BK 5 - Chapter 49 - Hannah
Hannah folded her letter from Grandma Valerie and put it back in the envelope. She lay on her bed and cried while she mourned for one of the greatest treasures ever to walk the Earth. Hannah's parents, Dustin and Breanne, were still at the big house with the others reading their letters, but Hannah wanted to be alone.
She was nineteen, with blonde hair like her dad, green eyes, and a curvy figure like her mom. Hannah had always felt like a free spirit. When her imagination ran wild, she'd create her own worlds. It got so bad that her parents took her out of school and home-schooled her. No one understood her, but Grandma Valerie did.
Hannah wanted to be a writer but was too scared to tell anyone except Grandma Valerie. No one in the family had ever done anything to make her think they wouldn't support her, but she was afraid. She was scared of ridicule because she was different. When people looked outside and saw a forest, Hannah saw something different. The forest would have fairies hiding among the trees or ghosts haunting them from the unknown burial grounds below.
Grandma Valerie was her outlet. Hannah would tell her about all the stories she made up in her head. Grandma Valerie would listen and encourage her to write them down. In her letter, Grandma Valerie told her she needed to write and share her stories with the world. She said that someone who was hurting may feel better by reading one of her stories. Hannah had read that part over and over. Could she help people heal with her writing?
She got off her bed and dried the tears from her face. She needed to leave so she could clear her head. Hannah put on a light jacket and slipped on her black ankle boots. Stepping outside in the cool December air, she took a deep breath. Sometimes, she wished she lived somewhere there were four seasons, but other times, she was grateful for the California weather. This was one of those times. The day was cool but not cold. The sky was blue, and the sun was shining bright. Some of the neighbors were busy putting Christmas decorations up.
Hannah began walking down the street, waving at the neighbors she knew. She loved their neighborhood in Granite Bay. It was an older neighborhood and had a family-friendly feel to it. She put her hands in her pocket and turned the corner onto the next street. She began thinking about her cousins. Many of them were mated, but she wasn't one of the lucky ones. She and her parents were the only panthers in the family. Hannah loved her panther, Fiona. She had a big imagination like Hannah. When she turned the next corner, Hannah ran straight into a brick wall and stumbled backward. The wall apparently had arms because she felt a hand steadying her.
"Whoa, I'm sorry." The wall can speak, she thought and looked up. Her mouth fell open when she saw a tall man with curly black hair, dark brown skin, and black eyes. He was beautiful.
"It was my fault. My parents always say I have my head in the clouds, so I never know what's going on around me." She smiled slightly, and the man smiled back. She realized he still had his hand on her arm. He seemed to realize it at the same time because he suddenly let her go.
"That's funny, I'm the same way. Who wants to be down here when there's so much more to see in the clouds?" Vance looked at the beautiful young woman, and his heart raced. He had seen her around the neighborhood but had been too scared to speak to her. What would someone as beautiful as her want with a man like him? When she smiled, his heart almost stopped.
"A man after my own heart," Hannah said softly. Fiona wanted to purr looking at the man, and then she got excited.
*"Touch him. I think he may be our mate, and then you two can live in the clouds together."* Hannah gasped and looked up into his black eyes. Could it be true? Was this god-like man her mate? She held out a shaky hand to him.
"I'm Hannah." Vance smiled and took her small, pale hand in his large, dark one. The sparks were felt by both of them. Hannah tried to hide her excitement while Vance stared in disbelief. He'd never felt anything like that before.
"I'm Vance. What's causing those sparks?" He had a feeling she knew.
"I can explain. Uh, I know this is out of the blue, but are you free right now? Do you want to walk with me? Oh, wait, that's rude. You probably have a wife or girlfriend you were rushing to. Please ignore me." Hannah tried to walk past Vance, but he stopped her.
"I don't have a wife or girlfriend. I would love to walk with you. I was out here taking a break when we ran into each other." Vance held her hand, hoping she wouldn't make him let go. He didn't understand what caused those sparks in his body from her touch, but they felt good. They made him feel alive.
"What were you taking a break from chopping up the dead bodies in your basement before the FBI showed up?" Hannah slapped a hand over her mouth and groaned. "Please ignore me. Sometimes, my imagination gets the better of me."
"Nothing exciting like that. I'm a writer and had a little writer's block, so I wanted to get some air to see if I could get some inspiration. Instead, I ran into a beautiful woman who may have caused permanent writer's block. How can I ever describe anything beautiful again when nothing will compare to you?" Hannah's face turned red with embarrassment. She knew it was wrong to continue holding his hand, but she wasn't letting go as long as he didn't mind.
