Chapter Twenty Four
The next morning I found Adrian in the kitchen tossing fruit into the blender. "Morning Angel?" I say carefully then mentally prepared myself for a lashing from that sharp tongue of hers. When I'd finished explaining imprinting to her she was beyond pissed, she'd yelled at me for an hour straight before storming upstairs and locking herself in my bedroom.
"Do you have any honey?" she asks and I frown. Somehow having her act like nothings happened is worse than her being pissed at me.
"Yeah top cupboard" I say. She moves to the cupboard and reaches up for the teddy bear shaped bottle of honey sitting there, when I see she can't quiet reach it I stand behind her and reach up for her. She elbows me in the stomach and shoves me away.
"I can do it" she snaps, then stretches up to the shelf again. I sigh and move her out of the way picking her up by her hips and depositing her to one side "Riddoc I said I can do it"
"I don't care!" I yell bringing my face to hers so they're almost touching; I grab the bottle of honey and slam the cupboard door shut so hard it collapses of its hinges, clattering loudly to the floor next to me. I turn on Adrian again. "You're freaked out, just say it! All of this scares you admit it!" I tell her
"Yes!" she shouts back, I guess she realises she's shouting because she cowers into herself.
"Good" I tell her calming my voice. "Are you afraid of me?" I ask her.
"No" she says. I close the space between us quickly and kiss her forcefully, I walk her into the counter and lean over her, her back arching and pushing her body against me.
"I would never hurt you" I tell her with our lips still touching.
"Because I'm your imprint?" she asks
"Because I love you"
"Yeah again because I'm your imprint" she says
"No Adrian I told you this last night, the imprint doesn't make me love you, it only makes you my priority. It makes me want to protect you. You made me fall in love with you, the only thing the imprint did was speed up what I was all ready starting to feel" I tell her and her mouth twitches up in a smile
"I'm still pissed you kept it from me for eight... no ten months i was out of the country for two" she says
"I know that was dumb" I agree
"Yeah really dumb" she says then kisses me.
"What are you making?" I ask as she returns to the blender.
"Willow still hasn't eaten anything; I figured maybe she'd drink something" she tells me.
"Is Brady any better?" I ask
"Kim said he's fine, his bones are set and healing, she can't figure out why he won't wake up"
"Seth just showed me the whole fight outside, he took a pretty bad fall, I'm sure he'll be awake soon" I tell her and she nods.
"So Brady and Willow are imprints right? That's why everyone's so cool with the age gap?"
"He imprinted on her the day she was born, it happens the first time you make eye contact" I say "Don't pull that face" I tell her taking in her frown "It wasn't a romantic thing for them. Don't think of the imprint as a romantic thing at all it's just a protector thing" I say.
"Who else is imprinted like us?"
"Erm well my Mom and Dad obviously, Kim and Jared, Paul and my Aunt Rachel... basically all the couples you've met at the bonfires and stuff. Sam and Emily, Quill and Claire, Shila's imprinted to Jared's daughter Lucinda oh and Seth and Misty" I tell her.
"I figured as much, does Misty know about all this stuff?" she asks
"Yeah"
"I see"
"You're upset she knew before you?" I ask
"I'm upset everyone seems to know everything before me" she sighs "I'm sorry it just sucks" she says and I have to admit it it stings a bit.
"You wish you weren't my imprint? You wish I hadn't brought all this on you is that it?"
"No of course not, Riddoc I love you this just isn't how I pictured our future, and this whole vampires trying to kill us has really messed with that and that sucks. Please don't take anything I'm saying right now personally ok? I'm just stressed out by this whole thing" she tells me and I nod.
"I know. I get it" I say and she smiles at me. She pops the lid on the blender and and hits the power button "Is there enough for three?" I ask and she grins
"Of course there is" she says and sets out and extra glass.
"What did you mean before?" I ask, Adrian turns to me and frowns, so I elaborate more "before you said this wasn't exactly how you imagined our future?"
"Well it's not, in fact I hadn't pictured the supernatural or paranormal or whatever having much of a role in our future at all" she laughs and divides the smootie out between the three glasses.
"Ok well what did you picture?" I ask, she sighs and turns to look at me.
"You know the regular stuff a girl fantasises about when she's in love" she shrugs and I can't help but smile a little bit "Especially after you took me to the house yesterday"
"What kind of things do you think about?" I ask and she smirks.
"Just stuff?"
"Tell me?"
"Riddoc?"
"Please?" I beg and she sighs again crossing her arms over her chest
"Ok fine, I think about us, our future. I see how amazing you are with Marina and Megan and I think about what it would be like with our kids. I think about how good you'd look in tux and what kind of dress I'd wear if we got married. I think about trading my hilux in for a convertible and you and I taking a road trip in it, I think about getting back with the band and I think about writing an album on my own too" she says taking a sip from one of the glasses then handing me one.
"You've really though about that stuff? Like the marriage and kids part?" I ask my heart feeling like it's about to swell up out of my chest.
"Kind of" she says shyly
"Me too" I admit and she smiles at me
"Really? You've pictured a kid with your baby blues in a Ramone's onsie?" she asks and I laugh
"Well not the onsie, and besides when I picture our kids they look like you not me" I say. She takes my glass off of me and sets it on the side with hers, I'm about to protest because that smoothie was fucking delicious then she's in my arms kissing me.
"I love you" she whispers against my lips and I smile
"I love you too Angel, we can still have everything you just said you know?" I tell her
"You think? Because I'm envisioning a very different future now" she says and slumps against me
"Why? Adrian this doesn't have to change anything, just because I'm not as human as you once thought doesn't have to make any difference to our future, I'm still me" I tell her
"I know but now I'm worrying if you're gonna come home at night, I'm worried every person who asks to be invited into our house is gonna be a vampire. I'm gonna have to worry if our kids are gonna have tails or not" she groans and I laugh
"Adrian our kids won't have tails, if they do get the gene they won't change until they're teenagers and sorry to burst your bubble but you watch too much TV Angel, vampires don't have to be invited in, they can come and go as they please" I tell her.
"Well that's scary" she mutters
"I'd never let them hurt you" I tell her and she hugs herself into me more.
"I know" she whispers and kisses me again.