Conversion

by S. C. Stephens

Chapter 3 - The Adams Family

 

  I tried to make Friday night come as slowly as possible. I stayed up late Thursday night, once I got home from Teren's. I woke up early and took my time getting ready for work. I drove five miles under the speed limit. I took an inordinately long time lining up the corners whenever I had to staple something. I looked over every page I was researching three times before filing it away. I walked to the Starbucks at lunch for my pick-me-up. I actually held a conversation with Clarice-and that was out of pure desperation.

  But nothing worked, time betrayed me and surged forward at a quicker-than-possible pace, and before I knew it, I was hugging Tracey goodbye, almost willing her to beg me to stay home this weekend for some friend-emergency. But her Friday had been the opposite of mine. Hers had dragged on and on and she briefly returned my hug, before pushing me back and nearly skipping out the door to get ready for her date with Hot Ben. I sighed as I left to go get ready for my date. . . with the whole Adams clan.

  I was stubborn though, and when Teren arrived on my doorstep I sputtered that I wasn't ready, that I hadn't even packed yet, and that I was really sorry, but we were going to be late. Looking casual in faded blue jeans and a layered t-shirt, Teren smiled at my attempt to delay us and phased from my sight with inhuman speed. I blinked at the spot in my small living room, where only three seconds ago he had been. I'd never actually seen him move blurringly fast and I was a little stunned that it was physically possible. I wondered why he moved at regular speed at all. If I could zip around like a human hummingbird, I'd get so much more done during my day.

  When I slowly trudged up my steep steps, he was in my room, zipping up a bag he had lightning-quick packed for me. I sighed at my half-hearted attempt to postpone the inevitable and then grinned. "I need to double-check what you packed. "

  In ten seconds, he rattled off everything he'd put in there as he flopped the bag over his shoulder. He had forgotten nothing. . . even my cosmetics and an extra swimsuit were in there. He did a better job than I would have. He smiled as he headed for my door. I sidestepped in front of it. I had other ways to slow him down. At least I could make it so we'd miss this elusive "dinner" that I still wasn't entirely sure about.

  Teren twisted his lips and cocked his head as he looked at me. "We really should get going, Emma. "

  I put my hands on his chest and bit my lip suggestively. I slowly started running my hands down to his jeans. "What's your hurry?"

  He frowned and slightly shifted his stance. "I told my parents we'd be there in time for dinner. I don't want them waiting for us. "

  I slid my fingers under his waist band and brought them around to the button. I slowly unfastened it and gazed at him with some serious bedroom eyes. "But I want you. . . now. . . "

  He dropped my bag and for the briefest moment, I thought I'd actually won. But then he grabbed my fingers and stopped them from unzipping his jeans. He held them in one hand while he fixed his clothes with the other. "Would you stop trying to delay us? Everything will be fine. "

  I sulked. "I'm not trying to delay us. I'm. . . " I looked up at him from under my brows and half-smiling, gave it one last shot. "I'm incredibly turned on by your. . . speed packing. . . and I want you," I growled in a low voice.

  He smiled at me in an equally seductive manner. "You can have me. . . " he turned me around so I was facing the door and then he lightly pushed me through it, ". . . after dinner. "

  I made an affronted noise and looked over my shoulder at him while I trudged back down the stairs. "I'm not being intimate with you at your parents' place. Consider yourself cut off this weekend, buddy. "

  I turned back to the front and only his laughter answered me. Irritated, I looked over my shoulder again and saw him still chuckling. "What?" I asked, a little bit of heat in my tone.

  "Nothing. . . I'm just trying to picture you telling me no. " His attractive face looked a little smug now.

  I stopped at the bottom stair and he stopped a step behind me. The smugness faded as he frowned. "Come on, Emma, let's go. "

  I half-grinned up at him. "I need to change. "

  He eyed me up and down. "You look fine. You look great. Let's go. "

  My smile widened. "Nope, I want to change out of my work clothes. I'll be just a minute. " I gave him a sweet peck on the cheek as I snuck past him on the narrow stairs. This was one thing he really couldn't deny me and he couldn't rush me either. I took twenty minutes, changing my pantsuit into more comfortable jeans and a fitted top, and what I deemed were appropriate ranch-wear boots. He was sitting on my bottom step, twiddling his thumbs and looking irritated, when I was finished.

  I blew past him on the stairs. "Come on, Teren, we don't want to be late. " He exhaled in a heavy sigh as he followed me out of the house.

  Almost instantly, I realized my error in taking my time getting ready. For one thing, I had not succeeded in causing us to arrive any later. No, the only thing I had succeeded in doing was causing Teren to drive faster. He pushed his little Prius to an alarming speed and, since it apparently was not my day, there was little traffic to deter him and zero cops to slow him down. He made the supposedly 60-mile drive in forty minutes.

  Teren looked over at me with a wide smile as we made the final right turn into their seemingly endless gravel driveway. "I think that's my new personal best. Thank you for pushing me. "

  Ignoring him, I looked out the window at the acre upon acre of long, waving blonde grass and the occasional brown and white cow head, peeking up before poking back down. I had the sudden image of a fanged, black-haired woman draining one of those cows, and shuddered. I looked straight ahead as we passed under a huge, white, wooden arch, boldly bearing the family name in large black letters-ADAMS. My previous cow thought jogged a memory, and in my nervousness I started laughing almost hysterically.

  Teren gave me an odd look, like he thought I was losing it. "You okay?"

  I wiped some tears from my eyes. "Yeah, I just got the name. . . Adams. "

  His expression shifted to blankness. "Yeah?"

  "Your family name is Adams. " I started laughing again.

  He was looking at me like maybe he should have packed a straightjacket, and I laughed even harder. I pointed back at the sign. "The Addams Family. "

  He sighed and shook his head at me as I kept right on laughing. "Oh yeah. . . this should be interesting," he muttered.

  My laughter died down as the bumpy road opened out into a parking area as large as the lot of our local grocery store. He pulled right up to the front of the house, next to a sports car of European design, a black luxury sedan, a simple two-door coupe, and an oversized 4x4 truck. I could only stare in awe, mixed with a trace of horror, at his parents' home. It was massive. It was impressive. It was as close to a castle as modern vampires in California could get.

  The ranch was a couple miles from the base of Mount Diablo, nestled among the rolling foothills. Green trees dotted the valleys between the hills, and tan grass hugged each hill like a second skin. White wooden fences separated different areas of the pastures, and cows of various colors were standing or lying in the fields, enjoying the last minutes of daylight. The drive inclined to the top of one of the larger foothills and the main house sat atop it.

  The house was an interesting mix of ancient and new. The upper half of the walls were white plaster and stucco, and the lower half looked like someone had painstakingly pressed individual river rocks of varying sizes right into the home, creating a perfect wall of stone. The roof was red Spanish tile and gleamed in the fading light of the setting sun. The ranch consisted of three buildings, forming a U-shape around what I would bet money on was the pool in the back. The center dwelling was a huge two-story building that was maybe twice the size of Teren's place. At the top of the home, in the center, the roof was raised, maybe twenty feet above the roof around it. There didn't appear to be anything up there, just an empty space, like a covered patio on top of
the roof, but I swear, if these were medieval times, that was where the belfry would be.

  Huge one hundred-year-old timber, stained in warm honey, supported a thirty foot overhang in front of the main doors, which were also in warm honeyed wood. The two buildings on either side were long and narrow with low, red roofs. The buildings were all connected by covered breezeways with graceful, open arches formed into the sides of the stucco walls. Spacious windows were placed everywhere along the home, the warm light from inside glowing in welcome to us, as if they were trying to calm my nerves along with Teren, who placed his hand upon mine on my lap.

  "Ready?" he asked softly, with a smile on his lips.

