Page 37 of To Kill a Vampire
A clattering sound pulls too much attention to us as the sword slips from my hand and falls forgotten to the ground.
“A wedding? That isn’t a surprise, Gabriel. That’s a commitment.”
An excited smile pulls at his lips and touches his white eyes. “I know! It’ll surprise the hell out of her.”
“Yeah, and it’ll surprise the hell out of you if she says no.”
His smile slips away, his eyes growing wide with seriousness. “You really think she’d say no?”
My lips part, and a laugh I can’t stop bubbles to the surface. “It’s a fucking possibility.”
“She wouldn’t say no.”
“Maybe. Or maybe she might.”
His brows crease as he studies the dirt, confusion and fear replaces the carefree appearance he always seems to hold.
“I’m sorry. It’s not my relationship. I shouldn’t have said anything,” I tell him, squeezing his shoulder, trying desperately to wipe that look off his face.
“Would you have asked Fallon?”
“What?”
“If she didn’t ask you, would you have asked her?”
I pause, thinking about how surprised I was when she proposed in front of the entire community.
“Yeah. I definitely would have.”
He nods, his eyes still filled with fear. “Meet me here tonight just before midnight. Bring Fallon.”
He jogs away, his red hair like a beam of fire through the crowd. I don’t stop smiling even after he’s out of sight.
I never in my life thought I’d have a family. And yet here they are. My grandparents, Gabriel, and Fallon are all right here.
I once thought a life of hiding was the easiest way to survive. It was.
But surviving isn’t living.
Eighteen
Love and War
Fallon
Luca’s nimble fingers twist through my hair, weaving my tousled curls into something almost manageable. It’s been months since we’ve done something so … normal.
“It feels weird to be going on a date in the midst of a war,” I tell her as I slip on a pair of black heels and stand to meet her at the door.
“Gabriel insisted we do something fun before the world possibly ends.”
“He said that?”
“Yep.” A smirk touches her lips as she looks at me, and the moment of silence doesn’t go unnoticed.
A small, black nose nudges open the thin door of the hut, sniffing curiously. A smirk tilts my lips as Ripper stares hesitantly into the room. He paces a little on his dirty paws as he stares at me from only a few feet away.
Luca turns and starts to slip her flats on as I kneel in the dirt, desperately reaching my palm out to the little dog that was once my best friend.
