Shaking his head, no, Asher squeezed my hand. “This birthday is about you. I enjoyed mine while I had them. I want you to do the same, especially, if these might be your last,” he winked as a large smile grew over his chiseled features.
Sighing, I knew he was right. Reaching up on my tiptoes, I placed a kiss on his mouth before hugging him to me. “You are the best. I knew I loved you for a reason,” I smiled.
Asher only smiled as we held hands and left for our classes.
***
Staying true to her word, Melanie spent the next few days planning my birthday party which would be a field party behind her house. Melanie’s parents owned a large horse farm on over seventy-five acres. Part of the property had an expansive flat area with a large pond surrounded by towering oak trees. It was the perfect place to grill, hang out, and swim. The party would take place the weekend before the Vampires Council would arrive. In some aspects, it was a great way to escape the looming arrival that none of us were prepared to handle. In another way, it was another reminder that while I was a Shifter, I was still human and should enjoy these moments while they lasted. I was caught in a world where I feared losing one part of my humanity while I cherished the need to protect those around me. I couldn’t help but wonder… would seventeen bring me peace and safety, or would this next chapter of my life bring more conflicts and dangers?
Chapter 5
The rest of the week flew by as I found myself falling easily into my normal routines. However, Friday, the night before my birthday, I had a visitor.
After showering from a long run through the cool, spring air, I found Asher waiting for me in my bedroom. Quickly shutting the door behind me, I ran over to him and hugged him. Asher had become accustomed to sneaking into my room at night, when he could go undetected.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, smiling up at his beautiful blue eyes.
“I asked your mom yesterday what time you were born. She said at 12:05 am. I wanted to officially be the first person to wish you a happy birthday,” he said.
The setting sun began to cast colorful shadows of reds and oranges around my room. As I looked up at Asher, I watched as the warm shades illuminated his face. Just the site of it almost took my breath away.
“That is so sweet,” I sighed. “Wait, it’s only eight-thirty. You are a little early,” I noted glancing at the clock.
“That’s ok. I don’t really have anything else to do you know. The whole, Vampires don’t sleep thing,” he said, with a wink.
“Of course, how could I forget? We can watch a movie,” I suggested.
I didn’t want to tell him that I was exhausted from my run for practice. I had completed my practice then added an additional five miles to my run. I didn’t have time to train with Maddox or other members of the pack right now, so I had figured extra running couldn’t hurt until we mapped out our schedules. Now, I was regretting that decision as I felt a yawn approaching.
Noticing my tiredness, Asher wrapped me in his arms as we fell against the pillows. “You can go to sleep if you are tired. I will wake you when it’s time,” he said, gently pulling me close to him.
I wrapped my arms around his chest and allowed my head to rest comfortably on him. I wanted nothing more than to remain awake and memorize every detail of that moment, but as I lay there warm and content, I felt my eyelids closing as sleep took over.
***
Sometime later, I woke to a gentle nudge. Rubbing my eyes, I noticed the room was pitch black, save for the silver glow of the moonlight escaping into my room. I was still wrapped in Asher’s arms. Glancing at the clock on my bedside table, I read 12:00 midnight. It was almost my birthday.
“Are you awake,” Asher quietly whispered.
Nodding my head yes, I sat up a little.
We sat for a few minutes until the clock read 12:05 am.
“Happy Birthday, Elle,” Asher said, as he hugged me.
“Thank you,” I smiled, reveling in his embrace.
“I have a present for you,” he said, as he began to reach inside his pocket.
“You didn’t have to get me anything,” I said, as I watched him pull out a small box wrapped in gold paper.
Handing me the gift, Asher only smiled. “Open it,” he insisted.
Taking the box, I closely inspected the beautiful gold design. As I began to unwrap the paper, I found a small box inside. Opening the lid, a beautiful necklace lay in front of me. Hanging from a silver chain was an infinity sign encrusted with black diamonds. I gasped, unable to form words as I admired the beautiful masterpiece.
“Do you like it?” Asher asked, after a few minutes of silence.
“It is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” I cried. “I love it.”
Taking the necklace from me, Asher placed it around my neck. I allowed the chain and the emblem to fall through my fingers as it dangled from my neck.
“I’m glad you like it. I had it made just for you. This is an infinity symbol, it represents forever. Our love, us, everything about us, will be forever,” he smiled. “The black diamonds were awesome, and they reminded me of you. Different... Beautiful… Bold.”
There were no words to express how I felt in that moment. Asher had proven to me time after time that his love for me wasn’t just some silly high school crush. This was real. It was forever.
“It’s too much. How did you afford this?” I asked. I knew Asher’s family had money, but I had never bothered to ask how. Neither of his parents went to a ‘real’ job, so I wasn’t sure how they kept their funds so heavy.
Quietly laughing, Asher looked at me like I had just told a joke. “I guess we have never discussed this,” he began. “My dad works as an investment broker. In our previous lives as humans and Hunters, my dad was a banker. He was always good with money. As we lived through different years, my dad began to follow the financial trends and especially the stock market. He works with his clients on where to invest their money. Since I pay attention too, I help him when I can. Right now though, I have to focus on pretending to be seventeen,” he smirked.
