And what is that supposed to mean? Are you forgetting who turned you?” Crap, here he goes with the guilt. I turned you, you owe me. I get it; do you have to be so smug about it? I shout at myself, but I hold my tongue. I owe him for everything, and I can’t bring myself to get mad at him.

  “Sorry I didn’t mean to sound harsh. I really appreciate what you did for me. It couldn’t have been easy for you. I put you in an awkward position, and you didn’t have to say yes.” Nicholas sighs and he slides his hand through his silky hair.

  “I did it for him. Dalton and I haven’t had the best relationship, and I saw that you made him happy. I knew that he loved you, but he would never have asked you to change for him. He doesn’t do selfish. As a human my brother was kind, loving and a wonderful son. He cared about people and their feelings. He was such a soft hearted guy, with warm feelings towards animals. He wouldn’t even go fishing. My father used to take us out on the lake when we were kids, and Dalton would scream and cry until my father took him home. He is a lot softer on the inside than he lets on.” I take in his words and my mind is forcing me to think about their parents. A vivid flash of Nicholas in his vampire state is rushing through me. I can’t erase the image I have of him, as he killed his own family. A shiver runs through my body and I squirm in the seat. Nicholas is staring at me –wondering what I am thinking. Then my frozen heart sinks into the pit of my stomach at his next words. “He’s told you about what I did, hasn’t he?” I feel really uncomfortable, and I don’t know what to say. I squirm again and Nicholas reaches out and steadies me with his strong hand. My eyes dart to his, and he looks as if he wants to talk about this –crap. I don’t know how I will respond to what he has to say. I don’t understand how he could be so cruel as to kill his own family. Now that I am a vampire, my feelings for my family are multiplied. I care deeply about them and I am dreading spending time away from them. I just don’t know why Nicholas would hurt his family? Surly he felt something for them. No one could be that cruel, yet he was.

  “Yeah, he told me about your parents and that …” I can’t finish the sentence – it’s too painful. “I killed them. I know what you must be thinking. How could I do such a thing, right?” My lips start to shake and my heart rate is very high. Nicholas has a way of making me feel uneasy, and I feel compelled to answer his questions.

  “I was shocked when he told me. May I ask why you did it?” Nicholas runs his fingers through his hair, and then he folds his arms across his chest. He leans back in the chair and he breaks eye contact with me. He stares out at the black kitchen cupboards, and he exhales just before he begins to explain.

  “I didn’t have a reason for killing them other than I was new, and I couldn’t control myself around humans. You have to understand something about being a vampire. The blood of the people you care about is the blood that you crave the most.”

  “So you did care about your parents?” Nicholas laughs and he meets my stare. “Of course I cared about them. My father and I had different opinions, but we still loved each other. I had a wonderful relationship with my mother. She was a lot like Dalton. Very kind and soft-hearted, she loved to help others, and I can never forgive myself for what I did.” I stare into his brown eyes, and I know this is going to sound crazy, but I feel for him. At first I thought that he was just ravenous and didn’t care about anyone. But now that he has opened up to me, I am seeing a different side to him. He is gentler than I could have ever imagined. He hurts over what he did to his family, and as I look at him I realise that he loves, and would do anything for Dalton.

  “I’m sorry. It can’t be easy for you talk about what you did.”

  “It’s not easy, and what hurts the most is that Dalton will never forgive me.”

  “Why did you turn him and not your parents?” My question is a little to firm and Nicholas parts his lips as he slides off the seat. He flies over to the sink and he runs the water under the dirty cup. He slams it down onto the counter, and he rests his hands on the cool marble.

  “I was too late. I already killed them. When Dalton came in and found them, lying lifeless on the floor. He went into a state of shock, and he couldn’t speak or even move. My family was gone, my parents were dead. I turned Dalton because I didn’t want to lose him. My baby brother means the world to me. Even if he hates me for an eternity, I will always love him.”

  I hold back my tears as my ears adjust to the roaring engine outside of the house. I recognise the sound –Dalton is home. I smile at Nicholas and he returns my gesture. I leap off the seat and I run towards the front door. The door opens and I lunge into Dalton’s arms. I inhale his scent, as he holds me and struggles to find his footin
g. His body crashes against mine and he laughs at my affection. He pulls back from me, and he takes in my appearance. He smiles and then he kisses me gently. I melt into his lips and I grip onto him firmly. His lips move away from mine, I frown at him. He smirks and then he leads me into the house. He drags me upstairs and into his bedroom. We crash down onto the bed and he wraps his arm around me, pulling me close to him. I kiss his neck and then his soft lips. He kisses me back, but then he pulls away and asks me about my day.

