Conversion

by S. C. Stephens

Chapter 9 - Lets Try This Again

 

  The Internet became my free time addiction. When Teren and I weren't actively trying to make a baby, I was doing research on how to conceive. We had the basics down, lots and lots of sex-check and check-but I searched out every tip and legend on how to improve my odds. I paid particularly close attention to the old wives' tales, since my boyfriend was sort of a walking folktale. I looked up dozens of medical sites, conception sites, pregnancy calendars, baby names (getting a little ahead of myself), and even various sites on fertility gods-we even sacrificed a chicken to one. Okay, Teren was just making us dinner and took his pre-meal libation, but I swiped a drop of blood from his mouth and made a swirly design on my stomach. Teren immediately licked it off, which led to a playful, baby-making romp on the kitchen floor, so really, I felt like it was successful.

  We tried every tip there was. We tried the best recommended positions, and there were about five, since no one could seem to agree on it. We tried it first thing in the morning, the middle of the afternoon, and right before bed. For a while, we even tried the not moving afterwards for twenty minutes thing. Well, okay, there was no we involved with that one. . . just me. No, he got to go downstairs for a midnight snack, while I hung out, looking like an idiot with my legs up against the wall. Yeah, it was as lame as it sounds. I quickly gave up on that one.

  I tried eating certain foods and avoiding others. I gave up my sweet, yummy afternoon coffee treats. I triple checked his underwear, making sure his clothes were. . . loose enough. Giggling like idiots, we even tried getting completely wasted and having sex in his car, in the driveway, of course. It worked for teenage girls everywhere, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

  We were only slightly over two weeks into it and already Teren was having a great time. He told me on numerous occasions that we should have been trying to have a baby months ago. I rolled my eyes at that, but his comment did bring up some bad feelings. We'd never gone back to his parents' place since "The Weekend. " We'd left so abruptly, and I still felt a bit guilty. There were plenty of back-and-forth conversations with his family though, and I apologized to his mother every chance I got. She always assured me that apologies weren't necessary, and that they were the ones who had been rude, but now that we actually were trying and we had every intention of giving them the heir they craved, I felt like it was the perfect time to go back.

  Teren didn't seem quite so sure. Occasionally on the phone, I'd hear some foreign words being spouted, none too politely, and I'd place a flag in my brain to ask him what he was still arguing about with his mom. If they were bugging him about a baby, then he should just tell them that we were trying. I'd never heard him mention it, but it didn't have to be a secret, on his side of the family at least, so he could certainly tell them. In fact, he probably should, although, I liked the idea of telling them in person.

  When he hung up the phone, and my question was on the very tip of my tongue, he would distract me with that darn capable mouth of his, and I would completely forget about both asking what they were discussing, and demanding that he teach me his secret language. But if I mentioned visiting again, he'd sigh and say, "It went so badly last time. Let's just wait until you're pregnant. " I didn't mention that there was a large possibility that I'd never get pregnant. I wasn't entertaining negative thoughts-that was one of my conception tips. I wasn't sure how positive thinking correlated to my uterus, but I was trying to keep an open mind.

  At work, I'd sneak onto websites when Clarice was busy with Mr. Peterson in his office. Thanks to her revelation on the nature of their relationship, I did not want to think about what they were doing in there. I was researching "Signs that you might be pregnant" (wishful thinking on my part) when Tracey popped her head up. I immediately snapped over to an Excel spreadsheet, but her eyes widened a bit-she'd seen.

  "Oh my God! Are you. . . ?" She pointed to my stomach.

  I flushed all over and crossed my legs, resting my arms protectively over my stomach. "No, no, of course not. Have you heard from Ben?"

  Her face fell immediately. After Hot Ben had made the mistake of professing his love for her, she had indeed come up with a list of reasons why the honeymoon was over. She broke his heart, dumping him cold. I hadn't seen or heard from him since. Tracey never talked about him, but in a move that I had never, ever seen from her before, she didn't talk about anyone else either. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was mourning the loss of him.

  My bringing him up evaporated the embarrassingly obvious website from her mind. With life draining from her face, she ruefully pouted, "No. . . he hasn't called or tried to come over. He didn't even send me flowers. " Tracey was used to a little bit of "take me back" wooing after her guy-dumps. I think the fact that Ben had just seemed to disappear was unnerving her more than she'd anticipated.

  "Well you did dump him, Trace. "

  "I know. . . but he said he loved me. Shouldn't he try? Shouldn't he fight for me?" She tilted her head and I could see tears-actual tears-forming. This was new.

  "Tracey. . . do you love him?" Tracey usually never dwelled on dumped beaus, and she definitely never cried.

  She instantly shook her head. "Of course not. Don't be silly. " She dropped back down to her side of the wall and I thought I heard light crying over the rustle and bustle of office noises. Hmmm. . . very new. Maybe if Hot Ben did show up again, there was hope for them yet.

  Since our weekly habit of going out with Tracey and Ben was now over, Teren and I had been going out with Ashley instead. She loved hanging out with us, and she always had a new vamp-related question for Teren. He answered every question patiently, and nothing was ever off-limits for my sister to ask. She never asked him about turning someone, like, maybe her, which I'll admit, saddened me some. A part of me was hoping that if she asked him directly, with no prompting from me, he wouldn't be able to resist her. I had no desire to become a dark-dwelling creature, but for Ashley. . .

