ROMANCE: Paranormal Romance: The Valley (Book One) (Fun, Sexy, Mature Young Adult Vampire Shape Shifter Romance) (58 page)

Vance

I never thought I would enjoy a woman’s company this much.  I’ve had my fair share of women in the past, but there was something about Allie that was so captivating.  Maybe it was the way she screamed out my name at night as I pounded into her or maybe it was those eyes of hers. Either way, I knew I wanted to keep her by my side for a very long time.

I also wanted to make her happy.  So when her birthday came around I knew I had to do something special for her.  But realistically, I didn’t know much about her.  I knew she was a good time in bed and that she had a lowlife of an ex-boyfriend but I didn’t know any of the finer details that made Allie the unique individual she was.

So I needed some help.  Allie was staying out late to finish studying for an exam, but Julie was home.  I walked over to her side of the house and knocked on the door, waiting for her to answer.  When nothing happened I knocked louder.  Finally, I sighed and called her. She answered after the third ring.  “Vance?”

“Come open the door,” I demanded.  In a flourish, she was at the door breathing hard.

“Sorry!  I didn’t hear you knocking!”  She apologized quickly as she stood in front of me.  As always, she stared, obviously checking me out.  I rolled my eyes.

“Can I come in?”  Before Julie could even answer I stepped inside.  She followed me after closing the door behind her.

“Sure… I guess…”  She muttered to herself as I sat down in the living room.  She joined me with a puzzled look on her face.

“Allie’s birthday is in a week,” I announced.  My hands were on my knees and I leaned forward, trying to suppress the excitement I felt.  I knew I would throw her one of the best parties she had ever experienced in her life. 

“Right.  And?”  Julie asked, raising an eyebrow in my direction.  I sighed, realizing that she was not following my train of thought.

“I want to throw her a party,” I explained.  Her eyes grew big at the statement before she suddenly smiled.

“Oh!  I like the sound of that!  Allie never lets me throw a party for her, but I bet if you did it, she wouldn’t be able to say no!”  Julie cooed, looking eager as she sat on the edge of her seat, her mind probably reeling with a million different possibilities for the party.

“Right.  I want to know everything she likes and dislikes, so I can make it perfect.”  I stated, staring at her seriously.  When she didn’t look at me I sighed, knowing her mind was off a million miles away.  I got up and placed a hand on her shoulder.  “Julie.  I need your help, so keep your head in the game.”  My face was kind as I tried to get her to understand that I needed her to focus on the task at hand.

She nodded and together we started to piece together the perfect birthday party for Allie.  It was her 21
st
birthday and I wasn’t about to spare any expense.  I got her the best of everything, ready to impress her the moment she stepped through the venue doors.

The day before her birthday I looked around the room inspecting everything.  The room was decorated in purple and gold.  The centerpieces at each table looked exquisite and everything was in its proper place.  I walked up to the bar, noticing the test tube, shot glasses with a chuckle.  This was a geeky party if I had ever seen one, but I knew it would be a lot of fun.  Now all I had to do was get her there tomorrow afternoon.

***

The next day, I picked up Allie from school.  This was a common occurrence since I didn’t want her taking the bus or walking if I could help it.  We were in my car and her hand was on mine as I smoothly switched gears, getting on the highway.  As I took a route different than usual, her face looked confused.

“Where are we going?”  She asked, looking out the window.

“You’ll see.”  I mused, a smile on my lips as I imagined her reaction to the party.  Would she like it?  I had a slight fear that she wouldn’t but, I dismissed this thought as I sped in the fast lane.

“Tell me,” she whined, looking at me as we continued to drive for a few more minutes.  The anticipation seemed to be killing her as she looked at me with puppy dog eyes.  I chuckled in her direction, before picking up her hand and kissing it gently.

“We are almost there.  Patience.” I said as I merged lanes and took the following exit.  We were headed toward a beach town now.  Finally, I pulled up to a beach house which was facing the ocean.  I took her hand and walked onto the sand as the sun started to set, dying the sky in pinks, purples, and dazzling oranges.  We stood there, enjoying the serene experience together before I kissed the top of her head.

“C’mon, let’s go inside,” I whispered, pulling her toward the beach house.  She was quiet as she allowed me to lead her inside.  I was very excited as I squeezed her hand in my own.  I could tell she was eager to find out what I had in store.

With that, I made my way inside the beach house.  The moment we stepped through the threshold, all of Allie’s friends and family jumped out at her yelling, “SURPRISE!”

Allie stood in shock as she looked at all of them and the beautifully decorated room.  I studied her face, trying to gauge her emotions.  All of a sudden, she started to cry.