  "No. " I shook my head at him and looked back at the intimidating house. "You said your family had a ranch, you didn't say they were the Rockefellers of ranching. "

  He laughed. "I wouldn't exactly go that far, but we do all right. "

  I sighed. "Should we honk or something? It probably takes ten minutes to get to the door. "

  He looked down and smiled. "No. They know I'm here. " He leaned over to me and pointed to the front door. "My mom is pacing the entryway, waiting for us to stop talking out here and come in the house. " He pointed over to a corner of the main house. "My grandmother is in there, finishing up dinner. " He pointed down to what must be a basement level. "My great-grandmother is down there. She'll be up in a few minutes. "

  I stared at him with what had to be the blankest expression on my face. How could he possibly know all that?

  Seeing my face, he explained. "We can all sense each other. Usually, it's just a vague feeling of 'he's in that direction', but the closer we get to each other, the more pronounced it is. While we're staying here, I'll know exactly where they are at all times. "

  I didn't even know what to say to that. "Just when I think you can't get any odder. "

  He laughed. "Yeah. . . inconvenient at times, too. It was impossible to sneak out as a kid, and don't think I didn't try. "

  I laughed with him, my nerves slightly calmed at hearing a childhood anecdote. It made him seem more like me. "What about your dad? Can you sense him?"

  He shrugged. "No. He's pure human, like you, so I have no idea where he is. Knowing him though, he's probably near my mom. They're kind of inseparable. "

  I smiled and squeezed his hand. "Oh, that's so sweet. Still in love after so long together. "

  "Yeah, we vamps tend to. . . stick to what we like. " Smiling, he leaned in to kiss my cheek. "We should go inside and say hi. My mom's about to come out here and get us. "

  I looked back at the door, slightly alarmed. "Oh, can you sense her. . . intentions?"

  Laughing, he moved to open his door. "No, I just know my mom. "

  He opened his door while I stared at the behemoth of a home ahead of me. I felt like I was entranced by the massive, iron banded double doors looming before me. I couldn't stop staring. I couldn't get out of the car. I couldn't move. Teren's hand caressed my cheek and I started, looking up at him standing in front of my now open car door. His eyes were glowing slightly as the sky around us darkened; without the city lights to mask it, the glow was quite perceptible to me, and I felt myself relaxing into the white depths. I stood without realizing it and he took my hand and pulled me away from the car. Still staring into his eyes, in a trancelike state, I calmly followed him up the granite steps that led to the timbered overhang.

  We passed some lights attached to the heavy wooden supports and his eyes returned to normal, their enchanting hold on me momentarily broken. I blinked and looked around at the massive covered entrance to the front doors. Heavy, wooden support beams showed through the underside. There were tiny lights wrapped around them, twinkling in the approaching darkness.

  I stopped walking and looked over at Teren; he was eyeing me with a curious expression. I smacked his arm in irritation. "Don't do that to me. "

  He laughed and backed up a step. "I told you I couldn't turn it off, and it was calming you down, so I just let you feel mellow. Wouldn't you rather have it that way?"

  I smacked his arm again. "No! It's designed to make your prey feel mellow. " I pointed at myself. "I'm not prey. I don't want to mellowly walk into certain death!"

  I clamped my hand over my mouth as I realized that we were only twenty feet or so from the front door-from his mother. His mother with the vampire-acute hearing. He laughed again and grabbed my hand, pulling me the rest of the way to the door.

  He raised his hand to knock, but the doors swung inward before he even had a chance. A blurring flurry of arms and hair encircled him and I stepped away; a surge of fear sliced through me at the suddenness of the movement.

  "Mom," he muttered, sounding very much like an average human guy embarrassed by his mother's over-the-top affections.

  "Sorry. You've just been gone so long and. . . we worry. "

  His mother pulled away from him and I felt my mouth opening in surprise. I took another step away from them and tried to process what I was seeing. She was beautiful, but I had been expecting that-Teren was unbelievably attractive. She had long, black hair that, except for the two pieces in the front braided down the back, flowed around her with a life of its own. Her eyes were the same pale shade of blue as her son's and her skin had the olive tone of someone who didn't quite tan, but spent a lot of time outdoors. She wore deep blue jeans with a green and blue checked button-up shirt tucked into them. She looked very much the picture of a rancher's wife. That wasn't what had me gaping though. It was her face-her flawless, lineless, perfect face. She looked no older than Teren; she could have been his sister and not his mother.