"You're a writer?" She asked. Vance looked down at her and smiled.
"Yeah, at least I'm trying to be. I haven't written that bestseller I want to yet. To make money, I edit other writers' books. What about you?" He noticed she hesitated. Vance wanted to run his fingers through her long, silky blonde hair but was worried it would scare her away. He'd been considered a nerd all his life. He was bullied in school. When it got really bad, his parents decided to home-school him. It was the best decision they had ever made.
When puberty hit, Vance had a growth spurt and got muscles in places he didn't know existed when he began working out. No one bullied him anymore, and women were always hitting on him. He was still that scared little boy on the inside, so he ignored their flirting and kept to himself.
Hannah was different. Even before they officially met, he had felt drawn to her. It wasn't a coincidence that the female lead's description in his book had a distinct resemblance to her, and the male lead had similar traits to himself. He was twenty-one, but many thought he was older because of his size.
"I guess you can say I'm an aspiring writer. That's what my grandma always said. I've always been too scared to put my stories onto paper, though, so for now, they just live in my head. Other than that, I help out at my family's group homes." Hannah bit her lip nervously. She hadn't been that honest with anyone about writing, and Vance was basically a stranger, even if he was her mate.
"You should take the plunge. Just start typing and let the words flow out of you. Don't worry about grammar or spelling. Just get it out. There's time for editing later. You need to start somewhere, and getting started is usually the hardest part." Vance saw her smile as she turned away. If nothing else came from this walk, he hoped he inspired her to follow her dream.
"Can I ask you something?" Hannah couldn't look up at him as she waited for him to reply.
"Sure." Vance couldn't take his eyes off of her.
"Are you attracted to me?" He wasn't expecting that question, and he almost came to a stop. Should he be honest? What if he said yes, and she said she needed to leave because she didn't feel the same way? He took a deep breath and decided to tell her the truth.
"Honestly, I've been attracted to you for a long time. I've seen you around the neighborhood but was too scared to say anything to you." Vance was almost whispering. Hannah stopped and turned to him.
"You've seen me in the neighborhood?" She couldn't believe it. How had she never seen him? Even if he weren't her mate, she would have noticed him.
"I always thought you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. You always seem so carefree and happy. I wanted to be close to you so I could feel some of that, too." Vance looked into her beautiful, big green eyes. He was sure his heart would explode when she took his other hand in hers.
"I'm attracted to you too. Would you like to have dinner with me?" Hannah smiled when he did. She wondered what it would be like to kiss him.
"I thought about the same thing." She looked at him in confusion.
"Thought about what?" She asked.
"I've thought about kissing you." Vance chuckled when she gasped.
"Did I say that out loud?" She wanted the ground to open up and swallow her.
"No, but it was written all over your face, and how you were looking at my mouth, I knew what you were thinking." Vance pulled her a little closer. He would gladly kiss her, but only if that was what she really wanted. This was a dream come true in his mind, but she may not feel the same way.
"You don't think it's strange to kiss someone you just met?" Hannah asked. In her world, it wasn't strange at all to kiss or have sex with your mate when you first met, but in the human world, some looked at it differently.
"Not when I feel like I've known you for months. We may have never spoken, but I knew you before we did. You have lived in my mind and my dreams for a long time. Now you're here holding my hands while the world rushes on around us. Kissing you isn't strange when it feels so right." Hannah didn't let him finish as she threw her arms around his neck and put her mouth to his. She had never kissed anyone, but she wanted it more than anything else when he said such sweet words. The sparks that filled their bodies were overwhelming.
Vance was surprised when Hannah reacted the way she did. He expected her to shyly give him a peck. He hadn't kissed a woman before because you usually had to talk to them before you kissed them. However, he didn't hesitate to move his mouth against Hannah's. He put his arms around her and held her against him. When she opened her mouth, and he felt her tongue on his lips, he moaned and opened his mouth. Their tongues clumsily explored each other for the first time. When they pulled apart, they kept holding on to each other while they caught their breath. Vance put his forehead against hers.
"To answer your question, yes, I'll have dinner with you, but I'm buying." He couldn't believe the woman he'd been hoping he would get up the nerve to talk to was in his arms, kissing him. Maybe he was dreaming. In that case, he hoped he wouldn't wake up.
Hannah smiled up at him as they shared another softer kiss. She hoped when she told him about being a panther, he would take it well. After kissing him, one thing was certain. She already needed him.
