Chapter Twenty Five

(Reagan's POV)

'This is what happiness feels like,' I thought as I lie here in bed with Derek next to me in his hotel suite, his arm heavy across my waist. The night was peaceful, the only sound heard was the ocean's crashing waves, and I had nowhere else I wanted to be.

I still had a lot of questions to ask about him being a pureblood. It was still a mystery to me and as far as I know, vampires were cold to the touch and well, he was warm like a human being.

"Dee," I started. "How come your warm and soft to hug? I thought vampires are cold and hard as marble?"

He took on a somber look as he replied. "We are cold to the touch by humans my beloved and no, we aren't solid and hard like marble."

I frowned, still confused. "But you're warm to me."

"I think it has something to do with you being part pureblood," he answered with a bemused look.

I couldn't be too sure but somehow, his speculation could be right. After all, Galerians came to be from a union of an Alerian and a pureblood. It was a close enough to be called as a conclusion so I left it as that.

"So," I began, shifting to another subject. "When did you start...umm...you know..." How was I going to ask about about him being in love with me without sounding cheesy and tacky?

He chuckled in his low baritone. "My sweet, just spit it out."

I bit my lower lip, quite nervous to ask but what the heck. Its do or die. "When did you start to fall in love with me?" There I said it.

He sighed and looked straight into my pale blue eyes. "The time when Alexis came to visit me."

My eyes widened for a fraction. That was the time when they were talking about the wedding. "Really? The day when you guys were talking about the wedding?"I asked.

He nodded. "Yes, that day. Alexis asked me if I was in love with you and I blurted it out without restraint. It was a realization that hit me like a ton of bricks."

I smiled. The feeling was mutual then. "Me too. I cried that day when I realized that I was in love with you."

He reached out to stroke my hair and smiled warmly. "I had no idea you were in love with me." he leaned in to kiss me on the lips. It was quick but sweet altogether. "I guess the feeling was mutual then."

I had to say it was rather uncanny we were thinking alike.

For a moment, I thought about where we stand. Was I his girlfriend or I don't know...I had to be something. We already confessed, kissed and hell, we were cuddling as we speak but I had no idea where we stand and kissing wasn't an automatic assumption that we were together. People had that misconstrued which led to misunderstanding and heartbreak.

"Um, Dee?" I asked, quite hesitant if I should ask or not.

He smiled and replied. "Yes?"

"What am I to you now?"

He looked dumbfounded as I asked that question. "What do mean?"

I averted my gaze to the wall behind him unable to look. "I mean...uh...we confessed...we kissed...umm....you know..." Here I go again being a vague fool.

He chuckled catching on. "Oh that." he said and I blushed at my stupidity. He reached for my chin. " Reagan, look at me."

I didn't do what he asked me to so he asked again. "Look at me." and this time, it was demanding.

Slowly, I returned my gaze back to him as I waited for him to speak. It took him awhile as though contemplating, very intent in finding the right words to say and with a sigh, he asked in his soft voice without breaking eye contact. "Reagan, with all my heart, will you take a chance with me because from tomorrow on when I wake up, I want to say you are mine. So for that, as a man in love with you, please be mine?"

I smiled. All he needed to say was 'will you be my girlfriend' but he really sought out for the right words to say and right now...I was melting like butter. Literally.

Without hesitation, I replied with an audible 'yes'.

He smiled broadly and pulled me closer to him. "Thank you," he said. "I thought you were going to say no."

I chuckled and wrapped my arms around his waist. "For an old vampire, you sure sounded insecure right now."

He pulled away and shrugged. "Who knows, you might change your mind."

I laughed and hugged him again. "Dee, I would never change my mind." I said reassuring him. How could he ever doubt me? He truly didn't gave me credit at all and it slightly hurt my feelings but eventually, time itself would prove that reassurance.

We were silent for awhile, enjoying the closeness. All the awkwardness gone as the sound of crashing waves pierced into the night. After awhile, Derek broke the silence.

"Reagan," he murmured. "I have a question."

I pulled away from him."Yeah?" I asked perplexed."What is it?"

"Do you," he began kissing my cheek. "Like," he kissed my nose.

I giggled. "Like what?"

He smiled and leaned in to give me a long kiss on the lips then pulled away. "Do you like pie?"

Uh, say what?

What kind of a question is that? Was he trying to be funny? The only person I could pinned for being funny and immature was Cooper but Derek? This had to be a twisted version of Twilight Zone.

I was still digesting his peculiar question when all of a sudden, the buffoon guffawed at my puzzled moment. So the cocky centuries old pureblood knew how to 'go with the flow' but it sounded weird. Perturbing even. Maybe his formal and eloquent ways had made it sound off but right now, he was all 'eloquent up my butt' and it wasn't even funny.

"God, I've always wanted to try that line," he chortled."You should have seen your face ma cherie." And he went for another round of laughing like a stupid donkey.

He had completely ruined the mood.I could definitely say Cooper rubbed his immaturity on him.

I huffed and turned my back on him. He was clearly making fun of me. "Yeah, whatever," I muttered with annoyance.

Derek chuckled and scooted closer, tightening his hold on my waist."I'm sorry my sweet," he whispered in my ear."Please forgive this handsome idiotic pureblood."