  That evening, we were getting ready for another fun filled outing with my sister. Teren was standing in front of the massive wall of windows in his living room, laughing on his cell phone with a co-worker who had given him four tickets to a Giants game tonight. Good baseball tickets in San Francisco were hard to come by, the stadium frequently sold out, and these seats were really, really good. From what I could overhear of the conversation, his friend was leaving the tickets at will-call. Once he was off the phone, we were going to go pick up Ashley. Since we had an extra ticket, and Mom loved a good game, and a good stadium dog, she was coming with us. We were going to spend this beautiful summer evening watching an all-American game with an all-American vampire.

  Teren was focused on his conversation with Mike, whose name I'd also overheard, when his home phone rang. Looking at the handset resting in its charger on the table beside me, I noticed it was his mom calling and I automatically picked it up. Teren glanced over at me as I whispered, "Your mom. " He nodded as I pressed the talk button.

  "Hello. "

  "Oh, hi, Emma. Is Teren there?" Alanna's warm voice filled my head, and I pictured her leaning against a counter in her massive kitchen, a button-up work shirt tucked into dark blue jeans, her long hair brushing her shoulders, and a huge smile on her beautiful, youthful face.

  I smiled at the image. "Yeah, he's on the phone. Do you want me to let him know you called?"

  She paused. "Actually. . . maybe I could talk to you. " The image in my head changed to a shifty smile, as I heard a slight plotting note in her tone.

  "Sure. . . what's up?"

  "I keep asking Teren to come back out here. Jack misses him so much. We all miss him. . . and you too, of course, dear. " I could hear the warm smile returning in her voice and my mental picture shifted as well. "Anyway, we'd like both of you to come out this weekend. There is something very important that we need to talk to Teren about. "

  I blinked at the intenseness in her voice now. "Of course. . . of course
we can do that. " We actually had important news to tell them as well. I wondered what they needed to talk to Teren about though.

  Her voice got hurried and rushed, like she was really late, for a really important meeting. "Okay, great. We'll see you this weekend. Have a good evening, dear. " And then she hung up the phone.

  I barely had a chance to say "bye" into the now dead line, before Teren was ripping the handset out of my limp fingers. His cell phone was clenched in his other hand and he was staring at me with his mouth open in disbelief. "What did you just do?"

  I looked up at his face, confused. "I. . . have no idea. What did I just do?"

  He sat down beside me on the couch and ran a hand through his hair. "You just agreed to go to my parents' place this weekend. "

  I stared at him as I repeated the conversation in my head. I couldn't be positive, but I was pretty sure those words had never crossed my lips, which meant he had heard his mother talking through the phone, while standing over by the windows, while chatting to Mike. His hearing was astounding. . . as was his lack of privacy. I frowned at him.

  "I was having a private conversation. " I crossed my arms over my chest. He needed to grasp the concept of boundaries, regardless of his super abilities.

  He brushed aside my irritation with a sweep of his hand. "You were talking to my mom. " He looked at me with an intent expression as he sat with his elbows on his knees. "We should have talked about this, before you just agreed to it. "

  I matched his intent look. "They want to talk to you. It sounded important. "

  He shook his head. "I know what they're going to say, and it's not important. "

  I raised an eyebrow and waited for him to fill me in. . . he didn't. I sighed. "Well, we have news for them. " Smiling, I grabbed one of his hands; he was still clutching the home phone with it, like somehow he could undo what I had just done, by squeezing the life out of the handset. "We can tell them we're trying, Teren. Think of how happy that will make them. "

  Sighing, he shook his head. "We're only trying. There's no guarantee. . . "

  "They won't care, Teren. Just trying will give them hope. . . think of it. " The sullen look on his face didn't change and I frowned. "I want to go over there. . . okay?"

  Teren closed his eyes and I could see the resignation in them when they reopened. He exhaled a dramatic breath. "Now you want to go into a vampire nest?"

  I grinned and, removing the tightly held phone from his hand, slipped his arm around me. "Yes. This time. . . yes, I do want to go. "

  He shook his head again. "It's your funeral," he said even more dramatically.

  I kissed him, lingering a bit on his softly smiling lips. "They won't hurt me. . . not since you've claimed me," I murmured between kisses.

  Pulling back, he cocked an eyebrow at me. "I've claimed you?"

  I nodded and bit my lip as I examined this beautiful man beside me, casual and perfect in his just-tight-enough Giants shirt and khaki shorts. I ran my hand down his chest, feeling the life beneath my fingertips as his shirt rose and fell, perhaps, just a touch faster than before. My eyes watched my fingers, of their own accord, trail down his body to rest on the edge of his shorts. They went under his shirt and curled over the inside of his waistband. The skin of his trim waist pulled away from the backs of my fingers as his stomach clenched. Taking the fabric of his shorts with me, my fingers pushed back to find that skin. They trailed back and forth along his warm stomach and his waistband, while my eyes watched them, fascinated.

  "We don't have time to make a baby right now. "

  My eyes snapped back up to his at the sound of his clearly strained voice. His eyes were unfocused, staring at my lips, and his chest was most definitely rising and falling faster. Enjoying his obvious reaction to my touch, I smiled demurely. "I know. "

  He dropped his cell phone and slapped his palm over my hand that was still caressing his stomach. Flattening my fingers against his waist, he said, "Then you really need to stop doing that. "

  I smiled a touch wider, removed my hand from under his, and ran it back up his chest. I brought it up to his cheek and pressed my body along the length of his. "You're so easy. "

  Smiling, he kissed me. The kiss deepened and his hand around my shoulder ran up my neck. A wide variety of erotic options flipped through my head-every place on my body that I suddenly wanted him to touch me, sliding my leg over his and straddling him, hearing every delightful noise that action would elicit from him, running my hands back through his hair and pulling him even tighter, into a scorching kiss. But the image of Mom and Ashley sitting on their couch, waiting for us to make an appearance that would never happen, if what we were doing kept progressing, doused my body with cold water. I couldn't do that to them. They were looking forward to tonight, and Teren and I would have plenty of time, on another occasion, to lose ourselves in each other.

