Forever Yours (#3) (2 page)

“Where are you going?” Dalton asks in a firm voice. I shake my head and I look
at him, he’s lying flat on his back with his arms folded across his chest. His eyes
are closed and his breathing is slow and shallow. I tip toe across to my door,
smiling at Pebbles as she sleeps. I turn back to face Dalton and he is still in his
frozen position.

“I just need a minute, I won’t be long.” Dalton nods his head and then I push
open my door. I scan the house and I smile when I see that no one is up yet, I
tip-toe across the landing and into the small bathroom. I run the shower and I
slip my t-shirt over my head. I climb in and I bask in the warm water, as it
trickles all over my body. I shampoo my hair and I gently wash every part of
my body. I scrub my arms, legs and stomach and then I rinse off the excess
soap. My wrist comes into my vision and I gently run my fingers along the two
wounds from Dalton’s daggers. My skin is tender and I shake my head at my
vulnerable state. I switch off the water and I step out of the shower, wrapping
myself in a towel in the process. I glide over to the mirror and I wipe away the
steam that has formed onto its surface. I catch a glimpse of myself in its
reflection and I don’t like what I see. I am pale, tired and ghastly. I look as if I
have been dragged through a hurricane and I frown at myself –I need Dalton to
turn me. I hate being fragile and human. It never bothered me before, but now
that I know that there is something better that I can be, I want it. I quickly brush
my teeth and I wrap a small towel around my wet hair. I lift my t-shirt from the
floor and then I rush back out into the narrow hallway. I glide back into my
room and I smile when I see Dalton, still sleeping on my bed. He looks so
peaceful as he sleeps and I quietly walk over to my closet and begin to
rummage through my clothes.

“You’re back,” Dalton says as he pulls himself up and rests his head against the
wall at the back of my bed. My face bursts into flames as he stares at me in my
towel. His lips are rubbing together, lusting for me. I try to ignore his burning
stare, as I continue to search through my clothes. I finally find my best jeans
and a white tank-top. I glide over to my underwear draw and I shyly pull out a
pink bra and matching panties. I am very aware of Dalton’s eyes burning
through my back, but I try to compose myself, as I don’t want to embarrass
myself by acting neurotic. I clear my throat as I try to take the attention away
from my appearance.

“So what are we doing today?” I ask as I loosen the towel from my head. My
wet hair falls against my neck and I begin to run my fingers through the ends as
Dalton edges himself off the bed.

“Do you have to work today?” He asks as he makes his way over to me. I look
up at him, shaking my head because I don’t have to work. Dalton smiles and
then he runs his fingers along my arms. I tingle from his chilly touch and my
lips start to shake from their freezing temperature.

“You wanna take a trip?” My eyes jolt –a trip where?
“Where to, exactly?”

“The Red Sox are playing the Yankees. You wanna go with me?” I smile at him

 

–a real date!

 

“I had no idea that you were a baseball fan!” I state. Dalton leans in and kisses
me on the cheek.

 

“There’s plenty of things that you don’t know about me.” I nod and then Dalton
walks over and lifts his jacket from the floor.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back. I just need to go home and change.” I scowl at him –
he looks perfect, he doesn’t need to change. My heart is aching; I don’t want
him to go. I rush over to him and I wrap my arms around his neck, he laughs
and then he pulls me away from him. “I won’t be long, oh and Rose, I expect
you to wear a Red Sox jersey, you got one?” I shake my head.

“No, I don’t actually.”

“I’m appalled, but don’t worry, we can easily fix that. I won’t be long, baby!” I
smile at his words and he watches as I blush. Dalton swings over to me and he
wraps me into his strong arms. My hands slide onto his back and then into his
hair, he laughs at my affection and then he kisses me, sharp and strong. “You
like it when I call you baby, don’t you?” I blush –of course I do, I melt into a
frenzy every time that word passes from your perfect lips. Dalton laughs again
and I almost think that he can read my thoughts –I know that I will sound
stupid, but I have to ask.

“Can you read my mind or something?”

 

“What would make you think that?” Dalton says, straightening his face. I
compose myself, have I offended him?

“It’s just, everything that I think and want you to do, comes true.” Dalton laughs
and he presses his dark eyebrows together. His smile is captivating –holy crap
he’s gorgeous.

