ep. 44.
.
"So can you give me a hint about
where we're going?" I ask Roman
when we get to New York City.
"About which part of the date?"
"There's more than one part?"
"Why of course," he says grinning.
"Ok, the first part then."
"It's going to be a little icy," he says
as a clue.
"What? That's not even a clue!" He
just laughs at me.
"Don't worry, you'll love it."
"Are we eating during or after this
first part of the date?"
"We're eating during the second
part," he says.
We drive for about forty five minutes,
just talking about how our day went
and other little things, before we pull
up to this big, obscure building.
"Is this the part where you murder
me, because this totally looks like a
place where you would murder
someone," I say looking around.
"No!" Roman says outraged and I
laugh.
"Don't worry, it was a joke, I don't
actually think you're going to
murder me," I tell him and he rolls
his eyes.
"Come on." I grab his hand as we
get out of the truck. There are only a
few cars in the parking lot.
We walk inside and the floors are
carpeted. The place is big and
mostly empty space, except for a
few ticket booths.
We go down a long hallway before
entering through a door and on the
other side is an ice rink.
"We're going ice skating! I've never
been ice skating!" I say running up
to the glass. That explains his "icy"
clue. There's nobody else in the rink
with us and the guards have fanned
out to give us some privacy.
"Here are your skates," Roman says
as we sit down on some bleachers.
"Have you been ice skating before?"
I ask him.
"Yes. When I went to Columbia I
used to go all the time with my
friends in the winter. And there is a
lake near my family's house in
Avalon so we ice skate there in the
winter as well," he explains.
"It doesn't snow in California, and I
never had any time to go to an ice
skating rink. This is so cool!" I say
as I stand up in my skates.
"How about you try walking around
on your skates on the rubber ground
first, just to get used to being in the
skates," Roman says and I walk
around for a few minutes, making
sure I can keep my balance.
"How do they feel? Are your skates
too tight?"
"They feel fine."
"Good, we're going to go out on the
ice now. Behave, I don't want you to
fall and hurt yourself," Roman says
as we step onto the ice.
"I always behave."
"Start out slow, this can take a little
getting used to," he says as we glide
slowly next to the wall. It is kind of
strange at first, because in trying
not to fall you almost make yourself
fall. I guess the trick is to not be so
tense and to just go with the flow, to
trust yourself.
"Try to just relax and it will be
easier, jerky movements will most
likely make you fall. Now let's try
skating off the wall. Hold your arms
out below your shoulders, it will
help you balance," Roman says as
he skates easily beside me.
"Now bend your knees and lean
forward a little."
After about ten minutes of Roman
giving me tips on how not to fall
and how to skate easier, I get the
hang of it, which makes Roman stop
looking at me like I'm going to fall
and crack my head open.
We start skating a little faster and
he explains how I should make sure
my foot is level, so that my toe pick
doesn't go into the ice, making me
fall.
"We should race!" I say excitedly as I
do a few circles around Roman.
"You think you're ready for a race?"
"Yes, and I'm totally going to win!"
"Do you know how to stop? I don't
want you to run into the glass
because you don't know how to
stop yourself."
"Ok, you can explain before we
race."
"You are going to bend your knees
slightly inward, and then push out
with one or both of your feet. Make
sure you put a little bit of pressure
on the ice so that your feet don't
slide out from under you." Sounds
easy enough. I skate around for a
few minutes, practicing my stops.
"Should we practice falling as well?"
I ask.
"Yes, that's a good idea. If you think
you're going to fall, try squatting
into a dip and clench your hands
into fists to protect your fingers from
other skates. If you can't squat then
just put your arms out, with your
clenched fists, so that you will have
a safer fall and not hit your face on
the ice. Then to stand up, get on
your hands and knees and put one
foot between your hands and then
the other and push yourself up, and
then you can just start skating
again," Roman says as he
demonstrates.
"You better catch me if I start
falling," I tell him smirking and he
hugs me tightly.
"Don't worry, I won't let you fall," he
says as we glide around the rink.
"You ready for our race?" he asks
and I nod enthusiastically.
"How do you want to do this?"
"We should see who can get around
the rink the fastest," I say.
"Ok, you skate on the outside
because it will be easier for me to
catch you if you're going to fall. I
don't want to push you into the
glass," he says as we switch places.
