The Rose Trilogy Box Set

by Tish Thawer

  As the girls continued to giggle and drink more of the complementary soda–Dad had made sure that all alcohol had been removed–I pushed the button for the intercom. "Excuse me. Is there somewhere we could stop to use the restroom? Apparently it's an emergency."

  After a moment's pause, our driver's voice came through the speaker. "Yes ma'am. There's a nightclub just up the road. It's the only place close by, so I'll stop there if that's okay?"

  "Yes. Thank you. That will be fine." Jillian was the only one in our group that was already twenty-one, so stopping at a nightclub wouldn't be a problem.

  We drove for a few more miles and then coasted to a stop. As I looked out the tinted window, I saw the club's sign lit up in bright red lights. The Rising Pit.

  One of the "car crew" got out and opened the side door. Jill hurriedly climbed out of the car and gave a little wave to the driver. "Thank you." She then followed her escort towards the front door.

  "I can't believe your dad set all this up, Rose. It's really cool. I haven't had this much fun in a long time. Thanks for inviting me," Penny said.

  "You're welcome. I was really surprised when he told me that we'd be going in one of the company limos. I hadn't realized at the time that it would come with a babysitting crew though," I joked.

  I knew that my dad had made sure that our escorts would be keeping us in their sights all night, and I thought that it would be a pain in the ass, but really it hadn't bothered me at all. They were all very nice, and there was one that was pretty damn cute, too. The one that had just accompanied Jillian inside, actually.

  I looked back to the club just as Jill and the cutie disappeared behind the door. I watched as a man stepped outside carrying a girl in his arms. He placed her on her feet, steadying her before letting go. It looked like she was crying. As he talked to her, she wiped the tears from her cheeks and then gave a quick nod of her head and smiled. Obviously, whatever the man had said was making her feel better. It was obvious the guy worked there since he had a black t-shirt on with the club's name and logo on the front. I continued to watch, wondering what could have happened that would leave a club employee comforting a crying patron on the front steps, but the moment the man smiled, my curiosity was forgotten.

  It was as if the heavens were highlighting my destiny for me. The clouds broke, and suddenly it wasn't just a "man" I was staring at...it was an angel. He was so gorgeous. He had to be about 6’ 2”, and solid muscle from the looks of him. Not bulky like those beefed-up body builders, but very athletic. Wide shoulders, broad chest, thin waist, and what I was sure would be strong, muscled legs. With the moonlight shining on him, I could see he had dark blonde hair with golden highlights, cut short and sharp. I realized I was half-hanging out the open window of the limo. I sucked in a quick breath, and that's when he suddenly turned and looked right at me. I thought I would die.

  His eyes were so beautiful and so mesmerizing. They were an amber color, a rich brown with golden highlights, mixing together like swirled caramel and honey. The intensity of his gaze was piercing. He was easily the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

  Jill came barreling out of the nightclub with her escort closely in tow. We all started busting up laughing as we heard her say, “I only wanted a quick shot.” I continued to stare at the gorgeous man as she started to make her way back to the limo, but as she walked past him, he reached out and tapped her gently on the shoulder. I continued to watch, jealousy filling my veins, as she stopped and started to speak to him. I couldn't imagine what they could possibly be talking about, but she kept glancing at the car and then back to him with a huge smile on her face. I'm sure she was trying to make sure we were all seeing that this beautiful man was paying attention to her. I loved Jill, but she could definitely be an attention whore sometimes. After a brief moment, I saw him hand her something and then he walked back inside. My angel was gone.

  I settled myself back in the limo, trying not to let the stickiness of the leather seats on my bare legs elevate my frustration as I anxiously waited for my best friend to come brag about how this impossibly gorgeous guy had just asked her out or something. I tried to convince myself that their conversation had only been about her using the facilities instead of being a paying customer, but I doubted that was really the case.

  When Jill got in the car, she sat there for a moment with a cat-ate-the-mouse grin on her face that I wanted to smack off, but then she handed me a business card. I was confused and almost handed it back without looking at it, but she just sat there smiling, so I quickly looked down and examined the shiny card. It had the club's logo on the front, which looked like a square hatch opening up with a bright red glow shining from within, and the club's name, The Rising Pit, printed above it. The moment I turned it over however, is the moment my life changed. The first thing I noticed was a handwritten note that started with my name. Now I was interested. It said, “Roses are red, but I'll be blue, if I'm denied the pleasure, of meeting you. ~ Christian.”

  I read it about three times before I looked up and saw that Jillian was still smiling at me. She grabbed the card out of my hand and passed it to my friends. "He asked me your name and then scratched out that poem so fast that I could barely see his hand move. His number's on there too and he said for you to call him after dark in two days."

  I was stunned into silence. I couldn't understand how this extraordinary man could possibly want to meet me. Me! Not that I wasn't thrilled, but suddenly I was so nervous that I didn't think I could survive two days without losing my mind. My thoughts drifted to the first thing a girl thinks of when preparing to meet her dream guy...what was I going to wear?