  I suppose it shouldn't have shocked me, given the fact that she was even less human than Teren, but it did. I was sure, as that perfect face turned to regard me, that I looked a lot like a deer caught in headlights. That thought did not thrill me, as I considered how appetizing that look probably was to her. I forced my mouth closed and jerked the corners of my lips up into a tight smile.

  As she pulled away from Teren, an older man approached her from behind. Placing a hand upon her lower back, he reached his other out to Teren. "Hi, Dad," Teren said warmly as he clasped his hand and then gave him a swift hug.

  Teren's dad surprised me too. He was a tall, middle-aged man with dark brown hair, speckled with gray, and intelligent brown eyes. He was attractive in a distinguished way, but he really looked nothing like Teren. It would seem that more than just vampirism was passed along by Teren's mother; Teren looked just like her. Teren's father pulled away from his son and joined his wife in studying me. He was still a big, strong-looking man with a sturdy frame and a mostly-still-fit body, although his stomach had a slight paunchiness to it. He wore faded jeans with a basic blue shirt tucked inside, and a belt buckle the size of my fist. He looked very much the role of a successful rancher.

  The older man and his impossibly young looking wife, waited patiently for Teren, who slipped his arm around my waist and introduced me. "Mom, Dad. . . this is Emma Taylor. Emma, these are my parents, Jack and Alanna. "

  "Hello," I said quietly as they both looked at each other for a second. Then Alanna's arms were around me and she was hugging me tight. She was cool to the touch and a shiver went down my spine. I worried, for just the slightest second, that she was inhaling me and imagining sinking her teeth into the exposed area of my neck. I instantly berated myself for pulling my hair up into a ponytail before we left. I quickly dismissed the concern though. If she was thinking that, I couldn't stop her, but I was pretty sure she wouldn't take it any further than a thought with her son standing right beside her, so, no point in worrying about it.

  Alanna pulled back to gaze at me with that flawless, young face and her pale eyes danced with un-concealable merriment. "We're so happy to meet you, Emma," she gushed, as she clutched my upper arms. She swooshed a hand behind her at the open front doors. "Please come in and make yourself at home. " I murmured a thank you and glanced at Teren; he was beam
ing at me. He nodded his head in encouragement, clapped his dad on the shoulder, and entered the house. His mother wrapped both of her arms around one of mine and ushered me into the house after them.

  It was not the vampiric ranch house I'd been imagining. It was idyllically beautiful-classic, but modern. The large entryway was as big as Teren's living room and the focal point of the room was a marble statue of a naked woman in the center. Looking at it more closely, I could see it wasn't just a statue, it was a fountain, only the water was coming from the woman's eyes and flowing down her body to the basin she was standing in. It was breathtaking.

  Alanna pulled me past it, and I gazed at the numerous paintings of Californian vistas on the walls. Most were rolling hills, or mountain ranges with cattle in the foreground, but the most impressive piece was on the far side of the magnificent statue. It was a huge painting, taking up almost the entire wall, depicting a glorious sunrise, or perhaps it was a sunset? Either way, there was a longing in the painting that pulled at my heartstrings.

  We walked past the painting, following Teren and his father, Jack, as they talked animatedly over something. I thought I heard fishing and baseball, and figured his dad was probably pleased as punch to have a little testosterone back in his house overflowing with women. . . . vampire women.

  Alanna's chilly hand patted my arm. "We have a beautiful room made up for the two of you upstairs. Mom. . . well, Teren's grandmother, is finishing up a wonderful dinner, so I hope you're hungry. " She gave me a charming smile, but I couldn't help but wonder about this dinner again. Did she eat regular food, like her twin-like son? What exactly would they be serving us?

  "Yes, I'm starving. Thank you," I said politely.

