Forever Yours (#4) Read online

  Seven

  My mind is rushing. I can’t believe what Dalton has showed me. We met when I was six? How is that possible? Why don’t I remember meeting him? My thoughts are pulsating through his mind. I am worried, excited and scared by his revelation. He was there throughout my entire life. He saw me the night my parents died, and he watched as I sobbed for them. He felt my pain, and he cared deeply for me. My mind is exploding with all this new information. Dalton’s daggers are still lodged into my neck, and I am still feeding from his wrist. I feel weak, and ready to stop. Dalton hears my wish, and he pulls his teeth out of my neck. He gasps as he wipes the excess blood away from his lips. I push his wrist away from my mouth, and I lick my lips as the blood flow stops. The after taste of his blood is intoxicating. It fills me with deep pleasure, and I feel powerful. My mind is strong and my feelings are clear. I love Dalton more than ever. Dalton falls down onto the bed next me, and he wraps his arm around me. I pull my body close to his, and I rest my head on his chest. I feel connected to him. I never want to be apart from him, I need him. I run my fingers along the fabric of his black t-shirt, and it somehow reminds me of the first time we met. I can remember the sweater he gave me. My heart freezes –I still have it. I try to process my thoughts, and I mentally scan my entire room. My mind clears, and I remember were the sweater is. I can remember the soft feeling and the strong scent that soaked into my skin. I remember wearing it, other than that day. For about a month after he gave it to me, I wore it all the time. I used to sleep in it. It made me feel secure, and special. I can’t remember seeing Dalton; I just have a vague image of him sitting on the swings with me. But my first meeting with Dalton is documented. The sweater is in an old shoe box under my bed. I put it there for safe keeping. I didn’t want anyone to touch it, especially not Rachel. I don’t know what made me keep it all those years, but there was something about the scent that spoke to me. Whenever I was scared or sad, I would put on the sweater and climb into my bed. I would fall asleep and have images of a beautiful man buzzing through my head. My eyes widen, the beautiful man was Dalton.

  “I still have the sweater.” I say as I lock my eyes on his. He smiles at me, and he runs his finger along my chin. His eyes are soft, and I feel bad that he had to hide his feelings from me. He told me how much he loved me, and that he kept me in the dark about how he truly felt, because he was scared of losing me. I felt his love for me, and I also felt the way he was scared when he told me that he was a vampire.

  “Are you mad that I never told you about our first meeting, sooner?” I shake my head at him. I could never be mad at him. “No, I’m glad that you waited to tell me. I thank you for opening up your mind and letting me in. I love you so much, Dalton.” His eyes deepen and he pulls me onto his chest. He grabs both sides of my face in his firm grasp, and he kisses me. Our lips move like clockwork, and I melt into his kiss, over and over again. He holds my lips onto his, and when he finally pulls away from me, I’m gasping for air. I flop down onto the bed and Dalton stares at me. His eyes are a cool shade of blue, sinful and lusting for me. His lips part and he whispers.

  “Are you ready for an eternity with me?” I lunge forward and I grab his face. “I was born ready.”

  Dalton and I have decided to leave tonight, and I am little worried about saying goodbye to my family. We are currently sitting in his car, the trunk is loaded with his stuff and the engine is loudly roaring. The air outside is smoothly warm, so Dalton has dropped the hood of his Porsche. I’m sitting nervously playing with my hair, as we stare out at the large house. It never occurred to me that Dalton would be sad about leaving. He is looking out at his house, with passion in his eyes. He loves this house, and what’s inside of it. We told Nicholas that we were leaving tonight, and he was surprisingly upset about it. He seemed quiet and guarded, like he didn’t want us to go. He stood in the doorway as Dalton packed his clothes into a suitcase. He didn’t say much, he just watched as we walked straight out of the house. I know that he has done some pretty awful things, but I can still see the good in him. He didn’t have to turn me, but he did. He risked losing Dalton, so that he could give him his dream, and I will always owe him for what he did. I meet Dalton’s stare and he looks sad. Comfort him Rose.