  My friend's laughter and Jillian's question brought my attention back to the present. "Holy crap, Rose. Are you gonna call him?"

  I thought for a moment then answered, "Hell yes, I'm gonna call him! He's frickin' gorgeous."

  The girl's conversations quickly became background noise as I stared out the window. Why would this incredible man want to meet me? I couldn't help but wonder if calling a complete stranger was a monumental mistake. But, as the butterflies increased their pace in my stomach, I glanced out the window again and could have sworn that I saw Christian's golden swirled eyes staring back at me from the reflection. Hell yes I was going to call him. And suddenly...two days seemed like an eternity.

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER TWO

  Shopping

  (Rose)

  I pulled the covers over my head and squinted my eyes against the sunlight that was now blaring in from behind the curtains my mother had just yanked open.

  "Rise and shine. We're going shopping." Mom's enthusiasm exhausted me. She was so upbeat all the time, and while I loved that about her, it was something that got old really fast. Especially when you'd planned to use Sunday to recuperate from a sleepless night spent with your friends after a rowdy concert. "Come on, Rose. I want to hit the sales at Kohl's before all the good stuff is gone. They've slashed prices on all their swim wear, and I'm in serious need of some new suits."

  I watched her dark hair sway just below her shoulders as she bounced towards my closet.

  "Alright, alright. But can you give me a few minutes to actually wake up first?" Mom's cocked hip and the angle of her head as she spun around and threw a dress onto my bed was an indication that her answer was no. I narrowed my eyes at her as I jumped out of bed, grabbed the dress, and stomped into the bathroom.

  Fumbling through a rushed version of my morning routine, I quickly combed through my long blonde hair and stuck a hat on my head. A little mineral powder on my cheeks and some tinted lip gloss was going to be the extent of my makeup efforts this morning. I emerged dressed and ready to go in just a few minutes.

  As I made my way downstairs, I heard a commotion in the kitchen and headed in the direction of the noise. I suddenly wished I had taken longer to get ready. Mom and Dad were saying their goodbyes for the morning, but from the way his hands were grabbing at her and the intensity of their kiss,
you'd think we were leaving for a yearlong safari in Africa, instead of an afternoon of shopping a few miles away.

  I cleared my throat as I slipped on my flip-flops. "Okay, I'm ready."

  Mom broke off their passionate kiss and backed out of Dad's embrace with a huge smile on her face. "Okay, let's hit it." She gave Dad a little wave as she headed out the door. It must have been her who initiated their dramatic goodbye scene, because Dad stood there frozen in place and then he started laughing.

  I shook my head and grabbed my purse from the hook next to the wooden credenza by the door. "Bye Dad, catch ya later!" I said as I rushed to follow Mom to the car.

  "Bye, honey. Try to keep your mother's spending in check for me, will ya?" he hollered out the door.

  I knew he was kidding because he never did anything to "keep mother in check." My parents loved each other so much, and they both had successful careers, so money wasn't really a big deal. It's not like we were super-rich, but we didn't have to worry about overspending on a sale at Kohl's, that was for sure.

  "So, what else are we doing today besides shopping for swimsuits?" I asked.

  "Well, I thought we could get some lunch and you could tell me all about your concert. I talked to Adrienne this morning and she said you guys were all pretty excited when you arrived at her house."

  "Yes, we had a really good time. The concert was great." I only debated a moment before deciding to tell her about Christian. My mom and I have always had a really close relationship. "But I was actually more excited about the guy I met on the way home."

  "Oh, really?" Her coy smile was the first indication that this shopping trip was actually just a recognizance mission. She must have found the business card in my things already.

  "Yes. If you don't already know, his name is Christian, and he works at The Rising Pit. As a matter of fact, I'm supposed to call him tonight."

  She giggled as we turned the corner and headed towards the end of the shopping district that had the best little breakfast café in it. "Yes, I found the business card in your things when I was cleaning up this morning, and that's why I thought we could buy you something nice to wear today." She glanced in my direction, probably to see if I was mad that she had "cleaned" my things, but I wasn't. Like I said, there wasn't much that I hid from my parents.

  "That sounds great. Didn't you just love his little poem?" I asked.

  "Yes, it reminded me of when your dad and I first met and the little romantic thing that he did to win my attention."

  "Aha...is that why you practically attacked him before we left this morning? Were you reminiscing?" I laughed as I watched Mom shake her head. Obviously, I had pin-pointed the reason for her behavior.

  "Yes!" she declared with a hint of shyness in her voice.

  "Well, I think it's cute. I can only hope that when I meet "the one," that we will be as in love as you and Dad are."

  At the mention of love, Mom's tone turned serious. "I wish that for you too, Rose. Follow your heart, but just be careful. That's the best advice I can give. You're not a child anymore, and the fact that you'll be graduating college this year only adds to the pressure of growing up, but you need to take the time to really live. Enjoy your life. Meeting new boys and having fun is something that I want for you, but I'm also your mom and that means I worry about you at the same time."

