Free Beginnings (The Trifectus Series - Book One) by Logan Byrne Page B

moment, nothing else mattered.  I was on top of the world, and my smiling face was proof of it. 
    “Yes,” I whispered softly.
    We kissed under the shining lunar rays.  He rested his forehead against mine, and whispered in my ear.
    “Forever.”
    We walked inside to see everybody standing there smiling.
    “It’s about time,” said Emma.
    “Oh now, Emma, be nice.  We are just glad he finally did it,” said Rosa.
    “Welcome to the family,” Rosa said.
    I was a part of their family.  They accepted me and weren’t pushing me away as I had feared.  It made me think of my own family.  They hadn’t accepted me as much as James’s family had.  I couldn’t remember that last time my father gave me a sincere, true hug. 
    I looked at my watch to see that it was almost time to leave. 
    “Oh, look at the time,” I said.  “I have to get going soon so my parents don’t freak out.”
    I was sad.  All I wanted to do was go get all of my things and come live with them.  I wanted to run away and never have to hear my father talk about how horrible vampires are and how they need to be exterminated. 
    “We better get going,” James said.
    “It was nice meeting you,” Maria said with a smile.
    “Please come back soon.  You are welcome here anytime,” Michael said.
    I smiled as I said my goodbyes.  James, Emma and I walked out to the car.  It was so dark outside.  The pitch-black darkness shadowed the other houses and objects all around.  We got in the car and I looked at the front door.  They were all standing there smiling and waving at me.  We pulled out slowly. They got smaller and smaller the farther away we got.
    “I hope you had a good time,” Emma said.  “We don’t have many visitors.”
    “Oh?  Don’t you have family anywhere else?” I asked.
    “No, all of our families died a long time ago.  You know we aren’t all related, right?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Well, vampires aren’t really ever related.  The only rare time is when a vampire has a baby, but that doesn’t happen often.  Other than that the only new vampires are from the bites.  You have to leave your real family behind, if you have any.”
    “That sounds horrible, I’m so sorry.”
    “Don’t be.  It actually works out pretty good.  It would be too hard to be around your real family anyway.  With the ages we live to, also, having a vampire family makes sense.  You don’t have to outlive them.”
    “Well, when were you born?”
    “1985,” she said.
    “Well then that makes you 45 years old!  You don’t look close to that!” I exclaimed.
    “Well, duh.  I was bitten when I was 15.  I pretty much will stay looking like this forever,” she said.  “It can be a drag, though.  I still can’t get into R-rated movies.  I tried telling the guy I was 45 but he didn’t believe me,” she said, smiling.
    “Well, when were you born, James?”
    Did I even really want to know?  If Emma was 45 years old, I couldn’t imagine what James was.  He seemed so much more mature than she was.  He seemed as if he had been like this a lot longer.
    “I was born in 1846, bitten in 1863,” he said.  “I was bitten during the Civil War.  I was a soldier in the Union army.  I was badly injured when I got bitten.  I didn’t know who it was or where he came from, but I was able to heal and try to figure out this new life.”
    I couldn’t believe my boyfriend was 184 years old.  I might as well have been dating my great-grandfather. 
    Just as I was about to ask him more, something ran across the road ahead. 
    “Juliet, get down,” James said.
    The figures stopped in the road as they saw our lights.  It was them: the werewolves from earlier.  They were staring straight at us. 
    Just as they were staring us down, the sound of a semi honking his horn around the corner scared them off.  Did they have any idea who James and Emma were?  Could they smell me and were they stopping to have a bite to eat?