“Huh, that sounds cool,” I replied.
“Yes, so don’t ever worry about the gifts I give you,” he teased, as he kissed me.
“I will wear this forever,” I mused, as I reached up and kissed his cheek.
Hugging me back to him, Asher lay with me until I fell sound asleep again. When I woke later, I was alone, and I knew that Asher had stayed with me until the sun had risen. His secret visits always made me happy and what I loved most about them was that each one made me feel even more like Asher was placed in my life for a reason. I watched the sunrise in the morning sky with a wide grin on my face. Turning seventeen wasn’t so bad after all.
***
“Happy Birthday!” my mom cheered as she jumped onto my bed.
Following behind her, my dad held a large plate full of buttery pancakes and brown, crisp bacon strips. Sitting up, I allowed the warm breakfast awaiting me to continue waking up my senses. The food smelled heavenly and I was starting to feel hungry.
“Thanks,” I smiled, as I took the plate from my dad. He placed a large glass of orange juice on my bedside stand.
I cut into the pancakes and took a large bite. The warm syrup and butter melted in my mouth.
“We wanted to be the first to wish you a happy birthday today,” my mom stated with a large smile.
I tried to hide my giggle. Well, technically they were the first to tell me today. Asher, of course, had been the first to tell me on my exact birthday moment.
“What’s that?” my mom asked as she noticed the necklace I was now wearing.
Grabbing the chain, I quickly thought of something to say. “Asher gave this to me yesterday. I guess I forgot to show you,” I said.
“It’s beautiful,” mom gushed, as she examined the symbol.
“Nice gift,” my dad grunted. As much as he liked Asher, I think it still bothered him to know that I was so serious about a boyfrien
d while in high school.
“Well, we have a present for you too,” mom chimed in. “Here,” she said, as she reached behind her and grabbed a small bag.
I dug into the bag and pulled out a gift card to one of my favorite stores to shop from. Next, I found a beautiful pair of gray and purple Nike running shoes and matching athletic outfit. Finally, I pulled out a box of assorted bath bombs.
“Wow, this is awesome,” I smiled, as I jumped out of bed and hugged both of my parents.
They hugged me back and wished me happy birthday again before retreating back downstairs to get ready for work. Since they both worked from home, that wouldn’t be too much of a challenge.
After finishing my breakfast, I showered and dressed in my new athletic gear. This would be perfect too; I wouldn't have to change before practice after school.
Just as I was about to leave my room, my phone chimed alerting me of a text. Glancing down at my dresser where my phone was still charging, I spotted Maddox’s name.
Maddox: Happy Birthday
Me: Thanks
Maddox: So, what did your parents do for you?
Me: Breakfast in bed and some awesome gifts
Maddox: Cool. Meet me at my truck, I got your gift
Me: Be out in five
I raced down the stairs, told my parents goodbye, and then ran out the front door. I found Maddox waiting beside his old, Ford truck. Spotting me, he smiled.
“Nice outfit,” he winked.
“Thanks, it was one of my presents,” I said, spinning around like a model.
Reaching into the back of his truck, Maddox pulled out a purple gift bag. “Here, I got you this,” he said, handing me the bag.
Taking it, I smiled as I pulled out the tissue paper. Inside, I found a picture frame with one of Maddox’s baseball pictures. Laughing, I held the picture up.
“Wow, how did you know I would want this?” I laughed.
It was one of our traditions to get each other a gag gift. This must be his.
“Keep looking, there’s more,” he smirked.
I dug back into the bag, rummaging through the white tissue paper he had stuffed inside and found a large bag folded up. Pulling it out, I noticed my name was monogrammed in purple writing against the black bag.
“It’s a new bag for you to use during the cross-country season. Your old one is a little worn. I thought it could help,” he said, stuffing his hands inside his pockets.
“I love it,” I exclaimed, as I jumped into his arms and hugged him.
“I’m glad,” he mumbled. “Now, get in the car and let’s go to school before you make me late,” he teased, as he ran to the driver's side.
Rolling my eyes, I complied. So far, my birthday had been the best one yet. I just hoped it remained that way.
When we arrived at school, Asher met me in the hall by my locker. He winked at me as Melanie and Laura gave me birthday hugs.
“So, what did you get for your birthday?” Laura asked, as she eyed both boys standing next to me.
I told them about what my parents had given me, Maddox’s gift, and finally, my amazing present from Asher. Both girls’ eyes grew as wide as saucers when they took in the black diamonds and infinity symbol. I heard a low growl escape from Maddox as everyone gushed over my presents. He glared at Asher who only smiled back. I wished even on my birthday they could get along.
The morning warning bell rang and we all raced to get to class on time. Thankfully, the rest of the day went by normally. Melanie spent her time passing out flyers for my field party and BBQ. I just had to get through this birthday and then I could focus on the looming arrival of the Vampires Council. To be honest, I hadn’t really given it much thought this week, but now that I knew it was getting closer, it was moving closer to the front of my mind.
After school, all sports were cancelled due to rain so of course, Maddox was waiting for me on my front porch. “Ready to train?” he asked, as he jumped off the porch and onto the wet grass below.
