Dalton drives us to an old house, on the outskirts of town. The house is large and very appealing. It’s white and has large pillars at the front, an American flag is situated on the porch and the windows are large, open and antique. Flowers are lined along the pathway and trees fill the surrounding area. The house has a long driveway, with automatic gates and a security guard who buzzes you in. There is a black Audi R8 parked at the front of the house and when Dalton stops the car, I see the front door of the house open. Dalton stares out throw the window and my heart is beating really fast. Dalton looks at me and he places his hand onto my chest.
“Don’t be nervous, he will sense it and you will be vulnerable to his powers.” I nod at Dalton and then I look at the supercar that’s parked in the driveway.
“Where do you get money to buy cars like that? Do you work?” Dalton laughs and then he replies.
“I’m a vampire; do you really think that I have a nine to five?”
“So where do you get your money from?” I insist. His smirk fades and then I realise why. “You steal it,” Dalton clenches his jaw under his skin at my words.
“C’mon on Rose, what do you expect me to do? If stealing an odd car and robbing a bank is the worst thing that I do today, then that’s fine with me. I could think of a million other ways for me to blow off steam!” I frown at him and his smug words. Just because he is a vampire, that doesn’t mean it’s okay for him to break the law.
“Like feeding on human blood until you kill that person?” Dalton smirks.
“No, like kissing you until my lips are numb and I can’t see straight. Feeling your warm body next to mine, watching you breathe in and out, and hearing your heart pump blood to your veins. Touching every part of your body and feeling your pleasure, that’s my ultimate fantasy. ” My lips are trembling at his words and my vision has become blurry from the image that he has painted for me. My knees are shaking at the thought of his lips on mine and the overwhelming desire I have for him, is slowly taking over my body. I lean back onto the seat as Dalton pushes his door open. In a flash he is at my door, holding it open, whilst reaching out for my hand. I bite my lower lip as I place my hand into his and then my eyes focus on Nicholas as he emerges from the house. Dalton wraps his arm around my waist and he leads me towards the house. As we edge closer to the front door, Nicholas becomes clearer in my vision. He is tall, with sandy blonde hair and brown eyes; he is smartly dressed in a black suit and tie and I cannot deny that he is gorgeous. Dalton grips me tightly as we climb the steps of the front porch. Nicholas smirks at me and he nods at his brother as we finally reach him.
“Brother, you brought us a snack?” My heart flutters at his deep, southern accent. My hands begin to shake at his remark –Dalton was right, he is ravenous. I can tell from the way he is staring at me, that he would love to rip into my skin, his lips are white with lust and desire and his intoxicating presence is very alarming to me. He edges closer, smiling and reaching out for my hand. Dalton looks down at me, nodding for me to take his bothers hand. I reluctantly place my hand into Nicholas’s out stretched hand, I flinch from the icy touch of his skin –he is an arctic blast compared to Dalton.
“Nicholas, this is Rose, you won’t harm her, is that understood?” Nicholas lifts my hand towards his mouth in one fluid motion and I gasp from his actions. He smirks at me and he places a soft kiss onto my skin, gently running his tongue along my index finger as he pulls away.
“She seems tasty; can’t I have a taste, my dear?” My heart races and I grab onto Dalton for support. Nicholas laughs at me and then he turns away from us, chanting as he walks.
“Calm yourself little lady, it was a joke!”
Dalton rushes me into the house and I gasp as I bask in the beauty that’s inside. The house has a large, spiralling staircase, dark wooden floors and beautiful sparkling chandeliers. The scent of lavender and cologne fills the air and the furniture is classic. Long side tables dominate the hallway, each one more spectacular than the last. Paintings of angels hang on the light walls and classic lamps light up the dark entrance. Nicholas urges us to follow him into the lounge, so as we follow him, I have to gush about the house to Dalton.
