Okay you guys. I have a few things to say before you read this looonnggg chapter. ***longest chapter yet!*** Anyways, first I want to thank you for reading! I can' t believe how many people actually like this! I thought it was a train-wreck! Thank you so much! SECOND: I know that Damen has bit her a lot, yes, it got on my nerves a bit too. But no worries…he will mellow out soon enough.. (maybe xD) THIRD: I was going to write a sequel to this, but if you guys are just getting completely bored with this, tell me. Please review or e-mail me telling me on what you want me to do. I can wrap up the story in this book OR make another book or two. PLEASE e-mail me and give me your opinion.

Merci Beacoup! ***Ace***

Chapter 12

I wake up to light washing over my face. I yawn and open my eyes slowly. Damen is opening the curtains to my right. I smile at his back. He was perfect. I made my decision. I smile wider.

Last night he told me he loved me. Whoa!

Damen feels my eyes on his back and turns around, flashing me a gleaming smile. He walks over to me and sits on the edge of the bed.

"How did you sleep?" He asks me.

"Fine," I tell him. He smiles.

"Uh…Damen?"

"Yes, love?"

"We didn't….uh…" how do I ask this? "We didn't do more than actually…sleep, right?"

He laughs. "Of course not."

I breathe out in relief. I want to spend eternity with Damen, but I'm not ready for that.

"So, what are we doing today?" I ask him.

"Well…" He kisses me lightly. "Considering it's your birthday, I was thinking maybe we could go dancing."

I freeze as he kisses me. It was my birthday? The 31st of October? I was seventeen? Whoa. Okay then. Wait, that meant it was Halloween too!

He chuckles. "You forgot your birthday? Love, I don't want to brain wash you."

I giggle against his lips. "So, where would we go dancing? A club?"

"No, we would go somewhere with class, love. You know, ballroom dancing?"

I thanked my mother silently for the dancing class when I was thirteen.

"Okay."

"Oh, and the rest of the family will come to. Is that alright?"

"Yep."

Damen pulls me closer to him. I kiss him slowly, but he pulls away to whisper in my ear. "Have you really chosen, love?"

I guess he's talking about my choice on whether to become a vampire or not.

"Mmmhhmmm," I mumble into the crease of his neck.

"You're sure you want to spend eternity with a vampire?" He asks again, trailing kisses down my neck.

"I'm positive," I whisper.

He comes towards my mouth. "I love you," he mouths before kissing me.

I stop him. "Damen," I tell him wearily. "I still want to know more about you."

He freezes. "What do you want to know?"

"I want to know about your past."

He stares at me. "Will you change your decision if I don't tell you?"

"No," I say slowly. "But I want to actually know you."

He gets up from the bed, but I grab onto his wrist. I know he can pull away easily, but he freezes.

"Damen," I say soothingly. "I want to know you. I really like you, and I've made my decision, but I want to know about you. I still don't know your past. Every times something new comes up, someone else has to explain it to me."

He pauses, then comes back to the bed. He kisses my cheek.

"Jessica," He murmurs. "My past isn't something you would want to visit. Why worry about that when we can worry about the future?"

His voice takes on a husky tone. Crap. I guess he's playing the 'get out of jail free' card by trying to make me forget.

I'm not going to let him. I play along.

"Why worry about telling me something like this when we have all of eternity together?" I murmur against his lips.

He sighs. "Love, you don't want to know."

"I do," I say.

"Why must you know?" He says, anger creeping into his voice.

I'm a little scared, but I decide to go on. "To know you, I want to know your past too."

"Jessica!" He shouts. "You don't need to know!"

A tear slides down my cheek. He managed to actually scare me.

"I guess I'll be going then," I mumble and shuffle towards the door. I reach for the doorknob, but a hand grabs my wrist. "Let me go!" I yell.

"Jessica," he says softly. "I didn't mean to scare you. It's just, you may not be happy with my past."

I turn back to him, tears sliding down my face. "I need to know, Damen."

He sighs and pulls me towards him. He looks me straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry I scared you, love. Will you forgive me?"

I nod my head. He pulls me closer, and I cry into the sweater he has on. "It's okay, love. I'm sorry. You're fine." He tries to soothe me in a calming voice.

