A Shade of Novak (A Shade of Vampire #8)(19)

The striking red-haired beauty had called to me like a siren the moment I’d laid eyes on her. But I’d still felt too numb inside to do anything about it.

But then, when I’d turned… something had shifted inside me. Perhaps it was a renewal of confidence. Confidence to open up again in ways that I hadn’t thought I was capable of while still a human. I supposed that confidence was a natural consequence of knowing you’d live forever.

My daughter had encouraged me ever since I’d first turned. “You’ve got forever now, Dad. You need to find someone to live it with other than just me and the kids.”

I’d come to realize that I’d been through enough heartbreak and pain in my mortal life already for much more to make a difference, especially since I now had an eternity to recover from it.

I took a shower and got dressed. Although I dressed casually, inwardly, my stomach was in knots as I prepared myself for what I was about to do. Today was a big day. The day that I was going to ask a girl out on a date. The day I would hopefully escape the dreaded friend zone, as Sofia would have referred to it.

I hadn’t told Sofia yet that I was pursuing Adelle. Sofia would find out if and when we became lovers. I smiled as I imagined the smile on Sofia’s face if it actually happened.

Leaving my penthouse, I headed toward the Vale and stopped once I reached the town square, in clear view of the entrance to the school where I was due to meet Adelle.

I had to catch myself from exhaling too audibly as she stepped out onto the steps. Her long wavy hair hung loose down her shoulders, and she wore a pretty floral summer dress that stopped just above her knees.

“Aiden! There you are.”

“Hi, Adelle.”

She walked up to me and greeted me with a peck on the cheek.

“Shall we?” I held out my arm for her to grasp and led her away from the clearing and into the forest.

“Well, I’m intrigued, to say the least, about what you might want with me on this fine summer’s evening.”

“I thought it’d be nice to take a walk after school for a change, rather than always chatting in the classrooms.”

We walked through the forest making small talk. I stopped once we reached the old boathouse on the border of the lake. I led her inside and to the edge of the wall, where the windows were open, affording us full view of the beauty of the lake. The scent of fragrant lotuses drifted up toward us.

“Even in the darkness, it’s so beautiful here in the summer,” she remarked. “I always look forward to this time of year.”

“Don’t you miss your real home? The Sanctuary? I’ve heard that the witches’ realm is ten times more beautiful than this.”

She leaned her arms over the banister and stared down at the water, gathering her thick hair so it fell down one shoulder.

“Everything is superficially beautiful there,” she said. “Me? I like raw beauty. Everything feels real, genuine, on this island. And the people. Oh, the people here. They have heart. Something that’s rare to find back where I come from.”

“And it’s all worth it even with a shortened lifespan?”

“That’s a myth, in my opinion. I’ve seen no evidence of witches aging faster on Earth than they do back in The Sanctuary. We can stay youthful for hundreds, sometimes even thousands of years… depending on how we look after ourselves, of course.”

I stared at her lovely face and wondered how old she really was, but dared not ask.

“Do you ever regret your decision to turn into a vampire?” she asked, looking up at me seriously.

I gazed down into her light blue eyes.

“I never thought I’d say this, but I don’t. Not a bit. The first few years were rough, yes. But now, it’s all been worth it.”

“Well, I for one am glad that you turned,” she said softly. “It would have been sad to lose you.”

We stared at each other for a few moments before I finally gathered enough courage to stop procrastinating.

“Adelle, listen,” I said, taking her hands in mine. “I wanted to ask you something—”

Ring. Ring. Ring.

The phone in my pocket began vibrating.

Oh, bloody hell.

Since Derek and Sofia had left the island with Eli and Ibrahim, I’d been entrusted with the phone in case the twins called.

“I-I’m so sorry,” I said. “Just a moment.”

Adelle withdrew her hands from mine. I turned away from her and flipped open the phone. “Hello?”

“Hey, this is Ben.”

“Hi, Ben.”

“Where’s Mom and Dad?”

“They’re not around. They’ve… gone out for the day.”

“Oh, okay. Well, I’m just calling to let you know that Scotland is actually awesome.”

“Oh. That’s good.”

“It’s so much better than it looked in the brochure.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Seriously, great job booking this place.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“And we’re doing just fine. No need to worry about us at all. We’ve already made friends.”

“Well, that’s great to hear, Ben.”

“So tell Mom and Dad when they get back that we’re having fun and they don’t need to worry about us. We’ll call again in a few days.”