"You ready?"
"Yes, and no cheating with some
super fancy, skating skills. I'm a
beginner," I tell him.
"I'll try not to," he says as we get
into position.
"On 3, 2…" I shoot off as soon as he
says 2.
"Hey, not fair!" he yells as I start
skating and I laugh.
"I figure I'll need a head start seeing
as I'm a beginner!" I yell back.
Within seconds he's beside me and I
push myself faster. I have to win.
We go around a few times, since we
forgot where the finish line is and on
the third lap we remember.
Unfortunately Roman pulls some
kind of super fancy skating move
and wins. Yes, I am a sore loser.
"Don't pout, I have a surprise for
you," Roman says grinning. He
kisses my cheek quickly before
skating to the glass. One of the
guards hands him a few things
before he comes back to me. In his
hand is a regular cardboard box.
"What is that?"
"A surprise," he says before bending
down. Out of the box he takes a
fluffy blanket and lays it on the ice.
Then he takes out a few pillows and
a cooler. Inside the cooler is
chocolate ice cream and
champagne.
"Well aren't you going to join me?"
Roman asks from where he's lying
on the blanket.
"I love chocolate!" I say as I plop
myself on top of him and he laughs.
"That's why I brought it." He rolls us
over before grabbing the ice cream
and opening it.
"Open up." I open my mouth and he
puts the spoonful of chocolate ice
cream in my mouth.
"I want to learn how to make ice
cream," I tell him as he eats a bite.
"I can find someone who knows
how to do it."
"We can have an ice cream date," I
say laughing.
"Sounds tasty," he says before
giving me another bite.
"You should give me a clue for
where we're going next."
"You didn't like the clue I gave you
last time."
"I promise I won't judge your next
clue," I say pouting. He reaches for
the champagne and cups and pours
us some as he thinks up a clue.
Hopefully I'll get it this time.
"We'll be floating."
"What!" He just laughs at me.
We stay at the ice rink for another
forty five minutes, eating more ice
cream, drinking champagne and
playing on the ice. I hadn't had that
much fun in a long time.
"Can you give me a piggy back ride
out to the car?" I ask Roman once
our shoes are back on.
"Sure, hop on," he says bending
down. I jump onto his back and he
wraps his hands around my thighs.
"Let's go float," I say as we walk
out.
"We're not going to be floating in the
air are we, because you know I hate
flying," I tell him.
"Don't worry, we will be safely on
the ground," he says as we reach the
lobby. I see the guards tense up as
we reach the doors and look up
from my place on Roman's
shoulder. Roman's hands tighten on
me and I know he has noticed that
something is wrong as well. He lets
me down and I see if I can see
anything out the glass doors.
Once we pass through I smell the
forest outside, even though we
aren't close to a forest. It also
smells like dog. Werewolves must
be here. The guards quickly usher
us to the trucks when a growling
werewolf steps in front of us. It's
big, the size of a small horse. Its
hair is matted and dirty. Now that
it's closer it smells of the sewer as
well. What has it been doing?
Another one pops up behind us until
they are surrounding us from all
sides.
"Stay by my side," Roman says
gripping my hand tightly. I grind my
teeth in annoyance. I hate how he
doesn't like it when I fight. I know
what I'm doing.
Our guards start jumping at the
werewolves and all you can hear is
the sound of ripping flesh and
growing. The sewer smell drowns
out the smell of blood, which is
shocking. As more werewolves start
showing up the guards still
surrounding us move to attack them
and soon Roman goes to fight as
well. Leaving me standing there
annoyed.
Thankfully our guards seem to be
handling themselves pretty well,
while the werewolves not so much.
They don't seem to be trained and
only attacking out of instinct and
emotion. As their numbers dwindle
Brandon comes running up to me.
"What are you…" My sentence gets
cut off as he throws me over his
shoulder.
"Hey! This is totally not cool,
Brandon! Put me down!" I yell as I
hit his back.
"Calm down, it's only for a second,"
he says as he reaches the truck and
opens the door. He bends his knees
and pulls on my belt so he doesn't
touch me as basically throws me
inside.
"What is wrong…" Brandon turns
around and shoots at a werewolf
coming right at us. I seethe in my
stop inside the truck and watch as
the fighting continues on around us.
"Let us handle this, Jinx," Brandon
says as I try to get out. I clench my
fists annoyed and then look down at
my white sweater. It would suck if I
got blood on my outfit. I don't have
a change of clothes and I don't want
to ruin the second part of our date
by having to get new clothes.
"Fine!" I yell crossing my arms. I'll
stay out of this fight for the sake of
the date. Besides the fight was
almost over anyway.
I look around for Roman to make
sure he's ok and see him fighting a
werewolf with his head guard.
Roman is a great fighter, very sure
of himself, strong. There are about
five werewolves left.
"You've gotten older, little girl." I
turn my head at the sound of a
man's voice beside me. He's
standing at the door on the other
side of the truck, grinning at me. His
teeth are yellow and crooked, his
face is covered in scars. He's not
covered in blood so he must not
have been in the fight. His voice
sounds familiar, and his soulless
black eyes do as well, but I can't
place him.
"Who the fuck are you?"
"Do you kiss your mother with that
mouth?" he asks and I flip him off.
"You don't remember me, do you?"
he asks grinning.
"Sorry, do we know each other, you
must not have been very
memorable," I sneer and his smile
drops.
"Of course we know each other…"
His sentence is cut off by a bullet
going through his skull. I jump back
so as not to get blood splatter on
myself.
"What?" Brandon asks.
"I'm trying not to ruin the date by
getting blood on my outfit," I tell
him annoyed.
"Did he hurt you?" he asks.
"No, he just talked about how I
should remember him or
something," I say shrugging.
"You knew him?" Roman asks
stepping up behind Brandon. I look
him over to make sure he's not hurt
but he seems fine. There are no
gashes on him, only a few scratches
on his face and hands.
"He says I did, but I don't remember
him." Roman turns to look at
Brandon for a moment and they just
stare at each other, communicating
telepathically. When Brandon tenses
I know Roman has said something
he doesn't like.
"What?" I ask looking between
them.
"We're going to take him
somewhere, see if we can do some
kind of facial recognition on him.
It's nothing," Brandon says.
Whatever, he's dead so he's not my
problem anymore.
"Are we still going to go on the
second part of our date? Because I
specifically didn't fight so that I
wouldn't get blood on this outfit," I
tell Roman and he chuckles.
"Yes, we are still going on the
second part of our date."
"What kind of food are we eating?" I
ask him as he gets inside the truck.
"The kind that you like," he says
smirking.
"Not cool," I say punching his arm.
"I'm sorry werewolves almost ruined
our date."
"Remember when we went to see
the play and a werewolf attacked us
then too, it's kind of like they don't
want us to have a good date," I tell
him and he laughs.
"It will be a good date as long as I'm
with you," he says wrapping his arm
around my shoulders. He's so
cheesy.
The guards get into the SUV and
drive for about thirty minutes, until
we pull up to a pier. Ok, now I get
his floating reference, we're going to
be floating on water.
"Are we going on a boat, do you
own a boat?" I ask Roman excited.
"I might own a yacht or two," he
says helping me out of the truck.
"You have more than one!"
"For different purposes."
We walk along the pier before we
come to a big white yacht. It has
four decks, it's insane.
"Where is it going to take us?" I ask
him as we get on board.
"It's just going to take us around
New York City," he explains. It's a
little after seven right now so there
is still some light out.
He leads us down some stairs,
which means this yacht has five
decks. Wow, I wonder if he has
parties on this thing. As we reach
the landing we come into a living
room slash dining room sort of
thing. The back of the yacht is open,
like you could walk off the yacht and
into the ocean right now. There is
an extension off the yacht, like a
deck, with some lounge chairs. On
either sides of the yacht there are
two more deck extensions, just like
the one at the back.
The table in the dining room section
is set for two and there is soft music
playing in the background.
"Let me go change out of these
bloody clothes," Roman says before
kissing my head and walking down
a hallway besides the stairs. I guess
there are some bedrooms down here
or something.
I walk out on the deck and sit on
one of the lounge chairs, and look at
everything. I can see the Statue of
Liberty in the distance. The Empire
State Building is lit up, as well as
the other buildings. New York City is
really pretty in the evening.
"I'm guessing if I asked you to wear
a life vest you would say no." I turn
at the sound of Roman's voice and
chuckle.
"I'd probably toss you into the
ocean if you asked."
"Figured," he says getting onto my
lounge chair with me.
"You know there is another chair out
here."
"True, but if I sit on the other chair I
wouldn't get to hold you," he says
pulling me on top of him.
I feel the boat start moving and
wrap my arms around him.
"Do mermaids exist?" I ask Roman
and he grins.
"In Avalon they do."
"Seriously!"
"Yes, they live in the oceans there."
"Do you have a boat in Avalon? I
want to see a mermaid."
"Yes, I can take you out on the
ocean in Avalon."
"Have you met a mermaid? What
are they like?"
"They only come up to your boat if
they know you're not going to hurt
them. People like to hunt mermaids
and take them from the ocean, bring
them back to their homes and keep
them in large fish tanks. Mermaids
are very beautiful, so many people
think of them as prizes. Also if you
get a mermaid to fall in love with
you it gains the ability to walk on
land and to live outside of water.
Mermaids have certain other
abilities that can be useful, like they
can see your thoughts or your past
just by touching you. They have
complete control over water and
some can even control the weather.
Since they are so beautiful, they are
experts in seduction."
"Are mermaids only female or are
there males as well?"
"Most mermaids are female. Male
mermaids are only born if one of the
parents is human or when the
mermaid is in its human form,
which is why some people like to
make mermaids fall in love with
them so that they can make more
mermaids. Because if a mermaid
has a child while living out of the
water, its child will be able to go
between its human and mermaid
form without falling in love. Male
mermaids are incredibly strong,
almost as strong as vampires and
shifters."
"If there are only mermaids in
Avalon, how did humans find out
about them?"
"There are certain parts of the world
that are natural portals between
Earth and Avalon. The Bermuda
Triangle is one of them. Mermaids
are able to live in the Bermuda
Triangle."
"Is that why things disappear so
often in the Bermuda Triangle?" I
ask him.
"Yes, ships and planes will
accidentally go through the portal
and not knowing where they are or
how to get help, they will die."
"Can they not close the portal?"
"There have been many attempts,
but for some reason it just stays
open. It's uncontrollable," he says
shrugging.
"So we won't be seeing any
mermaids on this trip," I say
pouting.
"No mermaids tonight."
"Would you like to dance?" he asks
me.
"Here?"
"Yes."
"I'm not a very good dancer."
"Well I'm a fantastic dancer, so I'll
teach you," he says grinning as he
lifts me up and spins me around.
He wraps my arms around his neck
before placing his around my waist
and we start swaying to the music.
"Do you have a bucket list, Jinx?"
"No."
"There's nothing you really want to
do before you die?"
"I've never really thought about it
before. I mean I never even thought I
would leave California. I guess
something I really wanted to do
before I die was meet my parents,
and I've done that so I guess my list
is complete. What about you?"
"That's not a list, a list has more
than one thing," he says spinning
me.
"I've never thought about it before."
"Well now that you have the option
to go anywhere in the world or do
anything, what do you want to do?"
"Jumping off of a waterfall sounds
like it would be fun. I've never been
rock climbing or camping. I think
going to see the Grand Canyon
would be cool or the Great Wall of
China. Or maybe the pyramids in
Egypt. I've never been scuba diving
or skiing, bungee jumping, I've kind
of always wanted to learn how to
surf or maybe kite surf. The
Northern Lights seems like an
awesome thing to see. Besides that
I think just travelling anywhere
would be nice, seeing as the only
two places I've been are California
and Colorado," I tell him after
thinking for a few minutes.
"Now that's a bucket list, and I
would be happy to help you cross
some things off."
"What's on your bucket list?"
"Travelling to every continent,
learning different languages,
meeting different people, human and
nonhuman, helping my community
strive as King, falling in love, sky
diving, getting a tattoo, drive my
own car…"
"You've never driven your own car?"
"No, I've always had a driver. In fact
I can't drive," he says kind of
embarrassed.
"Well I'm not allowed to drive
because of my flash backs, wouldn't
want to injure anyone if I passed out
while driving."
"Do you know how to drive?"
"Yea, Cristof taught me. Anyway,
sorry about cutting you off,
continue."
"I've never been camping either. I
want to go to Mount Everest, get
married and have kids, fly a kite,
and swim with sharks."
"Swimming with sharks sounds like
it would be fun. Have you crossed
any of the things off your list?" I ask
him and he smiles.
"Of course. I mean I have fallen in
love with you," he says resting his
forehead on mine.
"And it used to be much longer
when I was younger. Going to
college here helped me do a lot of
things that I couldn't do while in
Avalon."
"Maddy's already planning our
wedding," I tell him laughing and he
grins.
"Good, it will get you used to the
idea of marrying me so that when I
propose you'll say yes," he says
smugly.
"Well who else am I going to
marry?"
"Exactly, you can only marry me," he
says possessively.
"Then I guess I won't say yes to
anybody else's proposal."
"How gracious of you," he says
dipping me and I hold onto his
shoulders tightly.
"Don't worry, I'd never drop you," he
says before kissing me. He lowers
me to the ground before laying on
top of me.
"I enjoy kissing you," I tell him when
we pull away.
"I'd hope so because you're not
allowed to kiss anyone else," he
says and I laugh. He leans down,
cutting off my laugh, and I moan
into the kiss. Not that I've had any
other experience but Roman has got
to be the best kisser.
I run my fingers through his hair as
he runs his hands up and down my
hips. He pulls my legs around his
waist, pushing us closer together
and I'm reminded of our time in the
tub.
"You're so beautiful, Jinx," Roman
whispers as he trails kisses down
my neck. I move my neck to the
side, giving him more access, and I
feel his fangs scrape against my
pulse. My breathing speeds up at
the thought of him biting me again.
I lift my hips at the same time that
Roman grinds into me and I gasp at
the pleasure.
I rake my nails down his back and
do it again, liking the feelings
flowing through my veins as we
touch each other. He brings his lips
back up to mine and slides his
tongue inside my mouth. I can taste
the chocolate and champagne we
had earlier, making me lick at his
tongue for more.
Suddenly he pulls away and tilts his
head to the side. We're both
breathing roughly and I want to go
back to kissing him again. He
smiles as if he's heard my last
thought and he probably has.
"The food is ready and they're
bringing it down, so we should
probably get up so that we don't
scare the workers," he says
grinning.
"Food is important," I say as he
helps me up. He wraps his arm
around my waist as we walk over to
the table and sit down. It is in the
perfect place to see out all three
decks so we'll be able to look at the
City as we eat.
"What did they make us?" I ask him.
"I gave them a list of your favorite
foods and told them to surprise us,
so we'll see when they bring it out,"
he says.
I hear someone coming down the
stairs and I turn to see some guards
and what I'm guessing are either the
chefs or just the waiters bringing us
the food.
"Here is potato soup with New York
strip steak in little strips on the
side," one of the waiters says
placing a plate in front of each of
us. It's a long plate, with a bowl of
soup on one side and the steak
strips on the other. They place a
basket of bread in between us, along
with butter, steak sauce, and
cheese. The other waiter opens a
bottle of red wine and pours it into
both of our glasses.
"Thank you," Roman and I say
before they all leave.
"I hope it's to your liking," Roman
saying lifting his glass of wine.
"Likewise," I say before we drink. I
pick up my spoon and start eating.
It's delicious.
After our soup and steak, the waiters
bring out spaghetti and meatballs,
one of my all-time favorite meals.
"Where did you find these chefs, they
make the best food," I say moaning
after taking my first bite.
"Angelo is one of the best chefs in
Avalon. If you like his cooking I will
hire him to work in the palace when
I become King," he says.
"Sounds like that would be a great
investment," I tell him trying not to
shove the pasta into my mouth.
"You know, they still haven't
finished decorating some of the
rooms in the palace, would you like
to help?" he asks and I look at him
confused.
"You want me to help you finish
decorating the palace with you?"
"They haven't finished my quarters
yet, and eventually we'll live
together, so it would probably be a
good idea if we designed the place
together," he says.
"Will we be living in the same
room?"
"Of course."
"I can come take a look at it but I'm
not that picky," I tell him shrugging.
"Can I ask you something?" I was
going to make a joke and say he
just did, but he sounds serious so I
just nodded.
"What did you do for Cristof?" he
asks.
