'Til Death (Conversion Trilogy # 3)

Chapter Seven: Happy Birthday

Chapter Seven: Happy Birthday

Teren woke me up the next morning with soft lips on my neck. Murmuring good morning, he sighed a content, cool breath into my ear. I smiled and shivered, twisting to wrap my arms around him. Exhaling in a long, satisfied way, he squeezed me so tight I had a little trouble breathing.

Pushing him back a little, I laughed when I could breathe again. “Good morning to you, too.” Glancing over his shoulder at his clock, I frowned. “It’s so early, why are you up?”

He shook his head, his pale eyes glowing with phosphorescence and happiness as he watched me in our still dark bedroom.  “I just couldn’t sleep anymore.”

I frowned, my glowing eyes flicking over his face. “I know yesterday was hard for you, are you okay?”

He inhaled a deep breath, letting it out in a rush. “Yeah, I feel great. Like a weight has been lifted, a weight I didn’t even realize I’d been carrying. I feel…free.” He chuckled and rubbed his nose along mine. “And I owe it all to you.”

I giggled as his nose ran along my cheek, his lips running up to my ear. Sliding my hands up his back, I pulled his body into mine. “I didn’t do anything, Teren.  Last night was all you.”

I smiled as I remembered his last moments with Carrie. Halina had looked her in the eye and calmly given her a new life. She’d been told that she’d never had a serious boyfriend in high school, that she’d never been pregnant before, that the name Teren Adams meant nothing to her, and upon leaving our home, she would forget everything about the man standing before her.

Under Teren’s guidance, Halina then told her that she was going to stay in the city, enjoying the remainder of her two week vacation, then she was going to go home and enjoy her life. Teren also threw in that she was going to confidently ask her boss out on a date. He’d smiled widely after Halina had rolled her eyes and imbedded the suggestion.

I’d been a little shocked with the ease that Halina had wiped her clean. Once Carrie had been escorted to a cab and sent to a hotel that Teren had reserved for her, I’d made the mistake of proclaiming my surprise at how simple it was to Halina. She’d looked at me like I’d offended her. “You expected something…grander?”

Shrugging, I’d only managed to come up with, “Well, yeah, actually.”

Her response, as typical, had been better than mine. “The human mind is exceptionally pliable. All I have to do is tell you what to believe, what to do, and you do it.” Smirking, she finished with, “Truly, you are not much different than the cattle.”

I was still trying to not be too offended by that.

Teren paused in sucking on my earlobe. “You did so much for me, just by being there.” He pulled back to look at me, his playful eyes suddenly serious. “I don’t think I could have done it without your support.” The glow highlighted our sheets as he looked down. My vamped-up vision could make out a section of the glow that was brighter, a ring directly around the iris. It was beautiful.

“I should have done that ages ago, but I was so scared to let go.” He smiled and looked up at me. “But it was easier than I thought it would be.” His fingers came up to caress my cheek. “Because of you. I didn’t really lose anything, because I still have you.” Tilting his head, a look of pride on his face, he added, “I kind of feel like I grew up last night.”

I laughed softly. “Well, welcome to being an adult.”

Chuckling, he kissed me softly. “That’s what I get for marrying an older woman.” I gently smacked his arm and he chuckled again. “What? You are almost out of your twenties.”