I sniffle. "Please don't go all vampire on me," I mumble into his sweater.

He chuckles. "Okay, love. I'm so sorry."

When I'm sure my crying episode is done, I look him in the eyes. His dark, emerald eyes stare back at me, full of sympathy.

"Will you tell me now?" I ask him.

He sighs and picks me up. I squirm a little, but I see there is no point in trying to get away. He walks over to the bed and softly lays me down. When he is settled beside me, he begins.

"Lucius was…is my older brother. I was in the middle, and Alyssa was the youngest. Alyssa always looked up to Lucius, but all I saw from him was hatred. He tortured me as a child. He would make fun of me during my home-schooling. Every time I would mis-pronounce a word, he would chant the incorrect way I said it for days on end. At night, he would push me off my bed, and I would go crashing to the floor."

Hatred wells up in the pit of my stomach. I swear, when I was a vampire, I was going to kill Damen's brother.

Damen chuckles at my thoughts. "Anyways, when the day came that Aislinn came home and bit Charlie, Lucius decided to be immortal almost immediately. Alyssa chose a day after him. This made me anxious in some ways. I loved my little sister. I wanted to spend forever with my family. Just not Lucius.

"I decided to become immortal to protect my family. I didn't want Lucius hurting them later when I was out of the picture. What I didn't know was, Lucius wanted me to become immortal so that he could steal my bind."

I'm confused for a second. "That's you," He says.

Oh. Okay. I nod my head for him to continue.

"Lucius knew that my bind would be strong. He has a gift for seeing a bind's personality. All he would have to do is wait. If he could have a strong partner in helping him rule, he could get to the top, then finish off his partner."

I comprehend this slowly. "So….I'm the partner?"

Damen nods his head. "Yes, love. But I will not let him take you." He kisses me on the cheek. "Basically, Lucius is trying to hurt me through you. And I won't let that happen for your sake."

I curl into him. "Thank you for telling me," I whisper.

He kisses the top of my head. "Of course."

"Damen?" I ask him wearily.

"Yes?"

"When will I be changed?"

He kisses my cheek. "Soon," he murmurs.

"How long is soon?" I ask him.

"Two or three weeks, probably."

I shiver. "Is that okay with you?" He asks me.

I nod my head. I wanted it sooner, but two or three weeks of being vulnerable would be okay.

"Will you change me?"

"But of course, love." He tells me.

I sigh. He was so perfect. I realize there I something I need to tell him.

"Damen?"

"Yes, love?"

I take a deep breath. "I love you," I say. He spins me around to kiss me.

"I love you too," he says. I smile as he leans in to kiss me again.

Damen and I walk hand in hand to the dining room. Scrambled eggs are on the table.

Alyssa is beaming at me. Jack has a confused look on his face while he watches Lys jump up and down. I smile at her. Apparently, she figured out a way to keep the rest of the family clueless about my decision. I look up to Damen. He is smiling, bursting with joy. I can't stop a giggle from escaping my lips.

Aislinn and Charlie are smiling, but you can obviously see they have no clue what's going on. Damen and I decided earlier we were going to tell the rest of his…well…our family about my decision at breakfast.

I feel butterflies in my stomach. This was it.

Damen squeezes my hand before he begins. "Jack, Aislinn, Charlie," He nods to Alyssa who is bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

"Jesse has made her decision."

The room goes silent. Jack's gaze hardens. Charlie and Aislinn look anxious. Oh boy. What would have happened had I said no? Jack would have been murderous.

I look up at Damen. He is staring down at me, but there is no smile on his face. We had agreed to try to keep it a secret until I told them. I see his eyes filled with joy, but his mouth is turned into a small frown.

I take a deep breath before saying, "I've decided to join your family."

Alyssa squeals. "I knew it! I knew it from the first time I saw you! I knew it!" She bounds up and hugs me. I laugh and hug her back.

Aislinn comes to hug me. "Thank you," she whispers. I smile.

Charlie grabs me into a bear hug and swings me off the ground. "Welcome to the family, Jess," He says.

I choke off a laugh. When he sets me down, Jack comes up, smiling. "Good to have a new member," He tells me. I smile at him.

Alyssa comes up again. "Okay, Jess. So, since you're going to be one of us, you're going to need a car, a new credit card, some jewelry, and we're going to need to stock up the fridge more frequently."