“Give me an example!” Dalton says in an urgent, commanding voice –why is he
so bossy? I push my wet hair away from my face as I answer his annoying
question.
“Like when I want you to kiss me, it happens. So many thoughts spin around in
my head, almost all of them are about you. Sometimes, I will be thinking a
comical thought and I when I look at you, I see that you are laughing, like you
can see into my mind.” Dalton laughs and then he runs his fingers along my
collar bone.

“I have your blood running through me, I can hear your thoughts, but only when
I have fed on you!” My eyes bolt out of my head at his confession –he can hear
my thoughts! I am so embarrassed, I can’t look at him. I feel violated, this can’t
be true.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand, how can you hear what I’m thinking? Why
have you kept this from me? I’ve spent the last three weeks with you, I let you
feed on me and you don’t think that I deserve the right to know, that you have
been listening to my thoughts, the whole time?” Dalton smirks as he strides over
and places his long hand onto my shoulder. He looks into my eyes, focusing
hard and soothing me with his stare.

“I’m sorry that I never told you, but your mind is strong. I guess I was scared
that you wouldn’t want me around, once you knew about my, talent.” I shake
my head at him –I am shocked and totally embarrassed. I can’t believe that he
has heard my thoughts; all I think about is him. He must think that I am some
type of weirdo, the amount I think about him. I cringe, this can’t be true.

“Can you hear my thoughts, right now?” Dalton smiles and he runs his fingers
along my neck and onto my cheek.

 

“No,” I frown –I don’t understand.

 

“Explain, please!” I state. Dalton laughs at me and he rolls his eyes into the
heavens.

“I can only hear your thoughts when my fangs are into your skin. They connect
me to your blood, your soul, mind, and body. When I feed on you, the blood
allows me to see into your head. I can hear everything that you’re thinking. I
can sense every feeling that you have. I feel all of your emotions and every
desire that you have.” Wow –is my first thought? I can’t absorb this new
information; it’s unbelievable, totally amazing and wonderful. Being a vampire
must be mind-blowing, incredible and utterly fantastic. I can’t help but wonder
what else I don’t know. I bet there’s a million other amazing things that he can
do, I need and want to know all of them.
“That’s amazing,” Dalton shakes his head.

“No, it’s not,” Dalton states. I feel that I am missing something and I don’t
know what it is. As I stare into his blue eyes, I sense that he is hurting. I move
my hand onto his arm and he pulls away –what is wrong with him?

“Dalton, are you okay?” he shakes his head at my words and he reaches out and
grabs my arm. He pulls me close and he kisses me, holding onto me like there’s
no tomorrow. I squeeze his back –he’s hurting and he needs me. “Dalton,
what’s wrong?” I ask again.

“You can’t want this. Being a vampire is a curse; my mind tricks are what haunt
me.” I don’t understand –what is he trying to say? He looks upset and
vulnerable, but why? I can’t put the pieces together and I don’t understand how
being a vampire could ever be a curse. If this is a half-hearted attempt to scare
me into changing my mind, then it’s not going to work. I will never want
anything more than him, being human is weak and not what I want. I want to
spend an eternity with him, always and forever.

“There’s nothing that I want more than to be with you. How can being a
vampire be a curse, when it allows you to be with the person you love,
forever?” Dalton shakes his head at me and he gently kisses my forehead. I stare
at him as he marches over to the window. He pulls back the curtains and he
pops the windows open –he’s just going to leave? We haven’t finished our
conversation, I have so much that I want to say, I want to convince him to turn
me. Why won’t he give me the opportunity? He runs away at the first sight of
trouble and he won’t open up and tell me how he feels. I am offering him my
love, forever, why does he want to torture himself by being alone?

“I’ll pick you up at nine, okay?” I nod –I am defeated, I can’t force him to talk
to me. So I smile and watch as he climbs out of my window.