  I broke off from our intense kiss, and was surprised to see that we'd both gotten more carried away than I'd realized; we were both nearly panting. I almost reconsidered with the look on his face. . . but I pushed him back when his lips went for mine again. "We do need to get going. . . "

  He tried for my lips once more, obviously not caring. "Teren. . . Ash is waiting. . . "

  He pulled back, then sighed. "Fine. Aren't I supposed to be mad at you anyway?"

  I grinned, stood, and held out my hand to help him up. "You know you can never stay mad at me for long. " I tilted my head and gave him my best innocent look.

  Shaking his head, Teren let me help him up. "Let's go get your mom and Ashley and watch a little baseball, so I can stop thinking about your bare legs wrapped all the way around my waist, while I bite you in a spot that only your skimpiest bikini will hide. " His voice was low and silky smooth.

  I gaped at him with my mouth wide open while he grabbed his phone and his wallet. Trying to remember why we had to leave, I stood there like that for several achingly long seconds. Eventually, it took Teren laughing, grabbing my hand, and pulling me out the door with him to remember. That's right. . . baseball. It had never sounded more boring in all my life, and I loved baseball.

  Teren eyed me pensively throughout the game, and I had the feeling that he was dwelling on this upcoming weekend with his parents. Really, he seemed more nervous about seeing them now than I had been about meeting them for the first time. I wasn't sure why that was. Surely now that we were trying for a child, he had less to worry about from his family?

  Our seats for the game were right along first base in the front row. I could practically see the beads of sweat on the back of the first-basemen's neck, and I had a super close-up view of those incredible pants baseball players wore-truly, those pants were the real reason why a large portion of women even bothered to watch the game. My sister and I were sharing a plate of nachos, while Teren and my mom each had a hot dog. Teren and I sipped our ridiculously expensive beers as the sun sank below the stadium, casting a pinkish glow over the sky. The air was cool, but not cold. The whoosh of the ball met with a resounding crack of the bat, and the cheesy let's-get-the-crowd-riled-up music, blasted out of the speakers spaced around the park. It was the perfect night for baseball.

  Teren was still eyeing me speculatively, when an Arizona Diamondback at the plate, ripped a low-lying foul ball. I had two seconds to realize that no one was going to be able to catch it, and it was coming straight for us. My mom and Ashley noticed as well, and I heard them gasp and shift away in their seats. Teren was still staring at me though, and unfortunately, he was the one that was sitting on the edge of our row, right where the ball was zipping along at what felt like the speed of light. He either noticed my eyes widening or heard the collective gasp of the crowd, or quite possibly, his super accurate hearing heard the crack and calculated the destination of the ball without ever looking, but his head snapped around at the same time that his hand snapped up. But not in front of his face-in front of mine. His fingers curled around the ball, just as I rea
lized that my poor vision hadn't seen its trajectory clearly enough. He had never been the one in danger; my fragile head had been about to be the recipient all along.

  We stared at each other in absolute shock. Warm gratitude flooded my body, but it was instantly drenched with ice-cold panic. My boyfriend had just reached up and snatched a baseball-traveling quite possibly over a hundred miles an hour-out of the air, with one quick glance, barehanded, like it was no more of an effort than plucking a falling maple leaf. To me, it was a neon sign flashing above his head that he wasn't entirely human. I wanted to glance around the stadium and search for stake wielding lunatics, but my eyes were glued on his.

  Eventually, and in actuality it had only been maybe five seconds at most, he doubled over in his chair and clutched his hand, letting the ball roll onto his lap. I sympathetically laid an arm over his shoulder and took a chance at looking over the crowd. Several people around us were eyeing him with either an awed face or a Man that must have hurt face, but no one was giving us the He's a vampire, circle and stake him look.

  I rubbed his back and whispered in his ear, "Are you okay?"

  Groaning and rubbing out his hand, he mumbled, "Yeah, I'm fine. " He kept up his exaggerated pained noises for a couple more seconds, and then straightened and held his hand up to the crowd. There was some applause near us and then everyone relaxed again, seeing that he was okay. My mom and Ashley gushed at what an incredible sight that had been, and my mom remarked that she'd never seen someone move that fast. Ashley winked at her comment and reached over me to squeeze his knee. Teren nodded and smiled at the both of them, and then looked at me and let out a soft sigh.

  "That was too close," he whispered, as he kissed me.

  "You shouldn't have done that. " I said it no more than a faint breeze over my lips, knowing he would hear it.

  He leaned in to whisper in my ear, since I didn't have his perceptibility. "I couldn't just let it hit you. "

  I looked over at him and sternly said, "Don't expose yourself for me. "

  He frowned and leaned into my ear again. "I would stake myself to protect you, and there is nothing you can say to make that truth go away, so will you please stop being all noble and self-sacrificing and just thank me already. "

  I blinked and pulled away to see him grinning a crooked smile at me. I laughed and then leaned in to kiss the hand that had saved me from a world of pain. "Thank you. Did that hurt?"