“It’s my birthday, can’t I take a break?” I whined.
“Seriously? We have barely had time to train lately. Now we both have a free afternoon since our practices were canceled due to the rain. Stop complaining,” Maddox said with a huff.
The spring weather had brought rain showers throughout the day and gray clouds swam around the afternoon sky. All sports were canceled which gave us the perfect time to train as needed. A small puddle of water had formed in the yard, brown and murky from the combination of rain and mud. A couple of drops splashed onto my new practice outfit that was a birthday gift and I yelped.
“Hey, you just got mud on my new clothes,” I yelled.
“You will survive,” Maddox laughed. He continued walking, making his way around the side of my house and to the backyard.
I knew he wasn’t waiting for an answer. Training was part of my life now, and I didn’t really have a choice in the matter.
“You know, for someone with such a charming personality, I just don’t understand why you don’t have more girls flocking to you,” I kidded, as I crossed my arms and followed closely behind him.
Turning to face me, Maddox continued the short distance to our training spot backward. “I have plenty of girls after me. I guess I’m just waiting on the right one,” he winked, as he made the last few steps.
Stopping, Maddox smiled at me and reached out his hand for me to take. Without thinking, I took his hand and allowed him to lead me close to where he stood.
“Now, I need you to try and be serious now. We have some serious training to do. I want to help you, so let’s focus,” Maddox began, his face taut and serious.
Standing straighter I knew he was right. I inhaled a deep breath and then exhaled. “Ok, let’s do this,” I said.
We began our training session with Maddox showing me some new fighting and leaping techniques he had learned during his own training sessions with the pack. Maddox had surprised us all when he had decided to train with the adult members of the pack. Apparently, he had been doing it for a while, ever since he first shifted. Since the Hunters and the Huntress attacked, he had begun amplifying the amount of training he did. With that and baseball, he was proving to be a real leader.
“I need you to get a fast, running start. When you reach me, I want you to use all of your energy to leap into the air. Allow your arms and legs to outreach in front of you. This is a good way to surprise your enemies during an attack,” Maddox said. “I will show you first,” he said, as he jogged a few hundred feet away. I stood and watched, making sure to memorize every move he made.
Maddox crouched down and pushed himself into a sprinting form. He began to run so fast; it was as though he were flying. When he reached where I was standing, he suddenly jumped high into the air, his legs and arms reaching out like they were reaching for an invisible force. My mouth gaped open as I watched him in awe, fascinated by his flexibility and rapid speed. He was a true predator and fighter and I admired him more for that.
When he finally landed behind me, I whirled around and smiled. “That was amazing,” I beamed.
“Yeah, I know,” Maddox stated with a smirk. No modesty here. “Your turn,” he said, pointing in the direction he had just run from.
I jogged over to where he had started his sprint, repeating his actions and movements in my mind. When I finally came to the spot he had indicated, I sighed and closed my eyes for a brief moment, telling myself to be strong.
“Let’s go, Elle,” Maddox called.
I took in my surroundings and focused on the energy of the woods around me. The sounds of birds chirping and newly formed leaves rushing through the slight breeze filled me with an easy calmness. Nature was my energy and I was going to use it now. I began running, pacing myself like I did in cross country. My speed increased as I began to sprint toward the spot where Maddox now stood. Once my legs reached their maximum speed, I bent my knees and leaped high into the air. Extending my arms and legs, I reached through the air like I w
as a leopard about to tackle its prey. I felt more alive at that moment than I ever had before in my life. I was strong and ruthless. I flew over Maddox and landed a few feet away from him, crouching down on all fours.
Looking up, I allowed the breeze to cool down my warm body. I was alive and ready for any trouble that may come my way.
“That was awesome,” Maddox cheered as he ran over to me. Lifting me off the ground, he twirled me around and hugged me tightly to him.
“I felt so alive,” I beamed, as he held me in his arms. “Like I was immortal and could do anything,” I said.
“Am I interrupting something?” Asher’s voice broke through our moment and caused Maddox to almost drop me, his arms losing their hold around my waist.
I stumbled to the ground and turned to see Asher’s angry face watching us. He was well aware that Maddox and I trained; I guess he just didn’t like the touching and holding part.
“Asher, did you see what I just did?” I asked, hoping to remove his focus from the embrace between me and Maddox.
Asher just stood there for a few moments. His piercing blue eyes clouded over and grew dark as he watched me. It was like he was considering a war of his own between us. His silence was starting to freak me out, and I was about ready to say something when he finally spoke.
“Yes, Elle. You were exquisite. You looked so powerful… that was until Maddox pulled you into his arms,” he stated, a growl escaping as his fangs clicked and protruded through his mouth.
“We were just training, calm down,” Maddox added, as he rolled his eyes.
“Before anyone gets upset, let’s all just stop and calm down,” I said, as I stepped between the two boys. “Asher, go wait in my room, I’ll be right there.”
Asher hesitated, and I could tell he wanted to argue with me; but instead, he ran at lightning speed to my house. Once we were alone again, I turned to Maddox. “I’m sorry about that. Let’s finish our training,” I smiled.
Evernight Page 3