I turned my head to look at him nose to nose. I'm still not used to this kind of intimacy because for two years, our relationship was purely platonic. We had our share of hugs and sweet familial endearment because we had the same train of thought. We treated each other like family and the confession brought a whole new level of emotion. "Handsome idiotic pureblood," I asked quirking my eyebrows."You really are pushing it."

He laughed through his nose."Well, it's true." he said. "It got you to look at me right?"

I glared at him. I should have known it was just a ploy to get a reaction from me so I gave him a scornful look. "Derek, you're such a...Ugh!" and snapped my head back with a huff.

He sighed and gently turned me around to face him. He looked apologetic and he was pulling an adorable soulful look. His hand was now at the side of my waist rubbing it up and down as it paved my heart into overdrive."I'm sorry." he apologized."I won't make fun of you again."

It was hard to resist the idiot. His soulful look tugged at my heartstrings but I held on to my pride not giving in. If he was going to apologize, he needed to do better than giving me that adorable look though secretly, it was working. The evidence of that was the heavy thumping rhythm of my heart.

"No," I said trying to sound firm and stern.

He smirked knowingly."You forgot I have advanced hearing, " he said smugly. "I can hear the erratic beating of your heart."

Damn it.

Racking my brain for a good comeback, I looked at him scathingly but my body was reacting to his seductive touch on my waist. I felt bothered and umm...I hate to say this but I felt turned on. This couldn't be good.

"Well you heard wrong." I said haughtily though the effect sounded strained. "Maybe its your heart your hearing not mine," Wow, ain't that a peachy smart ass reply, I thought bitterly.

He chuckled, warm and smooth. "Reagan, I'm sorry. I know I ruined the mood. But," he paused smiling. "I can bring it back."

Oh dear. The way he said it made my legs quiver from apprehension. As you can see, Derek was a man who had centuries practice in the art of seduction. In that span of time, I would assume he'd been with countless of women because men were men. It was a irrevocable fact. But, I am no virgin and it would be wrong of me to be prude. As much as I wanted to go further with him, we need to take things slow.

Not only that, the way he touched me was an example of how he could romance to such intensity. That my friend could be dangerous...in a good way.

"H-How?" I stammered.

He looked at me for a long time. He brought the hand that was resting on my hip to my cheek and stroke it with his thumbs. He leaned closer and kissed me deeply.

He pressed the corners of my mouth with his thumbs, opening my lips. I snaked my hands under his shirt as a reflex, feeling his hard sculpted chest and defined abdomen. He pulled me to him with his hand on the back of my neck, and kissed like he was desperate for me.

Never have I encountered a guy who starved for a kiss, just like Derek was now. It was needy and it took the life out of me to be in par with the intensity of his kiss. As he pulled away, a smile graced on his lips. "Did it work?" he asked breathlessly.

I could only nod. Hell yeah it did.

He laughed for a good measure and I didn't mind. I was too dazed from that steamy, hot, son of a bitch of a kiss. I was too out of it to care.

His laughter died down and pulled me back to him, my head buried to his chest while his chin rested on top of my head. "I love you, Reagan," he said like a caress in his tone.

I smiled and sent a telepathic message as a response. I couldn't utter the words out because the moment was too indescribable. Too sweet for words. 'I love you too.'



(Derek's POV)

As soon as she said those words in my mind, she yawned. She was too adorable for her own good. "Let's get some sleep now."I said as I held on to her tighter. I was still grasping at the idea that she was finally mine, my girlfriend. I know, cheesy but I liked the word girlfriend rolled off my tongue.

She shook her head, the stubborn in her surfacing. "But I am not sleepy. I still want to talk to you." and again, she yawned, her eyes drooping.

"Yes you are," I chastised. "We have forever for that. Now sleep."

She perked up a bit when I said the word forever.

"Forever." she whispered softly.

I frowned. Did I say something wrong? Surely I didn't mean for it to sound differently. I looked again to her and asked. "What's wrong ma cherie?"

She looked troubled and and I didn't like that expression on her face. "Dee, when I turned into a full Galerian, will it be okay if I chose to feed on blood so I could be immortal?" she asked and in a whisper she added. "so that I could be with you for eternity." and looked away.

I frowned. All my life, I only wanted what's best for her but this was something that she needs to decide for herself. I needed her to think this through because a life living off blood was something I wished not to have. I wanted to be normal but I was born as a pureblood and I had no choice but to accept it. "My beloved, it is up to you. I can't decide for you because to be honest, being a vampire is not all fun and games. The only thing I can is for you to think this over before you decide. I would be elated with joy if you want to be with me for eternity but who knows what the future would bring. Take your time and I will support your decision." It was the truth, it was her decision not mine. Though she may be mine, she wasn't my property nor a possession. Reagan was her own person.

"I guess you're right," she agreed and I sighed in relief. "maybe I need to think this through."

I smiled. "Okay now let's go to sleep. We will talk in the morning."

She nodded and yawned, her sleepiness back in a vengeance. "Okay..."she buried her head into my chest as I hugged her tight, afraid she would evaporate out of thin air.

I kissed the top of her head and said. "Goodnight, ma cherie."

With a faint whisper, she replied. "Goodnight," She yawned again and her breathing became even.

Amazing. She was out like a light.

I stared at the cylinder which was resting at the nightstand. I hope tomorrow we could figure out how to open that blasted thing and know the key in stopping this prophecy.

With a final sigh, I drifted off to sleep savoring at the warmth of the girl that I love here in my arms.