Chapter 3
AVA
I stopped at a local Chinese restaurant on the way home with the hope of apologizing for ignoring Valen with spring rolls.
Truthfully, I have no idea what kind of food he likes, and since he’s a vampire, he might stick to a blood-only diet.
Zav eats human food, but Valen is vastly different from the chaotic redhead.
I guess I’ll find out soon enough.
I make my way down the hall and come to stand in front of my apartment all too soon.
“Don’t be a little bitch, Ava.” I hype myself up and unlock the door.
With one last sigh, I swing the door open.
“Hi, Valen!” I cringe at the overexcited greeting. I could’ve at least tried to sound a little more natural.
Silence greets me.
“Valen?” I call out, setting the takeout bags on the table and strolling through the room to find the vamp nowhere in sight.
Jogging back out to the hall, I knock on Celine’s door and call her name. A second later, the door opens.
“Pinkie Pie, what a lovely surprise.” Zav leans against the frame and crosses his arms over his chest.
A polka dot apron stretches across his chest and reads Kiss the Cook, but he’s crossed out the second o and added a c in its place to change it to Kiss the Cock. I’m not even a little surprised.
The sound of water bubbling in the background greets my ears, and I spot an array of cut vegetables on the counter.
“Oh my, Celine. Look how big you’ve gotten.” I make to boop his nose, but he leans away before I can make contact. “Have you seen Valen? He’s not in the apartment.”
“Nope.” Zav pops the p when he says it. “That guy is strange, though.”
Rich coming from him.
“Are you for real right now?” I glower at Zav, aghast on Valen’s behalf. Sure, he’s a little quiet and reserved, but it’s justified based on what Celine has said of her time in the prison beneath the club. Enduring any kind of torture like that is enough to make anyone seem off.
“There’s more than meets the eye, and I can’t put my finger on what’s different about him, but he doesn’t feel normal.
” Zav taps a finger on his lip in thought.
“I mean, he likes books—I took the dude to the bookstore, and he kept grabbing more. I mean, I’m loaded, but I wasn’t expecting to drop a grand at Barnes and Noble today. ”
“Ava?” Celine peeks out from behind Zav, who winds an arm around her waist and presses a kiss to her temple. “What’s up?”
“I can’t find Valen. You haven’t seen him, have you?” I shift my weight to the other leg and put my hands on my hips. I hope my shitty behavior didn’t send him away.
“I have, actually. When I got home, we passed by each other. He said he was going to the roof for some fresh air,” Celine supplies. “That was a while ago, but it’s possible he’s still up there.”
“Thanks.” I give her a nod and make a gagging noise when Zav starts to kiss up her neck. “I’m out before you start humping her in the hallway. Bye!” I call out and head to the elevator.
Left alone with my thoughts once more as I ascend, I think about Zav and Celine.
For the longest time I tried to set her up on dates because I wanted to see her happy.
At the time, all I ever envisioned was spending the rest of my life with Spencer, and I wanted her to have that too.
Fat lot of luck that did me, but now she has Zav, and I see it for what it really is, true love.
Spencer and I ended on good terms—there was still love there, but acceptance that our lives were headed in different directions.
It was hard, because I think if I had begged him to stay, he would have, but I knew he wanted to go, and I couldn’t have lived with myself if he ever resented me down the road for keeping him from the opportunity.
Never in a million years did I expect Valen to show up weeks later and announce that he’s my mate. Even though I watch Celine and Zav and see their obvious connection, I still don’t know what that means for Valen and me.
The doors to the elevator open, and I still have to take another set of stairs to the roof. Residents aren’t allowed up here, but of course that wouldn’t stop a vampire.
I push the door open and gasp at the view.
It’s gorgeous up here, with all of Chicago spread out before me.
I can see the Chicago River clearly from here, the moon glimmering on its surface.
The skyscrapers are lit up around me, making it feel as if I’ve been plunked inside some sort of glimmering snow globe—especially with the light rain coming down that could be mistaken for snow. Soon enough it will be.
After I’ve taken a moment to appreciate the view, I look around for the big vampire. I walk around for a minute before I spot him. When I do, my heart nearly falls out of my chest when I see he’s sitting on the ledge, legs dangling off the side of the building.
I don’t know why, but with the city lit around him, my mind conjures the image of him with wings. It makes no sense. He’s a vampire. But the image sears into my brain.
I take careful steps forward. I know he hears me. He probably smelled me the second I stepped onto the roof. Zav told me how vampires have a heightened sense of hearing and smell.
“Why are you up here?” I ask and my breath catches when I stop beside him and see how far the drop is. Surely a fall from that height would hurt even him.
He’s quiet and still. I’m not even sure he’s breathing.
I start to think he won’t answer, but then he says, “I wanted to see the stars.” His voice is crackly like he hasn’t spoken in a while.
He turns to me, dark brows heavy over his eyes.
“I didn’t see them for a…” He pauses, a haunted look entering his eyes.
“A very long time. They remind me of home.”
“Home?” I repeat. “Where is that for you?”
He shakes his head. “In a time that no longer exists, in a place I no longer belong.”
It doesn’t escape my notice that despite his cryptic statement, he’s talking more than usual. His voice is deep and sultry. It pulls me in, and I wonder if that’s the mate bond or something else.
“I brought Chinese takeout home for dinner. Would you like some of that?” He shakes his head no, but I don’t let his rejection sting. “If you’ve never tried it, you should. Spring rolls are like the best thing ever.”
He looks to me, angling his chin down. His face is mostly bathed in darkness, but I still feel the weight of his gaze. “Will it make you happy if I eat these spring rolls with you?”
“It won’t make me unhappy,” I counter.
With a sigh, he swings his legs back over to my side of the roof. “You’ve piqued my curiosity. Lead me to these rolls.”
The laugh that comes out of me is unexpected, startling both of us. “Sorry.” I look down at my shoes. “I don’t know why I thought that was funny.”
His eyes are locked on me, and I start to squirm. I can’t resist the urge to look at him for long. When I meet his eyes, he says, “Your laugh. It is very lovely.”
“It is very lovely?” I parrot back.
Valen tilts his head, looking like an adorably confused puppy.
“It’s very lovely.” I emphasize the contraction. “I see we need a crash course in modern English. You’ve already got some contractions down at least it seems.” Part of me doesn’t want to teach him because the contraction-less sentences he mixes in are cute. “Let’s head back.”
We amble back down to the apartment for a shared meal of spring rolls where I mostly talk at him and his eyes sear into me as he listens.
Befriending Valen is going to take time, but I’m always up for a challenge.