  “Are you okay?” I ask, as I caress his hand with my fingers. He looks at me and he clears his throat.

  “I’m gonna miss this place, you know?” I nod; I know exactly how he feels. “Yeah Portland has some pretty addicting qualities. You’re gonna miss Nicholas too, aren’t you?” Dalton bites his lower lip, and he squeezes my hand. His eyes fill with passion and his hands start to shake. I can feel his body, pulsating and its sending shivers down my spine. This feels weird. I can feel everything that he is feeling. I know that he is scared, worried and upset about leaving. I can feel that he has strong feelings for his brother, and that he is going to miss him like crazy. Why I am feeling this way? My mind tries to think of an answer, and then it hits me. I can feel him, because I have his blood running through me.

  “Despite everything he’s done, he’s still my brother.” My eyes fill with water, and my attention turns to the front door of the house. It bursts open and Nicholas is standing in full view. I can hear his heart beating fast as he runs towards the car. Dalton throws the door open and he lunges out into the driveway. Nicholas reaches him, and tears begin to pour from my eyes, when they embrace each other with a bear hug. My heart melts at the sight of them, and I smile when Dalton pulls back, and throws himself into the car. Nicholas is at my side, and I roll down the window. He leans in and grabs me in his arms. He gently brushes my hair away from my ear and he whispers.

  “Thank you for bringing my brother and I back together.” I cry and my tears soak his shirt. He pulls back from me, and he gently wipes the water away from my face. “Don’t cry little lady.” He says in his strong accent. I laugh at him, and then I turn to face Dalton. His eyes are deep and intense.

  “What’s next for you? Are you gonna stay here in Portland?” I ask. Nicholas slides his hand through his silky hair and he smirks at me. “It’s time for me to move on too, little lady.” I nod at him and he smiles. “Don’t worry; you’ll see me again in a decade or two!” I laugh at his words and then Dalton clicks the car into gear. He spins the car around so that it’s facing the right way, and my eyes fall onto Nicholas as he stands frozen. “Ya’ll have a good life together, now won’t you?” Dalton and I both laugh at his accent, and then he speeds out of the driveway. The car cruises onto the road, and the wind blows through my hair as he picks up speed. My mind is rushing with thoughts of him, and I can’t tear my eyes away from him. He is too perfect, too wonderful, and I love him with all of my heart.

  We reach my house and Dalton pulls into a tight space at the front gates. He flicks a button and the roof closes in around us. I stare out at my house, and I smile. I have so many wonderful memories of living here, and I am going to miss this old house. I focus my ears, and I can hear my uncle and Jen talking in the lounge. Rachel is talking on her cell in the kitchen and the TV is loud. Dalton reaches out and grabs onto my hand, he slides it up to his mouth and he gently kisses my ice-like skin. I can feel my body pulsating. I am nervous about seeing my uncle –I hope he isn’t mad at me. My skin tingles when Dalton kisses my hand again. He slides his free hand through his hair, and he sighs.

  “Don’t be nervous. Your uncle will understand.” I nod at him. But I am not just nervous about seeing my uncle. I am nervous about packing up my life. I have never known anything other than Portland, so I am very anxious and nervous to see the rest of the world. Dalton jumps out of the car, and he rushes to my side. He opens the door for me, and I slide out and stand firmly on the sidewalk. My vampire heart starts to pound, as Dalton leads me along the garden path. We reach the front door, and I can hear my uncle rushing to greet us. The door bursts open and there he is. My uncle George is standing in front of us, with his dirty jeans and greasy shirt hanging from his body. His eyes are spiteful, and i
ntense. I can hear his heart pounding through his shirt, and his anxiety levels start to build. I can’t bring myself to speak, and I am surprised when Dalton breaks the silence.