  He shook his hand out a little and flexed it. "It didn't feel good. Nothing is broken, but I'm going to have a pretty decent bruise tomorrow. " He showed me the edge of his palm, where it was redder than the rest. I wondered for a second if he could smell the blood pooling under his skin. I kissed his injured palm, then leaned back into his shoulder. Still smiling, he twirled his hard-won ball over and over in his other hand.

  "I'll thank you properly later," I murmured. I felt him chuckle and kiss my head and we watched the rest of the game, from our almost too-close seats, in relative peace and quiet.

  We ducked out after the game. A few people did stop him to pat him on the back and tell him what an amazing catch that was. Thankfully, the cameras hadn't been fast enough to record him casually reaching up to snag a ball from in front of my face, or we would have been enduring replay after replay of the event on ESPN. As it was, all they had was a shot of him clutching his hand and then showing it to the crowd. They only played the clip twice and, although it was pretty impressive that someone had caught a ball barehanded like that, he looked completely normal and human in the clip, so we watched it with easy grins on our faces. Well, his grin was easy. . . mine was a little lusty. My vampire looked damn good onscreen. After watching his victorious television debut, we picked up where we left off before leaving for the game, and I thoroughly thanked him for his superhuman abilities.

  Teren seemed in a more upbeat mood when he picked me up the next night to head over to his parents' place. I supposed he'd had a great afternoon, telling his co-workers about his impressive catch. Mike especially, since he would have been the one sitting in that seat last night if he had gone to the game. I wondered how Teren had modified the story to make it seem more human. Turned the straight-line fowl into a lofty pop fly maybe? I'd have to ask him in case anyone asked me. Interesting, how dating a vampire had taught me to corroborate stories.

  He walked through my front door and kissed me, then reached down to pick up my full bags. I had debated having him pack again, since he was so good at it, but after deciding that I could be self-sufficient, I had packed it myself. I was a little surprised that he wanted to head up on a Friday night. With all his hemming and hawing, I thought for sure he'd at least postpone it until Saturday afternoon. But he had an exciting story to tell, and he was looking forward to getting up there now. On the drive over, he started talking about the game, and how eager he was to tell his dad about the catch and show him the deepening bruise on his palm. He'd even brought the ball to give to him. I smiled at the very human response of wanting to make your parent proud of your abilities, even if you were genetically enhanced.

  We bounced down their super-long driveway and I inhaled a deep breath as the mansion that was the Adams Ranch came into view. It was spectacular. My human mind had dulled the memory of it, and now my brain was being scorched by its perfect beauty. The late rays of the sun cast a red glow on the already red tiles, making them gleam like bright red drops of blood. The stark whiteness of the stucco walls further emphasized the crimson roof, and I almost expected that roof to start dripping like a fresh wound. I couldn't help but think how fitting the style of the home was for a group of vampires, what with the bone white and blood red coloring. I swallowed as I remembered that this group of vampires weren't entirely innocent, and weren't entirely giant kitty cats, like Jack had assured me they were. I placed a hand on my stomach. They would never hurt me. I had something they wanted-a willing uterus. And I had something even more important than that to assure my safety. . . Teren's heart. That was most definitely sacred to them.

  Teren put the car in park beside the zippy looking sports car, which had to be Halina's. I could easily picture her in a skintight dress, flying down a pitch-black highway with her wild black hair streaming behind her. Of course, I then had to picture her speeding into the city, to pick up a cute boy or two. . . Not relevant, I reminded myself. I wasn't going to think about that right now.

  My eyes shifted to the meticulously inlaid rocks that formed a perfect line, just below midpoint, all the way along the home. As Teren walked around to my door, I marveled at how perfectly each rock had been chosen and twisted into place, so that it seamlessly created a natural looking wall. I laughed to myself. A wall of stone to protect the vampires sleeping inside. . . just like a real medieval castle. I was smiling at that thought as Teren pulled me from my seat. His eyes were softly glowing in the darkness of the parking area, in the cleanness of the non-light polluted country air, but I didn't feel the pull that I had felt the last time we were here. I kissed his cheek and clutched his hand, turning away from those engaging eyes. I was willing to follow him anywhere. . . no creepy, hypnotic light needed.

  We walked under the massive overhang in front of the solid looking front doors, and I grinned at the merrily twinkling lights strung up under the eaves of the huge timbers. That was a feminine touch. Alanna's hand probably; she had exquisite taste. We reached the doors just as they swung open. Alanna embraced her son at human speed, her arms wrapping around him and her head resting on his shoulder. Teren was not surprised in the slightest at her perfect timing, and he wouldn't be, what with that quaint blood connection that they shared. He would have known exactly where in the house she'd been waiting, where all of them were waiting.

  I watched mother and son with a soft smile on my lips that eventually shifted into shock. Alanna's face was turned towards me and her pale eyes were shut, as she enjoyed having her son near her again. But what had me startled, was the small river of blood escapin
g the corner of her inner eye. It wasn't like the blood that had run down my leg when my knee had been sliced open. It was thinner, pinker, like it was diluted with water or some other substance. It didn't look like she was injured. It looked like she was crying-tears of blood. I supposed that worked with the whole vampire thing, but it was still pretty shocking to see. Teren didn't cry a whole lot, but I wondered if that would happen to him, once he changed.

  Alanna pulled back to gaze at him. "We've missed you, son. "

  Teren sighed and ran a thumb over her tear, wiping it away. "Don't cry, Mom. Everything's fine. "

  Alanna nodded and detached from him. Straightening herself, she brushed away the bloody tears and turned to face me. With a beaming smile, she embraced me just as tightly as she had Teren. "Thank you for getting him here," she whispered. I knew Teren had heard her comment, but the whispering clearly conveyed her emotion, and I warmly returned her squeeze.

  Jack was behind Alanna and greeted us congenially after she stepped away. He clapped Teren on the back as they went over to get our bags from the car. While the boys grabbed our things, I could hear Teren going into the excitement of the game with his father. Here was the only male he could really boast with, without changing one single thing about the story. By the look on his face, and the tone of his voice, I could tell it was a relief for him to talk about it without having to hold anything back. I again wondered why we didn't visit more often.

  Alanna herded me into the house. As we walked past the sun portrait that had so moved me the last time I'd been here, I pointed it out to her. "That sunrise painting sure is beautiful. "

  Alanna paused and looked at it, almost as if my saying something had reminded her that it was there. She took her fingers and lightly trailed them down the canvas. A heavy sigh escaped her. "It's a sunset. " Her voice was low and soft and filled with sympathy. "Halina painted this. It was the last sunset she ever saw. The last beautiful thing she ever saw. . . right before she was changed. "

  I stared at it again, in awe. The meticulous brush strokes, the layer upon layer of color, the perfect recapturing of the glorious beauty of light. It could have been painted by any of the Renaissance masters, but it was painted by a forever nineteen vampire. A vampire, who as Teren once told me, longed for the sun daily. I tried to imagine what she had been like as a young, pregnant human wife, watching her final sunset, committing it to memory, not even realizing at the time that it would be the last one she ever saw. The picture was so vastly different from the sultry, laughing hunter that I'd met before, that I almost couldn't envision it. But that human woman was in Halina somewhere, and it had painted this masterpiece, and the longing in it tore my heart.

  "It's all right, dear. " Alanna placed a cool arm around my shoulder and stroked it. I realized I'd started to cry and, embarrassed, brushed aside the few tears. Alanna only smiled at me and led me into the kitchen, where she said her mom was just finishing up dinner, so she hoped I was hungry. I smiled-she'd said almost the exact same thing the last time I'd been here.

  Imogen greeted me the moment my feet touched the stone tiles of the kitchen floor. She swept me into a cool embrace and I forcefully blocked the knowledge that I now had of her past hunting experience from my head. She was still the sweet, grandmotherly figure that I remembered from my first encounter, and I just couldn't see her any other way. She pulled back from her embrace to look at me and regret marked her youthful features.

  "I'm so sorry about the last time you were here, dear. That was so unconscionably rude of me. I should never have meddled in your private affairs. " Her pale eyes flicked over to Alanna's and I wondered if she'd been coached on what to say to me.

  I genuinely smiled back at her, knowing it didn't matter anymore. Teren and I were trying to give them what they, and me, wanted, and soon, they would all know that. "Thank you, Imogen. "

  "Gran, dear. . . we are all still family, hopefully. "

  I hugged her again. "Of course. " She stepped back and ran her cool hands up and down my arms before squeezing them.

  "Quite the love fest going on up here. "

  I startled from Imogen's embrace as Halina soundlessly breezed into the room; it suddenly felt half its size. The sun must have completely set while I'd been reuniting with Alanna and her mother. Halina cocked her youthful head at me, her thick, black hair following her movement. I couldn't stop flicking my eyes over her body; she was wearing a skintight, blood red dress with black thigh-high boots. She looked vastly out of place at a ranch, more like she should be dancing atop some table at a London hotspot. She was so different in style from Imogen's skirts and loosely swept up hair, and Alanna's jeans and button-up work shirts that I began wondering if her being one hundred percent vampire had altered her behavior, or if she had just been a repressed wild child in her human youth. It was still so hard to believe that this creature before me had painted that great beauty behind me.

  "I see the human came back. " She leaned back against the counter, grinning at me with a crooked smile. She looked over at me with such a calm look of self-assurance that a chill went through me. I might be off-limits to Halina, but she apparently was not on an all-animal diet and that sickened me a bit. I would need to double-check with Teren that my friends and family were also taken off of Halina's menu. In fact, if she could leave all of San Francisco alone, I would sleep much better at night.

  "Good evening, Halina," I said, as respectfully as I could. Halina was the only one who never tried to alter what I called her. I don't think the words "Great-Gran" could have escaped my lips in her presence anyway.

  Suddenly, all of the women smiled and turned as one to the doorway. I frowned, wondering what they were doing, until a second later, when Teren entered the kitchen with his father. He warmly gave his grandmother and great-grandmother a hug while Jack, twirling the baseball in his fingers and grinning broadly at his son, relayed the story to his wife. Alanna slung her arms around her husband and listened, engrossed in his story, along with the other women in the room. I watched the multiple sets of pale eyes as Jack was talking, and wondered if they had heard Teren telling this story to him outside, and they were listening purely out of respect. I wasn't quite sure how incredible their hearing was, but from all I had seen so far, it was very impressive.

  Jack finished his story and they all turned to Teren with soft eyes and light chuckles. All except Halina, who still had her arms slung around his waist. She looked up at Teren with clear disapproval on her face. "You could have been exposed. " Her frown deepened as she glanced at me. "Nothing is worth you being shown to the world. " She looked back at his face and, for the first time, I saw true fear in her eyes. It startled me and a tiny flow of compassion for her trickled into me. Halina searched his face as she continued in a near whisper, "Think of what they'd do to you. "

  Teren smiled down at her and kissed her head. "I'm okay. . . everything is fine. " He rested his head on hers, while she closed her eyes and clutched him tight, looking for all the world like she was scared that those villagers with pitchforks would burst through the front doors at any moment. Teren laid his eyes on mine and smiled widely. "Everything is just fine. "

  After a few more moments of catching up, Alanna ushered everyone into the massive area that they quaintly called a dining room, and we all took our respective seats. Jack took his traditional place at the head of the table with Teren and me on one side and Halina and Imogen on the other. Again, Halina sat directly across from me and eyed me with that half-grin that was so disconcerting. The foot of the table was left open for Alanna, who was busy flitting back and forth between the kitchen and the table, bringing in trays of food.

