To Live and To Love (Black Wolf Agency Book 1) (11 page)

Before Kate and James left for the restaurant, James decided to give his mother in Florida a call and let her know about the engagement. He assumed now would be a good time to call.

“Hi, mom,” said James in response to his mother’s friendly ‘hello’.

“Oh, hi, dear!” she said in her Brooklyn accent. “How have you been? You know, you should give me a call more often. I always wonder what you’re up to. How has life been treating you?”

“Very well, actually,” he said, and she could practically hear him smiling over the phone; he sounded so happy.

“What’s her name?” His mother knew him too well.

“Her name is Kate. You’d love her, mom. She’s amazing. In fact, that’s actually why I called you. I don’t have a lot of time to talk now, because we are on our way to dinner, but I promise I’ll call again soon. I just wanted to let you know, Kate and I are engaged!”

“WHAT?!” screamed his mother excitedly over the phone. One would have thought she had won the lottery by how shocked and excited she sounded.

“We’re getting married!”

“That’s such wonderful news, son! I’m so happy for you! I can’t wait to meet this girl.”

“Thanks, I’m sure you’ll love her. She’s the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.”

“Well, I had better not keep you from dinner.”

“I’ll call again as soon as we decide on a date for the wedding.”

“I can’t wait. I love you, James.”

“I love you, too, mom.”

James hung up the phone and turned to find Kate standing before him, dressed in an elegant black dress, all ready to leave for their dinner with Yvonne and Charlie. James got ready quickly, and they left to begin their twenty-minute walk to the restaurant.

Kate and James got to the restaurant first, and the waitress seated them at a table for four. Shortly after they were seated, they spotted Yvonne and Charlie walking through the door. James waved to them, getting their attention, and they came over and joined them. He noticed Kate had put her hands under the table to hide her engagement ring.

“Thanks for inviting us to dinner,” said Charlie.

“Yeah, this is nice of you,” said Yvonne happily. “So, how was your trip to France?”

“It was absolutely wonderful,” said Kate blissfully.

“So, did you learn anything while you were there?” Yvonne asked James.

“Yes, actually, I was researching the lifestyle of werewolves,” he answered in a whisper. It was true anyway, even though it was only a small part of the truth.

“Werewolves?” she whispered back. “I know they exist and all; I’ve seen their dark silhouettes in alleys at night, but never got to see one up close before. What did you find out about them?”

“Well, first of all, the
Black Wolf Agency
hasn’t encountered werewolves because they’re not a threat to humans. Their main goal is to protect the human race from vampires.”

“How intriguing! That explains how some of the vampires we were tracking mysteriously disappeared,” replied Yvonne in an excited whisper. Charlie was strangely quiet during this conversation. “What else did you find out?”

“They’re not allergic to silver, like the legend says. They’re also immortal, have complete control of their abilities, and can shape shift at will. In fact, they blend in with humans very well. You might even be sitting next to a couple of them right now, and not even know it.”

Yvonne and Charlie had frightened looks on their faces for a moment. Then she started laughing as she came to the conclusion that he was joking. Charlie laughed as well, though it was a less convincing laugh.

Just then, the waitress arrived at their table to ask them what they’d like to drink. James ordered white wine for he and Kate, while Yvonne and Charlie ordered a couple of margaritas.

James continued the conversation once the waitress left the table, “They’re just like humans, except for the fact that they’re stronger, heal much faster, have a better sense of smell, and have night vision.” James thought he had better leave out the enhanced libido; he was speaking to his aunt after all.

“How is it that you were able to find out so much information about werewolves?” Yvonne asked, barely audible.

“The truth would surprise you,” said Kate.

“And how is it that you know so much?” Yvonne asked Kate with a worried look on her face. Then she turned to James again and said, “You know, James, you better be serious about this girl. You’re supposed to be keeping this stuff a secret.”

“We don’t keep secrets from each other,” James replied, smiling at Kate. “And yes, I’m very serious about her.”

“Besides, I’m the one who told him about the existence of werewolves,” added Kate in a barely audible whisper.

Yvonne and Charlie stared at her, wide-eyed in shock. They wanted to ask her more, but they weren’t sure what to say. A crowded restaurant surely wasn’t the place to finish carrying out that conversation.

“Well, we can talk about this more tomorrow,” James added, wanting to move on to why they had invited them to dinner in the first place. “Kate and I have something very exciting to tell you.”

“What is it?” asked Yvonne, her look of worry replaced by one of excitement.

“We’re getting married!” said Kate excitedly, holding out her hand in front of them to show off her engagement ring.

“Wow, congratulations! That’s great news!” said Yvonne excitedly, eyeing her ring. “And that’s a beautiful ring! Not to mention
huge
! Don’t take out anyone’s eye with that!” They all laughed at her joke, and then the drinks arrived. What perfect timing.

