Chapter 107

Tessa’s POV

I wore a casual pink dress and allowed my hair to loosely fall around my shoulders, pinning it on one side. I wore minimal makeup because I didn’t like how it felt on my face and Joseph says I don’t need to wear makeup to be beautiful. He liked my natural look and I wanted to please him more than anything.

My heart was still beating rapidly since this morning and my body was still tingling in delight. I never had an orgasm quite like that before and I never wanted that feeling to stop. Joseph had a way of bringing that side out of me.

The thought of his hands on my body alone was enough to cause my pussy to throb.

He stepped into the bedroom, and I saw that he was also wearing casual clothing. Probably because we were only going to a cookout and there was no need to dress up. According to Joseph, Anna had said that there weren’t going to be many people there. Mainly just the elders and a couple of other close friends of Anna and Bernard.

Joseph also mentioned that Bernard is willing to wipe the slate clean and start over. I just hoped we could truly become friends because I have a feeling, I was going to like it here and not going to want to leave.

“You look beautiful,” Joseph said, stepping behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist.

“I just want to make a good impression,” I said, peering up at him with a small smile. “I want them to like me. I know they are skeptical of me…”

“I don’t think you have to worry much about it,” he assured me, kissing my temple. “Besides they already met you.”

This was true. But still.

We were back at his house, and we were nearing 4 a.m. In a few hours, it would be sunrise, and everybody would be off to bed. It was strange to have my days and nights flipped like this. I can’t remember the last time I pulled an all-nighter like this. I was trying hard to make it look like I wasn’t exhausted, but the change was tough on my body.

“We should go,” I said to him.

He nodded and kissed me. This time his kiss was deep and earth-shattering. When he pulled away, it left me breathless and whimpering for me.

He had a twinkle of lust in his eyes as he stepped away from me.

“Later,” he said with a wink, holding his hand out for me to take. I took it without hesitation and allowed him to pull me from the room.

…

“I’m so glad you both made it!” Anna said, hugging Joseph tightly before turning to me and surprising me by hugging me as well.

I couldn’t get over how kind she was.

I would never be able to tell she was a vampire on her attitude alone.

We stood in her backyard with a few others I didn’t recognize, one of which happened to be human. They were all glancing in my direction curiously and even a little nervously.

They had a large buffet table laid out with an assortment of side dishes while Bernard stood at the grill cooking the main dishes which from the smell, I knew included hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages, and ribs. My mouth was watering at the very thought of the delicious food.

Vampires certainly knew how to cook… and eat.

“Come on. I want to introduce you to a couple of people,” Anna said, looping her arm through mine and pulling me along with her to a small group of people sitting by the roaring fire pit in the middle of the lawn. Around the firepit were comfortable-looking, cushioned chairs and a glass table. It was all on a wooden platform, like an unattached porch.

“Everybody, I’d like you to meet Joseph’s guest, Tessa,” Anna introduced kindly.

Everybody looked up at me and a couple of their eyes narrowed as they took in my appearance and probably scent.

“Guest?” Someone with grey hair and brown eyes asked. He was staring at me with a deepened frown and curiosity all over his face.

“Yes,” Anna said, eyeing him carefully. “So, we are going to treat her like a guest, Mike.”

He seemed unsure but he soon nodded, relaxing into his seat.

“Mike is one of my oldest friends,” Anna explained. “Next to him is his cousin Douglas.”

She motioned for the man that sat beside Mike. He had similar brown eyes, but his hair was blond and kept in a man-bun with the sides and underneath shaved.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he said, giving me a polite and yet timid smile.

“And finally, this is Ryan,” she said, motioning for the man sitting across from the other two. He had hair that was as black as the night sky. His eyes were also so dark that they looked black, but I could see a small glimmer of gold in them.

His hair was long and kept down, but he had one side tucked behind his ear. He sat with his leg crossed over the other, but the way he was staring at me caused my body to shiver.

A pretty girl was sitting beside him with curly blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes. Like me, she wore a casual dress, but hers was loose-fitted and left no mystery of her very petite and thin figure.

The one thing I noticed about her was that she was human. The other thing was that Anna didn’t bother introducing her.

She hadn’t taken her eyes off me this entire time and I was growing uneasy.

“Hello,” I found myself saying to her, trying to give her a kind smile and not reveal my nervousness. “I’m Tessa.”

She blinked a couple of times as if she was trying to figure out if I was talking to her or not.

“What is your name?” I asked, making it clear that I was talking to her.

“Fae…:” she answered. Her voice was soft like silk and now she was looking all sorts of nervous.

Ryan tensed from beside her and I noticed he was glaring at her, like he was upset she spoke. I wasn’t sure why that infuriated me as much as it did.

Fae glanced up at Ryan and I saw her eyes widen in fear and her cheeks grow incredibly red. She looked averted her eyes from both of us and stared down at her hands.

Before any more words were exchanged, I heard another voice booming across the night sky and I turned to see Carter walking into the backyard.

“What’s up, everybody!? The party just arrived!” Carter chanted, causing a few to roll their eyes.

Anna looked at him with a wide smile.

“Will Nate be joining us as well?” Anna asked him as we approached.

“How the hell am I to know? I’m not his keeper,” Carter said, rolling his own eyes.

“But you two live next door to one another,” Anna said with a shrug. “Not to mention share an apartment. I figured you would have seen him at some point.”

“He wasn’t home,” Carter said with a shrug. I haven’t seen him.

“Maybe he’s still working,” Anna said with a frown. “The villagers never seem to leave him alone. There’s always something going on.”

“So, Nate deals with all the problems concerning the villagers? Vampires and humans?” I asked, looking amongst them.

They all frowned for a moment and a few eyes shot at Joseph. I wasn’t sure what that was about, but Anna looked at me and smiled.

“There will be times for questions later. For right now, let’s open a bottle of wine.”

“If you want anything from the grill, it’ll be ready in a second. Everybody can prepare their plates,” Bernard announced, causing the eager guests to do just that. He then looked at me and for the first time since I arrived, there was a hint of a smile on his lips. “Tessa, I wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday and earlier. That’s not the impression I wanted to make on Joseph’s guest. He’s very fond of you and trusts you deeply. I might have trust issues, but I do trust Joseph and his judgment. If he sees you are harmless, then I believe him. I hope we can start fresh going forward.”

I was extremely relieved to hear this and I accepted right away. Pleased, he went back to cooking.

Soon enough dinner was ready, and everybody was eating and talking. We shared some laughs, listened to music, drank a little bit too much wine, and ate way too much food. But ultimately, it was such a nice gathering, and I was so pleased to be included.

By the end of the barbeque, guests were already leaving. Ryan and Fae stopped in front of Joseph and me and they said their goodbyes. Fae’s eyes never left mine and I could see the confusion and uncertainty in them.

“It was very nice to meet you, Tessa….” Ryan said, taking my hand and bringing it to his lips. I watched as Fae tensed, but I knew she was biting her tongue.

I smiled politely back at him and pulled my hand out of his grip.

They were gone immediately after leaving me with only Anna, Bernard, Joseph, and Carter.

Anna finally turned to look at me.

“How about we all go into the living room? I know Tessa has some questions, and I’d like us all to try our best to answer them.