Page 84 of Into The Light

“Forever,” Aiden said as Mark and I broke our embrace.

Mark grabbed him and yanked him in for a tight hug. The two embraced for a moment before Mark pulled away and bolted out the door. I could see the shimmer in his eyes when he cast a last look back. Aiden took my hand, and we stood in the doorway and watched the helicopter take off. Mark gave a wave, and I remembered my Uber driver, Jake, and wondered if this is how he felt watching me flutter away.

“Well, it’s just us now.” Aiden squeezed my hand.

“I’m going to miss him.” Laying my head on his shoulder, we watched the helicopter disappear into the sun.

“I need to get a message to an Uber driver and let him know I’m alive. Remind me to do that when we get back from our trip, okay?”

Aiden arched a brow. “Do I need to ask?”

“I’ll tell you on our way to Bora Bora. Are you ready?”

“I’m packed and ready for my first tropical vacation.”

I waggled my eyebrows. “You’re going to love it.”

“Not as much as I love you,” he said.

“Well, obviously.” I giggled and leaned over to give him a kiss.

***

“It’s incredible,” I said, leaning into Aiden’s embrace while our helicopter passed over Mount Otemanu. The green mountain stretched up, towering over the cerulean waters of Bora Bora. The vibrant colors of the ocean collided with the white sand beach stretching around the island. The beauty took my breath away.

“I can see the bungalows.” Aiden pointed to the long dock dotted with the thatched bungalows we would call home for the next two weeks.

“I wonder which one ours is?”

“All of them,” he said, turning to me with a smile.

“What?”

“I rented the whole strip of them. We need our privacy. I don’t want to worry about waking the neighbors.” He winked and pulled me tighter into his body.

“You are something else.” I giggled.

“Was I wrong?” He cast a quizzical glance at me.

Flashes of the past few nights of our torrid lovemaking flickered across my mind and I shook my head and shot him a satisfied smile. “Not wrong at all.”

After our helicopter landed the staff greeted us and we followed them down the long wooden dock to the largest bungalow at the end. We thanked them and stood side by side at the entrance to our private getaway.

“May I?” Aiden asked.

“May you what?”

Without waiting, he swept his arm beneath me and pulled me up against his chest. I tossed my head back and laughed while he carried me over the threshold.

“Amazing.” I gasped. The glass floor suspended over the ocean let in a soft, aqua glow and sent ripples of light from the water flickering across the ceiling and walls. Small colorful fish darted beneath our feet and my stomach flipped from the feeling of being suspended over water.

“Okay, over-the-water-bungalow? This might be your best idea yet,” he said, staring down at the view beneath his feet.

“Pretty fun being human, huh?” I traced a finger across his neck.

“This is definitely not something a vampire would enjoy.”

He carried me across the crystal-clear floor and out onto the private deck that overlooked the ocean and the mountain just off in the distance. An infinity pool stretched out in front of us and reflected the bright sunlight rippling off the soft waves.