Conversion

by S. C. Stephens

Chapter 12 - A Camping We Will Go

 

  Monday morning came with me rising alone in my bed. Of course, I'd also gone to sleep alone in my bed. I found I didn't like that nearly as much as I liked falling asleep in Teren's warm arms, his heart thumping against my back. But Teren hadn't been lying about his early morning meeting. He had dropped me off, insisted on helping me with my bag, which I really could have handled by myself, gave me a long, lingering kiss goodbye and then headed home.

  I'd had the momentary, Hmmmm. . . I should drive over there, slip into his house and crawl into his bed while he's sleeping thought, but I had decided that sounded too Fatal Attraction-ish, and stayed put in my cold, lonely bed. Then I'd wondered if Teren and I should just move in together already. The thought made me laugh out loud. Here we were, actively trying to get me pregnant, and I had to wonder if we should live together? Our relationship was so backwards. . . but I kind of loved that it was.

  I thought about my weekend while I brushed my hair for work, and took a minute to examine my neck. It was healed enough that I could pass it off as a rousing make-out session, if anyone asked-and really, who besides Tracey would ask me that at work? I did make sure my hair covered it though. I thought about the fight Teren and I'd had, and the argument he'd had with his mother.

  He'd asked her pointblank to not tell me the details of his conversion and she'd done it anyway. I'd be upset at my mom, too, if she'd done that to me. But we weren't talking about letting some embarrassing childhood memory slip out in conversation, we were talking about the possibility of him killing me or killing someone else. That was worth her betraying his trust. That was something I needed to be aware of.

  As I got dressed, I wondered what I was going to do with that information now. I slipped on my slacks and a lacy camisole and replayed his thirst during the couple of dinners that I had witnessed. Teren had stared at the blood on the table like he wanted to stick his head in the pot and drink it dry. I'd never seen him look quite so foreign, and it had been a little shocking, and possibly even a little frightening. But I had to believe that it was just his body preparing him for the conversion. That he'd calm down about it, once he switched over. I mean, the girls hadn't seemed that affected by the blood on the table. Imogen even sipped hers, like it was a twenty-year-old Scotch. The intenseness of his desire had to be because it was new. It just had to be.

  Because if it wasn't. . .

  I didn't finish that thought. He was in an adjustment period. We would be fine. He assured me of that constantly. I already wasn't thrilled about his "brilliant" plan though. I was supposed to somehow get a dying man to my car, and to the ranch, before he woke up ravenously hungry in the middle of the city. Really? Was I superwoman now? What if it happened at work, and by the time I got there, he'd passed out? Well, okay, technically he'd be dead, but I was thinking of it as him being passed out so I didn't lose my marbles. Was I supposed to secretly drag his limp ass to my car with no one seeing us? And what if someone else found him first? Did I break into the morgue and pop him out of cold storage? There were so many ways his plan could go wrong that my mind was starting to spin. I had to forcefully switch to another train of thought. Hell, I needed to pull into a different station of thought.

  Emptying my brain of conception-reducing worries, I slipped on my jacket. Feeling the wounds on my neck, I fluffed my hair around my shoulders to cover them with the long strands. Teren had sure enjoyed doing that. Personally, I thought the thigh would be more appealing, being a little sexier body part and all, but he'd sure gotten excited over just the memory of biting my neck. I wondered if that was because the artery was so close to the skin. He'd be able to feel it with his lips before he bit down. And being so close, he barely had to bite before he got a nice little stream. I laughed as I grabbed my bag and unburied my keys from inside it. Maybe, like a lot of men, my vampire was just a little lazy, and didn't want to have to work very hard for his meal.

  I was still chuckling over that thought as I walked to my cubicle. A couple of men eyed me on the way to my desk and I rechecked that my hair covered my injuries. The men seemed more focused lower on my body however, and I silently thanked my cleavage-enhancing lacy camisole for distracting their attention. I plodded over to my cozy chair and stuffed my still-full purse in the drawer. Even though, a few weeks ago, I had spent a solid twenty minutes cleaning out the junk that had collected in my favorite large bag, some garbage must have crawled back in already.