  I struggled with wanting to help her, but I knew she viewed me as a guest and would only forcefully push me back under the table if I even tried to stand. She was very strong. . . I wasn't even going to bother trying.

  She brought out steaks and my mouth watered at the smell. I noticed that one of the larger
steaks was extremely rare and very bloody. I almost expected it to moo at any moment. I smiled at how well Alanna and Imogen understood Teren. I hadn't heard him tell either woman, but they had known that he now liked his steaks much rarer than he had the last time we were here. I supposed that made sense, since they had both already gone through exactly what Teren was going through now. I grabbed his hand under the table as he hungrily eyed that bloody steak.

  Alanna swished out the rest of the food: roasted red potatoes, sauteed mushrooms and freshly baked dinner rolls, still steaming with just-from-the-oven goodness. She brought out wine and water and loaded up plates for all the humans. Then the carafe came out, and I felt Teren drop my hand. I looked over at him and watched his fangs extend before he had even tasted a drop of the blood we both knew was in there. His mouth opened a touch wider, and with the steak virtually forgotten, his eyes followed the carafe, like suddenly he was a man dying of thirst and that container held his salvation.

  Without a word or a look at him, Alanna poured his goblet first and immediately gave it to him, once again knowing her son's needs. He took it from her hand and drank half of it before stopping. Once he had some in his system, he seemed to come back to who he was and where he was, and turned to look at me. I grabbed his hand under the table again and smiled. He needed this. It was just a part of who he was now, and I could deal with that. He grinned at me with his fangs still extended and finished the rest of his drink. His mother poured him another one before setting the carafe in front of Halina. I could see that Alanna had poured glasses for everyone else while I had been busy watching Teren. Grabbing the one she had poured for herself, she sat at the foot of the table.

  After Teren's second glass, he seemed to relax into his chair. Slowly, he began to dig into his food. It didn't seem to hold the appeal to him that the blood had, and I noted that for future reflection. Imogen asked Teren about work. Alanna asked me about my job. Halina seemed to agree with me that Teren should. . . well, her words were "remove" my boss, but I felt like we were sort of on the same wave length. Jack asked about my family, which led to a lengthy conversation involving my childhood tragedy. I studied Halina's eyes while I relayed the seriousness of my sister's wounds to the room. Much to my dismay, Halina, while engrossed in the story, didn't seem touched enough to offer any vampiric help. The thought didn't even seem to cross her mind as I discreetly watched her. Maybe Teren was right about her refusal to change someone, deserving or not.

  I wrapped up my tale just as dinner was finishing up. Everyone looked full and happy as Alanna flitted to the kitchen to bring out a chocolate cake, for the three of us still on solids. It shocked me a little bit to realize that I hadn't even noticed the women drinking their bloody cocktails. It hadn't unnerved me at all this time. I was getting immune to it already. I tried to see the positive in that thought.

  We dug into the decadent dessert before us and I was pretty sure I was going to gain ten pounds this time. I was also sure that now was as good a time as any to break our news. And honestly, I couldn't contain it any longer. I'd been dying to tell someone for so long and, here I was, seated in a room full of people who would actually be thrilled over the fact that I was trying to have a baby, out of wedlock, with a man I'd only known for four months.

  I cleared my throat and every vampire turned to look at me. Jack noticed that I had their attention and brought his head up from his cake to watch me too. "Um. . . " Teren grabbed my hand under the table and squeezed it, signaling that he knew what I was going to say and that he'd let me tell it first. Okay, he could have been thinking that he was ready to head upstairs to that luxurious bed awaiting us, but I preferred to think he was throwing supportive thoughts my way. "Teren and I are. . . " I glanced over at him and he smiled warmly and nodded-yeah, definitely being supportive. I smiled back then giggled. "Well, we're trying to have a baby. "

  I felt so weird telling the room that we were basically having lots and lots of sex. I felt even weirder when pin-dropping silence followed my statement. Noting the odd absence of sound, I started to swivel my head to take in their faces. I didn't even make it a fraction of an inch to look at Alanna, before I was covered with black hair and cool arms. Three women were hugging me, kissing my head and rubbing my stomach, which was a little odd, since I was pretty sure nothing was in there yet. Halina and Imogen were the most ecstatic with my news. Alanna was happy, but more reserved. I was more than a little uncomfortable with their lavish felicitations, but I didn't try and stop it. I understood what this meant to them, and I let them have their moment.

  Teren laughed at their reaction, causing the whole maelstrom to shift his direction. His mother slung her arms around his neck, while the other two each took a side of his chest. He tried to pat them all at the same time, but it was a near impossibility.

  After a moment, they started shifting between the two of us, offering words of advice, encouragement and congratulations, which, still feeling odd about my personal revelation, made me wonder if they were congratulating me on having tons of sex. The bizarre thought made me laugh and Teren, who could sometimes pick up on my odd observances, laughed with me.

  A calm voice broke through the excited chaos, "Would you three back off now. You'll never get grandkids that way. " Giggling, the women sat back down in their chairs and I looked over at Jack; he was smiling at his son with pride. "Congratulations you two. . . I know you'll have time. " He nodded with encouragement and I could feel tears sting my eyes.