“A toast to the wonderful, soon-to-be-married couple!” said Charlie, as they all held up their glasses and clanged them together.

What a wonderful dinner the four of them had. Kate enjoyed getting to spend time with Yvonne and Charlie. They were such wonderful people. She absolutely adored them.

After they left the restaurant, she and James decided to go for a walk through Central Park. Without feeling the burning thirst in her throat, tonight’s walk through the park was a lot more pleasant than it had been the last time. To add to the already romantic atmosphere the park induced, it started to snow. For as long as Kate could remember, she always loved the snow, especially at nighttime.

They broke into a run while still holding hands. As they ran, Kate enjoyed the refreshing feeling of the snowflakes against her warm face and hands, and the quickening pace of her beating heart.

‘
It feels so great to finally be alive!
’ she smiled at the thought.

They stopped at the same massive oak tree they visited last time and stood there under its branches as they watched the snowfall all around them.

“It’s such a beautiful night,” said James, smiling.

“Yes, it is,” she agreed.

“There’s nothing like a cold, snowy night to cool off a hot-blooded werewolf, is there?” said a familiar voice from nearby.

“Damian?” James said as he and Kate both looked around. They watched as Damian and Devon approached them.

“I see the vampire to werewolf conversion was a success,” he said once they were only a couple of feet away. As the two brothers stood with them, Kate was at ease, because this time, there was no hostility, just two kind men wanting to talk to a couple of friends.

“More like, we could tell by the smell that it was a success,” added Devon with a laugh.

“Yes, it worked perfectly,” she told them. “Not only can I truly be with my soul mate now, but I can finally go out in the sunlight again, and no longer be plagued by the constant blood-lust.”

“Yes, being a vampire must have really sucked,” Damian, laughed. The others chuckled in response. “No pun intended.”

“And here’s the best news of all,” she said, holding out her hand to show them her engagement ring. They gawked at it for a moment in disbelief.

“Wow, that’s a big rock!” said Devon. “It’s a black diamond, right?”

“It sure is,” answered James.

“Wow, so when did this happen?” asked Damian.

“This morning, after I woke up from my conversion,” she smiled.

“Congratulations, you two!” said Damian excitedly. “Did you set a date yet?”

“Not yet, but we decided to have it in about a month,” answered James. They had discussed it earlier and decided that a month was a reasonable amount of time to plan a small wedding. After all, Kate’s friends and family had been gone for centuries and there were only a few people in their lives that were important to them.

“Yes, and actually, we wanted to know if you two would like to come to the wedding,” she said.

“We’d be honored,” said Devon. “But, just curious, why are you inviting us?”

“Earlier, when we were talking about who to invite, it occurred to us that there probably wouldn’t even be a wedding if it weren’t for you guys. Without your help, I’d probably still be a vampire, or possibly dead.”

“Well, anything to help out a good person,” said Damian. “A true vampire at heart never would’ve wanted to become a werewolf. They hate us and loathe the idea of having anything to do with our kind.”

“Well, thank you so much for what you’ve done,” she smiled. James grabbed her left hand and squeezed it lightly, fingering her engagement ring. Then he kissed her cheek softly. She blushed and an even brighter smile spread across her face.

“What’s your address, so we can send you an invitation?” asked James.

“Here, I’ll write it down for you. I’ll even write down my phone number in case you’ll need to ask us anymore questions.” Damian pulled a small notepad and pen out of his pocket, wrote on it, and tore out the sheet to give to James. “That’s the address of our apartment.”

“Thanks, we hope to see you at the wedding,” said James.

“You certainly will.”

“Hey, just wanted to let you guys know, there might be a couple of job openings where I work, if you’re interested,” added James. ‘
A couple more werewolves would make a great addition to the agency,
’ he thought.

“Awesome, we’re definitely interested,” said Devon.

“Yeah, we got laid off recently,” added Damian. “It’s been tough finding work.”

“I’ll check and let you know as soon as I can.”

“Sounds good,” said Damian. “Alright, well, it’s time for us to hit the nightclubs. Maybe we’ll be as lucky as you and find that rare, perfect diamond among the cubic zirconium.” After he said that, he smiled and winked playfully at Kate. She smiled and winked back.

“You’re right. I was extremely lucky to find her,” said James, smiling as he rubbed noses with her. She giggled and snuck a quick kiss before he added, “And, actually, you may find this hard to believe, but Kate and I met in a nightclub. I was the lucky one to spot her sitting alone at the bar and asked her to dance. After that, I believe anything can happen. Good luck and good night, guys. See you at the wedding.”

“See you there,” said Damian once more as he and Devon disappeared into the night.

“What do you say? How about we head home?” James grinned.

“Yes, that sounds wonderful,” she sighed happily, and as she leaned her head on his shoulder, she said, “Home, sweet home.”