“Your house is awesome,” he laughs and then he pushes me into the lounge. The room is large, open and filled with timeless furniture. The back wall is stacked with books, all placed neatly into their shelves. A massive fireplace is the centrepiece of the room; it’s lit and burning brightly. Nicholas glides over to a drinks cabinet and he pours two glasses of scotch. He downs his in a matter of seconds and then he flies over to Dalton and places the drink into his hand. Dalton nods and then he tilts his head back and downs the drink. He tosses the glass onto the leather sofa and it smashes against the wood, not breaking, but making a loud bang from his force. Nicholas smiles at me and then he offers me a drink.
“Where is my manners, would the lady like a drink?” Dalton stares at me and then he answers on my behalf.
“She’s fine, we need to talk.” Dalton urges. Nicholas straightens his face and then he glides over to the sofa and throws himself down. Dalton takes me over to the other sofa and he sits me down, he stands, looking at Nicholas with rage in his eyes. I can feel the burning tension between the brothers and I can’t say that I feel completely at ease with it. I have mixed feelings about Nicholas, I don’t like that he turned Dalton into a vampire, but at the same time, I thank him for doing it. If Dalton wasn’t a vampire, then he wouldn’t be here, he would have lived and died in another time and I would never met him. As hard as it for me to hate Nicholas, I cant.
“What is there to talk about?” Nicholas says in a dark voice. Dalton edges closer to me, protecting me from his brother’s desire.
“Do you know a girl named, Rachel?” Dalton asks as he sits next to me. Nicholas watches him closely as he places his hand onto my thigh. I flinch as Dalton’s fingers are now cool, and the not the warm from earlier. I try to put the iciness out of my mind as I glare at Nicholas for his answer. He runs his fingers through his sandy blonde hair, thinking and smiling at himself. He is so arrogant and selfish. I feel disgusted by him, he is so manly and muscular and when I think of him with Rachel, my stomach turns. He is far too experienced and mature to be with her, she is just a kid and he is a mature man who has had plenty life experience. I can’t allow him to hurt her; I won’t let him ruin her innocence.
“I believe that I do, but what’s it to you?” Nicholas snarls. Dalton presses his lips together and then he fights for my cousin’s honour.
“The girl is Rose’s cousin; I would appreciate it if you would leave her alone.” Nicholas laughs at Dalton’s plea and now my blood is boiling –it’s my turn to give him a piece of my mind.
“I know that you don’t care about her, so just find another toy to play with, okay?”
“Dalton, I don’t like the humans tone, sort her out.” Dalton hisses and then he springs to his feet, locking his eyes on Nicholas. I feel scared by his actions and I can hardly breathe through my fear. I want out of this house, away from Nicholas. I stand and I grab a fistful of Dalton’s shirt, he turns to face me –his eyes burning a deep shade of red. I am startled by his appearance, so I gently back away from him as he groans. Nicholas laughs and then he leaps up from the sofa, locking his eyes on mine. He wanders over in my direction and Dalton protectively stands in front of me, shielding me from Nicholas. “You’re very protective of the human; don’t tell me you have been stupid enough as to fall for her?”
“I haven’t fallen for her, but I’m not going to let you hurt her.” Dalton snaps. Nicholas bursts out laughing and then he moves closer to us.
“You know that love is a vampire’s greatest weakness, yet you have given into it anyway. Tell me Dalton, are you going to turn her?” My heart is pounding through my sweater and I need to get out of here. I can’t stand another minute of Nicholas and his interrogation. He makes my skin crawl and I am terrified to be in the same room as him. I grab Da
lton’s arm as I plead with him to leave.
“Let’s go,” I say in a shaken voice. Dalton turns to face me, his eyes are burning and his lips are white as snow. He manoeuvres himself to the back of me and he slides his hand onto my waist. I let out a smile as I feel safe in his arms, but my smile fades, when Nicholas flies over to me and rips my scarf away from my neck. He stares at my wounds and then he starts to laugh, Dalton lunges forward and he pushes him away. The force is strong and Nicholas is soaring through the air, at tremendous pace. Nicholas is still laughing and Dalton spins me around and leads me to the door. When we reach the door, Nicholas stomps down in front of us, smiling with his eyes burning.