  I was considering downsizing to a smaller bag that left me no option for pack-rattery, when Tracey bounded to my cubicle and leaned against a wall. "You are not going to believe the weekend I had," she sighed.

  I shoved my drawer closed and took in the elated expression on her face. The glow in her eyes and the softness of her smile meant only one thing-Tracey had found another love interest. Poor Hot Ben probably had zip of a chance after all. I played my suspicions off with cluelessness though.

  "What happened?" I asked in my most interested voice, while I silently felt bad for her dumped beau.

  She sighed and placed a hand on her heart. "Ben finally called me. "

  I blinked at that. He did?

  "He did?" I immediately asked after the thought.

  She bit her lip. "Yeah. He said he was miserable and missed me and wanted to come over. " She sighed again and gazed at me dreamily. "He was so sweet, Em, and sounded so lost. . . I just couldn't say no. "

  I held back a smirk. Of course. He was the one in misery and she was simply doing him a favor by letting him near her. Couldn't be that she was missing him just as badly. Oh no. I wondered if Tracey would ever take a little closer look at her own feelings.

  Before I could find an appropriate comment to her situation, she continued. "He came over and we talked and had dinner and. . . " Her eyes lost focus for a while, as she reminisced on the remainder of their evening. I was fairly certain it had involved a lot fewer clothes than the evening had started with. She came back to herself and her blue eyes locked onto mine; a serious glint was in them. "I never knew it could be like that with him. It was sort of. . . magical. " She gave me a hopelessly goofy grin and I knew my poor, clueless-about-her-heart friend, had finally felt the first twinge of love for a boy. And it had only taken her twenty-six years and over twice that many boys to do it. Some people just fight against feeling content.

  "I'm so happy for you, Trace. I think you two are really great together. " I matched her lovesick look with one of my own. I was a girl hopelessly in love with a vampire after all. "Teren will be so happy to continue our double dates. He really likes Ben. "

  Tracey started nodding while I was still speaking. "Oh, I know. Ben likes him too. Although. . . "

  A slight panic shot through me. . . had he noticed something? Tracey didn't seem to catch my look and she finished her thought, "Ben swears he saw his eyes glow once. " Shaking her head, she started laughing. "Sometimes, that boy has the strangest imagination. " She glanced at her boss's door and then started walking away, muttering something about glowing eyes and ridiculousness.

  Right. . . imagination. Hmmm. I hoped Hot Ben's imagination never became a problem.

  Ben subbed our kickboxing class that night and, since I hadn't actually seen him in a while, I took a moment to take in his features-black shorts, tight, black shirt that nicely emphasized his chest, bleach blond highlights in his light brown hair, and a chiseled face that was causing quite a stir with a couple of teenage girls in the corner of the room. He looked like same old Hot Ben, but was he different? Had he pieced together anything? It seemed impossible that he had; suspecting that someone you know is a vampire just doesn't happen in real life. I'd need to watch him extra close now, to be sure.

  He got us sweating pretty good in our workout and my mind eventually stopped worrying about it. When class was over he came up to me and I tensed a little, wondering what I'd say if he asked me anything. I planned on laughing and giving him my best Are y
ou mental? face, but when he came up to me, it was only to tell me that I did a good job in class and that he was looking forward to hanging out with Teren and me again. I smiled and relaxed. There was no way he suspected anything even remotely close to the truth about my boyfriend. And I liked Ben. He was good for Tracey. I smiled as I watched them leave the group fitness room hand in hand. They were warmly smiling at each other, even though they were both dripping with sweat.

  I met Teren for dinner afterwards, and he was just as thrilled as me that we'd have dates with Tracey and Ben again. I smiled that my vampire liked my friends. Aside from me, he really didn't seem to hang out with anyone. Occasionally, he'd meet with a coworker for a beer. I'm assuming that was with Mike, since they were close enough for Mike to give him those amazing baseball seats. And occasionally, he'd be on the phone with other friends, talking about a sports game, fishing stories, or an article for work, but he never really went out regularly with other people. Just me.