  I'd nearly forgotten that cursed word in my exuberance. Time. The one thing we battled daily. The other women in the room seemed to remember that dreaded word as well, and a layer of sadness laced with tension, filled the room. If we were too late. . . If Teren changed before I could get pregnant. . .

  Nope, no pressure on my uterus at all.

  Alanna broke the sudden unease in the air by clearing her throat and placing a hand on Teren's arm. Sighing, he studied his plate before looking over at her. Her eyes dreadfully sad, she seemed about to speak, but Teren shook his head and set his lips in a hard line. She removed her hand and said nothing.

  Just when I was about to ask what was going on, Alanna stood and started sweeping away our empty dessert plates. I turned to Teren, going to ask him anyway, but he had engaged himself in a conversation with Halina. He asked her to tell me about the painting in the hall. I realized then, that he had heard me ask Alanna about it and he had heard me cry. Darn those vampire ears.

  Halina raised her lips into a soft, sad smile, and instantly she was transformed into a lost, innocent teenager. I began to see what Teren saw when he looked at her-a child, scared, pregnant and unsure of the world. Halina began describing her memories of the very last time she saw the sun, and I openly wept listening to her. The ache in her voice was palpable.

  "My husband and I married at what would now be considered a young age, eighteen, but back then it was common. One of our favorite things to do every evening was watch the sun set. To us, it signaled the end of a long day on our farm. " Her eyes were distant as she lost herself to the memory. "One of our greatest hopes was to fill that farm with a handful of boisterous children. " She glanced at Teren with soft eyes. Returning her gaze to me, she continued. "We would hold hands as we watched the gold, reds, oranges and pinks fill the sky, and we'd talk about our dreams and goals. And as I listened to my husband on that porch, I pictured scores of our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren watching the setting sun with us. It was all I ever wanted. "

  Halina dabbed at her tears with a napkin. Thick, pureblood tears, not the watered-down pink version of Alanna's. She didn't talk of what happened after the sunset. She didn't talk of her beloved husband's death or, in a way, her own. She didn't speak of giving birth while her body changed over and she didn't speak of ending the life of the vampire who had created her. She only spoke of the sun, and how she ached for it, and all that it represented. I was grateful that she didn't speak of the horrors. . . list
ening to her describe that one perfect sunset, was hard enough.

  Teren put his arms around me as I sobbed for her loss. Maybe he was right about my sister.

  Moments later, I made the mistake of yawning, and Alanna insisted that I go upstairs and retire. She'd prepared the same room that we'd used the last time we were here. I tried to tell her I was fine, and I'd like to stay up and talk with them, but my body betrayed me and yawned again. Laughing, she led me to the hallway and gently pushed me down it. I waved goodnight to the room and looked back at Teren, still seated at the table.

  "I'll be up in a minute. You go on ahead. " He smiled and flicked a glance up at his mother and then over to Halina, who was sadly staring at the table. I thought maybe he felt bad for having her bring up a painful subject. Maybe he was going to sit and comfort her a while.

  I smiled at his sweetness and nodded back at him. Alanna kissed me goodnight on the cheek and then turned to stand at the edge of the table beside her husband. No one said anything, and I got the impression that they were all waiting for my heartbeat to be upstairs, and out of earshot. That thought made me want to stay and eavesdrop again, but I already knew that was pointless; they could hear every wet thump, from probably every room in the house. They could probably even smell me.

  I walked down the hall to the foyer and then up one side of the dual staircase. I wondered what was so secretive. Maybe they were just going to discuss some aspects of Halina's life that I'd find. . . unsavory. I really didn't want to hear about her killing anyone. Honestly, I was having a hard time just processing that fact. She had seemed so sweet and innocent while telling her story, but I knew for a fact that she wasn't. She killed. She killed without remorse. I knew it was survival for her, and she certainly was not the only person who had killed before, but I liked to think that most people felt bad about it. It was off-putting to think otherwise.

  Shoving the thought from my head, I opened the massive double doors that led to our honeymoon suite-that was what it looked like, so that was how I thought of it. The massive satin-on-satin bed sparkled in the reflected glow of the lit fireplace. Warm candlelight was wavering from pillars, spaced in groups of three, on nearly every flat surface of the room. I listened for the mood music but didn't hear any.

  I chuckled at his family's never-ending, subtle attempt to get their son lucky. I laughed a little harder at the fact that it never seemed to occur to his family that I'd be on protection from day one, to prevent the very thing that they'd been hoping so badly for. Even if Teren and I had done what they'd wanted us to do the last time we were here, I wouldn't have gotten pregnant. I guess birth control was not something vampires took into consideration. And Teren would certainly have never wanted to tell them about it. They bugged him enough as it was.

  I shook my head at the oddity of it all and shucked off my clothes. There was something in this suite that I had really wanted to try last time, but never got the chance to. I was tired, but I wasn't missing another golden opportunity. Walking into the upscale bathroom, I turned on the jetted tub. I smiled as the warm water flowed through my fingertips. Heaven awaited me. Rummaging through the cupboards, I found a bottle of bubble bath and squeezed out a couple of gloppy drops. Instantly, the water started foaming and sudsing with filmy half circles that refracted the bathroom lights.

  Finding a hair scrunchy, I pulled my long, brown mane into a high ponytail and slipped into the silky smooth water. Shutting off the faucet, I relaxed back into the contoured tub. I sighed and closed my eyes, listening to the water sloshing with my slight movements, the bubbles bursting with tiny pops. The scent of fresh lilacs filled my nose, and the heated water left a slight dampness to my face and hair. It was the most relaxing thing I had ever experienced.

