Cursed (The Brookehaven Vampires #4) (9 page)

“Come on, Laney,” Oliver called from inside the house. “Let’s go take a walk on the beach before the sun sets.”

I turned my attention to Oliver waiting for me near the opening off the kitchen. He smiled faintly as my eyes settled on him. The thought of walking along the beach with my boyfriend did brighten my spirits, even if the dread of going home lingered in the back of my mind. I told myself that I needed to forget about what I could not change, for now. I needed to focus on enjoying the time Oliver and I had left in our little slice of paradise.

With a sigh, I headed inside.

Once on the beach, Oliver wrapped an arm around me. I held the hand he had hanging over my shoulder while we walked down the beach, our feet bare and our jeans rolled.

Without his ball cap, Oliver’s hair got poufy the closer he got to the water. It made me giggle, which made him smile. He had such a beautiful smile.

As we walked, staring out over the water, catching glimpses of sea life, and being chased by the waves, Oliver would occasionally stop for a small shell and pocket it.

“You going to tell me what you’re doing with those yet?”

“Nope.” He grinned at me, wrapping his arm around me once again.

I rolled my eyes at him.

I thought about Oliver’s Grandpa Sam while we wandered along the shoreline. I brought up my own grandparents. “Should we go see them?” I asked. “You know, in the future sometime?” I was curious if my mother was buried in Phoenix where my grandparents still lived. I kind of wanted to see her headstone. Honestly, I was curious what it said.

Oliver’s response surprised me and made all thoughts of my mother’s grave disappear from my mind. “I don’t know, Laney,” he said, his tone holding a hint of concern. “Felix told you that there was a reason your dad did not want them in your life.”

“He also said the choice was mine now. Wait.” I stopped walking and Oliver stopped beside me, his arm falling from my shoulders. “Why does Felix know so much about, well, this…about my life?” I questioned.

“That, I cannot say,” he responded very seriously, his green eyes on mine.

I narrowed my eyes on his. “But you said no more secrets,” I protested.

“I know, but I
literally
cannot say anything about this topic.” He gave me a significant look.

I was totally confused. “What do you mean?”

He took a deep breath and looked up at the gray sky for a quick moment before he exhaled with a big huff. “Laney, signing an enchanted contract binds one to that contract until it is null and void. Do you understand me?” He dipped his head so his eyes were level with mine.

I think I did understand. “Oliver
, did you sign a contract?” I asked very slowly. His eyes didn’t move, but I knew the answer. “About me?”

He closed his eyes for a moment, then he sighed and looked at me once again. “No matter how badly I want to tell you something, something you may want to know, I literally cannot.”

I felt frustrated. Why was Oliver bound by some sort of magical contract, about me? Did this mean my suspicions were correct? Did I come from a vampire line, or was my dad in some sort of vamp protection? Was my dad a vamp, or had my mom been a vampire?

For some reason, my mom being a vamp made no sense to me. Honestly, none of it made sense. Why was I not allowed to know what the hell was going on in my own family?

Even more frustrated, I kept opening my mouth to say something, but I couldn’t seem to form any coherent sentences.

He took my upper arms in his hands and looked deep into my eyes. “For reasons that are unknown to both of us, there are certain things we are not yet supposed to know. It won’t always be like this, Laney. Let’s both
just be patient until that time comes. Okay?”

My brow furrowed and I crossed my arms over my chest. He pulled me into his arms and held me.

“I don’t know any more on this subject than you. It is Felix who has the information. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at him.” He paused a moment. “I still am.”

I knew I shouldn’t, but I giggled. What Felix had done, letting Zane free without telling Oliver. Well, I thought it was slightly unforgivable. Yet, I was not quite sure it was actually Felix’s doing. Why would Felix want to set Zane free on us? I seriously doubted he would do such a thing.

“Please, Laney. We only have a few more days. Let’s forget about everything and everyone else. Let’s just enjoy these days, okay?”

I nodded with my head against his chest, but I would be questioning Felix about my dad and my grandparents again, and probably the whole angel thing
too. But, for the time being, I would just focus on enjoying my boyfriend.

We started back toward the path that led up to the house. Oliver wrapped his arm around my shoulders again, and he pulled me close. He kissed the top of my head.

“You know, I love you so much, it actually makes my heart ache,” he told me.

I smiled, uncontrollably, and squeezed his hand. I knew exactly how he felt.

Oliver pulled me down to sit beside him as we got close to the path. We sat on the cool sand and watched the sun beginning to set as we held each other.

“So, how does this whole ‘aging slowly’ thing work?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you look like you’re in your early twenties, but you’re more than ten years older than that… I guess what I’m asking is, am I going to look like I’m nineteen for the next ten years?”

He chuckled at me. “I don’t know, Laney. Everyone ages differently. You might get to your twenties and stop aging for a while too. It’s what I did.”

I leaned my head on his shoulder. I felt mentally tired. The day had brought up way too much emotional baggage that I didn’t really want to think about, or even deal with, at all.

I took a deep breath, inhaling the cool sea air. I just needed to relax and let everything else go. I tried, and I shivered as a chill accompanied the sea breeze. Large, dark gray clouds began rolling in. Rain was coming.

“Laney,” Oliver said just loud enough so I could hear him over the crashing waves.

I looked at him with my head still on his shoulder. He seemed to be a little nervous about what he was about to say.

“What is it?” I asked, lifting my head from his shoulder.

“Well, don’t take this the wrong way, but there is something that has been bothering me since your birthday.”

I immediately thought of that stupid angel. “What?”