I blush at this. I had totally forgotten about the blood. But, I guess it was worth it to be with Damen.

"Oh, but Jess?" Aislinn interrupts. "We still want you to try to go to school for the last year with Damen."

"Okay," I tell her, my smile growing. At least something would stay normal.

"Oh. Jessica did make one request though."

Oh yes. I remember my request.

"Well, since I'm going to be spending a lot of time with you guys," they laugh at my joke. "My mom will get suspicious. So……I was…..erhm…."

This is awkward to say. Luckily, Damen catches my stumble.

"She wants to hold a wedding ceremony to make it official." He tells his family.

Aislinn beams at me. "Good! I was hoping you would want to." She rushes over to me and hugs me.

"Thank you for inviting me so graciously into the family," I say to them politely and kindly.

Charlie swoops in. "There is one condition, Jessica."

Uh-oh. "Yes?" I ask him.

"You can't be so formal with us if we're your family!" Charlie laughs.

I breathe out in relief. I thought I wasn't going to be accepted.

Lys comes over to hug me. "Charlie! Don't do that! You nearly stopped her heart from beating right there!"

Charlie laughs. "That was the funny part." He winks at me.

Damen laughs. He wraps his arms around my waist and kisses my head. I giggle.

"Oh! Jesse! I almost forgot!" Lys bounds up to me. "Happy Birthday!" She pulls out a small box from her purse. "This one is from all of us except Damen. Well, Aislinn, Charlie and Jack don't know it's from them, but their money was used to get it. So, happy birthday!"

I chuckle. How typical of Lys to get a present and use other people's money to pitch in. I see Aislinn sigh. Charlie rolls his eyes.

I red box slowly. Inside, resting on foam lays 3 keys on a silver key-chain. I turn over each key to see what they are for.

Lys answers my unspoken question. "That silver key is for the house, because you're going to be living here." I giggle. I guess I am going to be living here.

"The golden key is for your clothes chest that's upstairs in my room. It's brand new, don't worry." I turn it over. Lys had carved into it "Clothes"in swirly script.

"What did you carve this with?" I ask her.

She smiles and holds up her fingernails. I gasp a little. She just laughs.

"The last key is for your new car." I gape at her. She got me a car?"

"No, Jess," she says in response to my thought. "We bought you a car."

I run over and hug her. "Thank you! You don't know how convienent that will be for me."

She laughs. "Well, it will seem super slow once you're one of us."

I smile at her. "So, what kind of car is it?"

A mischevious grin crosses her face. "See for yourself," she tells me. Damen chuckles and pulls me toward the garage.

I gape at the car waiting for me. "A jaguar?" I whisper.

He nods his head. "We also want that to be your first animal blood taste. They are my favorite animal." He laughs.

"I guess we'll be taking a trip to South America, then," I tease him.

"I guess so." He laughs and kisses me.

I look back at my new car. It's shiny red coat of paint makes it look sleek. The windows are tinted. Even though it's a small car, I absolutely love it. I look at the liscence plate.

In big, bulky letters it spells out "Bite-Me".

Damen chuckles beside me. "That was Lys' personal touch."

"I see," I murmur. "So…when I'm…changed, who's car will we ride in?"

"Well, Lys and Jack will probably start up school once you're one of us, just in case you get too thirsty at school."

I cringe.

"So, we might ride with them sometimes, and sometimes we'll ride alone."

"Okay."

Alyssa comes out to the garage then. "Do you like the liscence plate?" She asks me in a smug tone.

"It's suitable," I reply.

She laughs. "Go take a spin in it ,will you?"

I nod my head and pull Damen with me. "You're coming," I tell him.

"Of course, love", he says back to me. I hop to the driver's seat and start the ignition. Damen leans over to kiss me before I speed out of the drive.

"I love it!" I tell Damen as we speed down the freeway. "It's just awesome!"

"I'm glad you like it," he tells me.

I laugh at the rush I'm having. "This is so much fun!"

"Love?" Damen interrupts me.

"Yep?"

"Take a right on that exit. I'm taking you somewhere."

"Okay," I say, a little confused. "Is it somewhere where I have to spend your money?"