“At least you had the sense to feed on her,” he snarls. Dalton pushes past him, with me at his side. He drags me along the hallway and out the front door. He rushes me into his car and he jumps into the driver’s seat, revving the engine as loud as it will go. Nicholas bursts out of the house and he is standing on the porch, smiling at us. I shake my head at him and I grip onto the arm rest as Dalton reverses the car out of the driveway. When we reach the bottom of the road, Dalton spins the car around so that’s it’s facing the right way. He edges up to the gates and he rolls his window down and shouts at the security guard.
“Open the gates, now,” he exclaims. The man instantly does as he is told and the black gates open wide. The tyres screech when Dalton puts his foot down and I fall back into my seat from the acceleration. His hands are trembling as he grips the steering wheel, far too tight. My heart is pounding and I can’t help but think that we have angered Nicholas. I can’t think about what he is capable of and I don’t want to. I am terrified that he is going to hurt Rachel and that there is nothing that I can do to stop him. My only hope is to try and talk to Rachel; maybe I can make her see sense. If that fails, then I will have to resort to measures that she will hate me over. I will tell Uncle George about her date with a guy who is twenty-five; I will encourage him to ground her, anything that will make her stay in the house. Our family house is the only place that she is safe from him, he can’t enter without being invited in. I know that she will hate me for this, but I don’t care as long as she is safe.
Dalton drives me back to town and by the time we reach Main Street, he has seemed to calm down –a little. The streets are busy for a Sunday afternoon and as I stare out the busy passers-by, I can’t help but think about my night out tonight with the guys. I am dreading going out and parading all over town, with my drunken best friends, but I know that I have no other choice. Charlene is my friend and I couldn’t miss her birthday. I stare at Dalton and I have the sudden urge to ask him to join us. I am sure that Charlene or Elliot wouldn’t mind, but there’s always Ryan who had a little moment with Dalton the other day. I shake my head as I look at him, because I know that there is no way that he would go anyway. Hanging out with humans isn’t his thing –or so he keeps telling me when he is clearly a walking contradiction. He says that humans mean nothing and I can’t help but feel hurt at his earlier claims. He said that he hasn’t fallen for me and what hurts the most is that, I have fallen for him. I have strong feelings that go beyond friendship, feelings that I have never felt for anyone else. Dalton has come into my life and he has changed my world. I think about him every second of every day and now that we have spent the last two weeks together, I can’t imagine my life without him. If only he felt the same way about me.
Dalton pulls the car into a parking space in front of our local diner. He switches off the engine and he turns to face me. His eyes are blue and stunning and I can’t catch my breath as I look at him. He completes me and I love him –it’s too bad that he doesn’t know it. I push my glasses up the bridge of my nose and I smile when Dalton grabs my hand.
“I’m sorry about what happened back there,”
“It’s okay; I’ll deal with Rachel when I get home.” Dalton nods at me and then he pushes open his door. He jumps out into the street and I carefully open my door. I step out of the car and Dalton is instantly by my side. He slides his hand onto my waist and he leads me into the diner.
“Table for two?” The waitress says as she holds two menus in the air. I smile at her and then she leads us to our table. We sit and she takes our drinks order and I am stunned when Dalton orders a coke. I am speechless as I order a lemonade. The waitress quickly walks over to the bar and she fixes us our drinks –keeping her eyes on Dalton the whole time. I roll my eyes at her and let out the extra air that is building in my mouth. The sound must have been loud; Dalton drags his eyes away from the menu and looks at me. He cocks his head to one side, smirking as my face bursts into flames.
“Is there something wrong?” He asks through a smile plastered face. I try to compose myself, but I am still blushing harder than before. He is going to see right through me, he will know that I was eyeing the waitress as she eyed him. I don’t want Dalton to know how I feel about him –it would hurt too much to hear that he doesn’t feel the same way. I couldn’t survive his rejection and I don’t know that I would want to –if he wasn’t there. My eyes are blurry as I stare deep at my menu, the waitress strolls back over to our table and she places our drinks onto the old, wooden surface. She smiles at Dalton, but eyes me wickedly. I am sure she is wondering why a gorgeous guy like him is sitting here with me, a pale, skinny, geeky girl, with horrible fashion sense. I bet she wishes that she was sitting opposite him, and not me. Her dark eyes fix on Dalton’s and she jumbles her words as she speaks.