“You had no problem bonding with me,” he stated. I felt my cheeks start to warm at his words. Silly, huh? “But, well, on your birthday, when I gave you this…” His eyes fell to where my necklace rested against my chest, over my T-shirt. He fingered the star necklace that he had given me for my birthday. I rarely took it off. “I had dropped the box, and when you turned and saw me kneeling, you weren’t excited, you panicked.” His eyes were on mine again.

Uhh… Well, this was unexpected. “Um, maybe you didn’t give me time to get excited,” I said, trying to make it playful.

His eyes shifted away from me. “I just don’t understand why when you thought I might ask you to marry me, you panicked, but bonding with me did not scare you.” His concerned green eyes met mine again. “You understand it can’t be taken back, right? You understand that my life is now yours, right? You understand that—”

Recovering from major stomach droppage, I cut him off with a kiss that took him by surprise.

As my lips parted from his, I stared into his eyes. “I fully understand what it means, Oliver. I have known from the moment I met you that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don’t have any idea why I initially panicked when I saw you kneeling on the floor. I do know, I would
not
have turned you down, even if it did seem scary at the time. I know what I want in this world, and that’s you. In any way I can have you.”

All concern left his eyes and a crooked grin appeared. Then his eyes fell on my mouth, and his grin began to fade. I pulled him to me, pressing my lips to his.

I kept my arms wrapped around his neck as he leaned away from me a little so his eyes could meet mine. “I’m sorry if it was weird to bring that up, I just want to be sure you know you can never get rid of me.”

I smirked at him. “Oh, I know. That was the plan,” I said playfully.

A sexy smirk appeared just before he gave me a quick kiss. “Plus, I was curious if talking about marriage would freak you out.”

I smacked him lightly
on the arm—my stomach getting a funny twist at the mention of marriage. “I did not freak out,” I protested. I couldn’t help laughing, maybe a little nervously.

His eyes met mine again, a familiar hunger evident. My body instinctively got closer to his.

“We’re talking about it now,” I said, laughter gone, my voice low. “I’m not panicking now, am I?”

His eyes were on my lips when he shook his head ever so slowly.

The mood shifted, my hormones raged, and I felt the pull I had toward him—it was the magnetic power that was now always there —growing stronger. I needed him. He felt it too.

His lips, cool and soft, met mine. He eased me back, pressing me down in the sand with his body on top of mine. His hand slipped up my shirt and under my bra as he pressed his firm body against mine. He kissed across my jaw and up to my ear where he whispered he loved me. I was breathing too hard to respond. His lips trailed down my neck and back up again while his hand stayed busy under my shirt.

I felt his cool breath on my neck and my pulse quickened at the thought of what was coming. I moaned loudly as his fangs sank into my vein.

There was something so incredibly sexy about him feeding from me. I could not help what happened next. My fingers were suddenly fumbling with the button and the zipper of his jeans, but only for a moment before I got them undone and found what I was searching for. A moan mixed with a deep growl escaped him as I slipped my hands down the front of his boxer briefs. He was ready, as was I.

“I need you,” I breathed near his ear.

He
didn’t respond, but while still taking long pulls from my neck, he began shrugging out of his sweatshirt. With my free hand I helped him.

Removing his mouth from my vein, he laid his sweatshirt on the sand beside us. I
couldn’t get him out of his jeans fast enough. He seemed to have the same feeling about me. He rolled off of me, sitting on his sweatshirt with his pants and underpants around his knees while he helped me out of my own. I felt the trickle of warm blood rolling down my neck as I escaped my shoes and bottoms, panties included.

He pulled me down to him, a desperate need in his eyes as he gazed up at me. I lowered myself on his lap, straddling him. He was back at my neck in an ins
tant, suckling and taking long pulls from me while sensual moans repeatedly escaped him.

While he continued to feed, I guided him inside of me. We both shuddered as it happened. I took control as he fed from me. He held me to him, tightly, so he could feed while I slowly rocked my hips.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. “I love you so much,” I breathed against his ear.

His tongue swept over the spot he
was feeding from, and his lips quickly found mine. With his arms holding me tight, he pressed me against him as he kissed me, desperately, passionately.

He gripped my hips while he rocked his against my own movements. He pushed into me, moving quicker, deeper. I knew the end was coming. My breathing grew more rapid, as did his. My vision wavered, my fingers dug into him. We rocked harder and faster. I pulled my lips from his and buried my face in the space between his neck and his shoulder. A muffled cry escaped me as my moment came. He kept going, his moment arriving soon after my own, and when it did, he bit into my shoulder
—his fangs piercing through my layers of tops to reach my skin. He growled with pleasure all the while.

He collapsed back in the sand, and I went with him, both of us trembling and panting.

“That was far from safe,” he said, a somewhat wicked smirk forming as I looked down at him.

I pressed my lips to his, then I removed myself from him and gathered my bottoms. “You started it,” I joked.

“How did I start it?” he asked as he pulled his underpants and jeans up in one quick movement. He pushed himself up, his hands pressed into the sand at his sides as he watched me, waiting for my response.

“You bit me,” I said, standing bare
-assed on the beach, the ocean at my back as I pulled on my panties, and then my jeans.

“That’s not starting it,” he argued, a playful smirk fighting its way to the surface as he stood and fastened his jeans. He grabbed his sweatshirt and began shaking the sand off of it.

“Come on, they go hand in hand,” I said as I gathered my shoes. “How can you expect me to resist you?” I asked, standing directly in front of him. “How am I supposed to restrain myself and not want more of you when you do that?” I flashed my own wicked smile.

He grinned crookedly
, then he pulled me close and nuzzled my neck. “I can’t,” he breathed against my neck.

A chill ran up my spine and I smiled.