  It made me a little sad to think that because of his impending doom, he was purposely distancing himself from being close to another person. A really close friend would probably notice his changes afterwards. And the rest of his family did pretty much keep to themselves on their "little" ranch. I suppose it's easier to hide what you are if no one is looking too closely. That made me glad that Teren had me. He'd be so lonely during this scary time if he didn't. And finding a girlfriend after the change would have been a lot more difficult. Maybe. He was darn attractive after all.

  Time sped up in the way that time can when you're happy and content. Teren and I continued our baby making efforts with a near zealotry. Halina was right, we were running out of time. We met with my family and talked over the myriad events that happened to a person over the course of seven days, the things that we could mention at least. My neck wounds had faded away by the time we got together, but I didn't speak of them to my family. Not even to Ashley. That might have stretched even her tolerance level. We went to work every day, we took his pup for long walks at the park, and Teren often made me dinner, usually enjoying his chicken-draining more than the actual meal.

  It was a few weeks after our wonderful weekend at his parents' ranch that Teren and I went on our first double date with Tracey and Hot Ben, since their reconnection. I suggested we go to a nice restaurant that Teren and I had gone to before, down by the wharf. Tracey thought that was a great idea and set it up with Ben. I chose going out to eat, because it was the one activity that we'd no longer be able to do as a group in a few months. Teren's birthday was in November. . . we were already in the first half of September. His days of being able to digest were quickly dwindling. I tried not to think about what else was dwindling. Despite our best efforts, as of last week, in the most obvious way my body could tell me, I still wasn't pregnant.

  We all sat at a white, linen-covered table with a spectacular view of the bay, sipping our wines-two reds, two whites. Ben held Tracey's hand and eventually leaned over to give her a soft kiss. She stroked his hand with her thumb and leaned her head on his shoulder. It made me smile that they'd finally crossed over to the next level of intimacy.

  I grabbed my own man's hand while we chatted about things to go do together: a movie Tracey wanted to go see, a baseball game Ben wanted Teren to get tickets to, a new dance club that was opening up in a couple weeks-standard dating stuff. Then Ben threw out an idea that filled my belly with apprehension.

  He causally tossed it out there as the waiter was walking away with our food orders: Lobster Thermidor for Trace, Salmon and King Crab Roulade for Ben, Duck a l'Orange for me, and for Teren. . . the bloodiest prime rib they could legally serve him, of course.

  "So, you guys want to go camping this weekend?"

  I sputtered on my wine and couldn't answer. While I recovered, Teren chipperly said, "Sure. I love camping. Where do you want to go?"

  I turned my head to discreetly stare at Teren. He'd said once that he liked camping, but, he'd also mentioned that it was hard to disguise his eyes and Ben had already thought he'd seen them once. . .

  "I reserved a spot at Yosemite months ago, and Trace and I are going. There's some really great country over there, once you get away from the city. "

  I cringed at Ben's words, but Teren seemed perfectly relaxed. "Sounds great. I love Yosemite Valley. We could hike up to the Falls. " Then Teren seemed to remember that I existed. He turned his head to me and twisted his lips in question. "Is that okay with you? Do you want to go?"

  That took me back. Was he going to go whether I did or not? Maybe I was wrong about his tendency to only hang out with me. Maybe he just hadn't found the right "bromance. " I forced my features to maturity. "Of course I'll come too. That sounds. . . interesting. " I raised my eyebrow on the end of that and Teren grinned before returning to his wine.

  Tracey perked up from beside Ben. "Oh good. Someone to do girlie things with me while the boys fish. "

  I smiled at her and tried to picture the upcoming weekend. I just couldn't quite get there though. My vampire and I were going camping. My glowing-eyed vampire was going to be one with nature, with his possibly suspecting guy friend and a woman who would scream so loud if she ever found out what he really was, that she'd alert everyone as far south as San Diego to the situation. Interesting indeed.

  I couldn't dwell any longer on it, or secretly whisper to Teren that he was nuts and he shouldn't agree to go, because our appetizers arrived. Oyster shooters. I gave Teren a secretive smile as I took one. Like we needed an aphrodisiac. Like there was any chance he wasn't going to get lucky tonight. Teren noticed my private smile and gave me one right back; he knew full well where our night was headed.

