Epilogue (Storm)
Christmas struck quickly that year.
I had assumed it'd be impossible to enjoy the year. Newell was under my father's close observation. My father seemed busier than usual. He was always in his office, filing paper work and hiding from the council, who was cracking down hard on him for not killing Newell.
Slade and Zander had gone back to Detroit to spend Yule with Slade's mother and their coven. Slade's tongue was still in the process of his healing, so now it was even harder to understand what he was saying. What with his Cockney blocked by a sore tongue. Zander had become extremely overprotective of him and was always holding Slade's hand.
Kristophe had also recovered, thank goodness. My father even paid for him to have surgery on his busted fang, having it replaced with porcelain. I don't think that would make Kristophe feel any better, but he thanked him anyway. Kristophe was working in the manor now. He had his own room and own things as well. I think it made him comfortable.
Alexander had gone back with Amber and Mary-Kay for Yule. He refused my offer to stay with us and I figured why, so I didn't pressure him. He'd probably had enough. Alexander was smiling the day we parted ways, but I could tell that he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.
Mark was heartbroken that his friends had left him.
He was sitting in our room, chowing down on all the Christmas gifts that other clans had sent him. They treated him like a prince, sending new high fashion clothing, chocolate covered pretzels and cherries and strawberries. Candy popcorn, sugar cookies with blood sprayed on top, William's homemade blood candy canes.
But it seemed like none of it got him into the Christmas spirit as he sat there, probably silently fuming instead of watching the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Christmas special.
"If you keep eating like that, you'll gain weight." I commented flatly as I came out of the bathroom, wearing the soft black bathrobe, tying it around my waist. Mark winced, then shot me a glare before looking away at the television. A commercial came on, playing Frank Sinatra's Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. He groaned and fell over, sending chocolate pretzels and candy canes flying off onto the floor and around him.
"This is stupid. I hate Christmas." He grumbled in irritation, then picked up a chocolate covered strawberry, popping it into his mouth, sucking impatiently on it. I frowned for a moment as I walked by the sofa before hesitating. I sighed and smiled lightly, coming up behind the sofa, leaning over to look down at Mark, who rolled over to look up at me, chocolate covering his lips.
I leaned further down and touched my lips to his, savoring the flavor of chocolate. I watched Mark's eyes flicker and he looked like he wanted to pull away for a moment, but I pulled back lightly to lick the chocolate off his lips. Mark moaned softly, parting his lips. I trailed my tongue around his lips twice before I slipped it into his mouth. He writhed on the sofa, arching his back, his blue eyes half-lidded as I sucked on his tongue, taking it between my lips to suck the chocolate right off the squriming muscle.
Mark moaned and reached up, putting his arms around my neck. I managed to fall over the side of the sofa on top of Mark, making him laugh out loud as I smirked, pushing myself up on my hands and knees on top of him.
"Don't be upset," I commented at last, smiling lightly as I stroked his cheek with my thumb, watching him study my face intently, "I'm still here." Mark studied my face, his smile faint now before he leaned up, kissing me on the nose before slumping back against the sofa. He paused to scrunch his nose up at a pretzel that bounced into his face.
I chuckled, then dipped my head down, taking the pretzel between my teeth. I pressed the other end into Mark's mouth. He blushed warmly, then took the pretzel between his teeth. We broke it apart and chewed. It held no real nutrition, but the flavor was delicious... And sharing something with the love of my life.
"You're beautiful." I complimented, brushing my nose against Mark's. Mark smiled lightly, flicking his tongue over his lower lip to lick any leftover chocolate away.
"Thanks. Your breath smells like chocolate." He responded, making me laugh. I put my arms around him and switched our position. The candies and treats fell to the floor, rolling around and staining the white carpet with chocolate and cherry juice. We ignored it as Mark settled himself on top of me, his hands resting against my bare chest. His fingers were cold, so I reached up and brought his fingertips to my lips, kissing them gently before I slid his index finger past my lips, sucking on it.
Mark moaned, parting his lips to let out a deep breath, his blue eyes watching me intently as I slid my tongue in circles around his finger, savoring the taste of salt and chocolate from the pretzels. I smiled up at him, then took his finger from my mouth, reaching up to pull him down.
Our lips had just crashed together when there was a knock on my door, making us both twitch.
"Storm. It's Santa Claus." My father's voice called impatiently. I grimaced and looked up at Mark, who frowned in irritation before sitting back on the other side of the sofa. I heaved myself up and got off the sofa, ignoring the way my feet crunched the food into the carpet.
"I'll be right back." I promised Mark, who just gave a curt nod and rolled over to watch the Christmas Special that was coming back on. I came to the door, opening it to see my father standing on the other side. I frowned. His white button up shirt was rumpled and unbuttoned in some places while his pants seemed to be stained in blood and chocolate. I looked up at his face again, catching the faintest hints of exhaustion hiding behind his calm mask.
"We were kind of busy." I admitted bluntly. My father nodded.
"And I apologize for the interruption... However, I wanted to give you boys a heads up. We're going on vacation in two weeks. You need to pack, both of you. I also need you to contact Alexander. He too will be coming along. I already contacted Slade and Zander as well. They will come with us." He informed me. I blinked, staring at him as he stared back.
"You're joking."
"Does it look like I'm joking?"
"Two weeks?! Where?! Why? Father, what--"
"Please don't question it," My father muttered, sounding irritated, "It's not as if I want to. When I say vacation, I mean we need to leave Michigan and go somewhere to lay low. We're going somewhere warm, so pack appropriate clothes. And please, do not forget to contact Alexander." I frowned in irritation.
"But why does Alexander--"
"Because if he doesn't come with us, he'll also be in danger." My father answered briefly. I stared at him in surprise and opened my mouth to speak, but he was already turning away from me and walking down the hallway. I winced, then stepped once before hesitating.
"What about Newell?!" I demanded. My father paused, then laughed quietly.
"What about him? He'll be lonely for a couple weeks, but we'll return and I'll give him plenty of attention if that's what you're asking." He responded, then continued down the hallway until he was out of sight. I frowned, stepping back into the room and shutting the door, grimacing when I saw Mark standing just a foot away from me, frowning.
"Vacation? Now? What's that mean?" He asked me, sounding concerned. I frowned, studying Mark's concerned stare. I reached out, cupping his cheeks as I leaned down to kiss his forehead before pulling him close to me.
"I don't know, Mark... But I don't like it."
"Neither do I."
And I had a strong feeling that Alexander would also not enjoy being called upon, right when he had gotten away from us and our Hell...
To Be Continued...
A/N: Yup. All done. All over. Nothing more...... Just kidding. Ahaaa. There's going to be a final installment. This has become a trilogy. A trilogy with a cheesy, uncreative name. The Love Trilogy. Get it? Cuz, Love pops up in all the titles? ... So yea. Anyway. That means I shall be giving you the name of the final book! Ladies and gentlemen, keep an eye out for the third and final book: The Love Risk. Okay, so that title isn't creative either. BUT OH WELL. I hope you all enjoyed this story and I hope you enjoy the next one! Thanks for reading!