The time since Dalton left has been slow, lonely and annoying. I got dressed,
dried my hair and applied a little make-up. I went down stairs, had some
breakfast and glugged down two aspirin for my banging hangover. Now I am
sitting in our lounge, with Uncle George and Jen. Rachel has already left for
school and I am a little worried that Nicholas could show up. I don’t want to
think of what he is capable of and I am terrified that she was lying when she
said that she would stay away from him. I know what she is like –she’s boy
crazy and popularity means everything to her. If the other girls in school saw
her with a guy like Nicholas, she would be made for life. Her popularity would
rocket into space and she would be Queen-B of her school. I sigh and take a
deep breath –God I hope I’m wrong about Rachel.

“How was your night, Rose?” Jen asks as she pulls her eyes away from the TV
set. I smile at her as I shuffle around in my seat –how was my night? I blush at
my thoughts –my night was spectacular. I clear my dry throat as I reply.

“Good, I drank a little too much,” Jen laughs, nodding in agreement.

“We’ve all been there!” I smile at her and I can hear my Uncle sniggering under
his breath, is he mad at me? I turn my attention to George as he sits on his chair,
reading the morning paper. His glasses are on the point of his nose and he
doesn’t meet my stare. My heart starts to pound and I am beginning to get a
little flustered. I hate it when he is mad at me, I feel super guilty for piling on
his stress, and he has enough to deal with, looking after the family and keeping
a roof over our heads. And Rachel always has some type of drama for him to
deal with, so I try to be the good one. The one that he doesn’t have to worry
about, but somehow I feel that I bring him more stress than everyone else
combined. I appreciate everything that he has done for me, but I hate that he has
had to look after me. When my parents died, George didn’t have to take me in.
My grandmother was still alive and she wanted to bring me up, in Boston, but
George insisted that I come and live with him. I don’t know why he was so
desperate for me to live with him and his family; perhaps he wanted a piece of
my dad. I am grateful and I love my Uncle so much, but sometimes I wish that I
had my own family. I can’t help but wonder how different my life would be, if
my parents hadn’t died. Maybe I would be different, more girly, if I had my
mom there to teach me how to be a woman. Perhaps I would feel differently
about shopping and chick flicks, my life and my attitude would have been so
different, if I had a mom. Don’t get me wrong, Jen has been great. She’s helped
me through all of the difficult stages in my life, getting fitted for my first bra
and doing my hair before my first date. But, it still doesn’t feel right. When Jen
looks at me, she sees her husband’s niece, and when she looks at Rachel, she
sees her beautiful daughter who she would do anything for. Sometimes it hurts
to know that Jen will never see me as her daughter, but how can I expect her to
be my mom, when she isn’t?

“I take it from your smile, that you’re going out with that yahoo, again?” I
frown at my uncle –why does he hate Dalton?
“Now dear, be nice!” Jen says in a soothing tone. George rolls his eyes and then
he meets my stare, pulling his newspaper away from his chubby, red face.

“I’m just saying that I don’t trust that guy.” My heart starts to pound –does
Uncle George know about Dalton? My mind is rushing and I try to compose my
anxiety. I can’t risk my uncle sensing my emotions, he would question me about
it and I wouldn’t know how to answer. I nervously play with my hair, as I think
of an appropriate reply.

“Uncle George, I know that Dalton is a little … intense. But he is a great guy
and I really … like him.” I sigh and my Uncle stares at me –he isn’t impressed
with my speech –try harder Rose. “He cares about me and I haven’t felt this
way about anyone before. I guess I’m not asking you to like him, you can hate it
him for all I care, but please can you accept him as a part of my life?” My uncle
considers my words and he exhales, he looks defeated as he thrusts his hands
into the air.

“Okay Bugs, and I really don’t have to like him?” I laugh at my uncle’s reply
and he presses a smile from his lips. He lifts his newspaper back to his eye-level
as he asks me about my plans for today. “So where is he taking you, huh?”

“Boston,” I say in a cool tone –hoping that he doesn’t mind that I am going out
of town with Dalton. My uncle locks his eyes on mine and then he makes a
darting look towards Jen. She pulls her eyes away from the TV set so that she
can meet his stare.

“What’s in Boston?” Jen asks. I feel that she needed to ask the question on my
uncle’s behalf. He looks annoyed and worried, so I need to reassure him that
I’m only going to a baseball game.

“The Red Sox are playing the Yankees, Dalton is a huge fan.” My uncle laughs
at my confession.