  Not too long after our appetizer arrived, our main courses were brought out. Everyone's meal was topnotch, but I did notice Teren's lack of enthusiasm over his food. The last time we'd come here, he'd devoured his meal, but tonight, he was kind of picking at it. I squeezed his knee under the table in encouragement and he looked over at me with a tiny, unsatisfied smile.

  That was when he started staring.

  It started with just a simple glance at my neck while he lazily ate his prime rib. Then he looked back for a few seconds longer while he took another bite. About two thirds through his meat, he openly stared at the arch of my neck while he chewed. With three or four bites left on his plate, he gave up the pretense of eating and his eyes bored holes into the vein of my neck. If he were Spike, and I was a bacon-flavored rawhide bone, there would have been drool from Teren's mouth to the floor.

  Tracey and Hot Ben were too busy feeding each other from their respective meals to notice Teren's absolute interest in my body. I smacked his thigh, but he wouldn't stop staring. Knowing that he should be able to hear me, I whispered at him to stop it. He was either too preoccupied to listen, or he didn't care. His mouth dropped open and his eyes ran up and down the length of skin from my ear to my shoulder. I suddenly remembered his fangs dropping down at just seeing the carafe at his parents' place, and I got really scared that Teren was going to lose himself to this craving, and expose himself to my easily freak-outable friend.

  I wanted to snap my fingers in front of his face, but that felt too obvious of a maneuver with Tracey and Ben sitting so close. They were still engaged in complimenting each other's meal choices, but really, if one turned our way and saw the look on Teren's face, a look that clearly was saying to me God, I want that so bad, they'd be pretty weirded out.

  I grabbed Teren's hand and gave him a rough yank. That didn't work like I'd planned. He opened his mouth wider and hissed under his breath, bringing his head closer to me. We had already been sitting near each other, both on the same side of the table, chairs touching, but now he was leaning into my shoulder, staring down at my neck. . . and he was starting to breathe heavier.

  Tracey laughed at something Ben had said and started to turn her head to me. With my hand, I covered my neck, as casually as I could, hoping that would break Teren
's focus. "Emma. . . did you hear that?" Tracey turned all the way to look at us and scrunched her brow when she saw Teren. "Is he all right?"

  My heart was thudding so hard I thought it might jump out of my chest. I risked a glance over at Teren; he'd snapped out of it a bit and was focusing on his plate as he tried to breathe steadier. His face was pale, and he almost looked confused.

  I grabbed his hand, making him look up at me. His brow furrowed and he frowned. "Actually, he's feeling a little sick. " I said, looking over at Tracey. "We're gonna go outside for a minute. . . get some fresh air. "

  Tracey's face oozed sympathy as she watched me grab my clutch purse and stand him up. Ben's concerned eyes matched hers. "Hope you feel better, man. "

  Teren lamely nodded while I started walking him through the sea of linen-covered tables. I wondered if he had even heard any of that conversation. . . or anything during dinner. I walked us through the elaborate double doors out of the restaurant, and then looked around for a secluded spot. Across the parking lot I saw an elegantly fenced in area for the garbage receptacle. The gate on the wooden fence was partially open, so I knew it wasn't locked. Looking around for witnesses and not seeing any, I pulled Teren in that direction.

  He hesitated at first, not seeming to understand what we were doing or why, but then he relaxed and let me pull him. He'd either stopped wondering or stopped caring. The glum look on his face didn't leave him, though. I pulled us through the gate and shut it behind us. It was dark with the gate closed and Teren's eyes glowed at me. I used the peace from his gaze to calm my wildly beating heart. He had almost fanged me in front of Tracey and Ben. . . I was pretty sure of that.

  For even more privacy, I moved him to the far side of the dumpster and then I began to hitch up my flowy, knee-length dress. That seemed to break through his melancholy.

  "What are you doing?" he asked, in a thoroughly confused voice.

  I gathered the light, breezy fabric just above my thigh, bunching the material against my purse as I held my leg up to him. "Drink. " My tone implied an order.

  He blinked and started to back away. I grabbed his dress shirt and pulled him closer. "Drink, Teren," I firmly repeated.