  “Mr Peterson, I would just like to …” Dalton’s voice instantly stops when my uncle butts in. “No look here son; I don’t appreciate you trying to manipulate me. I am not happy that you’re taking Rose away from us. But I’m not stupid. I know that you care about her, and that you would never to do anything to hurt her.” I smile at my uncle –is he accepting my decision? Dalton is staring deeply at my uncle, his intense eyes are locked onto his and his hands are firmly lodged into his pockets.

  “I’m not trying to manipulate you sir. I just wanted to explain my reasons, for asking Rose to go away with me. Will you give me ten minutes of your time to explain?” My heart melts at Dalton’s words, and I shoot my uncle a darting look. George rolls his eyes, and then he nods and makes a hand gesture for us to enter the house. Dalton and I slide into the house, and Dalton tries to lead me into the lounge. I fight against him, and I look up at him.

  “I’m gonna pack. You talk to my uncle, okay?” Dalton smiles at me, and he leans in places a soft kiss onto my forehead. My legs start to shake from his touch, but I manage to compose myself as he pulls away. He brushes past me, and I watch until he is out of sight. I focus my ears on the lounge; I can hear my uncle offering Dalton a beer. He politely refuses, and then he crashes down onto the sofa. I shake my head as my uncle begins to interrogate Dalton. I climb the stairs and I walk across the landing towards my room. I push open the door, and I smile when I see pebbles sleeping on my bed. I fly over to her, and I stroke the top of my cats head. Her bright green eyes widen at my touch, and she begins to gently purr. I scan my room, and I force myself to start packing. I kneel onto the floor and I pull my old suitcase out from under my bed. I set the suitcase to one side, and I search under my bed again. I extend my arm as far as it can reach, and I laugh when I feel the old shoebox. I slide it out and I thrust it open. My eyes fill with water when I see the black sweater. I lift it out of the box; the fabric is still as soft as I remember. I hold the sweater close to my face, and I inhale the scent. My eyes close and I recognise the smell –the fabric smells like Dalton. His strong cologne is soaked into the sweater, and as I hold the clothing next to my face, I have a flashback of him. My eyes close and there he is. I remember sitting on the swings. I was with my mom; she was talking to her friend. It was cold; I can remember him as he walked towards me. He was like a movie star, and I remember thinking that he looked like Leonardo Dicaprio. I smile at my memories, as I continue to remember. He sat next to me on the swings, and he asked me about my life. He called me ‘little lady’ and I can remember that he made me feel special. He was like no one that I had ever seen before. He didn’t seem real. I held onto the sweater as a reminder of him. I remember curling up my bed as a child, and dreaming of him. I move the fabric closer to my nose, and I inhale another gulp of the scent. Why did I forget about him? My mind completely erased our first meeting, and why I am remembering now? That question is unanswerable. I just need to accept that I forgot about Dalton, and move on. I am lucky that I met him. He changed me forever, and I am going to love him for an eternity.

  I have packed the contents of my closet into a single suitcase. My overnight bag is filled with my possessions. I didn’t know what to bring with me –I have a lot of junk in my room. But with my lighting speed and HD vision, I managed to search the entirety of my room really quickly. A lot of my stiff is worthless and junk, but I have packed the things that matter most to me. I have packed my photo album of when I was a kid. My diary and a few CDs that Rachel gave me, when she was a kid. All in all, I have crammed my life into a suitcase and an overnight bag. I have said my goodbyes to pebbles, and as I stand in the doorjamb of my room, I take one last look. My eyes fill with water, but I hold back my tears. I am not going to let myself break down. It’s not fair for Dalton to see me like that. He would only end up feeling guilty, and I couldn’t handle that. Although I am sad about leaving, I know it’s the right thing to do. I chose to be a vampire; I chose to be with Dalton. From the first moment that I laid eyes on him, I knew that he was what I wanted. He makes me feel safe and secure when he holds me tight. His soft kisses send tingles throughout my entire body. I wake up every day just to be with him. He is my world, and I would rather die than be without him. I never felt like I belonged. I never had a real family. My uncle was great, but he has his own family. I always felt alone, until I met him.

