Chapter 2
1168 Words
Author’s POV
Now she has gone and done it again. As if her smart mouth was not enough, now she was testing the water.
Not that she knew that the redhead she was challenging was a vampire.
Nicole Jason, actually. The daughter of the royal family over the southern region.
The family was ruthless. No boundaries. If someone, human or not, stepped on their toes, they would go missing within the week.
Drake could not let Alice go missing. It was his job to protect his mate.
Which would not be easy since she was dead-set on getting away from him, and pretending he did not exist.
Drake eyed the table across the row. The redhead looked pissed, her gaze on the kitchen door where Alice had walked into to gather their drinks.
One of the other vampires at the table noticed Drake and tossed him a head nod, and Drake returned it. Maybe if he was nice, he could talk them down if he needed to.
He had moved into the apartment complex a couple of weeks ago because he had smelled her.
It was a random day at the mall. She was with one of her school friends and passed by him with no knowledge that he was her fated mate.
Drake followed her home, may or may not have slipped some weird stalker letters under her neighbor’s door until she moved out, giving him the chance to move in.
It was desperate but he had to get close to her. Being away twisted his stomach into knots. Once he moved in, he realized that she was in love with the guy down the hallway.
Not that Drake was worried about him. The guy couldn’t even remember her name.
The kitchen door swung open, and Alice walked out with a tray of drinks.
Drake could not stop himself from watching the way her hips moved when she walked.
She was curvy, her blonde hair pulled back out of her face with soft curls swinging with each step.
Alice looked plucked from his wildest fantasy, and it had been torture to keep his distance.
Alice stopped at the booth behind the vampires, sat the drinks down, and began to hand them around the table.
Nicole stared dagger at her. Drake clutched his fingers in a fist, listening as she took their orders, and how they changed it at least five times.
Alice’s neck and cheeks were red from irritation. Drake prayed that she did not do anything stupid.
She was close to graduating and really did not need the job as she pretended.
Would she quit?
He would rather her quit than tell them where to shove it before doing so. She wouldn’t make it to her apartment.
Alice delivered the couple’s drinks and appetizers and brought over his beer and water.
“What can I get you?”
Drake glanced over his shoulder at the table, and Alice folded her arms over her chest, pushing her breasts up in the process.
“Do you want me to ask her for her number? You have the balls to eavesdrop but not to talk to a girl?”
Drake took a swig of his beer. “I think you should watch what you say to them.”
Alice chuckled and turned the page on her ticket book. “Thank you for that, but as you know, I don’t hold back when disrespected.”
Drake met her emerald gaze. “Maybe that’s something you should learn.”
Alice chuckled, “Maybe minding your own business should be on your list.”
He smiled, “I want the biggest burger on the menu, rare.”
She grabbed the menu from the table, and he swiped his arm out and grasped her wrist, “I’m serious, Alice. Be careful with them.”
Keeping eye contact, she slid her hand from his and walked back into the kitchen. She kept her distance most of dinner, laughing with the other servers, while Nicole kept a close eye on her.
She had pissed Nicole off, and Drake's fear grew by the minute. He could not let her leave this building without him. By the look on Nicole's face, she was pissed, and Drake did not put it past them to hurt Alice.
Alice walked the check over to their table and put it down. “Can I get you anything else?”
Nicole sat back and glared at her. “Did we ask for the check? Are you rushing us out? I bet your manager would love to know that you’re rushing your customers out of the restaurant, wouldn’t he?”
Alice’s gaze shifted to Drake's side, but she ignored the facial expression he gave her. “You don’t have to leave now. Who said you did? It’s protocol to hand your customers their check once they have finished eating.”
Nicole narrowed her dark eyes at Alice, but Alice did not flinch. “I don’t like your attitude.”
“I don’t care.” Alice snapped back.
The hair on the back of Drake's neck stood on end.
One of the vampires with Nicole put his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down, but she shrugged it off. “Come on, guys. Suddenly, I’m ready to leave.”
They shoved passed Alice, paying their ticket on the way out, and leaving her with a terribly messy table. Alice rolled her eyes and began to clean their mess.
Drake watched them walk into the parking lot and make a turn around the side of the building where Alice parked.
They weren’t leaving.
Alice walked the dishes into the back.
He did not know her schedule, but he knew that he couldn’t let her leave this building without him.
How will he tell her that he was a vampire, and she had pissed off a royal? He had no idea, but he needed to come up with a plan.
Alice came to check on him and looked down at his empty plate. “Here is your ticket–”
“I want pie.” He said.
“Okay”, she said, leaning forward to write the pie he wanted on the ticket. “What kind?”
The scent of her strawberry perfume doused him. “Anything strawberry is fine. It’s my favorite.”
“We have strawberry cheesecake?”
“Sure.”
She stood up and tilted her head, “You’re awfully observant to know that the group would be rude to me. Do you know them?”
Drake leaned back, “Somewhat.”
“I don’t like them.”
“They don’t like you either, apparently.”
She smiled, “I’ll be back with your pie, and then you need to leave. You hanging around is scaring away my customers.”
He had no intention of leaving.
Drake was staying until Alice left the restaurant, and most likely, she was going to need some saving tonight.
Call him, Superman.
- Writer