"No," he says. "It's somewhere where you have to spend OUR money."

"Ahhh," I say. I would have to get used to that.

I pull into a parking lot that soon becomes familiar to me.

"The mall?" I say.

"Yes, love. You need a dress for dancing tonight, and I saw one that will fit you stunningly. But, since you will shrink a few sizes as a vampire, we are getting one size to fit you tonight and one for when you are immortal."

He is commenting on what size I am. Not the best move.

"Okay," I mumble as I come to a stop. As I step out of the car, I see many people staring in awe at my car. A small smile plays at the corner of my lips.

I walk over towards Damen. He takes my hand and kisses me swiftly on the cheek before we go into the mall.

People we walk by stare at Damen, then sneer at me, probably wondering how I snagged such a sexy boyfriend. My smile grows wider every time someone stares. With a surge of pride, I realize that he's mine. And I'm his.

Damen laughs at my thought. "Of course, love." He kisses me quickly before walking into a cliché store. I follow him.

Rows of dresses surround me. I can't believe all of the vintage designs. Wedding dresses and prom dresses overwhelm the shop, and I'm worried that I will trip and tear some of the elegant fabric.

"You're taking me here?" I hiss at him.

He laughs. "It's only for the best."

"So I see," I mumble. This shop will be wrecked by the time I step out. Damen pulls me towards the back to the receptionist. She files her nails and jabbers on the phone, but when she sees Damen, her eyes widen and she mumbles "I'll call you back" into the phone.

"How may I help you?" She flutters her eyelashes miserably.

Damen smiles dazzlingly at her. "I placed a hold on dress model 6259. Sizes 6 and 3."

Her smile fades as she looks down to me. "I see," she mumbles. "Is the 6 for her?" She tries to sneer.

Damen seems unfazed. "No, the 3 is for her."

She stares me down. "Ah hun, I don't think that'll fit you," she tells me.

Damen replies again steadily. "No, it's not for her right now. It is for her in three weeks."

The attendant starts to get on my nerves as she says "Ahh. Lypo?"

I speak up this time. "No, ma'am. But I'll tell you my trick when I see you again. I'll come back soon."

She smiles smugly. "Okay girly." Her gaze turns flirtatious as she gazes back at Damen. "I'll be right back with the dresses, hun."

"Thank you," Damen says politely. When she is gone, he leans down to whisper in my ear. "When you're changed, we are coming back here on the first Wednesday we can."

"Why Wednesday?" I whisper.

"Because those are the days she works late and is usually cranky." I stare at him. Does he know her? "I read her mind," he tells me.

Oh. Right.

"It'll be fun to come back," I say as she appears with two dresses in hand.

"Here ya go, hun," she leans over the counter to hand the dresses to Damen.

"Thank you," he says to her.

"Let's go try the 6 right now," he tells me as we walk to the changing room. He hands me the 6 and I walk into the room.

I quickly change out of my jeans and tank-top into the dress. I gasp when I see it on me.

It's a royal purple with small noodle straps. A v-neck cut hangs at the top which shows a little too much for my liking. I stare in the body-length mirror. It accents my curves perfectly, draping around my hips and falling in bunches. Black spirals shimmer in and out of sight as I move. My red hair falls in wavy ringlets down my back. I actually look good.

"Jess?" Damen calls, hearing my gasp. "Come out so I can see, please."

I take a deep breath and walk out. He gasps a little and starts to move towards me. His arms curl around my waist as he comes to kiss me.

"You look beautiful," he murmurs against my lips. I push myself closer to him.

Suddenly, the bind starts to act up.

Again, it's like I can't get close enough to him. He grabs me tightly and kisses me hard. My fingers tangle up in his honey-wheat hair as I try to get closer to him. A moan from deep in his throat escapes, and I push myself closer to him. His hand slides up my back to tilt my head to the side.

I willingly turn it so he can kiss my neck. I feel his fangs slide out, denting little marks in my skin. I moan. His teeth tease my tender skin as I sway.

He is about to plunge into my throat when the lady from behind the counter walks in and clears her throat.

I pull back instantly, but Damen stays close to me, keeping an arm wrapped around my waist.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," He says politely. "I was just telling my fiancé how beautiful she looked in that dress."

The sales assistant's eyes narrow at the word "fiancé."

