Valentine's Bonus Chapter ❤

*Charlie*

Four days, twelve hours, seven minutes and twenty nine seconds. The amount of time since my heart stopped beating. It’s all I can think about. Dead. Dead. Dead.

And to be dead on Valentine’s Day no less. Some people’s other half get them chocolates or flowers, take them out to a nice dinner. Mine got me killed, but at least we can be together forever.

I crawl deeper into the blankets refusing to face the day. Refusing to face my forever.

*“Charlie. Our reservations are in ten minutes. We gotta go.” Maxwell calls from the front door eager to leave.

“Okay. Okay.” I groan as I crawl out of bed, throw on the dress that Maxwell picked out for me and run up to him with my newfound vampire speed. “I don’t understand why we can’t just stay in.” My finger trails down his chest. “Just the two of us.”

“Because you should enjoy the city nights.” He takes my hand and wraps it around his arm as he leads me out to an awaiting car.

The destination is unknown to me, kept secret by Maxwell, but there’s only one place that he would take me to. A restaurant we’ve been to many times. Junction 22.

I let the cool night air wash over me as it floats through the open window. I’ve never wanted to stick my head out the window so badly before. Maxwell was right. I need to start enjoying city nights.

The driver drops us off at the front door, the hostess quickly greets us as we enter. There’s no question of reservation or name, she steps out from behind the pedestal saying nothing more than, “right this way.”

I give Maxwell a questionable glare. What has he done?

She walks us into a completely empty restaurant. Not a single person in sight. The lights are dimmed and candles line several ledges and tables. My mouth is dry and I’m stuck speechless as she walks us to a single, lone table in the middle of the floor.

“I’ll be back with your drinks.” She says before rushing away.

“You did not rent out the entire restaurant.” I blurt out as soon as she’s out of earshot.

“For you, I did.”

The hostess quickly returns with two wine glasses filled halfway with a dark red wine. “Enjoy.”

I slide the glass closer to me, swirling it around, mesmerized by the red stain it leaves behind. It’s thicker than any wine I’ve seen before. I bring it to my nose and take a deep whiff. The sweet, rich smell hitches my breath. “Blood. You got them to serve blood?”

Maxwell’s lip part in a smile as he lifts his glass. “Let us make a toast.” He waits until I too have my glass held. My fingers nearly shake holding the glass. “To the love of my life. My eternal bride.”

“Forever.” I chime. The thought should have my cheeks blushing and my heart racing if they could, because I can’t fathom a life without him. He has unexpectedly become my everything.

I watch him bring the glass to his mouth and take a deep sip. The closer I bring my own glass to my lips the more my hand shakes. I haven’t drank any blood yet. Besides Maxwell’s when he forced it down my throat to save me. This has to be different, right?

Slowly, as if the contents could bite me, I tip the glass to my mouth. The blood slowly touches my lips, my tongue and my eyes go wide once I realize it tastes as sweet as it smells. I down the whole glass in one sip and instantly regret it.

Maxwell only lets out a small laugh before he empties his own glass. The hostess returns with a decanter filled with blood. “Refills?” She asks.

“No.” Maxwell replies, sending the woman on her way.

I eyeball him, because I wanted more.

“I have dessert arriving at the house in,” he looks at his watch, “thirty minutes.”

“And what would that be?” I ask curiously.

“You’ll just have to wait to find out.” He reaches across the table putting my hands in his. Bringing my knuckles to his lips placing a small, soft kiss across them.

We sit in the empty restaurant for a bit longer. The rush of having the place to ourselves is intoxicating or maybe it’s the blood. I can almost feel a blush of heat burn my cheeks. The first real feeling of being alive again, but it comes with heavy disgusted guilt.

Maxwell gets a small ping on his phone. He doesn’t look at it, he just stands from his chair. “That’s my cue.” He holds out his arm and I quickly lock my hand around his forearm.

We arrive at home before the thirty minute mark and I’m left to wait or so I thought. I drape myself over him eager to see the surprise. I flash him a toothy grin. “Well?”

In a blink of an eye, he sweeps me off my feet. The room blurs around me making me dizzy. A yelp rushes through my lips as he tosses me onto the bed. Apparently, Maxwell himself is dessert. The best there is. I couldn’t ask for anything better.

But as the room comes back into focus, I notice that we’re not alone. A shadow moves out of the corner of the room and I nearly choke on my spit. “Dave.” I jolt up to my knees clearly confused on what’s going on.

“Surprise.” Dave chimes as he climbs onto the bed, kneeling in front of me.

Maxwell comes to kneel behind me, keeping me balanced from the uneven weight. His lips leave light kisses along my neck as his fingers glide down to the hem of my dress. One quick flick, he slips it over my head. The boys quickly follow suit and peel their shirts off.

“I can’t-” I start to mutter before Dave crawls closer cutting my words short. “Max-” Just as his name is on my tongue, I feel his hands encircle me from behind, his mouth kisses the top of my shoulder, one hand resting across my stomach while the other slides under the hem of my underwear.

There’s no pause, no moment to recover from Maxwell’s penetrating fingers before Dave’s mouth is on mine, his hands cradle my face. The familiarity of kissing him eases my nervousness. I shouldn’t like the way my finger glides through his hair, the way his palms fit in the curve of my neck.

It doesn’t take much for my fangs to slide out. The pleasure of Maxwell, the seduction of Dave. With Maxwell’s fingers deep inside me, his mouth on my neck, my mouth goes to Dave in desperate need to satisfy a hunger I didn’t know I had.

“Do it Charlie.” Maxwell coos from behind me. “Bite him.”

The thought is tempting and I begin to argue with myself. To bite or not to bite. I don’t think about how this came about, why Maxwell planned such a thing. I just take advantage of it and plunge my teeth into Dave’s neck.

He stiffens with surprise, but he doesn’t pull away as his blood gushes into my mouth, dribbling out of the corners of my mouth, running down his neck. As soon as I pull away, Maxwell leans around and tips my chin in his direction with his unoccupied hand. My blood laced lips press into Maxwell’s, his tongue licking at the blood.*

I bolt up in blood, hyperventilating, cold from a phantom sweat. My hand swats at my mouth horrified. I pull my hand away and desperately inspect it looking for the tiniest speck of blood.

“Charlie.” Maxwell’s nervous voice asks as he rushes into the room. “What’s wrong?” He looks over my frantic, dishevelled body. “Charlie.” He pleads.

I place my hand on his steady arm, always ready to soothe me. “I’m fine. Just a bad dream.” I can’t quite meet his eyes when I say it, but this isn’t the first time I’ve had a nightmare, so he doesn’t pry, ask questions that he knows he won’t get the answers to. Although, I’m sure he doesn’t need me to vocalize my nightmares, because I’m sure he already knows what they consist of.

He crawls into bed and molds me into his side. “He can’t hurt you anymore.” He says again just like all the other times he’s found me panting with fear.

Except this fear is different. This fear is only beginning.