  “How did everything go today? Did you talk to your Uncle?” I readjust myself, so that I can see into his eyes as I reply. “I talked to him, he wasn’t entirely pleased, but he’ll heal in time.” Dalton presses his eyebrows together, and he runs his finger along my lower lip. His eyes narrow and he leans down and runs his tongue along my lip. My eyes close at his behaviour, and my head starts to pound. Dalton drags his lips away from me, and stares deep into my eyes –crap is he upset with me?

  “You fed today, didn’t you?” His stare is intense, deep and scary. I don’t know why he is so anxious to know if I fed or not. How else does he expect me to survive?

  “Yeah I did.” He snarls at me and he pushes me away from him. I stare at him in disbelief. What is wrong with him? “Did I do something wrong?” He snarls again and then he meets my stare.

  “Did you kill anyone?” He snaps.

  “Of course not.” I snap back. Dalton throws himself back down onto the bed, and he pulls me close again. “Then you didn’t do anything wrong.” I sigh –thank God. “So who did you feed on?” Dalton quizzes. My icy heart starts to do somersaults. He isn’t going to be happy when I tell him who I fed on. I can hardly breathe as I reply.

  “Ryan,” Dalton lunges off the bed and he pulls me with him. He slides his hands onto my shoulders and he holds me in place. I could easily break free from him, but I don’t.

  “You’re kidding, right?” I shake my head –I can’t force myself to speak. “That’s insane. You fed on him? What were you thinking?” Dalton shakes me and I feel myself spinning.

  “I was thinking that I was starving and that he wanted me to do it. I didn’t hurt him, and he wasn’t scared of me. It was my way of saying goodbye.” Dalton laughs at me.

  “Couldn’t you just hug him and say ‘see ya later’?” I laugh at his strong southern accent. He shakes me again and he forces me out of my laughing fit. “What do you want me to say? I fed on him; maybe it wasn’t the right thing to do. But it’s done and I can’t take it back.” Dalton’s eyes soften as he leads me back over to the bed. He pushes me down onto the surface, and my head falls onto the feather pillow. He slowly climbs onto the bed and he hovers above me. His eyes are sinfully gorgeous and his lips are shaking with desire. I have seen this stare many times before. Warm and lustful, dangerous and playful, it’s his hungry stare. He stares at me with those red eyes, and he places his hand onto my neck.

  “Will you do something for me?” He asks in low voice.

  “Anything,” I say defeated.

  “Let me feed on you, whilst you feed on me.” My eyes sting, his offer sounds amazing, but is that even possible? I thought that we needed human blood, not vampires? Dalton senses the anguish on my face, so he explains in full detail why he wants to do this. “When we feed on one another, it’s like a life force running through us. It bounds us together, it connect us, forever. When we feed, our souls intertwine and lock in place. The blood connects us, and you’re bound to that person. You don’t want to live without them, and the blood seals it so that you can’t. I love you Rose and if you let me do this, then you and I will be together, for as long as we live. Do you want that?” My heart is racing, and I want this. I want to give myself fully to him.

  “Yes I want that. You’re all that I want. Let’s do this.” Dalton smiles and he slides further along the bed. He crashes against me, and I grip onto his back. He places his lips lightly onto mine, and then he moves them onto my neck.

  “Grab my hand.” He urges. I do as he says, and I firmly pull his hand towards my mouth. “Good, now when I bite, you bite. You got that?” “Yeah,” I say too eagerly. I hold his wrist at my mouth, and I wait for his daggers to enter my skin. My eyes are stinging, I can hardly contain myself. I want this. I want to be with him forever. I feel his lips part, so I part mine against his wrist. Dalton pauses and then he sinks his teeth into my flesh. On cue, I do the same. His blood tastes stronger than humans, and it’s a lot more powerful. It’s icy and sends shivers throughout my body. The taste wears off, and now an overwhelming explosion has filled my entire body. I can feel every fibre of Dalton’s soul screaming out at me, as he feeds from my neck. My mind shows me images of how we met, and how we got to where we are now. Everything is swirling like crazy in my head, and as I taste more of his blood, I can hear his thoughts. He is speaking to me, telling me how much he loves me and that now we are fully connected. I can feel his senses and I can share his pleasure. He adores the taste of my vampire blood, and he wants me. He is telling me that he can’t live without me, and somehow I feel that he truly can’t. His energy is colliding with mine, and I know that I could never be apart from him, ever again. He is now what holds me to the planet, him, Dalton Clark, my soul mate.

  (Dalton)

  Her blood is unique, delightful and my greatest desire. I love her and I never want to stop feeding on her. She is my whole world, and I have waited all my life for Rose Peterson. As I feed on her vampire blood, I can feel everything that she feels. She is telling me how much she loves me, and how lucky she was to meet me. Every sense in her body is tingling; she doesn’t want me to stop. I sink my teeth further into her skin and I suck firmer. I drain her blood, and I lust for the bitter taste as it flows down my throat. Rose isn’t holding back how she feels about me, and it’s only fair that I do the same. My mind clears, and I decide to let her into the darkest part of me. I have never fully told her how we met. Our first meeting wasn’t at the Wal-Mart where she works. I first met Rose when she was six years old. I open my mind, and I let her in. My memories flash back to that day when I first saw her.