  She rubbed my arm again as we walked through a hallway with worn, wooden floors and even more paintings. I was a little disappointed to not see any dark, mythical art. No Bram Stoker reenactments of virgins being devoured by hungry beasts. No bats dangling from high steeples, blood dripping from their tiny fangs. No graveyards drenched in moonlight with a chalky, white hand reaching up out of the grass. No, nothing dark or sinister at all in the decor. It was very warm and friendly and inviting. On second thought. . . I wasn't disappointed at all.

  I was feeling more at ease in this warm home, both because of Teren's musical laughter drifting back to me and Alanna's reassuring pats on my arm, like I was a frightened animal that needed constant encouragement. . . and maybe I did. Then we stepped into the formal dining room. I'd nearly forgotten that I'd only met one of the female vampires in the house. I remembered immediately, when I saw the next one. She was setting the table with fine china, crystal wine goblets and gold silverware, so her back was to me. She knew we were there though, thanks to the odd blood connection that all the Adams vamps seemed to share, and she immediately turned to face us. I felt my jaw drop again.

  She could have been Teren and Alanna's twin sister. . . or would that be triplet? Whatever the technical term, she looked strikingly like Teren and an almost carbon copy of Alanna. She was wearing a long skirt with a neat, white blouse tucked into it, and her long, black hair was done up into a loose bun at the nape of her neck. Her eyes were the exact same shade of blue as the others, her skin, a pale ivory, and her face. . . was young and beautiful and no older than Teren's. I had to remind myself that this woman was his grandmother.

  I forcibly shut my mouth again as Teren walked over. Extraditing me from his mother's grasp, he introduced me to his grandmother. "Gran, this is Emma. Emma, this is my grandmother, Imogen Teren. "

  I blinked at her name and looked back at him. "Teren?"

  He smiled. "When Mom married Dad, the family name changed to Adams. They wanted to keep the old family name alive somehow, to honor my grandfather, so they named me Teren. "

  I smiled at the warmth in that. "Oh, that's really beautiful. " I turned back to Imogen and she gave me a soft hug; her body was as cool to the touch as Alanna's. "Hello," I said as I gently patted her cold back. She seemed no older than me, but for some reason, she had that grandmotherly vibe and I felt almost instantly relaxed in her presence.

  She pulled back and looked at me with her deceptively bright eyes. "Hello, child. We're so happy to meet you. " She looked over at Teren and raised an eyebrow.

  Teren coughed once. "Yes, well. . . she's here now. . . so. . . maybe we could eat. " He looked at the floor and stomped once. "If someone would stop hiding. "

  Instantly, a figure blew into the room. "I was not hiding. It wasn't perfectly dark yet. "

  "It's been dark for three minutes, forty-five seconds and you know that. You were hiding. "

  "I was making an entrance. There's a difference, boy. "

  I think my mouth was scraping the floor. Before me was a one hundred percent, pure vampire and I could feel her very presence across my skin. There was an instinctual warning ringing through every cell in my body to run. I felt like that stupid chicken that Teren had drained in his kitchen. Too dumb to know how dangerous a position it was in, until it was too late. If Teren hadn't come over to put an arm around me, I probably would have bolted, screaming foolishly all the way back to the car. As it was, it took a conscious decision to stay in the room with her. I clutched Teren's arm hard and he looked down and gently squeezed me.

  "Emma, this is my great-grandmother, Halina. Great-Gran this is Emma. " He nudged me a little, like he wanted me to hug her too, but I clung close to his side.

  Halina was also a spitting image of Teren and the others, or I suppose, they were recreations of her, since she was the first. Her jet-black hair was long, well past the middle of her back, and was wild and free around her body. Her eyes were an ice cold blue and her skin was snow white, like it had never seen the light of day. She cocked her head as she regarded me and a slight smile touched her lips, like she was enjoying my obvious unease at her presence. Her body was lithe and graceful as she strolled towards me. She wore a tight, deep blue fitted dress that left none of her curves to the imagination. It was not the sort of thing you'd expect to see on a woman who, if she were human, would probably be approaching the centenarian age. Of course, her face also looked nothing like a woman of her age. She was the youngest looking woman in the room, maybe twenty, if even that. Her deceptive youth did not match the intelligence in her eyes, or the worldliness of her soft smile. As she walked around Teren and me, she lightly trailed a finger along our bodies. Against my will, I shivered at her icy touch.

  "She's a pretty one, Teren. She'll do quite well. "

  I had no idea what she meant by that and I started shivering even more. It was embarrassing how much I was shaking, but I couldn't stop doing it. Teren slipped both his arms around me. "Just ignore her. She's all bark. . . no bite. " He glared at her, as she finished her circle around us.

  She smiled. "No bite?" Her fangs slid instantly into place and I gasped and backed up a step. "I know a few who would disagree. "

  "Mother! That's quite enough. You're scaring her. . . be nice. "

  Halina turned to face her daughter, Imogen. "Fine. " She exaggerated a deep sigh and then turned back to me. "Welcome to our home. We're very happy you're here. " Her tone was polite, even warm, but her fangs were still extended and it kind of spoiled the sincerity of it.

  Swallowing, I forced composure into myself. I was safe, I was perfectly safe. Teren wouldn't let anything happen to me.

  "I'm going to go get our bags. Why don't you have a seat at the table? Mom could get you some wine?" Teren smiled as he let go of me.

  I clutched at him with all the strength I possessed. "What? No. . . stay here. " I lowered my voice to where even I couldn't really hear it. "Don't leave me alone in here with them. "

  "Oh, honey, you're fine here. Don't mind Halina, no one will harm you. " Alanna, obviously having heard my near-imperceptible speech, which meant all the vampires had, came up to me and swept her arms around my shoulders.

  "I'll get you some wine, dear," Imogen added, walking
over to a wall-sized wine rack and picking out a deep red one.

  Halina crossed her pale arms over her chest and leaned against the table, laughing heartily. . . at me. Teren scowled at her and then kissed my forehead. "I'll be back in a minute. You'll be fine," he whispered in my ear, before he kissed it.

  Reluctantly, I watched him leave. I frowned when his father left with him, and not just because the only other pure human had left, but also because, if he was walking with Teren, then Teren couldn't do his super-speedy thing, and at the moment, I'd rather have him back at my side in mere seconds. I could hear their continued joyous conversation down the hall and I gulped as I turned back to where Teren's grandmother was handing me a glass of blood red wine.

  "Thank you, Imogen," I said politely as I immediately took a long draw.

  The young-faced woman patted my arm. "Call me Gran. You're practically family. " The joy on her face was strange to me, but I ignored it as she led me to an intricately carved, solid oak chair at the most impressive oak table I'd ever seen. She plopped me in the chair and went back to the kitchen, which I could see through the archway in the wall separating the two rooms.

  "Would you like anything else, dear?" Alanna asked as she hovered at my side, looking like an anxious hostess eager to calm her spooked guest.

  I smiled at the remembered warmth of her greeting and the sincerity in her excited eyes. "No, I'm fine. Thank you. "

  "All right. I'd better help Mom in the kitchen. " She glanced at Halina, who was casually sliding into the chair directly across from me. "I'll be in the next room if you need anything, sweetheart. " Her voice carried a clear warning to the eldest vampire to behave. Then, with a reassuring pat on my shoulder, Alanna left me alone with the one vampire that kind of freaked me out.

  Halina leaned forward and put her head in her youthful hands. "They worry too much, don't you think?" She smiled, and it pleased me a tad that her fangs were gone. "It's not like I'm going to nibble on you, since Teren's claimed you. " She rolled her eyes. "Like I would do that to my great-grandson. " She gave me a very pointed look. "You're too important, anyway. "

  "Important?" I asked, taken aback by her strange word choice.

  She ignored my question and stretched her hand out to stroke my arm. I made an effort to not jerk my body away from her cold touch. After all, she had just said that she wasn't going to. . . nibble on me. What did she mean by important though? And what exactly did "Teren claimed you" mean? I didn't like the idea of being referred to as property. I had a million questions for this pure vampire in front of me, but not nearly enough wine in my system to ask them. I gulped from my goblet in silence as she regarded me with her timeless blue eyes.

