Page 64 of Ghoul Kisses

New Year’s Eve

Ilounge on a towel on the beach. The sun sets on the ocean, creating an orange and purple sky. The warm breeze tickles my face. Eric lies next to me. His sunglasses cover his charcoal eyes. I wear the tiny purple bikini he bought me the last time we were here. I wanted to get away from Mercer for a while after all I’d been through. I fell in love with a ghoul, helped Eric bring his race a good health care system—the building opens in January—and found out my best friend betrayed me to a bloodsucker. All because of a damn key. And speaking of the key, we are going to the Dark-Light Organization to steal the box so we can retrieve the map that leads us to the book. Even though I am opposed to stealing, I want to help Eric get his revenge on the vampires. To put the icing on the cake, I found out that I’m half witch. My mom kept secrets from me. Even though part of me wants to explore the magic side of myself and find out what I am capable of, I want to enjoy this piece of heaven with Eric. This has been the most bizarre year of my life. Eric slides the sunglasses on top of his head and leans over, brushing his soft lips against mine. The way he is looking at me makes me want to drag him to the hotel and have my way with him.

“Have I ever told you about my father and mother?” his voice is warm.

I shake my head.

“You never really talk about your parents.”

I lay my head on his hot chest. His heartbeat is slow and steady, and he smells like Old Spice Fiji.

“My parents were deeply in love,” he pauses for a second. “It was like the fairy tale shit you see on television. I remember when I was growing up my father would take my mother on trips around the world celebrating their anniversary.” He looks like he is in deep thought.

“Back then, the law was the parents picked the mate for their young. But my grandfather didn’t pick my mom for my dad. My dad fought with my grandfather to be with my mom. After a while, Granddad caved and let them bond. When I was seventeen years old, I used to fuck a lot of different females—this before my father died—and he sat me down and told me to run the kingdom based on love. Not greed, not money, but love. I looked at him like he was crazy and he went on to say, “Your mother loves our race. She is passionate about helping others. And, I want you to find someone who is just as passionate about helping the race.” It didn’t make sense at first because Nicholas was supposed to run the kingdom, but Dad put David and me in charge too.” His eyes grow soft and he tenses. “When I met you, I understood what he was saying. You’re the kind of person she was - selfless and passionate. My father loved my mother, right until her dying breath. He sacrificed his life for her before the vampires killed him.” I sense profound sorrow from Eric as he tells the story.

“I always wanted to love a female the way my father loved my mom.” He looks at me through hooded eyes.

“And I think I found her.” I smile at his words as butterflies flutter in my belly. He cups my chin and kisses me with passion and desire. His words melt my soul.

“You’re wonderful. You know that, right?” I grin like a schoolgirl. He smiles and kisses me again.

“I have a surprise for you,” he says as he pulls me to my feet.

A little while later, we walk into a tattoo parlor. The building puts off an antiseptic scent. The people are chill and welcoming. Eric tells me to wait in the lobby, and he makes his way to the counter. A guy greets me.

“You’re King Eric’s mate?” His voice is husky.

I nod as he kisses my hand. He is covered in tattoos. He wears swim shorts and a white t-shirt, and his dark brown hair is pulled back in a ponytail.

“My name is Sarah.”

“I’m Lee. It’s good to meet you.” His eyes glow bright red. Eric hands me a book of different tattoos. I scan through it, but nothing in it catches my eye.

“Pick what you want,” he orders as he sits next to me in the black chair.

“Whatever you get I’ll get,” Eric says.

“If I get a penis on my scar, you will get it, too?” I joke. He looks at me in horror, I bite back my laughter.

“I’m joking Eric. You should see your face,” I say, handing him back the book.

I whisper in Lee’s ear what I want, and we follow him to a sterile room.

A needle gun is in his hand as he ushers me to lie on the table.

“Lie down, doll,” he says. Nervously, I lie back on the table and I hold out my right wrist. Lee dips the needle in black ink and the gun buzzes to life. The needle digs into my wrist. It is painful; it feels like thousands of bees stinging my skin. I close my eyes. How the hell do people come back for more tattoos?

When Lee stops, I lift up my wrist and stare at the word Home. “It’s beautiful, thank you,” I whisper.

“No problem, baby girl. King Eric, your turn,” he says, strapping a bandage over my burning wrist before Eric can sneak a peek.

He gives me a sheet of paper on how to clean the tattoo, and I tuck it in my purse.

I jump off the table and Eric gets on. Lee loads up a fresh needle and starts to work on his right wrist.

“This better not be a dick, Sarah,” he says.

“Oh, shut up,” I say. Once Lee is done working on Eric’s tattoo, he shows him the word.

“Home,” Eric says. He smiles. He knows what it means and how powerful the words are to us. I asked for the tattoo because I recall Eric saying home is where the heart is. I wanted to get a tattoo that means something to both of us. I will choose another day to get my scar covered up. To be honest, I’m not ready to let go of Jessie. If I get a cover-up tattoo, it would be me moving on. Death affects us in so many ways. When you want to move on from the person you mourn, it feels like you are trying to forget about them. And I can’t forget about Jessie. She is the reason why I am alive today.

Eric stands up from the table, fishes for his wallet from his back pocket, and pays for the tattoos. Lee doesn’t bandage Eric’s wrist; his tattoo will heal in a matter of seconds.

Our fingers intertwine as we leave the parlor. We have a party to attend in an hour on the beach, so we can count down to New Years. I can’t wait until next year to see what it holds for us. I’m ready to leave this year behind and start a new life with Eric. I know we will have bumps in our relationship, but I’m ready to be with Eric. Home is where the heart is.

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