The Girl He Marked by Laila Callaway novel Chapter 1

Book 1 Chapter 40 We stroll along the promenade, towards the pier, my eyes light up as I see the Ferris wheel and roller coasters.

It reminds me of Santa Monica Pier.

‘Want to go on a few rides?’ He offers and I’m glad he’s not one of those people who is scared to go on rides

‘Yes!’ I reply eagerly and we step onto the wooden boards of the pier. The salty sea breeze hits me square in the face and I couldn’t be happier about it. The smell instantly takes me back to being a kid again and excitement bubbles up in my stomach.

Stopping at the first stand, Eli buys us some cotton candy, which we eat whilst we make our way down the pier. After we have eaten our fill, I lead him towards the waltzers.

A million rotations later and both of us are laughing hysterically, especially when Eli sees my hair after I’ve stepped off. I frantically try to pat it down so I look a little less like a lion who’s just had his mane permed

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‘Want a go? Eli asks, gesturing towards the stall where you have to throw a ball and knock down all the bottles.

‘My aim is pretty bad to be honest,’ I reply honestly and give him a sheepish smile.

‘Well, that’s good because my aim is awesome, he smirks down at me, and I raise an eyebrow in disbe lief.

Prove it, I tell him, and he smiles at me. We go over to the stall, and I step back and watch as Eli pays the stallholder, grabs a ball and lines up his shot. My mouth drops open as he swings his arm and pelts the ball forwards, it hits the bottles with such force that it knocks over every single one.

Bloody supernatural strength.

‘Oh my God, that’s amazing. I gush, and I’m awarded with one of my favorite boyish grins.

‘Here you go, the stallholder hands Eli a giant wolf, funnily enough. We share a knowing glance.

How ironic

‘You have it, I won it for you, he says and as I thank him, he puts his arm around my shoulders, pulling me against his wonderful body as we stroll down to the next stall,

The next ride we choose is the rollercoaster, we wait patiently in the queue and manage to get on in twenty minutes. I grip the bar as it’s pulled down in front of us and turn to see Eli is already looking at me with an indiscernible look on his face.

I hold my breath as we reach the top of the drop and teeter over the edge, in a split second, we fly down, the wind whipping past so quickly I have to shut my eyes. I grip the bar so tightly that I can feel my pulse in my fingers, my stomach feels like it’s dropped to the bottom of my body, and I get a mad sense of

The inclines and drops continue like that, when Eli and I get off we‘re both buzzing off adrenaline and we decide we fancy some fish and chips. We buy our food off one of the vendors and walk to the very end of the pier, where it is deepest in the water with the waves crashing into the pillars below the boards. We sit down on a bench and dig into our food.

What a great day.