  Our silent stare down lasted until Teren and Jack reentered the room. Halina smiled warmly at Teren, and he cocked an eyebrow at her. She smiled even wider, but said nothing. I scrunched my brow again, feeling like I was missing an entire conversation. Teren turned to me and smiled as he sat beside me.

  "I put our things away. We're in a guest room at the end of the hall upstairs. " He gestured with his head somewhere above us.

  I discreetly looked around, but Halina was having a quiet conversation with Jack, and I figured all the vampires were otherwise occupied. "Are we really allowed to. . . share a bed?" I asked him as softly as I could. Not even my mom would allow that to happen under her roof. Not that she was old fashioned or anything, but still, a certain. . . decorum was expected.

  Before Teren could respond, Halina turned her head and answered me. "We practically insist on it, my dear. "

  Teren shot her a look and she smiled. "You are lovers. . . are you not?"

  I instantly flushed and stared at the table. Teren ignored her and answered my question. "They are okay with us staying together, but if you're uncomfortable, I can sleep in another guest room. "

  "Don't be silly. Of course you two will room together. " His mother beamed at us as she entered the room with his grandmother. "We're not strict on that sort of thing here. You may do. . . whatever you like while you're under our roof. "

  I suddenly wished I'd never brought it up in this house of super-acute hearing. I made a mental note to not bring up any more delicate topics until we were miles away from here.

  Teren cleared his throat and grabbed my hand, looking a little flushed himself. "Okay, now that we've all discussed that. . . "

  His father laughed and clapped Teren's back as he sat at the head of the table, to my left. Imogen sat next to her mother, Halina, across from me. Alanna squeezed my shoulder. "Dinner's ready," she said in a bright voice. My stomach clenched.

  Forcing a calm breath, I pushed back my chair. "Here, let me help you, Alanna. "

  She patted my arm. "You can call me Mom, dear, and you're a guest, you just sit back, relax and let me take care of everything. "

  With one hand, she shoved my chair back under the table and my eyes widened at her strength. "Okay. . . I'll just sit here then. "

  Imogen asked Teren about work, and they pleasantly talked back and forth for a few minutes, with Jack and Halina interjecting now and then. Alanna blurred back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room, bringing out warm platters piled high with mashed potatoes, green beans, broccoli crowns with almond slivers, and lastly, a tray of perfectly just-cooked-enough steaks. I wondered if the steaks were from one of their cows, but then decided that they must be; they seemed the self-sufficient lot. After she blindingly fast brought out salt, pepper and full water glasses, she started preparing plates for everyone.

  I felt a little guilty watching her, knowing that I was perfectly capable of making a plate for myself, but everyone else was letting her serve them without comment or complaint, so I figured it was something she just liked to do. Not wanting to be rude, I kept my mouth shut and waited patiently. It smelled incredible and I prayed my stomach didn't rumble while I waited; even if my gurgling tummy was virtually silent, I knew almost every ear in the room would hear it. Alanna handed her husband a heaping plate of food and gave him a warm kiss.

  "Thank you, dear. "

  Jack started eating his meal while Alanna blurred to Teren's side and started preparing his plate. Her speed made me a little nauseous as she, in record time, set a heaping plate in front of Teren. Alanna gave him a warm kiss on the cheek while rumpling his hair.

  "Thank you, Mom," he said, rolling his eyes as he looked over at me.

  I smiled at his embarrassment while Alanna prepared a plate for me just as blazingly fast. I barely had time to hope she didn't pile my plate as high as the boys', before she was done. She placed a more respectable sized meal in front of me and gave me a quick, cool kiss on the cheek as well.

  "Thank you, Alann. . . Mom. " It felt weird to say that, but she smiled so wide when I did, that I was happy I had. Plus, Teren gave my hand an affectionate squeeze, so I knew it made him happy as well.