  This time, he shook his head and looked around the dark, enclosed area with the large, green container overflowing with rotten seafood and plastic bags of filth. "No, Emma. . . not like this. "

  I grabbed his face and made him look at me. "You are going to attack me in the middle of that restaurant, if you don't get some blood in you. Will you please just drink me now, so we can go back and have dessert without massively freaking out our friends?"

  With a guilty face, he nodded and exhaled a slow breath. I shoved his shoulder down as he bent to one knee. He placed my leg on his shoulder, so he'd have a better angle, and I leaned back against the fence to support my weight. He made a low noise in his throat; the vibrations affected me more than the slight coolness of the approaching fall air. Goose bumps danced across my flesh as I felt the stubble of his jaw brush across my thigh. I ran a hand back through his hair, allowing myself to breath heavier. It was private out here. . . no one would know what we were doing. And if anyone suspected by the noises, even though we were both being pretty quiet, well, I was pretty sure they would expect to see something other than a man dipping into my femoral artery.

  "I shouldn't want this so bad. . . " I heard him mutter, his breath hot against my tender skin.

  I was about to tell him I felt the same way, when his teeth grazed my leg and I felt them extend to fangs. He sank them in without a second's pause and we both groaned a bit. He worked his hands up both legs while I held my dress for him. He took long, deep draws and made groaning, satisfied noises, like he was finally getting what he really wanted. A part of me delighted that I could give him something that pleased him in a way nothing else could. A part of me was worried about how deeply this seemed to please him.

  He took another couple deep draws, and just when I started to feel the tiniest bit faint, he tilted his head and his eyes flashed to mine. I held my breath at the fire I saw burning in the glowing orbs. Bedroom eyes had nothing on sucking-on-your-thigh eyes. I stopped caring about Teren's needs as I stared into those eyes. I stopped caring about Tracey and Hot Ben wondering if he was okay. I stopped caring about a busboy coming out here with a bag of garbage. I stopped caring about anything outside of those blazing, blue eyes, and I started caring about my own needs.

  Dropping my purse with a dull thud to the concrete, I grabbed Teren's face and yanked him off my thigh. He came freely, blood dripping off his chin, a warm trickle of it running down my leg. He usually licked the wounds closed, but I hadn't exactly left him the option. I pulled his face up to mine, not caring about the blood on his tongue, his fangs in my mouth. . . only needing him.

  His hands scrunched my flimsy dress up to my waist and then ripped down my underwear. My hands made short work of his belt and slacks. We were both panting as we took our passion for each other to a whole new level.

  Pushing me up against the fence, Teren held my bloody thigh at an angle and moved into me. I clamped my mouth shut to contain the moan I wanted to make, while Teren let out a satisfied noise that I hoped no one heard.

  Squeezing my thigh with one hand, my dress being held against my hip with the other, Teren thrust into me over and over. The openness of our location, the strain of not letting myself cry out, the cool air against my skin, all made me reach my peak faster than I would have thought possible.

  I held my breath as euphoria washed through me. My eyes fluttered closed and my head hit the fence behind me. I shuddered and clutched his back as the overwhelming intensity rippled through my body. Teren adjusted his position inside of me, as he drove into me with abandon. A few wild thrusts later had him slowing, stiffening, and then relaxing against me with a deep groan.

  Having sex with a vampire beside a waste bin overflowing with smells that churned my stomach, after letting said vampire drain my leg to near shaking, was definitely right up on the top of my Things I never imagined myself doing list. Teren had opened my world in ways I'd never anticipated.

  After our intense moment, we both clutched each other and tried to calm our breaths. He pulled away from me and licked a smidge of blood from my chin. I closed my eyes and smiled. Then I remembered the trickle down my thigh that I'd felt earlier.

  I exhaled in a grunt. "Great. . . I'm bleeding. "

  Teren fixed his clothes, wiped the blood from his chin and gave me a cocky smile. "Not a problem. "

  He returned to his knee and cleaned the red trail with his tongue, staying on the circular wounds until the bleeding ebbed. I tried to not enjoy it too much. Really, once by this reeking dumpster was enough, and we did have curious friends waiting. But damn if it didn't turn me back on a little bit.

