Page 50 of Ghoul Kisses

“Those red pills I found must be magical because last night you weren’t yourself,” I say, grabbing a strip of bacon, popping it in my mouth. She freezes for a second, then grabs three plates from the cabinet, setting them on the table.

“Are you going to tell me what those pills are?” I move to the breakfast nook.

Eric strides in wearing a pair of dark jeans, and a white shirt that hugs his biceps. He gives me a kiss on the forehead.

“You didn’t wake me,” he chides.

“You looked happy sleeping,” I say sweetly. He opens the fridge, grabs a carton of orange juice and pours himself a tall glass.

I eat in silence, and Vanessa barely touches her food. After I finish eating, I place my plate in the sink.

“Jack and Mac are here; I’ll be out with them for the day,” he says.

“You invited them?” I ask.

“Yeah, I don’t want to be stuck with you females,” he jokes.

“I’ll text you,” Eric says.

Vanessa and I head to the spa after breakfast. We choose the Sunset Marquis package, which consists of massage, manicures, and pedicures. We chitchat about life, and I tell her that Eric and I are living together. She informs me that she and Adam broke up two weeks ago. Vanessa says he was asking her to do stuff that she didn’t want to do. To me, he sounds crazy and controlling. She says she still loves him. Did he get her hooked on those red pills? I would ask, but I don’t want to ruin our time together. By the time our spa day is over, it is dinner time and I’m famished. We stroll to Cavatinala, a restaurant in the hotel. The place is crawling with people. We sit at the bar. I order a rum and coke and the seared scallops with no mushrooms. I can’t eat them; I’m allergic. Vanessa orders herself the sea bass and a beer. The restaurant is noisy; I can barely hear the music playing in the background.

I drink my coke, letting the bubbles burn my throat.

“Do you love Eric?” Vanessa’s question throws me off. She looks down at the table before meeting my eyes.

“Yeah,” I blurt out, surprising myself. Wow, I never thought I would admit that out loud. I never put a label on what we are, because I don’t know if I’m serious about him. Often, I hear him refer to me as his mate. I don’t have a problem with it; it’s just that I don’t want to move so fast in case things don’t work out. I’m happy with him, and I can’t think of a time when I actually felt this way before. We’re in a good place, and I want to keep it that way. But other things drift to my mind. I can’t start a family with him. I can’t see myself being a queen of his race. Especially because Eric wants to rebuild his kingdom. Our relationship will come to an end as soon as we find the Zenith book. There are so many problems that come along with being with Eric. Love isn’t easy, but it shouldn’t be this complicated. I hate the fact that I’m falling in love with him. I hate the fact that once this is over with, I will be just a memory to him, and he will live for thousands of years. I don’t know if Eric loves me; he hasn’t mentioned anything about bonding. According to Dr. Edward, when a male bonds with a female, they are with them for the rest of their lives; that’s why it’s rare for males to do it. They live so long that settling down doesn’t occur to them. My love for Eric makes me realize I want marriage. I want to be everything to a guy. I didn’t know true love could do that to you. Vanessa snaps her fingers at me.

“Hello? Earth to Sarah.”

“I’m sorry, what were you saying?”

“If he makes you happy then that’s all that matters.”

“You’re not too fond of him, are you?”

The waitress brings us our food. I stab a scallop with my fork and put it in my mouth; a hint of butter and salt flavor fills my mouth. Vanessa picks at her food before she answers.

“It’s just something is off about him,” she says with concern.

“We’re not rushing to the altar. We are dating, taking things slow,” I say.

I finish my scallops and begin eating sorrel and peas.

“Just be careful with him. Some people are not who they say they are,” her tone is low.

I receive a message from Eric.

Hey love

Headed back to the hotel to change for tonight. I’ll meet you there.

K, cool, we will be there in twenty minutes; Nessa and I are finishing up our dinner now.

I reply. Vanessa drops a crisp hundred-dollar bill on the table, and we head back to the penthouse.

I wear a short backless dress with a pair of black flats. I powder my face with foundation and spread nude gloss over my lips. Sick of my curls, I straighten my hair and wrap it in a bun.

Eric stands in front of the mirror, a contact on the tip of his finger, trying to put it in his left eye.

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