  Alanna blurred into the kitchen and I wondered if she'd forgotten something. Teren dug into his food, elbowing me and nodding at my plate. It felt strange to start eating when only half the table had food, so I picked up my fork and waited for Alanna to come back. She returned in a few seconds with a stainless steel coffee carafe. I looked over at Teren, but he was focused on his plate and ignoring his mother; almost studiously ignoring his mother.

  I watched Alanna stop at Halina's side and pour coffee into her glass, which I thought was odd, until I realized that the coffee was red. . . and that it wasn't coffee. Her goblet quickly filled with a thick, steaming, deep-red liquid that could only be blood. My mouth dropped and my stomach tightened. Halina sniffed at it, frowned and then took a large gulp. Alanna filled Imogen's glass next. Imogen smiled warmly at her daughter and took a more reserved sip of her steaming beverage. Alanna then turned to Teren and filled one for him. He finally looked up at her and nodded a brief thanks, making her beam. She poured a glass for herself, and set the carafe down by Halina, before sitting at the foot of the table
, on Teren's right.

  My stomach twisted into a knot. No food then for the vampire women. . . just deep-red plasma that even I could smell. It turned my stomach a bit. I watched Teren eye his still steaming glass. He seemed to be debating whether or not he should drink it with me sitting right beside him. I had no idea if I wanted him to or not. Watching him drain a chicken was one thing, and that had been pretty bloodless. This, watching him down a clear glass of viscous cow blood-and I was really hoping it was from a cow-was quite another thing. He finally cast a quick glance in my direction and reached across his plate for his drink. It did unpleasant things to my already churning stomach, watching him tilt the goblet back to his lips. He took a long draw, swallowing a couple times before pulling the glass away.

  His fangs had extended when the blood hit his mouth, and they were clearly visible as he closed his eyes and made a deep, soft noise-almost a purr. I tore my gaze away from him and finally noticed the other vampires at the table. Every mouth had fangs. Every face looked elated. Every tongue was red. Halina was licking her lips and pouring another glass of warm liquid from the carafe.

  What happened to me next wasn't voluntary. It was pure instinct. Fear surged through my body and I could not stay calmly seated at that table, surrounded by creatures higher up on the food chain than me. A tiny part of my brain knew I wasn't in danger, but every other single impulse in my head was screaming at me to get the hell out of that house! I felt like the dumb, busty chick in the horror flick that runs up the stairs, instead of running outside, but I wasn't going to be the dumb girl any longer. I was getting out of there. I would run the sixty miles home if need be, but I was finally leaving this family of monsters.

  I was just about to bolt for the door, and wondering if I could make it against four super-speedies, when a light touch on my arm startled me; I jumped nearly a foot.

  "I just about peed my pants, the first time I sat down and ate with them. You're doing very well. " I looked over at my saving grace, the only other human in the room and currently, the only other person without fangs-Teren's dad. "What?" I squeaked.

  He nodded over to the vampires curiously watching me. I flinched when Teren grabbed my hand. "It's instinct. . . the desire to run. It's perfectly normal, so don't feel embarrassed. Your body's just telling you that they're dangerous. " He laughed while I tried to swallow with my dry throat. "Which is pretty humorous, since they're all basically giant kitty cats. "

  I gaped at him and then let out a short laugh. The tension eased from me as the knot in my stomach started to loosen and the fear slowly started to leech from my system. Teren put his arm around me and kissed my cheek; his fangs were still out.

  Halina scoffed at Jack. "Kitty cats?" She hissed at him, baring her sharp teeth.

  Jack laughed at her and I stared at him with a surely bewildered look on my face. That was one woman I would never laugh at. "Don't even bother you old bat. You don't scare me anymore. "

  She twisted her lips and pointed a finger at him, while looking at me. "Don't let his bravado fool you. He nearly fainted when he watched how we really feed. " She flicked her crystal glass with her fingernail, making a musical clink. "Not this dainty, eating at the table crap. "

  "Grandma," Alanna scolded her. "Manners. Emma is our guest this weekend and we would like her to visit again sometime. "

  Halina raised her glass in answer and downed it in one long gulp. She immediately smiled, displaying her red-tinted fangs.