"Cristof is the leader of a gang but
he is also a business man. He's into
different things, and some are not
exactly legal. But he's good at
keeping his hands clean and always
very careful. He's not evil or bad, he
doesn't like to hurt people. He'll
only hurt people if it's necessary or
to protect someone he cares about.
When I first joined I was just another
person to bring him in more money,
through my fighting. I've always
been a fighter and one of his men
saw me fight on the street and then
asked if I would fight for them so I
got involved in underground fighting
rings. I eventually became one of his
enforcers," I explain.
"How did you end up in Area 51,
how did he let you get taken?"
"I wasn't really taken. Like I said,
Cristof is sometimes involved in
things that aren't legal, like drugs. I
sold this girl drugs, because the
person that was supposed to do it
was AWOL at the time, and she was
caught with the drugs. She ratted
me out for a lesser sentence and I
was arrested. Since I was underage
and it was my first drug offence I
was sent to a juvenile detention
center. While there I attacked
someone and it was clear that
something was not normal about
me and so they transferred me. I'd
just thought that I was in a different
part of juvie, I hadn't known that I
was in Area 51 until I was out."
"Did you do drugs?" he asks.
"I've tried them, but they don't have
an effect on me so I didn't see any
point in continuing."
"Was he good to you?"
"Cristof is like my father. He lost his
family, just like me, and so we
bonded on that. He took care of me
and helped me with my
haphephobia."
"If he was taking care of you why
did you try to kill yourself?" he asks
softly.
"That was before I met him, Roman.
In fact that all happened in
Colorado, which is why I was
transferred. Child Protective
Services didn't think the family
could handle me, and so they sent
me to another family. It took them
so long to transfer me because they
kept sending me to different
therapists and programs after every
episode, so they figured something
would work. But after I tried to shoot
myself, they figured it might be the
family so I was transferred. It just so
happened that the new family was
moving to California. I was with
them until I was sixteen when I
finally just left and I stayed with
Cristof or some other gang
members. I know it wasn't such a
great life, but I could have turned
out worse," I tell him.
"Not everyone's life is perfect and
you did what you had to. I'm just
glad you're back with us, and that
you're safe. Vanessa was awful and
we were all so stupid to believe that
she was you. But we'd been waiting
so long for you to come home that
when she just showed up, we let
ourselves be blinded. Do you think
the people who took you, let you go
in Colorado or do you think you
escaped?" he asks. I can see that
this question is painful for him,
although I'm not sure why. I've
thought a lot about this question,
but there's really no use in thinking
about it anymore or I'll go crazy.
Any number of things could have
happened the day I was found
wandering the forest in Colorado.
"I really don't know. I don't know
how I could have escaped. I was
held for five years and judging on
the way I was found I was very
abused. There is no way I could
have escaped unless they let me,
but I don't know why they let me
escape if they kept me for long."
"I only ask because, if they let you
escape, what if they want you back.
That werewolf from earlier tonight,
he said that he knew you.
Werewolves are the ones that took
you, so what if he was involved in
what happened to you? Those
werewolves that attacked us tonight
were rogues, they weren't a pack,
and rogues don't usually band
together in a group that large. What
if they're trying to take you back?"
"I won't let them take me back,
Roman…"
"I won't let them take you either, I
just hate the idea of them coming
after you again. They just took you
all those years ago and didn't say
why. There was no ransom or note,
no one even took responsibility for
your kidnapping. Why did they want
you so bad…"
"From what I'm remembering, they
were experimenting on me. For
what, I have no idea," I say
shrugging.
"Experimentation, could that be why
you heal so quickly?" he asks.
"Possibly."
"I'm sorry I brought this up at
dinner. It's just that the more your
return becomes public, the more
nervous I get that something is
going to happen," he says grabbing
my hand.
"I won't let anything bad happen. I
know you hate it when I fight, but I
know what I'm doing. I'm capable of
great harm, Roman, and I will
protect myself and the people I care
about at any cost."
"I love you, Jinx," he says before
leaning over and kissing me softly.
We go onto some lighter topics
while we finish our spaghetti and
meatballs, and then the waiters
bring out tiramisu for dessert. It was
heaven.
"Did you enjoy our first official
date?" Roman asks as we stand out
on the deck after dinner, looking up
at the stars.
"Yes, thank you for such a great
time. I haven't had this much fun in
a while," I say hugging him tightly.
