(Ava) Gentle lips pressed to my cheek, startling me. 

I jolted and found myself staring into blue-green eyes.

Axel smiled at me. "Ready to go?"

"That depends," I said. "Are you going to actually tell me where we're going?"

Axel had sent word to me with Elizabeth this morning to get ready and meet him out in the courtyard with no further information as to where we might be going or what he had planned.

Needless to say my curiosity was becoming almost unbearable at this point. 

“Nope,” he said cheerfully, popping the “P.” 

I glared at him playfully.

We walked over to where his car was parked, and I whistled in admiration when my eyes landed on the silver Tesla. 

“You like it?” he questioned while opening the door for me.

Do I like it? It’s a fricken Tesla! 

“Of course I like it!” I responded, gaping at him like he was a mad man. 

He chuckled under his breath.

Once the two of us were in the car, we took off. I spent about twenty minutes or so singing along to the radio and periodically whining for him to tell me where we were going.

Then I drifted off to sleep, my head lulling back against the seat. 

It seemed like mere seconds later when I heard his quiet voice.

“Ava," he murmured. "Ava, we’re here.” 

My eyes fluttered open. I blinked a few times, trying to get my vision to focus.

Axel was crouched down outside of the car beside me and his hand was resting on my thigh as if he had been shaking me. A faint blush stained my cheeks at the contact of skin on skin, and he thankfully moved his hand away when he saw me looking. 

I rubbed my nose as the salty smell of the sea filled the air— wait a second…. I jumped out of the car quickly, almost knocking myself and Axel down in the process.

Sure enough, we were parked beside a cabin that basically had the ocean as its backyard.

The crescent moon shone over the dark sea, and the foam of the shore practically glowed in its light. A gentle breeze blew my hair into my face and carried with it the taste of brine. 

“This place is beautiful,” I breathed in genuine awe.

The waves were creeping towards the sand gently and I closed my eyes to enjoy the hum of the low tide. 

A warm hand rested on the small of my back. Axel nudged me forward gently. 

“Let’s get you inside before you freeze to death," he suggested.

He guided me into the homey cabin that was a far cry from the cold elegance of the mansion.

There were large pillows strewn all over the place and fluffy blankets on the comfortable looking couches.

A coffee table sat in the middle of the room-littered with all sorts of snacks and drinks and a remote control for the flat screen TV situated to the left of the fireplace. 

One look at Axel's uncertain expression told me all I needed to know. He'd done this. For me. 

"Surprise," he said hesitantly, his gaze searching my face for a reaction. 

I remained silent, stunned by the effort he'd put in. No one's ever done anything like this to please me before. Not even close.

"We don't have to stay if you don't like it," the prince assured me quickly, no doubt mistaking the reason for my silence. "I know we haven't quite learned each other's likes and dislikes yet, but I just thought I--" 

Axel cut himself off when I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him tight. He smelled of citrus and calmness, cinnamon and comfort. 

"Thank you," I said quietly. "I love it." 

"Really?" 

"Yes, really." 

My face heated up as I kissed him on the cheek, but the dimpled smile he rewarded me with made it worth it. 

I kicked my shoes off and hurried over to the cozy couch. Axel followed me, shrugging his jacket off on his way, tossing it somewhere on the floor behind him. 

Watching him grab a bowl of popcorn off the coffee table, I pulled the blankets up to my chin and snuggled into them. The off-the-shoulder top I was wearing wasn't really ideal for evening sea-side weather.

At least I was wearing leggings instead of one of the usual dresses that Elizabeth forced me into. 

"Cold?" Axel slid in next to me.

I shook my head. 

"What movie are you up for?" He asked.

He threw a piece of popcorn into his mouth, then fed me one because my hands were under the blanket. 

I shrugged. "I haven't really watched that many movies." 

Understatement.

I stopped watching tv completely a few years ago, after Dad broke our tv in one of his drunken rages. It was the third time, and we couldn't afford to buy another. 

Axel looked thoughtful. "Do you like scary stuff?" 

I nodded eagerly. 

He grinned. "Jaws, it is." 

I hit the lights, he set the movie up, then we both poured ourselves some red wine. 

We got about twenty minutes in before I was biting back a laugh.

Scary, he'd said.

This was not scary. 

Nevertheless, I enjoyed myself, mostly because of the food. And the fact that Axel and I were sitting so close. 

Our shoulders kept brushing against each other's and our toes were touching through the socks. We both had our feet on the table, a fluffy blue blanket covering our legs.

He flinched at one point, and I almost spilled the glass of wine in my hands. I chuckled. 

"Hey, isn't this the part where you get scared and start leaning into me?" He joked.

"I think you're more at that stage than I am," I responded. "Don't worry, though. I'll protect you. No big bad sharks will hurt you on my watch." 

Axel laughed so hard he started choking. I got worried for a second before I remembered that he was a vampire and couldn't die of asphyxiation. 

A vampire. 

The reminder made a thought pop into my head. 

"You know," I began, "Come to think about it, vampires are a lot like sharks. Merciless predators who can scent blood and attack with their teeth." 

He went quiet for a bit, his laughter fading away. I didn't notice the somber expression that had taken over his face because my eyes were on the screen.

Then, abruptly, he asked, "Do you hate me for it?" 

I snapped my head towards him. "What?" 

"Do you hate me?" He repeated. "For being a vampire? For choosing you at the ball and dragging you into this world?" 

I started shaking my head before he'd even finished speaking. 

"Axel, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way--" 

"No, you're fine, I know you didn't. I was just..." He swallowed. "I just wanna know." 

"I don't hate you," I reassured him. 

I was shocked that he could even think such a thing. How could I ever hate Axel? Sweet, patient Axel? 

He perked up a bit. "You don't?"

"Of course not." I set my glass down and took his warm hands in mine. "Being with you these past few days... It's the happiest I've been since my mother died." 

I surprised both him and myself by the admission, but it was the truth. I felt wanted and loved and cared for in a way that I hadn't for a long, long time.

His shoulders relaxed like a weight had been lifted off them, and the tension disappeared from his face. 

"If anything," I continued, "I'm grateful to you for picking me. There were hundreds of girls at the ball, and yet, for some reason, you chose me." 

He stared at me incredulously. "You really don't know it, do you?" 

"Know what?" 

"I mean, shit, Ava, you're beautiful," Axel muttered. "The second I saw you, everything else was background noise. I wanted you." 

Beautiful.

I'd never been called beautiful before. 

Girls with flawless makeup, coiffed hair, and perfect figures were beautiful. Me? My face was covered in flour instead of foundation, my hair was in a knot most of the time, and I had a baker's figure.

Although, I suppose right now, in the designer clothes I'd been given from the mansion, the makeup that Elizabeth had put on me... 

I smiled at Axel, not knowing how else to respond. 

Luckily, he didn’t seem to be expecting any words.

He leaned in closer, so close that I could’ve counted each individual eyelash. His fingers came up to trace my cheekbone.

Then it happened. My first kiss. It started off gently, just a brush of his lips against mine, but soon he was pushing my back down onto the couch and aligning his body with my own.

Axel obviously knew what he was doing, his mouth moving smoothly and fluidly, his hand resting carefully on my waist. 

I waited for the butterflies that I'd always heard my neighbors gossip to each other about. The fireworks. The explosions. 

None of it came.

There was only that word in the back of my mind. Taunting me.

Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful.