Immortal Forever

I awake to the smell of coffee and the words, “Bella Roza.”

I roll over to see Damen’s face and a big blue cup full of peppermint mocha coffee. Smart boy.

“Hey my favorite!” I say sitting up and taking it from him. “How did you know to get this?”
“You always have it at home. I had one of your fathers Guardians bring it by.”
“Thank you. So what’s the plan for this lovely Saturday?”
“A meeting with your father, mother, Vesper, Raven, and I.”
“Oh.”

“Don’t worry Rose it will be fine. Let’s get some breakfast in you. You haven’t been eating as much as usual. It worries me.”

“Isn’t that normal though? Because I’ve been trading blood with you?”
“Well yes but not as severe with only two feedings in you.”

“Three. Three closer to a full Immortal Vampire Princess,” I say quietly.
“Oh Rose,” he says wrapping his arms around me.

“I have no choice,” I say getting up. I head to the bathroom to wash my face. As I do so he comes in and puts his arms around my waist and nuzzles my neck.

“You have riccioli splendidi Roza.” he says in my ear.
“Gorgeous curls? No. I hate my curls. That’s why I straighten it.”
“No Roza hai i capelli più belli che io abbia mai visto. la tua splendida in tutto.”

I turn around and kiss him on the cheek. “You’re too sweet,” I say as I hop up on the counter.

He just chuckles, “Breakfast? What would my Rose like?”
“Blueberry pancakes and bacon?”

He eyes my shorts and tank and says, “Si. Hmm it’s cold downstairs in the morning you want a shirt?”

Then before I can answer he disappears into his closet. I get down and follow. Nice big walk-in closet. A million v-neck t-shirts in every color imaginable and a small section of thermals. He hands me one in charcoal gray.

I slip it on as he says, “Perfetto.”

We come downstairs and he gets out the pan and flour as I get out the margarine, milk, eggs, and blueberries. He tells me to sit. So I sit at the counter and watch him again.
His dark hair falls into his eyes. His eyes were always changing color. When he’d just fed they were sometimes caramel brown or bright blue, depending on what he had fed on. Now they were blue. But he had bags under his eyes. Lack of blood?

But he just fed yesterday afternoon...­­

“Damen?”
“Yes Rose? What is it you look worried.”
“Are you getting enough blood? Honestly please?”
“Well honestly...no. I haven’t been going to feed enough.”
“Oh. Because of taking time to watch me right?” I say.
“Well yes. But I haven’t been making time either.”

As he gets out the syrup and sets the pancakes on the table I say, “You can drink if you need it.”

He sits across from me and smiles. “Roza, do you know what the purpose of drinking from another vampire is?”
“Um not entirely no.”

“Well when two vampires are together romantically they share to deepen their bond. It could be dangerous for you as a human. Much stronger. You wouldn’t be able to make the choice to break the bond. I wanted you to have that choice. It would be unfair to take advantage. Plus I wasn’t sure if you wanted that...err choice...to bond with me...”

“Oh.”

“But that’s a choice to make when you’re a vampire. I mean if you want to bond with someone. Umm anyway,” he says clearing his throat, “Lunch with everyone...then we’ll relax okay? I don’t want you stressing.”

“Okay.”

***
I sit down in Red Robin in one of those super long booths. I sit across from my dad with Damen to my right. Vesper sits to my dads left and next to him is Raven.

The first thing my dad says after we order our drinks is, “Damen what happened to your eyes?” They were bright blue. He’d fed from me after I told him it was okay before we got ready. Things had gotten kinda....rough. I had a bruise forming from his jaw on my neck to prove it. It was hidden by my hair though. Which I had worn in loose waves for obvious reasons.

“My eyes?”
“Yes. They’re very bright blue. What on earth did you feed from?”
“Oh...um...”
“You traded with Rose? How many is that?”
“Three sir.”
“This morning? Then why aren’t her eyes brighter?”
“No sir. Last night.”
“You expect me to believe that your eyes are still that bright from last night?”
“Yes sir.”
“Liar. I invite you to lunch. You lie. I have no room on my watch for liars.”

“Dad!”

“Quiet Rose. You’re disrespecting me young man. I gave you a second chance at life. I gave you a chance to repay me. Do not lie to me. You used my daughter as lunch didn’t you?!”

“I’m sorry sir. I mean no disrespect.”
“I’ll give you one chance to tell me the truth. Did you feed off my daughter?”

He hesitates before he says, “Yes,” and ducks his head.

“You treated my daughter as a snack?”
“No sir. That was never my intention I --”

I take my dad’s hand, “Daddy please he hadn’t fed. He was getting sick...Don’t punish him.”

