7.

For eight days she had refused to speak even one word to him, yet he followed her around wherever she went, always trying to have some form of bodily contact, an arm around her shoulder, a hand on her waist or making sure she had nowhere to sit except for his lap and when she decided to stand up instead he would pull her down to where he wanted her.

He'd whisper apologies, pleading for her to talk to him. It even got to the point where he asked the boys to try to convince her that he hadn't done anything wrong. But she didn't bend, she was right and he was wrong, so now he had to pay for it. It was hard for her to not speak to him, to not give him the attention her body asked her to.

They had just arrived on the boardwalk when he begged her once again to speak with him.

"Come on Eddie, I know it's hurting you just as much as it's hurting me! I've told you I'm sorry but you have to understand that it was necessary and it would have happened sooner or later anyways. Please?" Dwayne said while trying to catch her eyes.

"Me and Laddie are going to get some ice cream, alone" She declared directing it to anyone but Dwayne. Untangling from his arms she turned towards him and said

"and it should have been later, not sooner." And so with that she grabbed Laddies hand and left the boys staring at the child and the girl as they swung their connected hands in-between them.

"But… I want ice cream too…" Whined Paul as they lost sight of the pair, earning him a slap at the back of the head from David.

:::

Eddisa could feel Dwayne and the boys hanging around outside the little place where Will had taken her for milkshake one that time. She and Laddie now sat across from each other at a cozy little table sharing a big bowl of vanilla ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. The kid even managed to get some on his nose, making him impossibly cuter.

"So you're not angry at Dwayne anymore?" He said peering at her between scopes of the cold dessert.

"What makes you think that?" Eddie was surprised he suddenly mentioned it since he hadn't talked about it before.

"You talked to him"

"So?" had Dwayne gotten to him? Made him ask things?

"You haven't done so in a loooong time but now you did and you're much happier now" he gave her that shy crooked smile that made her heart melt as he waited for an answer.

"I spoke TO him not WITH him and I'm always happy when I'm with my favorite boy!"

"Dwayne wants to be your favorite boy" he said with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

"Well then I feel bad for him because he'll never win over you" they both laughed, causing Laddie to droop a spoon full of ice cream and rainbow sprinkles on the table making it go everywhere.

Even though Laddie had only given her a child's perspective on the matter she found him to be right. Just those few angry words had changed something, she felt happier, and maybe, maybe, ready to forgive the vampire who was anxiously walking back and forth outside.

:::

They must have spent more than an hour in there, shooting sprinkles at each other and laughing at the most ridiculous things, talking about stupid things the boys had done, like when Paul fell of the railing on the boardwalk a few days ago pulling poor Marko with him. But eventually they had to leave since the place was closing for the night.

Dwayne was waiting outside and the rest of the boys could be spotted having a smoke by the bikes, winking at passing girls.

"Laddie why don't you go and tell that girl flirting with Paul how he screamed like a little girl when he fell of the railing? I'll be with you in a little bit, ok?" she said smiling as he eagerly ran off to embarrass his brother.

Eddisa turned towards her mate, took his hand and started dragging him through the crowd.

:::

They walked down the beach hand in hand, she could feel him hopelessly wanting her closer but she kept her distance only letting their hands touch. She let her eyes fall on the spot where she and Will had first met, where they had spent quite a few hours enjoying each other's company. It still hurt somewhat when the passed but she couldn't deny that Dwaynes touch lessened it ever so slightly.

Reaching an empty bench she sat down pulling Dwayne with her, letting him get close enough that their arms and legs were touching.

"I'm never going to be okay about the fact that you did it like that, but I guess there's nothing to do about it and I'm having a hard time ignoring you." She looked sideways at him, feeling his eyes on her. Something was changing in their mate bond, warming her dead body.

"I know I'm a piece of shit… and nothing I say can really makes up for what I did but know that if I could take it back I would and then I would do it again when you wanted me to." He said squeezing her hand, bringing it to his mouth to place a small kiss upon it.

"You really are a piece of shit" she laughed. He tensed for half a second, probably surprised by her sudden laugh, then he relaxed and Eddie could feel the vibrations in his body when he laughed with her. Dwayne let go of her hand moving his arm around her shoulder while bringing her legs up to rest over his own. She couldn't resist the urge to sink into his embrace, putting her hand on his chest, savoring the warmth and comfort.

"So you're giving me another chance?" he mumbled against her hair, causing her to look up at him. For the first time since they met she saw just how deep and warm his eyes really were, beautifully framed by thick black eyelashes and strong dark brows.

"It seems so, don't mess it up fuck face" she answered, winking at him before she stood up and started pulling him, chuckling, back along the beach.

"So… you guys fucking again then? " David asked, a smirk ever present on his lips, as they walked up to the bikes, Dwaynes arm hanging loosely around her waist.

"Hm maybe, wanna join?" her response earned her quite the growl from Dwayne but the rest of them found it funny enough to accept it as an answer. Paul slapped his brother on the shoulder, congratulating him on "getting his girl back" Eddisa pointed out, however, that she'd never been "his girl" and that he still had some work to do before she was. This earned her a few "UUUUHHHH:s" from the boys as they all got onto their bikes to go home.

:::

Time passed a bit faster now that Eddie and Dwayne were talking to each other but things were still somewhat awkward between them. He wanted to be with her every moment of the nigh and insisted that they slept in the same bed. She found this kind of weird since she found out that the rest of the boys sleep upside down, hanging from the ceiling. She could never imagine doing that, mostly because she had no idea how they changed their feet to get a grip but also because she was a woman… and hanging upside down when you have boobs is just not practical or comfortable.

So there she was, in bed, with Dwaynes arm heavy around her waist, waiting for him to wake up like she did every night.

"Dwayne?" she whispered poking his arm lightly but he remained fast asleep.

"Dwayne?! Dwaaaaaaayne!" whining, she pulled on his arm, pushing against his chest. This time she at least earned some grunts from him before he tightened his hold on her, nuzzling his face against her neck. His nose and lips pushing against the mark he put on her, sending warmth through her cold body.

It amazed her that he could cause that. She was dead and so was he, there was no warm blood running through her veins only the cold blood of a stranger passed through, her shin was pale and cold to the touch. She couldn't feel the coldness of the wind or the warmth of a fire but when he touched her, especially on his mark, she felt it. After being dead for over a year she could finally feel the familiar warmth of life again. A part of her wanted to tell him, cuddle in to his embrace and whisper it to him. But there was the part of her that still held a grudge towards him, the boys, Max and her family, the part that said they had all helped turning her life into what it had become. Forced her to kill, to live in total darkness, forever. And that part of her was stronger than the other so she just stayed there, quietly waiting for the sun to fully go down, denying the warmth any further attention.

Okay I'm bored, I haven't had any good ideas and I feel like the chapters are just fillers. Is there anything you guys would like to see in this story? Any ideas? Do you want new characters, drama, fun, family, heartache, comebacks (as in a character comes back into the story), fluff? Comment or send a message.

And as always, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.

Love, Linnéa.