  Teren seemed to understand the look on my face when he was done. "Later, Emma. We do have people waiting. " He handed me my purse, then my silky underwear. Flushing, I slipped them back on. In the faint light that he emitted, I checked my clothes for bloodstains. I appeared to be all clean though. I looked over Teren's clothes as his fangs retracted; his seemed to be clean as well, thank goodness.

  His face was happy and relaxed, and held no trace of the confusion or turmoil he'd shown earlier. I carefully watched him as he took my hand and led me out of that darkened area that we'd just christened. A light smile was on his lips and his eyes had the slightly unfocused look of someone a little tipsy. He walked straight and confidently though; it was just an odd, satisfied look on his face. A look I realized would be painfully obvious to Tracey, when we sat back down with them.

  I stopped him as we started walking back through the parking lot. He turned to look at me, all happy and content like. I frowned. "Can you try and look like you've just been sick. . . not like you've just had sex?" I straightened out his clothes again and rechecked us both for bloodstains in the brighter lights of the lot.

  "
I'll work on it," he chuckled, the look not leaving his face at all. "I'm just so. . . relaxed. "

  I scrunched my brows as I examined his features. "You should give me a heads-up, the next time your urges get that bad. "

  He half-grinned and started pulling me towards the restaurant. "I'll work on that, too. "

  Once inside, I slipped away to the bathroom to see to my leg while Teren went to sit back down. I didn't think it would bleed again; Teren was generally pretty good about making sure my wounds weren't flowing before he left me alone. I liked to think that was out of concern for me, but honestly, it could have been because he didn't want to miss a drop of his liquid diet. Feeling that "better safe than sorry" was a more prudent approach to dating a vampire, I'd started packing Band-Aids in my purse.

  After making sure I was one hundred percent alone, I lifted up my dress and examined the wounds in the gilded mirror. The bite marks were larger than he'd ever made them before. I thought back to the moment and realized that it had hurt more than usual; he hadn't been as gentle as he typically was with me. I'd just been too turned on to care. I sort of cared now, as I ran a finger over the red marks.

  Digging through my purse, I found a bandage and pulled it out. It was just large enough to cover the area. As I was patting it into place the bathroom door opened. I immediately dropped my dress and crumpled the bandage wrapping in my hand.

  Tracey walked through the door, sweeping the room until her eyes met mine. "There you are. Are you okay?"

  I stuck on my fakest smile as I discreetly dropped the bandage wrapper into a nearby garbage. If she had come in just a few moments earlier and seen the fresh wounds. . . "I'm great, Trace. . . just freshening up. "

  She nodded, understanding that feminine need. Taking a second to glance over her own appearance in the mirror, she fluffed out her blonde hair and checked her eyes for stray makeup in the corners. "Okay. . . well, the guys ordered us a Bombe Alaska to share, and they just dropped it off. " She glanced over at me. "You missed the fire show. " A Bombe Alaska was the same as a Baked Alaska, except a ladle of lit brandy was poured over the meringue top of the dessert at the table. It made for a fun little presentation before the flames died out.

  I frowned, genuinely disappointed. "Oh. . . that's my favorite part. " She finished prepping and I asked her, as casually as I could, "How's Teren? He thought he was feeling better, once we got outside. "

  Tracey smiled as she grabbed the door handle. "Oh yeah. . . he seems great. Near elated, I'd say. " She raised an eyebrow at me as she opened the door. "What exactly were you guys doing out there?"

  With the look in her eye, the smirk on her lips and the suggestive tone in her voice, I knew that she knew exactly what we'd been "doing" out there. Well, the tail end of it anyway. I looked away with a soft, embarrassed smile, and she laughed at me as we left the room.

  I thought over our garbage receptacle escapade on the drive home. I thought about the moment before that, at his eagerness while feeding on me. I rewound a bit before that, to him muttering that he shouldn't want it so bad, and then I rewound a little more, to him mentally draining me at the table.

  I cleared my throat. It was loud in the relative quietness of the car. "Um. . . Teren. . . "

  "Yeah," he replied, his voice slightly husky.

