by Shaw, Jaidis
“I don’t know. Why?” I asked.
“A bunch of us are planning on going down to the lake to have a bonfire. With the curfew we weren’t allowed to but now that Gavin is gone, we can start going out at night again.” Her brilliant smile caught my gaze and I realized how beautiful she was. The rays of sun reflected off of her blonde hair and cast a halo around her. Sparkling eyes, feminine cheekbones and full lips only added to her overall beauty. I shook my head to focus on what she was talking about. “My friends were so excited to know that it is safe again. We knew that it was a vampire but of course the humans in town think that it was a serial killer on the loose. It will probably take some time before they officially revoke the curfew but we figure we can get the ball rolling.”
“I’ll ask Jayden. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if we stopped by,” I said.
“Great!” Violet glanced at her watch. “I told my Aunt I wouldn’t be out long. Do you mind if I drop you back at your house?” She asked.
“Of course I don’t mind,” I said and stood up, brushing the back of my shorts off in case any debris from the bench decided to cling to the denim. We walked towards Violet’s car and I was glad that I had a friend in Juniper Grove. It was finally starting to feel like home.
***
When we pulled up to my house, Kyle was helping Darren load the luggage into their car. Kyle hesitated when he caught sight of Violet and stared at her. “I think I’ll just drop you off,” Violet mumbled, keeping her face looking out of the windshield.
“I’ll tell him you said hello.” I laughed while unbuckling my seat belt.
“Please don’t. It will only encourage him.” She turned to scowl at me before a fit of giggles overcame her.
“I’ll talk to you later.” I stepped from the car and shut the door as Violet began to pull off.
“Isn’t she staying?” Kyle asked, his voice tinged with sadness.
“I think your obsessive behavior scared her off,” Darren said, clapping his hand on Kyle’s sagging shoulders. “Either that or your stench did. Have you bathed today?”
“Be nice to him Darren. He can’t help it, at least not about his behavior.”
“I wasn’t aware that it was pick on Kyle day. I’d think you would show a little more appreciation towards me. I did risk my life to help save you after all.” He threw the suitcase he was holding into the car and slammed the trunk in irritation.
“I didn’t mean anything by it,” I said, pulling him into a hug. “Thank you for helping to save me.” After placing a quick kiss on his cheek I back away and punched Darren in the shoulder. “And he doesn’t stink.”
“If you say so Alayna.” I turned my back on him and went into the house, leaving the roar of laughter behind me.
I halted after stepping through the front door and blinked several times to help my eyes adjust to the dimness. While waiting for the room to come into focus, I heard Julian’s voice.
“I’m glad you’re back Alayna. Can we talk for a moment?”
Squinting at his darkened figure I swallowed the lump in my throat. What did he want to talk to me about? I wondered.
“Sure. I’m just trying to get my eyes to adjust. The sun is super bright today.”
“We can go back outside if that’s okay. I’d like to speak with you in private.” He laid his hand on my shoulder and I jumped, startled that I hadn’t been able to see him close the distance between us. He snickered but didn’t say anything about my reaction to him touching me as we turned and walked back into the brightness. Relieved that I could see again, we walked around the side of the house.
“I’ve never been good at this kind of thing so I’m just going to say it. Alayna, I apologize for the way I behaved towards you.”
I froze in midstride, unsure that I had heard him correctly. “What?”
“I realize that I should have given you a chance from the beginning. Please believe me that it had nothing to do with you personally. I just wanted Jayden to come home so badly, to take his place by my side.”
“I can imagine how it would be difficult for you,” I said.
“I thought that if I invited Olivia here that Jayden would see how different you two are and realize that he belonged at home with us,” Julian said and sighed before continuing. “Maybe even a small part of me hoped that he would agree to come home just to keep the fight from occurring.”
“It’s okay Julian. I probably would have reacted the same way you had if I were in your shoes,” I said, my nerves beginning to settle now that I realized his apology was genuine.