  "Don't worry, Mom. I'm going to call him after dark like he asked, and then hopefully he'll invite me down to meet him. Will I be able to borrow the car?"

  "Yes, that will be fine."

  "Okay, thanks. If I do end up going down, I'll feel pretty safe since we'll be in a place where there are a lot of other people around. Plus, I don't know why, but for some reason I just feel like he's going to be a really great guy."

  "Well, I hope you're right. Now how about some breakfast? I'm starving."

  "Sounds great." As a matter of fact, everything was sounding great. Mom was on board with me meeting Christian for the first time, she and Dad were perfectly happy as usual, and I was graduating college early this year. Yes, everything was perfect. Now I just hoped that things would stay that way.

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER THREE

  Get Ready

  (Christian)

  Long blonde hair, beautiful blue eyes, and a mouth I was dying to kiss were the first things that entered my mind as I awoke for the night.

  Being a vampire came with a few neat tricks, and this was one of them. Whatever our last thought was before we fell asleep, was also the first thing we thought of when we woke up. For the last two days I had made it a point to think of Rose.

  Two nights ago, I'd carried Sari out of the club, trying to sooth her broken heart. As I sat her on her feet, I was met with the most delectable scent drifting on the wind. Wanting to be a gentleman, I focused on Sari and tried to explain that Bobby wasn't trying to be mean, but that she needed to understand he was a free spirit and she was just going to have to accept that if she wanted to remain a part of his life. But what I had truly wanted to do was search the area and envelop myself in what or whoever was the cause of that delicious smell.

  As Sari wiped her tears, I smiled at her and was met with the sound of someone taking a quick breathe. There. There she was. The most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on was practically hanging out the window of a limo. She looked like an angel sent straight from heaven.

  Just then, I caught a whiff of the same smell as a couple started to walk past me. I could tell that they'd been in the car with my mystery woman. Without thinking I reached out and tapped the girl on the shoulder. The guy walked a few paces on and then stopped to wait for her, so I thought I'd better make it quick. "Excuse me, but could you tell me the name of the blonde woman looking out the window of your car?"

  After smiling wildly, she answered, "Yes. Her name is Rose." My informant continued to look back and forth between me and the girl, her heartbeat racing.

  I reached for my wallet and took out one of my business cards and then scratched an impromptu poem on the back of it, adding my phone number at the bottom. "Could you please give her this for me and ask if she'd call me after dark in two days?"

  "Um...sure, I guess," she replied.

  The anxious feeling in my chest was the main reason I turned and quickly headed back into the club, but in reality, I could tell that this girl wanted to ask me a bunch of questions–questions that I couldn't and wouldn't answer.

  Two days had passed, and this was the night that I hoped my dream girl would be calling. I had taken the evenings in between to talk to my sire, Evangeline, and let her know that I'd found someone that I was interested in and would hopefully be seeing very soon. I didn't need her permission, but since we weren't allowed to tell humans of our existence, I needed everyone to be aware that someone new would be coming around. Evie was happy to hear it. Her exact words were, "Oh Christian, I'm so happy that you've finally found someone that you want to share your life with." She then proceeded to tear up and gave me a series of smothering hugs as she beamed with pride.

  I'd never really had a serious relationship since becoming a vampire. I fed out of necessity and never hurt anyone while doing it. Vampires have a sedative that flows from their fangs to make feeding pleasurable, but more importantly...forgettable. It's how we can exist in the human world; we have the means to make them forget. And yes, I'd dated before, but nothing serious or relationship worthy.

  But ever since seeing Rose leaning out of that limo, the thought of a relationship was exactly what I had in mind. I couldn't explain why I was so drawn to this particular woman, but I knew from the moment that I caught her scent there was something special about her. The way it had taken every ounce of strength I had not to dart over to her car and crush my lips to hers that first night was something that had caught me off guard. She smelled like innocence and sweetness: like fresh cotton and sweet tarts, and sunshine and rain, all mixed together. I felt as if I was already in love with her. I knew that sounded dramatic, but after being
alive for six hundred and two years, I knew when I'd found someone special.

  I left the mirror and walked back towards my closet, discarding yet another shirt on the bed. For some reason even the simplest things like choosing my clothes and what cologne I would wear suddenly seemed like daunting tasks. I'd essentially dressed the same for centuries, always making it a point to adapt to the current styles. And since there was literally nothing I could do to change my appearance as I would look the same for all of eternity, picking the right clothes seemed oddly important. But...not as important as the need to attend to my drifting.

  Drifting was something that happened to vampires when they experienced any kind of strong emotion. If they were hungry, angry, or aroused, their physical appearance actually drifted darker and then back to normal once the emotions had passed. It was something that made it easy to tell who was experiencing heightened emotions in the vampire community, but obviously it was something that we had to hide from the humans. How would anyone explain their hair and eyes changing colors? You simply couldn't.