Read Online First & Forever (The Crescent Chronicles Book 4) by Alyssa Rose Ivy - Free Book Online

tried to hear but the only thing I caught was my name.
    She played with her coffee cup. “Maybe.”
    I stopped trying to listen. I’d heard what I needed to. She disconnected and sat up enough to slide her phone in her back pocket. I realized she hadn’t brought a purse with her that night.
    “Jess made it back?” I decided to pretend I hadn’t heard the conversation for myself.
    “Yeah, she just got home.”
    “Anything else going on?”
    “Nope.”
    “Exciting.”
    She flipped her hair back. “Isn’t it?”
    “How’s the coffee?” I made conversation but really I was planning things out in my head. If I was ready to reveal myself, I had to show her. Telling her would probably just leave her thinking I was crazy or just making it up as a joke. Showing her would be easy enough, but how was I going to handle the fall out if she didn’t take it well? Should I give her some space to think about it, or force her to face it head on? I’d be willing to give her space, although I really hoped she’d shock me and accept what I was without a problem. It was a delusional thought, but I clung to it.
    We talked about traveling and other random stuff for a while, and it was only a little before nine thirty when she finished her coffee. She set down her empty cup. “This was actually fun. Thanks, I needed it.”
    “My pleasure. See, giving me a chance wasn’t so bad, was it?”
    “Hey, don’t read too much into it. We had coffee. End of story.”
    “Does it have to be the end?” I looked her straight in the eye.
    “What else do you have in mind?”
    “Want to meet up with my friends? I bet Hailey will come if she knows you are. I think she has a girl crush on you.” Hailey had asked about her at least five times that week. She’d even texted me. That had given Jared a laugh and Owen a heart attack. He was always afraid Hailey would push me too far. I didn’t care.
    “A girl crush? What are you, like three?”
    “No… it’s just funny. She talks about you almost as much as I do.” Had I said that out loud? I guess telling her I talked about her wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. She already knew how I felt.
    “I think she’s pretty cool too. Definitely different from my other friends.”
    “Different is good, right?” If she liked different, I might be okay.
    “It can be.”
    “Are you up for hanging out more?” I asked it as a question, but I wasn’t taking no for an answer. Now that I’d built up the anticipation, I couldn’t back down.
    “Yeah, okay.”
    I led her through the French Quarter, watching her reaction to everything. She might be used to city life, but New Orleans was something altogether different. Although touristy, the Quarter was still a special place, and I was glad she seemed interested in it. If things were going to work between us, she’d have to start calling New Orleans home. Leaving wasn’t an option for me. I was crown prince, and the throne was in the basement of the Crescent City Hotel.
    She stopped short in front of a dark bar on the corner. I smiled when I saw what got her attention.
    “Wow, are those people seriously dressed up as vampires?” Her eyes were glued on a couple of humans who were holding up a chalice and pretending to drink blood.
    I laughed. “If you think those people are weird, you’d be freaked out by the real thing.”
    “The real thing? Very funny.” She started walking again.
    “What, you don’t think vampires are real?” Here it was. How much did she believe in the legends already?
    “No, and I’m glad they aren’t.”
    “Why? Do they scare you?” I stopped and took her arm so I could turn her to look at me.
    “Does the thought of blood sucking monsters scare me? Hell yes. Who wouldn’t be scared of that?”
    I laughed again. Allie was in for one hell of a surprise. “Trust me, sweetheart, in New Orleans, vampires are the least of your worries.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I’m really glad you asked that.”
    Her face paled