It’s Funny How Love Starts (IFHLS Book 1)

Alexia’s POV

After our brief meeting with Travis, we had a lot of time to kill and decided best to separate so we wouldn’t cause too much attention. There were many werewolves in town and strolling along with a hunter would cause a commotion for sure. Hunters were able to walk into werewolf communities as long as they didn’t butt into werewolf business but they did if werewolves caused a problem that affected the humans.

“So, what do you want to do?” Zane asked. We had four hours to kill and it was time for lunch. My stomach growled to prove it. Zane laughed. “OK, lunch it is.”

We walked to a nice, fancy little bakery around the corner of the library called Shilla and ordered small pastries, coffee, and a small but delicious looking fruit cake.

“What’s the cake for?” I asked, amused by his choice of food.

“You really don’t know what today is?” Zane laughed at my confusion. “Goodness Alexia. It’s your birthday!”

My birthday. I totally forgot.

Today I was officially seventeen.

With everything going on I hadn’t realized that it was even my birthday. I guess I would never know my true birthday since they faked my pregnancy but this one still counted and I was glad that Zane still remembered.

“Make a wish,” Zane smiled as soon as he lit all seventeen candles. He lit them up so fast I hadn’t even noticed them. If there was an ability for lighting up candles the fastest, it would be him. I smiled at the candles that shone brightly on my cake and I could smell the extinguished fire the match had left to linger.

I giggled, excited and nervous as I closed my eyes, thinking for a wish. I wish that Zane and I will always stick together till the very end I thought before I blew out the candles in one blow.

“I heard that,” he grinned, waving away the fumes from the candles.

“I hope that still counts as a wish since you’re not supposed to tell anyone.” I forgot to shield my thoughts away from everyone which I tended to do a lot.

“You didn’t tell me you thought it but you thought it out so loud I’m pretty sure even Lucas and Jace heard it,” Zane laughed.

“Whatever.” I punched him in the arms playfully. I stuck out my tongue, making a face. “I get to cut the cake.”

The cake Zane had got was just right enough to fill only two people so it was awfully hard to cut it precisely without ruining the cake. In the end, Zane had to take over and cut it evenly for the both of us.

“This has been one heck of a day,” I said, eating a piece of the fluffy cake topped with strawberries and blueberries. It melted in my mouth like heavenly goods.

“Hopefully, luck will be on our side and Travis’ plan will work.” Zane gave me an encouraging smile to let me know that things will be alright. I wanted to believe him but things like that just didn’t work in reality anymore.

“Hopefully,” I repeated, staring off to space.

“Excuse me, may I take this chair?” The voice snapped me back. I looked up to a guy holding an extra chair that belonged to our table.

“Uh, yeah, sure,” I stammered. I couldn’t help but notice his electric green eyes that had a splash of gold in them, making it look like a jewel. His sandy blonde hair was styled upwards, gelled to perfection and his pale skin made him look skinny but still he had a nice build which oddly cancelled the two descriptions. He had his designer boots that looked like they were some type of fashionable army boots and wore jeans with a shirt that was fit for his body type. He topped his outfit with a nice green scarf that brought out his eyes if it hadn’t already.

“Thank you,” he smiled and I noticed a slight British accent. I could tell he had been trying to tame his tongue to sound American but his British accent also made a part of him unique.

“No problem,” I replied.

“My name is Derek by the way,” he said in a friendly tone. “Derek Hainsworth.”

“Well, nice to meet you Derek. I’m Alexia and this is,” I hesitated, about to say brother, “Zane.”

He held out his hand to me and I took it. He had a weird approach but he was friendly and charming enough. Derek frowned but his usual friendly smile came back on and he shook hands with Zane too.

“Well, nice to meet you Alexia and Zane. Thank you again for the chair,” he nodded with thanks before leaving with our chair in tow to a table full of humans. He had the chair out for a girl who smiled lustfully, begging him if they could go back to his place. Ugh. I hated those types of girls. Even from this distance you didn’t need werewolf senses to hear the annoying complaints she was making.

The Derek guy whispered something in her ear and she immediately perked up and sat down with the rest of the humans as if her previous complaints were nothing.

“Why are you still staring at him?” Zane asked and I tore my gaze off of the couple.

“I feel like something’s weird.” I couldn’t tell if it was the couple or just the whole change I was going through. I think I was now accepting the fact of being a Bloodwolf but it did make things physically and mentally easier. “Hey, I think I need a drink. Can you buy me a bottle of water?” I asked Zane.

“Yeah, sure.” Zane got up in line and waited.

I sat there by myself, my thirst now seemed unbearable. I tried drinking more of my coffee but I finished it all. I looked around, panicking on how much I needed water. My throat seemed like it was on fire and it affected my breathing. To anyone, I probably look like a crazy hyperventilating girl.

Zane was in line, looking at the pastries that were on the stand and had his back to me. I spotted a bathroom nearby. The sink would do to quench my thirst.

I got up and ran to the dark hallway that was closed off from the bakery by the walls. The dimly lit lights weren’t a problem finding the sign with a girl on it. I gladly took off in that direction when someone grabbed my arm.

“Is everything OK?” Derek asked. He didn’t show any concern and his face looked tight again as he touched my shoulders.

“I’m just thirsty and Zane’s taking a while buying water so I was going to use the sink instead,” I said the best I could, trying to ignore the burning sensation in my throat. I didn’t need a human to ask what was wrong with me. Hell, everything was wrong with me.

“Water isn’t going to satisfy you.” That was all Derek said before he pinned me against the wall. No one from the bakery could see us now since the wall covered our existence. I tried to scream but he covered my mouth before the sound escaped my lips. The bakery was way too loud for anyone to hear my muffled scream.

“What do you want?” I yelled through my muffled mouth. My throat burned the more I tried talking. Every small movement was like needles pricking my throat.

“You’re a Bloodwolf,” Derek stated. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking by the tone of his voice.

How had he known? What was he? He definitely wasn’t a werewolf.

Derek smiled a little at my confusion, showing his fangs. “I’m a vampire, little Bloodwolf.”

A vampire.