  The alluring sound made my pulse quicken, but I forced my head back to my troubling thoughts. "What was that at the restaurant?"

  With a serious expression Teren met and held my eyes. "Well. . . " he looked back to the road, "sometimes, when a man and a woman really love each other, there is just no other way to express it but physically. And sometimes, the overwhelming desire to be together, takes a person over in the oddest places, and you simply cease to care where you are or who's around. " He looked back at me with a wry grin on his lips. "Sometimes urges just need to be filled. " His voice when he said that almost made me grab the wheel and make him pull over. . . but we weren't on the same page.

  "I'm not talking about the sex. . . jackass. " I rolled my eyes while he chuckled, clearly enjoying teasing me. "I'm talking about dinner, when you were staring at me like I was a lamb chop. . . remember?"

  He grinned and looked over to me again. "Oh. . . don't sell yourself short. " His eyes roamed up and down my body, making me feel hot all over. "You're filet mignon, at the very least," he whispered.

  Again, I ignored his attempt to deter me with his evocative talk. "Will you be serious for a moment and answer me?"

  He sighed, and with genuine sincerity on his face, he looked over and whispered, "I don't know, Emma. " His eyes went back to the road. "Food has been. . . " he grimaced, ". . . losing its appeal to me. " He shook his head. "I was eating that steak and thinking about how, if we were at my parents' place, I could have a glass of blood with it. " Just his eyes flicked over to mine. "Then I heard your heartbeat and I saw the vein in your neck quiver. " His eyes went down to that vein in my neck, as he continued in a husky voice. "I started imagining that sweet warmth filling my mouth, rolling over my tongue, coursing down my throat. I pictured my lips on your skin, the groan you would make in my ear. " His eyes raised to meet mine. "I just couldn't care about the steak after that. "

  Well, holy hell. I didn't care about the steak after that little description. I leaned over and started sucking on his earlobe. His mouth fell open in a heavy exhale. "Take me home, Teren. . . quickly," I whispered. His foot slammed down on the accelerator.

  ***

  "Teren, I'm not so sure about this. . . "

  Teren paused in picking up our tent, leaving it on his half circle drive for the moment. "It's just camping, Emma. It will be fine, really. " He effortlessly lifted the tent up with one hand and shoved the heavy bag into his trunk, like it weighed no more than a pillow.

  I scowled at the display. "You can't do stuff like that around them. "

  He rolled his eyes. "I know that, Emma. I have been doing this for twenty-five years, you know. " He indicated the bags and coolers around our feet. "I just don't want to be late, and we've got a lot to pack. "

  "Teren. . . " My tone indicated that I wasn't done disagreeing with him yet. He frowned at me as he picked up a full cooler and breezily put it in the car. "He suspects. How are you going to hide your eyes?" I asked.

  Teren gave me a blank look, then laughed. "Is that what you're worried about? My eyes?" He continued laughing while I scowled again. It really wasn't that funny. . . or preposterous. Ben had seen them glow before, and if he saw them this weekend on our little camping excursion, well, who knows what he'd think?

  Still laughing, Teren said, "Trust me, Emma, he's already written that off to a weird angle, or a flash of stray light. . . or a brain aneurism. " He looked over at me with a wide grin. "He's not suspecting what you think he is. It's not like I was staring deep into his eyes, trying to seduce him or anything," he quipped.

  I twisted my lips at that comment. "Well, even if it was for just a second, he still saw it, and you said it was hard to hide in the countryside-"

  He cut me off by walking over and squatting to look me in the eye. "I was playing with you, Emma. Okay? It will be fine. "

  He kissed me on the cheek as I bit my lip. "But. . . how are you going to hide it?"

  He sighed. "During the day, it obviously won't be a problem. " I already knew that, so I waited for him to continue with an impatient expression. "I will be in front of the fire before it gets dark. I will stay within the firelight until you and I retire for the evening. " He playfully grabbed me and pulled me tight to his body. "And then, I'll glow all night long for you in our tent. Perfectly alone and perfectly safe. . . okay?"

  I tried to find the flaw in that to argue with, but his lips were on mine then, and my argument drifted off my tongue when his brushed against mine. Darn capable kisser.