“What will I … I mean … what can I get for you, sir?” Dalton hands her the menu –this is the part where he says that he isn’t hungry.
“Cheeseburger,” he says in a firm tone. My eyes dart to him –why is he ordering food that he won’t eat? My fingers begin to run across the menu as the waitress looks at me –annoyed and impatient. I quickly fold the menu, thrust it into her hand and then make my order.
“Chilli fries,” she nods and then she takes one last look at Dalton, who hasn’t noticed her feeble attempt to flirt with him. He takes a sip of his coke as the waitress stomps away from our table. I look after her, shaking my head and rolling my eyes at her behaviour. Dalton’s eyebrows push together at the taste of his drink and I have to ask him why he is forcing himself to eat.
“Dalton…” I say but he jumps in –not giving me the chance to speak.
“I know what you’re going to ask me, so I will give you an answer before I hear those pesky words. I’m eating because it wouldn’t look right, you eating and not me. I have to maintain my image and I can’t risk people getting suspicious, do you understand?” My face bursts into flames –again. He has just told me off and I feel like a naughty school child. He leans in closer to me, reaching out his cool hand for me take it. I blush again and then I place my hand into his. His eyes close at my touch and I can see that he is breathing through his desire. His white lips are shaking and his hands are gently breaking mine. The pressure from his fingers and the coolness of his skin, has me speechless, powerless and in complete awe of him. I want him, I need him, and he is my world.
“Why can’t you stop blushing?” He says as his eyes jolt open. On cue, I blush again at his words. He laughs and then he pulls his hand away from me, smirking at some private joke that only he knows about. I pull my loose hair around my neck; suddenly I am conscious about my wounds. Dalton watches me, glaring with his eyes a pale shade of blue. I nervously tap my fingers on the surface of the table and Dalton lets out a deafening laugh at my actions.
“What is wrong with you?” He says as he presses his lips into a hard line.
“I’m not sure I know what you are getting at?” I say sarcastically. He smirks and raises a dark eyebrow at me. Oh, the sight of him has me powerless. I try to compose myself as I want to maintain my cool.
“You seem, nervous. Have I done something to unsettle you?” I shake my head at him as I reassure him that I am fine and that he hasn’t upset me.
“No, it’s just everything, you know
.”
“I don’t know, explain.” He commands.
“The whole Rachel and Nicholas thing, it has me worried, I guess.” Dalton nods his head, running his fingers through his hair in a sexy, alluring move.
“You should be worried,” my heart pounds at his words.
“Saying things like that, isn’t going to make me feel any better?”
“I’m not here to make you feel better.” I scowl at him –he is so annoying.
“Then why are you here, huh?” I say in a voice that is a little too loud for a Sunday afternoon. The families and other couples, who are dining, turn to look at us, shaking their heads in annoyance. Their gaping eyes and annoyed faces don’t bother me; I am too focused on Dalton and his reply. I want him to tell me exactly why he is here. Why does he hang around me, is it just because he sees me as an easy feed? I have held back in asking him this question as I feared his answer and losing him. But now with my heart pounding and his eyes staring into mine, I am glad that I have asked. I have hated all the uncertainty around us and I have wanted to him to open up to me about how he really feels –is now when he finally does?
“Don’t raise your voice like that. Do you know how hard it is for me to sit in here with these people?” I feel bad; Dalton doesn’t usually hang out in diners, he just doing it for me.
“I’m sorry, but I need to know how your feeling.” Dalton exhales at my words and I can tell that he is annoyed with me.
“That’s the thing, I don’t feel anything. I’m empty; I don’t give a rat’s ass about anyone or anything. I’m a hollow shell with no heart.”
“That’s not true; I know that you feel something for me. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t.” Dalton clasps the bridge of his nose in annoyance.
“You’re like a broken record! Why must you torture me like this?”
Four
Forever Yours (#2) Page 3