"So I see," she says. "Well, are you going to buy the dresses?"

"Yes ma'am," Damen answers cooly. "One moment, please."

"Hmph." She stalks off back towards the counter.

"Now, where were we?" Damen asks me, grazing my jaw.

The bind has worn off on me, but not for long. "Damen," I whisper. "Not right here. That was too close. She almost saw you bite me."

"We're fine, love," he purrs. Apparently it hasn't worn off him yet. He pulls me to him, kissing me for a long time. "You see?" he murmurs against my lips as his voice takes on a husky tone. "We're fine."

The bind is coming back on me, so I have to act fast. "Damen," I hiss. "I need you to snap out of it." I snap my fingers in front of him. He just pulls me closer so I'm crushed against his chest. He kisses me passionately. I'm about to give in, but when I open my eyes, I see where we are. I slide out of his arms and run back into the changing room.

I know it will hurt him for a moment, but he will snap out of it soon. I quickly change into my normal clothes and walk out. I see him staring at me sadly.

"Damen?" I whisper. Maybe he is still locked down in 'bind mode.'

He take a deep breath. "That was too close," he mumbles in my ear. I sigh in relief. He's over it now.

"I'm glad I snapped out of it quickly," I tell him before we go to pay.

The girl behind the counter sees us and looks disgusted. "Are you going to pay now?" She says with a sneer in her voice.

"Yes," Damen replies smoothly.

She rings up the total. "It's 2000 dollars, sir."

Damen hands her a credit card, unfazed by the amount. Her eyes open in shock as she sees the amount on the credit card. I smirk.

She swipes the card swiftly and gives the card back to him with a shaking hand.

"Here are your bags, sir," she stutters.

"Thank you."

As we turn around, I hear with my half vampire hearing "A girl like that can get a guy like him? Ugh. I hate life."

I chuckle. I'm sure the girl will find someone though. I did.

When we get back to the house, Damen is smiling.

"You look breath-taking in that dress," he tells me.

I blush. "Thanks."

I kisses my cheek. "How hard it will be for me to watch the other guys stare at you."

I blush deeper. "I'm already bound to you, Damen. Don't be jealous."

He laughs. "Of course not, love."

We walk hand-in-hand to the kitchen. No one is there.

"Let's go to my room," Damen says.

"Kay," I reply absent-mindedly. I'm thinking about how awesome my birthday has been so far.

We make it up to his room in record time, but only because he was carrying me and going at a vampire speed. When he opens his door, he stops me.

"Go change into your dress, love."

"Why?" I ask him.

He kisses my cheek. "Because it is almost time to go."

"Oh. Okay." I rush down the hall to the bathroom. I quickly change and brush through my hair.

When I make it back, Damen's door is open. I slowly walk in. "Damen?" I call as I shut the door.

"I'm over here," he replies. I walk in to see him putting on a white button-up shirt.

I gasp. His chest was snowy white and he had an eight-pack.

"What's wrong, love?" He asks. I just walk over and put my hand on his chest.

"Oh." He laughs.

His skin is cold, but it feels good against my flaming skin. I lean in closer to him, wrapping my arms around him.

The bind flares up again. He drops the tie he is holding to grasp me. One hand tangles up in his hair as the other stays on his chest. He picks me up and lies me down on the bed. I roll over onto him, kissing him stronger.

I moan as I roll back over to my side, his lips still locked on mine. I bring one hand up to wrap around his back, but it scrapes against the drawer on my left. I look over.

Of course, I managed to make it bleed. Damen stops kissing me and grabs my wrist, drinking fiercely. I moan and push him further. He stops drinking for a minute to kiss me hungrily before returning to my wrist. I lick my blood off of my lips.

He drinks for minutes on end, groaning with pleasure. At the point when he can finally control himself, he looks up to me.

Oddly, I feel more alive than ever instead of drained. He comes down to kiss me, the binds affect still not gone. I pull his head towards mine and he kisses down my throat.

It suddenly wears off. I'm gasping for breath. He is breathing heavily, but of course he doesn't have to.

"Jessica, do you feel all right? I didn't mean to drink your blood again. I really didn't."

I sigh. "It's fine, Damen. Actually, I'm not feeling light-headed at all."