“No you wouldn’t have Alayna. You would never stoop down to my level. Even after the way I acted, you protected me from Gavin. We both know you could have easily allowed Gavin to finish me off, and I wouldn’t have blamed you if you had, but you didn’t. Instead you refused to back down and saved both of our lives.”
“You were pinning me to the floor. It wasn’t like I could go anywhere.” I smiled.
“That may be true but you’re a good person Alayna. You wouldn’t have just sat by and allowed him to kill me. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I owe you my life Alayna.”
“You’re not so bad yourself Julian. After all you came to rescue me when you could have easily just stayed out of the way.”
“Are you kidding? Sofia would have killed me herself if I hadn’t tagged along.” Julian laughed. “But I couldn’t just sit by when the woman my son loves was in danger. Jayden is lucky to have you.”
“Thank you Julian. You have no idea how happy that makes me to hear you say that.” Without thinking I threw my arms around his neck. His body tensed and I began to pull away when his strong arms wrapped around me and pulled me back. “We are all lucky to have you in our lives,” he said.
He loosened his grip on me and I stepped back.
“I’m sorry I’ve caused so much trouble. I know that I can be stubborn at times but I promise I’ll work on it.” I smiled.
“Don’t you dare change, Alayna. I’m counting on you to keep Jayden on his toes once we are back home.”
“That’s right,” Sofia said as she approached us. “We are both counting on you to give Jayden a hard time. Just a little payback for the trouble he caused us growing up.” Julian slipped his arm around Sofia and kissed the top of her head.
“I’ll do my best.” Their love for one another was evident and I felt pressure building behind my eyes. I took a deep breath and blinked the tears away, determined to hold myself together.
“I’m going to go make sure that Darren and Kyle have everything loaded.” Julian released Sofia and pulled me into another quick hug and then headed back the way we came.
“I can’t believe…he…just hugged you,” Sofia stuttered. “I haven’t seen him hug anyone but me since Emma.”
“Twice.” I held up two fingers for emphasis. “He hugged me twice,” I said.
“I knew that you had won him over but I wasn’t sure he really meant it. But if he hugged you then he definitely likes you.” She laughed.
“Do you guys have to go so soon? You are more than welcome to stay here a little while longer. Now that we don’t have to worry about Gavin I can be a proper hostess.”
“You have been wonderful to us Alayna but it’s time that we headed back home. There are some things that we have to take care of anyways, like telling the clan about Olivia and announcing you as Jayden’s better half.”
“I hope everyone will be okay with it.”
“I’m sure they will be thrilled. Jayden deserves to be happy after all of this time and trust me when I say that Olivia won’t be missed. She was always grating on peoples’ nerves.” Sofia winked at me and I knew that she was telling the truth about Olivia.
“I hadn’t even met her before she was annoying me,” I replied.
Side by side we headed towards the driveway, my heart feeling heavy at the thought of them leaving.
“I left our number on the fridge. Promise me that you will keep in touch?�
�� Sofia asked.
“You should know that you can’t get rid of me that easily.” We both laughed at my retort.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she replied.
We approached the group of guys who were huddled around the car saying their goodbyes. Darren looked up as we arrived and came over to my side.
“You sure know how to keep things exciting don’t you Alayna?”
“I do try my best. How is your arm feeling today?”
“It will be as good as new in a few days; just a little advantage to being a shifter.” Darren winked a brown eye and draped his good arm around my shoulders. “I think it will do Jayden some good having you around. If you’re ever in our neck of the woods, don’t hesitate to drop by.” Without another word he removed his arm and slid into the car.
“He’s right Alayna. You’re welcome to visit anytime you’d like,” Sofia said.
“Thank you. I’ll be sure to have Jayden bring me to visit.” I gave Sofia a hug. “Thank you for everything,” I whispered.
“No Alayna. Thank you.” Her hug tightened around me and I lost control of my emotions long enough for a tear to slip through. Our hug ended and I wiped the tear away, hoping that it wouldn’t be followed by more. My eyes followed her until she was nestled in the front seat and then I glanced at Kyle who was making his way towards me.
“Thank you for coming out here Kyle. I really appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. Will you do me a favor?” He asked.
