Blood Ties (Book 3 of The Blood Bond Series)

33. Surprising Surprise

"Surprise!" The lights were turned on a split-second before the waiting crowd cried out. They laughed a little as Quinn jumped, startled by the people who were waiting for her. She flinched and pulled back into the doorway, but it was the look on her face that was priceless. Somewhere, a camera clicked to capture the moment, and she tried to hide behind Viv's small body. Her friend smiled and pulled away.

"Nuh huh, Quinn dear. This is your birthday, and I'm not a door. Go say hi, you lunatic."

She took a hesitant step forward and let some of the shock wear off, moving directly towards Adam, who had his arms outstretched before gently pulling the trembling female into his warm embrace. He held her there while she calmed down. He could feel her heart racing, but getting calmer with time, and she swore into his ear so tremulously, he had to smile.

"You bastard," she scolded as she slapped him gently on the back. "You could have warned me. I almost had a heart attack."

"Nonsense." His lips brushed her ear as he whispered the word. "Where's the fun in that? You never had a surprise party. One should have at least one surprise party in their lifetime. Think of it as getting it over and done with. Since your time as a human is limited, you won't really celebrate birthdays once you've turned vampire. I couldn't let you step into immortality without having experienced humanity to the fullest."

He pulled back and winked at her, and then stepped away so that other people could have a visit with the birthday girl.

"Mom? Dad? How did yo—"

Her mother shushed her and brought her into a hug. "Hush, girl. Your boyfriend, of course. He made sure we wouldn't miss your first surprise party. Talking to him, I believe it will probably be your last as well. You'll always be suspicious about it now whenever you have one, moving forward." Lana Swain stepped back, allowing her husband to hug his daughter second.

"I like this boyfriend of yours, sweetheart," he whispered quietly. Quinn knew that Adam could hear and was just grateful the comment was a complimentary one. "He has good tastes in private planes. The flight attendant wasn't too bad either." He pulled back and winked at his daughter before his wife smacked him on the chest. Adam laughed.

"Come meet everyone else, honey," Adam encouraged as he escorted her through the crowd.

Most of the vampires she already knew, though there were some that introduced their mates for the first time. All were cordial, though whether it was due to it being her birthday or some form of comradeship, she didn't know. She was just happy to be here, with Adam, her family, even her—

"Emily?" She stopped in her tracks when she saw the thick brown curls of her best friend from Virginia.

Emily Sanchez was an ethnic beauty. Thick, full lips and a white smile, a petite button nose under deep, soulful eyes. She was as stunning as ever, and it looked like she hadn't come alone. The birthday girl figured she'd probably been on the plane with her parents since they all came from the same general place.

Quinn ran over to her oldest friend and gave her a big bear hug, giggling when Emily squeaked.

"Oh my God, what are you doing here?"

Emily giggled. "I came with your parents. Mine are back at the farm, mostly taking care of the cattle since your mom and dad are here visiting you. Your brothers are helping out, but they said they will see you around Thanksgiving. You're flying out to see us then, right?"

Quinn hadn't honestly thought about it. She was just getting by one day at a time. Holidays and family get-togethers weren't even on her radar, and they were coming up soon. They were less than two months away.