His eyes look panicky. "You aren't?"

"No."

"Does where I bit you hurt?"

"No."

He sighs in relief. "For a moment there, I thought I had changed you. I can't have you changed just now, because we need to go dancing."

I laugh. "So why didn't it make me feel faint, losing all that blood?"

"Because you have a half vampire DNA now. Maybe not a full half, but you have enough so that it won't make you woozy anymore until I change you."

"Okay." I breath out heavily.

"I'm so sorry that I've bitten you 3 times now, Jessica."

"Damen, all of those were my fault."

"No, they weren't. I wish I had the restraint to stop from drinking from you whenever I see you bleed."

I wrap my arms around him. "If it makes you feel better, I'll make you a deal."

His head lifts up. "What's that?" He murmurs in my hair.

"I'll be super-duper careful not to hurt myself until you change me if…" Here comes the best part for me.

"What is your circumstance, love?" He asks me.

"If you change me tonight. It's my birthday."

He freezes, then pulls away so I can look him in the eyes.

"You want this tonight?" He asks.

I nod my head.

He sighs. "Okay. When we get back from dancing, though. Let me go tell the others." He kisses me quickly and is out of the room.

I sigh. This was probably my best birthday.

The whole Shae family rides in a white limousine. I sit by Alyssa as she gushes over having a new sister by midnight.

"I'm sooooo happy! I can' t believe this is actually going to happen! I'm going to have a sister!" She looks at me. "Well, in theory."

I laugh. "Lys, I have a question."

"Yes?"

"You guys can go in sunlight, right?"

She laughs. "Of course. It's just that it irritates our eyes a little bit so we can't see as well. We are still able to see better than a human though, even in sunlight."

Good. I can still go out in sunlight.

Damen's arm is draped around my shoulders.

"Jesse, dear. I'm so glad you accepted to join our family." Aislinn's warm voice fills me with joy.

"I'm glad you accepted me." I say.

"Of course, dear!" Aislinn sounds appalled. "Why wouldn't we?"

I shrug my shoulders and laugh.

Charlie calls to me from the other side of the limo. "Hey Jess! You like watching football?"

"Erhm…." I reply intelligently.

"You're going to once you're a part of this family!" Charlie's laugh booms throughout the space.

When we make it to the hotel, I step out to see many elegant people dancing in the ballroom. I gasp. Half of them put me to shame.

Damen reads my thoughts. "Of course they don't, love." He takes my hand and we start to dance. His left hand slides down to the small of my waist as his other rests in my hand.

Mostly we sway, but I get a few good turns in. His eyes shine. "So I get a dancer too," he murmurs in my ear. I laugh.

"You could hardly call me that," I tell him.

We dance for hours. Damen was amazing at dancing, and he held me up every time I stumbled the slightest bit.

Everything was fine until I twirled into a couple.

A long, lean muscular man turned around quickly, muttering something to his date. She walked off as he stared at me. Muscles coiled along his arms; you could see that even in the tuxedo. His jet black hair was hanging just above dark brown eyes. No, his black eyes.

I realize with a jolt that he's a vampire. I step back involuntarily. The sharp, angular lines of his face twisted into a smile.

"Very pleased to meet you, my dear," he says, taking my hand and kissing it.

Damen comes rushing over to me at a pace that won't attract attention.

"Are you okay?" he asks me. When I don't answer, he looks up to the vampire I'm staring at. His gaze turns cold.

"Ah. Damen. How nice to see you again," the vampire says.

Confusion sweeps across my features. Damen sighs.

"Jessica. This is Lucius, my brother."

I tear my gaze away from Lucius to stare at Damen. He nods his head slightly and takes my left arm.

"Nice to meet you," I stutter out. Lucius smiles.

"May I have a dance with your lovely tie, brother?" Lucius asks Damen. I feel Damen stiffen.

"Of course," He says politely, and hands me over. His eyes give me the warning of 'be careful'. I nod my head.

Lucius pulls me out to the dance floor as a new song starts. He puts his hand on the small of my back, but unlike Damen, his hand made me shiver. I try to stand as far away as possible, but he just pulls me closer so I am up against his chest.

I hate vampire strength.

"My, you look beautiful, darling." His cold breath lingers on my face.

