57.
We sat around the table playing pretend while I ate. Dad was busy talking about his human birthdays and how they had so little to even get a cake compared to the lavish lifestyle he got after entering the darkness. His new beginning as he called it. Mom listened with stars swimming in her eyes. Even if I've heard those tales a thousand times, I sat and patiently drank his words in.
The mate link tugged at me throughout the day as I helped Mom clean the dishes. Later, when I got ready to go to Grandma. Grandpa Charlie was supposed to join us at our little party in the glasshouse in the woods. This was a special event. It was not only my 18th birthday but my entering adulthood. The day my powers would flare. Benjamin has been preparing me for the event. The reason we were doing it away from prying eyes. The reason why I refused Reka's suggestion was to party in a nightclub. She had pulled a long face and she will probably do so for a while. I don't blame her, I also wanted some distractions. Guess what? Life is unfair.
I slipped into a long black dress with spaghetti straps and turned to gaze in the full mirror size behind my door. The fabric glimmered like a thousand stars on a velvet sky. The young woman who stared back at me was gorgeous. Gone was the childish girl. Now, my eyes had a fierce determination. I reached for my brush on the nearby nightstand and started combing my brown curls.
"I'm eager to see you," Breathed Jacob in my ear. A shiver ran through me. I blinked at the mirror and could swear I saw a faint shape on my left shoulder. Felt his fingertips brush my naked shoulder.
"When my power will flare. The mate link...the pull...you won't be able to keep away," I whispered to the mirror.
"I know," his voice a murmur in the wind. My door creaked and I straightened. Mom peered at me with a perplexed look. She was wearing a white dress reaching her knees with a slit on the side. The top part had diamonds sewn into the fabric making swirl patterns. Her hair was pushed to the side with a sparkling pin holding it down.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
"I've never been this ready in all my life," my smile stretched from ear to ear.
"Well, the princess better hurry, else her carriage will leave her behind," she added with a wink. I followed her to the corridor.
"You know soon I'll get my own car," she threw me an amused glance over her shoulder.
"Yeah, your dad told me about that," she said.
"But you that a car at sixteen, right?" I frowned. "I'm eighteen now," I whined.
"I got even better, Jacob fixed me a beat-up pick-up." She laughed throwing her head back. I was sure she did it on purpose to mention Jacob to poke at me. I held the skirt of my dress as I reached the stairs.
"Oh my god, I'm so jealous." I grimaced pretending to be envious. But deep inside I was. My heart caved in with loneliness. The pull of my mate was almost a dull pain.
"You remember his rabbit," Mom said. "That poor thing was always falling apart." For a second, the pain was so severe it left me breathless.
"I do," my voice a mere whisper. We both looked at each other and we both laughed as we met Dad at the entrance. Were both shared deep wounds we wanted to hide with a smile. Dad wore one of his black suits with a slim tie. His eyes rested on us. Whatever Mom might say, loving a vampire must be a little...hollow. A love with too much compromise. Just like with Jacob.
"You both look gorgeous." His arm went around Mom's waist and he kissed her hair. I pursed my lips at him. Yes, I definitely jealous. Even a dried-up love was better than a missing mate.
"You look like you're going to a funeral," I announced.
"Honey, we are undead, of course, we look the part," he blew me a kiss.
"Damn it," I muttered under my breath. We smiled as we went to Dad's car. A black SUV. I watched the scenery blur away. With each heartbeat, I knew I was getting closer. The anticipation built in my veins as the sun reached the horizon. The closer I got to him, the pressure at the center of my chest got heavier.
"I'm coming my love," I whispered to the wind. I prayed it would carry my words to my Jacob.