Penny's Choice (Book 1 of Penny's Choice Series)

Chapter 10 (To New Beginnings)

Penny felt the smooth satin sheets caressing her bare skin and bolted upright. She was disoriented from all the battles and travelling. She looked next to her and saw Thomas napping. Then everything came rushing back to her, and she slid back under the covers.

"Ya all right?" he asked without even opening his eyes.

"I'm not getting out of bed," she said, grumbling and turning over. Thomas put an arm around her waist and softly kissed her ear.

"I suppose you don't have to get out of bed...ever," he said, kissing down her neck. With each new kiss, a tingle crept down her back. "But I think Paris will miss your fabulous presence."

Penny shot out of bed again. Paris. She forgot they were in Paris. Penny had always dreamed of going to Paris. Actually she would have been happy anywhere in Europe. She had been thrilled when she learned that Thomas had purchased them tickets to Paris. They wouldn't be able to stay long – they would never be able to stay anywhere for long – but even one night in Paris was a dream come true.

"Okay, I'm ready!" she said, hopping out of bed. She felt a grumble in her stomach and suddenly had a craving for an authentic croissant.

"While I may enjoy the view," Thomas said, sitting up in bed, "I think that it would be best if you at least put some underwear on before you went out. We're trying to lay low, remember?"

"Right, and I probably need a shower too," she said as she headed toward the bathroom and took in their surroundings. They were in a suite with lush carpets and beautifully upholstered furniture. Long silky drapes whispered in the open windows. It was as opulent as the Brotherhood sanctuary, but it was much more tasteful and not confusing. She was glad that she could look out onto the streets instead of walls.

The bathroom tickled every fantasy that Penny had ever had. She contemplated taking a long bath in the Jacuzzi, but she decided that she would much rather save that for later with Thomas. Right now, she wanted to hit the streets.

While Penny was in the shower, she heard a knock on the door. She heard Charles in the room and decided that she should probably hurry up. She brushed her teeth, combed out her hair, and slapped some clothes on. Penny was a low maintenance girl.

"Chuck!" she said, walking out of the bathroom. "We did it!"

"We certainly did," he said with a slight smile on his face. "You ready to go?"

"Yep. Thomas, aren't you ready yet?" she asked when she noticed the Thomas was still mostly undressed.

"It's the daytime, Penny," he said. "I can't go out. Besides, you are going to get food and, well, I don't eat real food."

"So, it's just me and Charles for the day?" Penny was a little nervous about spending the day with her now ex-boyfriend.

"Just for a little while," Thomas said, pulling a shirt over his mop of curly hair. "The rest of us will join in a couple hours when it is dark."

"I'm starving, Penny," Charles said, holding his stomach. "I need a pastry!"

Thomas laughed at his brother. "Mmmm, and I need a Frenchman or two," Thomas said, showing off his teeth. Penny realized another reason that Thomas wasn't going to come with them. He needed to eat too. And she didn't really want to be there.

Charles wrinkled his nose in disgust and walked out the door. Thomas kissed Penny on the cheek before she followed Charles out the door.

"I guess we have to get used to living with vampires," Charles said after Penny closed the door.

"Yeah, at least he's trying to be polite about...in a Thomas kind of way," she replied, trying to keep pace with Charles's long legs.

"Charli was not quite so 'polite' as Thomas," Charles said. "But then again, she is my twin... And I must say, I would rather have her here and...never mind... I haven't slept that good since I was separated from her." Even though they were not part of the Brotherhood anymore, or never even really agreed with the policies, it was still hard to accept some of the realities of life with vampires. Penny wondered if Charles would ever actually be able to say that his sister fed on people's blood.

"So you're okay with this?" Penny asked. They hadn't had time to talk since Charles found out that she had left him for Thomas. Penny suspected that was another reason that they had been sent out alone.

"Well... the blood...thing and... and..." he stuttered.

"No, I mean us. Or me and Thomas now," she said and looked into Charles's eyes. The elevator door opened, and they stepped in.

"Oh that. Yeah. I think you are a better fit for Thomas anyway," he replied. "I mean, maybe I'm not completely okay with everything, but we're still stuck together, so the sooner we get over this 'breakup' thing, the better." He pressed the button down to the first floor.

"You would have gotten bored of me anyway," Penny said, staring ahead at the door.

"Well, um, in that way. I have a hard time expressing my feelings, Penny. And, well, I felt very protective of you and couldn't, ya know, tell you...and, so I just mixed them up with romance, and it was stupid. I should have just tried to be your friend from the start, but I've never had a girl who was just a friend."

Penny enjoyed watching Charles wriggle around and try to explain how he was feeling. She had a feeling that this would be the only time that he would ever talk about how he felt. She liked hearing it, but she knew that he was uncomfortable and would just keep rambling until she stopped him.

"Oh, Charles, you're not getting all sappy on me now, are you?" she said and laughed at him as they exited the elevator. The smell of fresh baked French pastries met their noses.

"How about a snack before dinner?" Charles said, abruptly changing the subject.

"Sounds good to me!"

And just like that, Penny started her new life. A life that she felt finally fit her. She had a family that understood her and a support system. She would be on the run probably for the rest of her life, but that didn't matter. She was in Paris, the City of Love, with the people she loved. She was happy.