"You're welcome. Does this mean
you're officially my girlfriend?" he
asks and I smirk.
"Is this you officially asking me to
be your girlfriend?"
"Jinx, will you do me the honor of
being my girlfriend?"
"Since you asked so nicely, yes." He
laughs before picking me up and
spinning us.
"Can we go swimming?" I ask him.
"I think it's too late and too cold to
go swimming in the ocean, but I
have a pool on another deck if you
want to use it," he says and I nod.
He takes my hand and leads us to
one of the top decks. There is a bar,
fully stocked, with bar stools around
it. Some small sofas and tables on
one side and on the other is the
pool. On either side of the pool is a
place to lie down with some
pillows.
I take off my boots before slipping
out of my jeans and sweater.
"The pool is warm, considering its a
little cold outside," Roman says as
he takes off his clothes. I climb into
the pool and float on my back,
looking up at the stars. Roman
comes in and stands beside my
body, smiling at me.
"Are we going to sleep here?" I ask
Roman.
"There are bedrooms if you would
like to."
"Yes."
"Then we will."
The next morning I wake up on
board Roman's yacht. From the
windows I can see that we are
somewhere in the middle of the
ocean. I kiss Roman's cheek softly
before slipping from the bed before
pulling on my jeans.
I walk down the hallway and out on
the deck. There are some sofas,
tables, and lounge chairs. The sun
has just risen and everything looks
beautiful.
"You alright?" I turn to Brandon and
nod.
"Yes. Roman is still sleeping so I
thought I'd come up here."
"Would you like some breakfast?" he
asks.
"Sure, can they make chocolate chip
pancakes?"
"I'm sure they can. Why don't you
go wake Roman so you can eat
together," he says and I jump up
from my seat.
Walking back into the bedroom I see
Roman laying on his stomach on
the bed. I crawl on the bed before
straddling his back. Leaning down I
kiss the back of his neck.
"It's time for breakfast," I whisper in
his ear and he sighs.
"Are you breakfast?" he asks in his
husky morning voice and I laugh.
"No."
"What if I want you for breakfast?"
he asks turning over onto his back
with a smirk on his face.
"Then you'll miss out on the warm
pancakes that the chef is making
right now."
"Clearly it's a tough decision," he
says before flipping us over and
tickling me. I gasp in surprise before
squealing loudly.
"What are you doing?!" I scream
laughing as I wiggle around beneath
him.
"Just testing out to see if you're
ticklish or not," he says grinning
before stopping.
"Not cool," I say breathless as I slap
his chest.
"Did you sleep well?" he asks as he
trails small kisses over my neck.
"I always sleep well with you," I say
and feel him smile against my skin.
"I love you," he says before sitting
up.
"Now why did you get up so early?"
he asks pouting.
"I just woke up. While I was sitting
out on the deck Brandon asked if I
wanted food and when I said yes he
told me to go get you so we could
eat together."
"Well let's go get you some food," he
says picking me up. I wrap my legs
around his waist and my arms
around his neck and smile at him.
After breakfast we spend a few more
hours on the yacht, just lounging
and talking, before we go back to
the pier, and then finally to Avalon.
"Do you have to work today?" I ask
Roman as he's walking me back to
my room.
"Yes, I have to meet with some
council members. It shouldn't take
too long."
"How much longer until you become
King?" I ask him.
"The coronation is in a month."
"So I won't be a princess for much
longer."
"You'll always be my princess," he
says grinning and I roll my eyes.
"Have fun with the council
members," I say as we reach my
door.
"Try not to give Brandon too much
trouble," he says looking back at
Brandon who glares at me.
"I have to keep him on his toes."
"Just be careful and call me if you
need anything," he says before
kissing me.
"Bye." Once he and his guards are
gone I go into my room and change
into some comfy clothes. I grab a
book and plop myself on my bed
before reading for the next hour.
There is a knock on my door around
12:30 and I get up to open it.
"Hey Derek," I say smiling.
"Hey, my sweet little girl…" I don't
hear the rest of his sentence as I
gasp loudly. The phrase little girl
goes through my head for a second,
as I remember the werewolf from
last night calling me that, and it
sends me into a flashback. I hear
Derek yelling as I fall.
"Jinx!"