Chapter 1 #3
“I’m going to coach the football team.”
“That’s perfect,” I say, resting my head on his shoulder, relief settling in my chest. “Don’t disappear on me, okay? Just because I’m moving away doesn’t mean we can’t be friends anymore.”
“You would never let me get away with it anyway,” he replies easily.
“True.” I bite my bottom lip, then add softly, “Don’t hurt yourself. The right person will show up, I know it.”
“If Talulla Popescu says it will happen, then it must be true,” he says with a chuckle. His arms wrap around me in a tight, grounding hug. “Be happy, Tal,” he murmurs. “Go take over the world.”
“Are you guys joining the party or staying hidden?” Cassandra asks, popping her head into the room. Her gaze flicks between us, amused. “I’m also very impressed by how long Flynn has been able to control himself before barging in.”
“Cassandra, I am totally able to suppress my instincts,” my vampire says as he walks in, voice smooth and defensive all at once.
“Sure you can,” she replies, chuckling. “This is exactly what suppressing your instincts looks like.”
“I walked in here,” Flynn says pointedly, “to let Talulla and Kaden know that food is ready, and that I’d like to make a toast to the woman of the night.” He steps closer to me and extends his hand, eyes never leaving mine.
“So the fact that you had to get Tal away from Kaden as fast as you could has nothing to do with anything else,” Cassandra adds innocently.
“I liked you more when you didn’t want to talk to me,” Flynn deadpans. “Please go back to that. I had zero headaches.”
“You don’t get headaches,” she shoots back. “You’re a vampire.”
“Exactly my point.”
I laugh at their back-and-forth. Cassandra and Flynn have started this weird little friendship where they just poke at each other constantly, and it’s strangely entertaining to watch. “We were coming out anyway,” I say, grinning. “The pup is hungry.”
“You did not just call me pup.” Kaden groans, rolling his eyes at me.
I tilt my head, mock-innocent. “I sure did.”
“Come on, pup, there’s plenty of meat for your young bones,” Flynn adds, his grin widening as he nudges me lightly, and I can’t stop smiling.
“I just want you all to know that I despise you very much,” Kaden mutters, though the corners of his mouth twitch, betraying him.
We all laugh, the tension of the day melting away as we walk out of the bedroom together and back into the living room, where the others are already drinking, talking, and celebrating. The air is warm, full of laughter and light, and it finally feels like the moment belongs entirely to us.
My vampire jogs to the fridge and grabs a bottle of champagne, popping it open with practiced ease. After pouring everyone a glass, he clears his throat, instantly drawing the room’s attention. “Thank you all for being here to celebrate this mesmerizing woman beside me.”
“Oh, shush,” I mumble, heat creeping up my cheeks.
“I’m so incredibly proud of you and your achievements,” he continues, unfazed. “Everything you set your mind on, you do—and you do it incredibly well.”
“You’ve said incredibly twice, fangs,” I tease. “Starting to lose it on me?”
“So incredibly impertinent,” he whispers back, lips brushing close to my ear, before straightening and clearing his throat again. “To Talulla, and her new job at the Natural History Museum.”
“To Talulla,” everyone echoes in unison, glasses lifting, smiles wide.
I take a breath as the sound of clinking crystal fades. Well…this is it, isn’t it? Time to pack up and leave this world behind. Will I really be able to do that—just put it all away? I know I won’t lose my friends, but my family…my parents. The very reason I’m on this earth.
I’m Talulla Popescu, the historian now. Not the vampire hunter.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, snapping me out of my thoughts, and I groan quietly when I see who texted me.
Father
Time to come home, copil.
I roll my eyes and type back a quick reply without giving myself time to think.
Talulla
Time to lose my number, p?rinte.
“All good?” my vampire asks, his hand settling on the small of my back, thumb tracing slow, grounding circles.
I nod. “Peachy,” I say, hitting the block button right after pressing send, like sealing the decision in place.
Flynn sighs quietly as he watches me. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
I narrow my eyes at him, honestly surprised he’d even question me. “If he truly wants to talk to me, he can find another way,” I say, wrinkling my nose. “He’s just trying to piss me off. Trying to ruin this perfect moment.”
His lips brush my temple, brief but reassuring, and as I feel the coolness of his skin against mine, I finally manage to take a deep breath. I focus on his icy-gray eyes, steady and unwavering. “He’s not going to ruin anything, red ruby,” he murmurs, never looking away from me.
I can’t help the small smile that lifts my lips. “No, he won’t.”
But the smile falters as another thought slips in, uninvited. Because my father might not be able to ruin anything right now…but my resurfacing memories turned into nightmares might.