  “Hey there little lady,” I say as I approach the little girl that’s sitting alone on the swings. She has long brown hair and deep eyes that are kind, warm and sad. She looks up at me and her eyes lock into my soul. I can hear her tiny heart pumping blood through her veins. Her scent sticks in the back of my dry throat, as the icy wind blows it in my direction. I can feel my eyes starting to burn, and my desire is slowly creeping up on me. But as the little girl continues to stare at me, I hold back my burning hunger. The park is quiet, and I am surprised that a small child like her is here alone. I move closer to her, and I see that the swing next to her is empty. “May I sit down next you?” I say in a smooth tone. The small girl looks at me, and she shakes her head.

  “My Mommy said that I’m not allowed to talk to strangers.” I laugh at her reply, and her cute smile melts my icy heart. I ignore her words, and I insist on sitting down next to her. The air is cold and I can hear the little girl shiver. So I take off my sweater, and I offer it to her. The little girl lunges off the swing, and she snaps the sweater from my hands. I laugh at her forwardness. She is a feisty little thing. The child pushes the sweater over her head, and then she jumps back onto the swing. Her eyes fix on mine, and my mind erupts. Her little face is cute as she plays with her hair. I smile at her and she smiles back at me. She has perfect pale skin and large rosy lips. She doesn’t look real, I am really confused. My heart is pulling me towards her, and I feel drawn to this child. I have never felt this way about a human before –what is wrong with me?

  “Are you here alone?” I ask. I am worried about this kid. “No my Mommy’s over there.” The little girl points over at a dark haired woman. I focus my ears, and I hear that she is discussing some play that she and her husband are going to see. My mind spins and I focus back on the child.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Rose,” I smile –what a beautiful name. “What’s your name
?” She asks with a wide-eyed grin.

  “My name is Dalton and it’s very nice to meet you, Miss Rose.” I clear my thoughts and I can feel her brain trying to process what I have just told her. Rose can’t believe that we met so long ago, and she is desperately trying to remember our first meeting. A faint image of that day enters her head, and she excels with excitement. I can feel her happiness, as I continue to drink from her neck. The taste of her blood is toxic and from that very first meeting, I knew that I was destined to be in her life. In the days that followed our meeting, I watched her house. I saw her playing by the fire with her parents, and I heard their voices as they read bedtime stories together. She was so happy, and her family adored her. I was there the night that they were killed. I watched from the window as her uncle came to collect her. I could feel the confusion in her eyes, and I could hear as she sobbed her little heart out. I have loved Rose from that very night, and I watched her grow up into the wonderful woman that she is. I was always there in the shadows, looking out for her and watching as she lived her life. I saw her the night of her first date with Ryan, and I watched as he kissed her. I didn’t feel jealous of him, because I knew that we were destined to meet. From the very first moment that I saw her, we had some electric connection that I couldn’t explain. It was as if I was brought to look after her, until she was ready to excel as a vampire. I left for a while, but somehow I always found myself coming back to her. I had planned our first meeting, but that day at Wal-Mart wasn’t planned. I had literally just moved back to Portland. On my way to our new house, I decided to stop for coffee. I parked in the lot, and I couldn’t believe my eyes, when I saw her lying face down in a puddle. I saw that as my opportunity, and I grabbed it with both hands. I helped her off the ground and when I touched her, I felt a jolt of electricity crusading through me. I needed her, I wanted her, but I was scared of what she would think of me. I told her that I wasn’t capable of love, because I was frightened that I wouldn’t be enough for her. I didn’t want to admit my feelings for her, so I made her believe that I didn’t care. But inside, I was screaming. I wanted to shout how much I loved her from the roof tops. I wanted to be with her, but I was scared to show her the real me. I feared that she would reject me, but she didn’t. She accepted me for who I was, and that made me love her even more. She welcomed me into her life, and I still don’t know what she sees in me. I felt guilty when I fed on her, because I knew that she was thinking I just saw her as an easy feed. I didn’t correct her; instead I let her believe that a good meal was all that she meant to me. I know that I was cruel for the way I treated her, but I didn’t want to admit my feelings. I knew that if I told her how I felt, then she would want to be a vampire. I could never be selfish with her, she means everything to me, and I wanted the best for her. I wanted her to be free to make her own choices. I didn’t want her to choose vampirism, because she loved me. I wanted her to grow up, and have a family of her own. But she defied me. She went to my brother, and he made her into the immortal that she is. I have had my differences with Nicholas, but I will always thank him for giving me the gift of love. I love Rose, she is my everything and I will love her for an eternity.