Allie

I couldn’t believe it.  Had Vance really done all of this for me?  I felt overwhelmed by the whole thing as tears sprang to my eyes.  I wrapped my arms around him tightly, crying into his chest.  “Do you not like it?”  He asked, his voice tinged with disappointment. 

I shook my head, my tears straggling my voice into a state of uselessness.  Vance held me and rubbed my back gently, trying to comfort me as the overwhelming sense of happiness overtook me.  The guests stared at me a little awkwardly, until Julie stepped up to me and said, “C’mon don’t cry!  I know those are happy tears, but still!  This is your birthday bash, come have some fun!”  With that, she raised her arm and suddenly the room was filled with blaring music.

The guests cheered as the DJ set the mood for an awesome party.  Bodies gathered on the dance floor, enjoying the free libations that came with the party.  As I heard and saw this out of the corner of my eye I started to loosen up a little.  I pried my way away from Vance’s chest and looked up at his face.

He smiled down at me.  “Shall we?”  He mused as he grabbed my hand and led me toward the dance floor.  Once we were nestled in the middle of the crowd, I began feeling a little self-conscious.  All these thin girls were contorting their bodies in ways I could never dream of doing.  I felt a little out of place, but then Vance suddenly wrapped his arms around my waist.

“Something wrong?”  He asked his voice kind as we started to sway back and forth.  Even though the song that was blaring overhead called for bumping and grinding, the swaying we did now felt right as I laid my head on his chest and allowed him to guide our movements.

“No, everything’s perfect.”  I smiled to myself, knowing the truth behind the words.  Somehow I had managed to find the perfect guy.  I couldn’t be luckier.

“Good…”  He whispered as we continued to dance.

***

The party, to my surprise ended early.  By nine everyone was flying out of the building, many of them drunk beyond measure.  Even though it was my 21
st
birthday, I had yet to taste a bit of liquor and I was thankful for that.  I didn’t want to imagine how I would react under the influence of alcohol, especially around Vance.

“Are you ready for part two of your birthday surprise?”  Vance suddenly appeared by my side, whispering in my ear.  I looked at him a little shocked.  There was more?  It seemed unimaginable that this already exciting day could get any better.

“What do you mean?”  I asked, a little dumbfounded.

“Come,” he commanded as he grabbed my hand.  I followed him without hesitation as excitement took me over, making me blush with the thought that Vance had gone through all this effort just for me.  It made me feel special.

Soon we were back on the beach, walking through the sand.  In the distance was a dock and a rather large yacht docked there.  It seemed like we were making way for it.  I looked at him with a curious expression, hoping he would clarify what we were doing, but to my disappointment Vance stood quiet. By now I should’ve known he’s not one to reveal his tricks.

Soon enough, however, we were walking on the dock.  “Careful,” he said as he held my hand a little tighter on the swaying platforms.  I nodded and tried to focus, in order to keep my balance.  Together, we did indeed make our way to the boat.

He let go of my hand for a moment as he jumped onto the deck.  He then turned around and held out his hand for me.  I looked down at the dark water between the boat and dock and gulped a little.  “Trust me,” Vance said as his eyes looked at me seriously.  I took a deep breath and nodded, placing my hand on his.  I jumped and with his help, I landed safely on the boat.  “Good job.”  He praised, kissing the top of my head before he brought me up to the helm.

I sat down as he started to ready the ship.  I heard the engines come to life and before I knew it, he was behind the wheel guiding the boat out of the dock and into open water.  The sea spray doused my face gently as I smiled.  The breeze felt divine against my skin as the boat went even faster.

Finally, Vance navigated his way into a small bay, where the water was still and calm.  He killed the engines and lowered the anchor, before making his way over to me.  He smiled and kissed me passionately, before taking my hand and leading me to the bottom deck.  There, I spotted a small kitchen and a table for two.  “I hope you like shrimp,” he said with a smile as he started to fire up the stove.

“I do.  But you aren’t going to cook are you?”  I asked a little shocked.  He chuckled and nodded as he pulled out a bag of fresh shrimp from the small refrigerator.  “Let me help.”  I looked at him, giving him my best puppy dog face.  He looked as if he was just about to give in, but then he shook his head.

“No way.  It’s your birthday.”  With that, he started to fry the shrimp, adding countless ingredients to the mix, until the small kitchen was filled with a tantalizing aroma.  Since he didn’t let me help him, I started to look around the small cabin. I found a stereo and fiddled with it until I noticed a CD compartment.  I turned it on and sweet romantic music sounded through the speakers.  Had Vance thought of everything?  I felt my cheeks color as I glanced at him.