“Tell Violet goodbye?”
“How’d you know?”
I couldn’t help but shake my head. “Lucky guess.”
“Take care Alayna.”
“Thanks. I will,” I replied but he was already climbing in the back seat next to Darren.
To my left, Julian was whispering in Jayden’s ear and I raised my eyebrows in contemplation. Not wanting to interrupt, I waited for him to finish before walking up to them. Jayden reached out to shake his father’s hand but Julian ignored him and instead, pulled his son in for a hug. I felt eyes on me and turned towards the car where Sofia was grinning from ear to ear.
“Remember what I said Alayna.” Julian’s voice grabbed my attention.
“Don’t worry I will,” I said.
Without another word he slipped behind the driver’s seat and shut the door firmly behind him.
Jayden and I stood hand in hand watching as the car pulled down the driveway. “What did he say to you?” I asked. Jayden’s emerald eyes sparkled at my question.
“He said that I had better treat you right or he was going to come back here and kick my ass.” We both laughed and turned away from the drive and started our new life together.
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Epilogue
It has been weeks since that fateful day in the woods that changed my life forever. I often find myself pondering what my life was like before moving to Juniper Grove. Everything that I had wanted out of life died with my parents and I was just going through the motions to get through the day. It had taken a vampire trying to rip my throat out and Jayden saving my life to make me realize that my desire to live hadn’t died with my parents. It had only been buried beneath my sorrow. The sense of loss still echoes through me on some nights, threatening to suffocate me but with Jayden’s help, I was determined to take control of my life and enjoy the simple pleasures it had to offer.
Today was one of those days that I planned on enjoying. With Gavin no longer a threat, Jayden and I had decided to slow down and enjoy getting to know each other. Our relationship was secure and we knew that we would spend our lives together but we agreed to start at the beginning like normal couples would. One of the things that we had missed out on was a proper first date which Jayden planned to remedy tonight.
I sat at my vanity and focused on applying my makeup. I didn’t wear it often but tonight was a special occasion and I wanted to make sure I looked my best. Satisfied with the result, I stood and ran my hands over the black dress that caressed my body. Turning to my left and then to my right, I smiled with approval at the dress that was reflecting in the mirror. A few strategically placed red tendrils cascaded from the clip that held my hair up, leaving the scar on my neck exposed. It would always be a reminder of the tragedy that I’d been through but I no longer felt the need to hide it. The jagged scar was forever a part of me and I was finally in a place where I could love myself and be proud of my body; flaws and all. Adding the final piece to my outfit, I hooked the silver panther necklace around my neck and grinned in satisfaction.
A gentle tap on the door interrupted my thoughts and I opened the bathroom door. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of Jayden before me. His black hair was slicked back into a ponytail, the blue highlights gleaming in the lighting. A white button down shirt was stretched over his muscular shoulders and chest. Pairing the shirt with black dress slacks that hugged his hips I knew that all eyes would be on him tonight because I couldn’t help but gawk at him myself.
His voice broke through my awe-inspired state and I closed my mouth. “You look beautiful Alayna.” The way my name slid from his lips made my body shiver in giddy delight.
“Thank You. You clean up pretty nice yourself.” I laughed and pressed my lips to his, savoring the sensation.
Jayden broke away from the kiss and stared into my eyes. “If you keep that up we may not make our reservations,” he whispered.
“We can’t let that happen now can we?” I teased.
“Don’t tempt me,” he purred. “Are you ready my love?”
I intertwined my hand in his before replying. “Ready when you are.”
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About the Author
Jaidis Shaw currently resides in South Carolina with her husband and beautiful daughter. With a passion for reading, Jaidis can always be found surrounded by books and dreaming of new stories. She enjoys challenging herself by writing in different genres and currently has several projects in the works including book two of the Juniper Grove Chronicles.
When not reading or writing, Jaidis fills the position of Book Tour Coordinator for Nurture Your BOOKS™, maintains the Juniper Grove blog and loves encouraging her daughter to let her imagination run wild.