  I was just beginning to be pulled into a satisfying slumber, when a light touch along my cheek brought me around. My water was cooler, although still plenty warm, and a good chunk of the bubbles were gone. I guessed I'd already fallen asleep. I looked up at Teren, sitting on the edge of the tub, cupping my cheek in his strong hand.

  "Hey, sleepy," he whispered.

  I made a satisfied noise and stretched my limbs in response. His eyes tracked the movement of my muscles under the nearly transparent water, and I smiled. "Come join me. . . the water is still warm. " I sloshed my hand through the bath, purposely revealing even more of my body to him.

  Just one edge of his lip curled up and I swear my heart rate increased-I loved that look. He slipped his shirt off and started working on his jeans and my heart definitely sped up-I really loved that. I scooted over in the tub as he slid in beside me. He shifted me, so I was mostly on top of him, and then he relaxed back into the warm bubbles, well, what was left of the bubbles anyway. Twisting, I laced my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. Then I rested my head on his shoulder and snuggled into his warm skin, warmer than the water even. One of his hands rubbed my back, while the other stroked my leg, making tiny waves splash across our skin. I was wrong before-this was the most relaxing thing I'd ever experienced.

  We stayed snuggling in the massive tub, until the water cooled too much for me and I shivered. He noticed immediately and held me tighter. "Ready to get out?" he asked.

  "No. . . " I held up my wrinkled fingers. "But I guess I'd better. "

  Smiling, he shifted me over, so he could stand. I fully appreciated my view while he stepped out of the tub and grabbed us towels. Wrapping one around his waist, he held the other open for me. I stood, shivering a little more in the now comparatively chilly air, and then I stepped into his warm, fluffy towel embrace. I laughed and kissed him as he wrapped the fabric around me.

  He started walking me backwards, through the bathroom door to the bedroom. His kiss deepened with every step and every thought but this warm, half naked man before me, fled my brain. He backed me right up to the bed and, without ever pausing his magnificently talented mouth, he bent down and picked me up.

  With only the slightest break to toss the multiple decorative pillows out of the way, he laid me on the covers and sank down on top of me. His kiss picked up intensity. His tongue flashing along mine did wonderful, tingly things to my insides. His hands began un-wrapping the lush towel from around my body, and my legs twined around his. My hands ran up his bare back to clutch at his hair as a particularly good moan escaped me. Hearing myself made me instantly remember where I was. I gently pushed him back. Breathing heavier, he looked down at me in confusion. "What's wrong?"

  I glanced around the seemingly private room as I struggled to calm my breathing. "I still can't do this here. "

  He understood what I meant. Smiling, he moved in to kiss my neck. "Emma. . . " he murmured against my skin. "They'll be respectful. They like you. "

  I pushed him back again, more forcefully this time. "When I came upstairs. . . what could you hear?"

  Sighing, Teren slumped over to my side. "Well, obviously I heard you run the tub. . . " I raised my eyebrows, knowing that even his dad had probably heard the water surging through the pipes. He exhaled again. "I heard you sigh contently as you sank into the water. . . I heard the bubbles popping. "

  My mouth dropped wide open. His hearing was even better than I thought. "Oh my God! That's why, Teren. "

  He shook his head. "But I was really listening for you. They'll tune us out. Lord knows I've had to. . . "

  I ignored that comment; I did not want to think about what he'd had to endure. I shook my head. "I can't, I'm sorry. . . it's just too weird. It's like they're all in the room with me. " I shrugged my shoulders, hoping he understood. "It's not like I can just ask them to all take a long walk, so I can have sex with their son. "

  He cocked his head as he listened to something I couldn't hear, and then he started laughing. I was confused for half-a-second, until I understood exactly what I had just done. . . what I had just said. I covered my face with both hands, completely embarrassed. "Oh God. . . did I just. . . ?"

  Still laugh
ing, he uncovered my face. "Yeah. . . you just cleared the house. I wouldn't have been quite so blunt, but that worked pretty well. "

  I closed my eyes, mortified. "That super hearing is really annoying. "

  He cringed. "You're telling me. Great-Gran is very. . . friendly with some of her guests. You have no idea what I have had to make myself not listen to. "

  I giggled at the look on his face and then, for the first time here, I completely relaxed into his arms. He finished un-wrapping my towel and then shucked off his own. I watched the glow of candlelight dance across his skin and stared into his pale eyes; they were just faintly glowing.

  "Are you still hungry?" I asked, almost timidly.

  He pulled back and looked at me with burning, passionate eyes. "No, I'm fine. "

  I found that I wasn't. I surprised both him and myself, by what I said next. "Will you bite me anyway?"

  He exhaled and his fangs slid out with his breath. His eyes roamed up and down my body, perhaps looking for the best spot. I didn't care where he did it, just so long as he did. It still surprised me how much I got from the experience. I guess you've never felt real intimacy, until your partner has ingested you.

  Teren seemed unsure where to take the blood from. I brushed the hair off my neck, exposing the vein to him. He held his breath and locked eyes with me. He'd never taken blood from such an exposed spot before. His eyes clearly asked Are you sure? And I was. I wanted that depth. I wanted that intimacy. I wanted his teeth in me. I also started to wonder if something was quite possibly wrong with me.

  "Go ahead. . . I love you. "

  His eyes were overflowing with love and tenderness as he gazed at me. "I love you too. "

  Then he bit me.