  I slowly walk down the stairs and I set my luggage down onto the floor. I can hear my uncle talking loudly in the lounge. I walk towards them and I push open the door. George is sitting in his favourite chair, a beer at one side and the remote at the other. I laugh to myself –something’s never change. Dalton sees that I have entered the room. He stands and glides over to my side. He slides his hand onto my waist, and I melt at his touch. My uncle fixes his eyes on us, and I begin to gently panic as I await his words.

  “You all packed Bugs?” He says in a bright tone. I smile at him –is he okay with me leaving? “Yeah, all packed.” I say, blushing –well I feel like I am. My uncle takes a step closer to me, as I stand perched at Dalton’s side. His eyes look sad, and I know that he is hurting. I press my lips together, and I hold back my hunger as I fill the space between us. I take a deep breath, and I slowly lean in towards my uncle. I wrap my arms around his neck, and I sigh. I feel his heart beating fast against my skin. His breathing is shallow, and his neck is tempting. I can feel my eyes beginning to sting, but I manage to breathe through my desire. I lightly squeeze my uncle as he whispers.

  “I love you Bugs.” I can feel tears building in my eyes, so I pull away from him. I quickly compose myself. I don’t want to breakdown. Jen bursts into the room, with Rachel at her side. They are both smiling at me –I think they are happy to get rid of me. Dalton pulls me close, and he drapes his arm over my shoulder. I smile at my family, as he leads me out of the lounge and into the hallway. George, Jen and Rachel have followed us, and they are standing together, as Dalton scoops my luggage into his strong hands. I walk over to the door and I push it open. Dalton walks out first, but he makes sure he nods at my uncle before he leaves for the car. I flash my family a smile, as I say goodbye for the final time.

  “I guess this is it.” I say in a broken voice.

  “You’ll take care of yourself won’t you, Bugs?” My uncle says in a firm voice. Jen slaps his chest as she reassures him that I will be fine. “Leave the girl alone. Now have a wonderful time, dear.” I smile at Jen and then I fix my eyes on Rachel. She is standing in all her teenage perfection. Her hair is perfect. Make-up is immaculate, clothes are pretty and feminine. I am going to miss her, even though we drive each other crazy.

  “I will. Well, goodbye.” I take one last look at my family, and then I walk out of the house. I close the door behind me, and I can hear Rachel mumbling. “She’s so lucky!”

  I lightly laugh at her enthusiasm, and I smile when I see Dalton leaning against his car. I walk over to him, and he pulls me into his arms. “Are you okay?” He says as he lightly kisses my neck. I inhale is strong cologne and then I pull back from him. His eyes are playful, and I could swim in their blueness.

  “I’m perfect.” I gush. Dalton smiles at me, and he holds the door of the car open for me. I jump in and I sink into the seats. I turn around and Dalton is sitting next to me. He roars the engine, and he grabs my hand as he presses his foot down onto the gas pedal. We speed through the streets of Portland, until the road directs us towards to Boston. We plan to leave the car at the airport; we are taking a flight to Rome, tonight. My mind is spinning with all sorts of things. I can’t believe that I am a vampire, and that I have found my one true love. So much has happened to me, in such a short space of time. I met this wonderful, gorgeous, compelling guy and I fell in love with him. He exposed me to a whole new world, and now I am a vampire. I’ll live forever with him by my side. The fr
eeway is calm and the night is slowly getting darker. Dalton flicks the neon lights of the Porsche on high, as he presses his foot harder onto the gas pedal. He reaches out, and he pulls my hand towards his lips. His eyes lock on mine – he doesn’t need to watch the road. Our senses know when we are in danger. Dalton’s lips part, his tongue extends and gently collides with my skin. He is so gorgeous that I can’t stop staring at him. His light blonde hair is slicked back, and he is smartly dressed in suit trousers and a black shirt. He looks sinful, and I can’t breathe at the sight of him.