"Thank you," I reply curtly. I suppose he expects a compliment back, but I don't give him one. He frowns.

"Quite the temper, eh darling?" He pulls me closer.

"Stop calling me that," I snap at him as I realize he has read my mind. I feel so much hatred towards him that suddenly, as I feel him trying to come into my mind, I feel a block. He stops dancing for a moment, surprised by what I just did.

"How did you just do that?" He asks me, amazement in his voice.

"With hatred," I spat. I hate him already. I hate him because of what he did to Damen.

"Darling, calm down," he changes his voice to a husky, deep tone. It makes me want to barf.

"I will not calm down," I hiss. "And you will let go of me now." I turn away, but he keeps his grip on my wrist.

"Not so fast, darling. Has Damen bit you?" He sniffs around my neck.

"No," I reply calmly. He technically hasn't bit me.

"Hm…I guess not." I try to pull away from him, but he keeps his grip. "Finish this dance with me, won't you darling?" He says.

"No," I say. I pull my wrist back with as much force as I can muster, and to my surprise, his grasp weakens. He stares at me, incredulous.

"Quite a specimen you are, darling," he purrs. "We will be meeting again. Goodbye for now." With that, he stalks off to find his previous date. I sigh and walk over towards where I see the Shae's huddled together.

I squeeze in beside Damen to take his hand. He smiles at me sadly.

"Are you okay?" He asks me softly.

I nod my head. "Damen, may I call my mom? It's my birthday."

"Of course, love." He pulls out his cell-phone.

"Thank you," I peck him on the cheek and turn towards the doors to go outside.

I dial in the number. Mom picks up on the third ring. "Jessica?"

"Mom!"

"How are you, honey?"

"I'm doing good."

"How is the school trip going?" She asks. What school trip?

Oh yes. The fake when Lys made up to keep me hostage for two weeks.

"It's great," I lied. "I've seen some really cool things."

"That's wonderful, honey. I wish you could be home for your birthday."

A tear trickles down my cheek. "Me too, mom. But I'll see you soon. I've got something exciting to tell you when I come home."

"Do you, honey? That's great. I love you sweetie. Talk to you soon."

"Bye mom." I click the phone shut. I plan to tell her about the wedding, just not about the vampire thing.

I walk back in to the ballroom. Damen is waiting for me. I hand him the phone.

"It's time to go, love," he tells me.

I smile.

Damen smiles at me. "We are going into another family room. It will be easier to deal with your changing there."

"Okay," I muster up as much courage as I can, but right now, I feel like Courage the Cowardly Lion.

He pulls me into a room that is by the kitchen. There are no windows except for one on the top of the wall, which would stream in sunlight if it weren't pitch black outside. Alyssa squeals beside me.

"It's time! It's time it's time it's time!" she chants in my ear. I laugh and roll my eyes, trying to shake away the nervousness.

The carpet is brown, along with the fabric couches. A wooden table stands in between two couches.

Charlie moves the table out of the way and scoots the two couches close together to create a sort of bed that I can't fall off of.

"How long will the change take?" I ask Damen.

"About a week," he tells me. "It will hurt when there is no vampire biting you, but you will be bitten once a day just to make sure the venom is still in your system."

I gulp. "Okay." I lay down on the couch. I tilt my head up to see a fireplace burning wooden logs and pine needles.

"Will you leave the fireplace running? If I open my eyes, I want something to look at besides a wall," I say.

Aislinn laughs. "Of course, Dear. That will be fine."

I sigh. Damen kisses me quickly before saying, "Are you ready?" I nod my head and prop it up so it will be easy for him to reach my neck.

He leans in towards me, his sweet breath lingering against my neck. I shiver.

Bite me already! I yell in my head. He takes a deep breath and plunges for my throat when Alyssa calls "Wait!" Damen's fangs are extended and touching my skin. He slowly draws back.

"What?" He sounds annoyed.

"The phone's ringing," she says. She runs to get it and is back in a flash.

"Hello?" She asks innocently, as if she wasn't watching me die and then come back to life.

Lys freezes and drops the phone. Damen seems to freeze too, along with Aislinn, Charlie and Jack.

"What?" I ask frantically. "Is something wrong?"

Damen stares down at me. "Lucius bit your mother."