“Dinner’s ready!”  He finally called out.  I looked down at the table and it was already set for two, a candle between the two plates. It all felt like some sort of dream. 

Vance

A few weeks later I woke up, staring at the ceiling.  I could feel that the bed was empty and sighed in response.  I hated it when Allie had morning classes.  It was always so lonely when she wasn’t there to greet me with a smile when I woke up.

Frowning, I finally got up and moved to the closet, trying to wake up as I rubbed my eyes and looked for some clothes.  I could see the sun shining through the window, feeling its subtle warmth on my back.  I grabbed my phone and checked the weather.  It was a nice day.  Maybe I should take advantage of it, instead of staying cooped up in the house.

With this thought in mind, I grabbed some running clothes.  Within moments I was outside, running down the sidewalk, letting the tempo of my footsteps drown out everything else that surrounded me.  I focused on nothing in particular and had no destination in mind as I made my way through the campus area, seeing college students running to and from class.  I wondered if I might see Allie during my run.

As I was looking for a place to rest for a bit, I caught sight of Allie’s ex-boyfriend.  The anger in my body came to the forefront as I saw him looking smooth, walking through the campus.  How could he act like a saint, when he knew far too well what he had done to her?  I clenched my fists, thinking about my next move.  Should I do something to make him regret his actions or should I leave him alone?  Looking around, all other students had vanished.  I was free to make a move.

As he got closer, I could feel my emotions get the best of me.  I moved toward him, closing the distance between us.  As I was approaching, he noticed me and stopped, waiting for me to reach him.  I stared down at him, my blood already fuming with his presence.  Scum like him didn’t even deserve to breathe.

“What the hell do you want rich boy?”  He spat, one hand on his backpack strap as he stood there, looking as if he was up to no good.  His hand snuck into his pocket.  I noticed this movement and reacted quickly.  My hand lashed out at his wrist, but he was just a little faster.  He stepped back quickly and I lost my balance.

Falling down onto the grass, he took his chance, pushing the switch blade up against my neck.  I grew tense under the knife.  “Not so tough now, are you?”  He smirked as he leaned down, the blade pressing into my skin even more.  A thin line of red could be seen there.  I tried to focus myself.  I noticed a moment of distraction on his part, as a squirrel skittered past us.

Taking my chance, I moved my legs under his and propelled him off me.  He grunted, falling onto his back.  I moved quickly and pinned him down to the ground.  “Don’t tempt me,” I growled, eyeing the blade as it sparkled in the sun, looking alluring to my bloodlust passion.

“Or else what?”  Chad asked his face void of any humanity now.  I stared down at him and pressed him even harder to the ground, before releasing one of his hands momentarily, about to punch him.  Fueled by anger, Chad’s now free hand reached out, wrapping around my neck.  He dropped his knife and wretched his other hand free from my grasp as he grabbed my neck, pressing down with all his might.  I struggled to breathe as my own hands made their way to his neck.

“Give up.”  Chad whispered through clenched teeth as he tried to retain the upper hand, he felt he had.  My eyes burned as I tried to lean down, so our faces were close.  When I noticed this was not possible, I kicked up my knee, getting him in the crotch.  He cried out and dropped his hands. Air rushed back into my body and I gasped for breath. 

Chad took his time to recover and I managed to grab the knife, holding it to his neck now.  There was a killer look on my face and as he looked up at me, he knew I was not playing.  “Don’t ever come near me or Allie ever again or I swear, next time I will kill you.”  I threatened, the blade moments away from cutting through his flesh.  I could feel my body urge me toward the act, but somehow I refrained from the desire that was burning through me.

As I noticed other students approaching us, I got up quickly.  I brushed myself off and pushed him away.  Chad grabbed his bag and walked away, a diabolical look on his face.  I tried to remain confident that I had scared him into submission, but a part of me felt like I would be seeing more of him soon.

I frowned at the thought as I looked down at the switchblade in my hand.  This was a man who wasn’t afraid to play dirty.  I didn’t know what he was capable of and that scared me, especially since he studied in the same institution as Allie.  I feared for her safety every day, but yet I couldn’t persecute him without risking a huge scandal on my head.

I sighed as I started to walk home, the urge to run had now left my body.  I wanted some time to myself.  So I wandered through the streets until somehow I found myself in front of our home.  Numbly I made my way inside to find Allie in the living room, watching TV.  She got up quickly and greeted me, her eyes locking on the red line on my neck.

“You’re hurt!”  She cried seeing me.