“Roza what would make you think he was going to punish me?” Damon says as he wraps an arm around me.

“I can read minds remember? One touch. I know every thought.” I say.

“Rose. He had a job and a promise. A promise he was breaking. He knew that Vesper was suppose to wed you. He knew that he was risking everything.”

“Well excuse me sir as I thought your daughters happiness was more important than a promise she has no interest in.”

“Her happiness? Does she want to be bonded with you?”

Damon clears his throat and shifts in the seat.

“We haven’t discussed that daddy. We both know that I’m going to change. My views will be different. I’ll be a different person. It doesn’t matter what either of us want right now.”

“Fine. Then what did you mean by he was getting sick? That should be impossible considering I changed him. He has pure blood in him.”

“I wasn’t feeding on a regular basis sir. Only when I had a chance. I was watching her 24/7 while I had Vesper watching Raven. We didn’t want her captured.”

“Sir,” Vesper says, “I know I was suppose to be the one watching her but as soon as I reported the signs of Raven to Damen he said he’d protect Rose. He wanted to make sure her friend wasn’t injured.”

“I respect that. It is fine.”

I look up at the door to see my mom coming in just as our food arrives. She sits down next to my father.

“Damen. I should have known that night. Especially when you called her princess.”

“I’m sorry m’am.”

“No you’re not. You’re Immortal. A Vampire. She’s your job. How could you ever be sorry?”

Icy and defensive Damen’s voice rises as he says, “Rose is not just a job.”

The table turns silent.

“You’re sex object then.”
“Mom!” I say as everyone else gasps.

I feel Damen turn rigid and his grip tightens as he pulls me closer.

“I would never. NEVER. Treat Rose that way. I’m not that type of person.”

“Then why stay in her room? To change her.” she says. She then reaches across the table and moves my hair from my neck before I can even think.

My dad gasps a little before he recovers.

“He’s been staying to protect her from the ones who will hunt her.”

“So he’s been feeding off of her for fun? You call that protection?”

“Mom. Please.” I say as I move my hair back. I glance back at Vesper and Raven. Both looking at me in distain. “It’s my choice. I let him okay? He wasn’t feeding on a regular basis. He was with me all the time.”

“Hey let’s move on to when we leave town! We’ve got a date to keep,” Raven says nudging Vesper.

“Oh yes. Of course.”

It will be okay my bella Roza.

I listen to my dad talk about how my letter of recommendation was sent to the school along with Raven’s and we would be called to guidance at the end of that week. I listen to him say he’d be staying until the end of next week in the house.

“How many times have you traded blood Damen?”

“Three sir. So three to go.”

“Rose we’ll have to talk at home. To catch up,” my dad says with a smile.

After lunch in the parking lot saying goodbye I hug Damen and whisper to him.

“I don’t want to stay with him. I’m still mad at him. I just can’t be alone.”

“You can stay with me Roza. All you have to do is say so. I’ll protect you. I’ll make you breakfast. Take you to school. Walk to class with you. Take you home. Protect you. Make you dinner. Spend time with you.”

“How do I tell him? He’s going to be so mad.”

“I’m right here Roza.”

So I walk over to where Vesper, Raven, my mom, and my dad are standing talking.

“I’m not staying at home with you.”
“What?”
“I don’t feel comfortable. I’m not ready. Not after you just got up and left.”

Surprisingly my mom is the reasonable one.

“That’s fine honey. Stay with Damen. Raven will be staying with Vesper. It’s safer that way.”

Just then a corvette starts to drive by but slows down. Sitting in the drivers seat is a blond named Amber.

Damen drops my hand as she says, “Mr. Miller! Hi! Oh my god Rose didn’t tell me you were in town!”

I look in the car and see Eddie in the passenger seat.

“Oh Amber! You didn’t tell me that you and Eddie were back together congratulations!”

She smiles then she sees Damen. “Oh. We’re not. But Rose who are you dating now?”

“Me? No one. Who would I be dating?”

“Well I gotta go. Gotta get some stuff done before the moon is up.”

“Curfew?” I ask curiously.

“Yeah. Grounded. Oh and there’s an after party at my house next Saturday Damen, Vesper, Raven, Rose. You’re all invited.”

“Sounds like fun Amber. We’ll be there. Later.” Damen says.

“Yeah. Later,” she says before speeding off.

“Um did anyone else notice her reference to the moon?” I ask.

They all say no. But I get in the car with Damen thinking it’s the weirdest reference I’ve ever heard from a teenage girl. Specifically Amber.