Page 26 of To Love a Vampire
“I hope he doesn’t. I like his jokes.”
“Oh, for the love of everything good in the world, please do not tell him that.”
A smile consumes my face, a happiness I feel deep in my chest… in my heart. Everything is so easy now. Asher and I, even if we are only ever friends to one another, we click. He’s like soil and I’m a seed and with him holding me together, supporting me, something beautiful grows. Something undamaged and untouched by society.
His arms tighten around me, pulling me flush against his chest. Warmth spreads into me, his scent filling the air around me. My eyes drift involuntarily and a peaceful sleep falls over me.
For a few hours at least.
Before the voices return, clawing into my subconscious and settling in there.
Twelve
What I wanted
The Infinity witch’swords have been on my mind relentlessly lately. Every time I catch Asher looking at me, I can’t help but dissect his appearance, trying to see what he holds in his eyes when he watches me.
But I don’t see it. He’s the same handsome hybrid he’s always been.
Except right now.
He nods his head, motioning me to follow him into the shadows. He walks away, leaving Gabriel blankly staring after him. The redhead gives me a knowing smirk as I follow discreetly after Asher into the night.
The firelight and laughter is left far behind as I search blindly through the darkness for the one mystic I can’t seem to stay away from.
I find him lying near the Emerald Ocean, an enormous cliff is just a few feet away from him. The moon is full tonight and seems to cast down on just him, highlighting his body against the dry, scorched land.
The sound of my steps are quiet, my boots falling softly with each careful step I take. He looks up at me as I stand over him, the moon directly behind me. A smile hesitates against his lips.
“Lie down with me.” It isn’t a question or a command. His voice is almost… unsure, like I might walk away from him at any moment.
I don’t of course. I lie down, leaving a few inches of space between us until he drags my body against his, swooping me up into his arms in one quick motion. My head rests against his chest, my limbs not quite sure where they should go. Usually, he holds me and I don’t have to question what I should do.
He lets a minute slip by with my hand held awkwardly above us before he takes it in his and rests it against his abdomen. His warm palm easing any nervousness I had felt just moments ago.
The endless starlight shines above us, lighting up the sky, keeping my attention off of the nerves that fill my restless body.
“Your heart’s so loud,” I finally say to fill the quietness as I listen to the strong beats within his chest.
A long breath is his only reply before he finally replies in a whisper, “That’s because it beats for you.”
My own heart flutters and a smile fills my face. “Have you waited an entire year to use that line?” I ask teasingly.
Laughter rumbles through his chest as he brushes his thumb back and forth against my hand.
“I’ve had a year to think about what I would say to you. I’m just getting started, baby.”
The celebration is wildly heard within the night but for a few moments it’s just him and I.
“Did you speak to the vampires?” I ask in a quiet voice, already knowing the answer to my question.
“I did.” He shifts beneath me, not pulling away but moving with restlessness.
“What did they tell you? Did they tell you where I was?”
He clears his throat. “Don’t ever go back there. They were not left here to help us, Fallon. They might be near dead, but they’re more dangerous than they appear.”
I nod, knowing he’s right, but they still got me what I wanted.