  Finally, he pulled away from me. "Stop stressing, okay. " He continued packing our car while I kept on stressing. . . in my head.

 
I imagined all the ways this weekend could go wrong. I imagined the innocent, from Ben seeing him lift our impossibly heavy bag one-handed, to the not-so-innocent: Ben walking in on Teren caving to one of his new, primal urges, and sucking my other leg dry. Both seemed equally possible and equally horrific. But I was still coming. I wasn't about to let my vampire go off to possibly expose himself without me.

  Teren finished loading up his Prius, while I watched and worried. Spike, maybe sensing my unease, or maybe just being excited for a road trip, was bounding between Teren and me, circling my legs and licking Teren's arms. After Teren was done loading up our stuff, his fishing pole shoved in last, he bent down and rumpled the fur around his pup's ears.

  "Sorry, pal. . . you can't come this time. " I cocked my head and wondered why, while Teren gave his dog kisses on the nose. Looking over, Teren seemed to understand my curious face. "The park only has certain areas you can take dogs, and we'll all probably go fishing so. . . " he shrugged and stood up, "he'll have to stay home this trip. " He ruffled Spike's head one last time, before grabbing his collar. "I don't think Tracey was too thrilled about a dog coming, anyway. I think she's scared of dogs. " He threw me one last lopsided grin before walking his Collie around his house, to the large indoor/outdoor kennel that he'd built in the backyard for his beloved pooch.

  I chuckled internally at that comment. Tracey was scared of Spike? Teren was ten times more dangerous than that mellow canine. Of course, Tracey didn't realize that, thank God. Teren came back a few moments later without Spike, and I pictured his furry dog finding the fresh rawhide that Teren had left for him, circling a few times on his cozy doggie bed, and burrowing deep into the plush blankets for a long day of bone gnawing-doggie Heaven.

  Teren gave me a peck on the cheek, and then we hopped into his car and started the near four hour drive to Yosemite National Park. Teren called Ben on the way over, to let them know we were headed out. It was early Saturday morning and our hope was to be there before noon. I sipped the espresso Teren had made for us while he calmly chatted with Ben for a few more minutes.

  My stomach was an anxious mess as I thought over Teren's firelight plan. I started at the feeling of his hand dropping to my knee. "You're worrying. "

  I looked over to see his lips curved in an amused smile. "One of us should be, Teren. Sometimes, I think you're too casual with your secret. "

  He frowned. "What would you have me do? Never leave my house? Stay hidden away from the world, so that I never experience any of it?" His eyes drifted back to the road, while his hand went back to the steering wheel. "You're starting to sound like my parents. " He shook his head, a little irritated. "I don't want to be scared of what I am. . . of who might find out. I don't want to spend every day, locked up on a ranch with people just like me. " His eyes shifted back to mine. "I want to live, Emma. I want to experience everything this life has to offer. I don't want to hide. " His hand reached out and he stroked my cheek. "How else would I have met a fascinating, beautiful woman who irritates and enriches me?"

  I grinned and rolled my eyes. I supposed he did have a point. You couldn't really live, if you were always being super cautious. Sometimes risks were warranted. I just wasn't entirely convinced that "camping" was a necessary risk. I forced it to the back of my head. It was Teren's secret. If he was comfortable with this level of exposure, then I guess I would have to be, too. Because really, the last thing I ever wanted to hear him utter again was that I was sounding like his parents.

  I sank back into the seat and enjoyed the beauty of the California countryside as it flew by me. Teren squeezed my knee again, turned up the radio, and relaxed back into his seat as well. This weekend would be fine. This weekend would be fun. . . even if I had to choose to believe that.

  We chatted about his work on the way. His newest assignment of, "The Best Bike Trails in the City, That You Don't Know About", was turning into one of his favorite pieces. We chatted about my work and how Clarice had me prep a tax file for Jon Voight, and I briefly got to see the actor in the hall before he disappeared into Mr. Peterson's office. I told Teren that I'd practically met Brad Pitt, and he looked at me with a peculiar expression. Smiling with enthusiasm, I explained that since he was Angelina Jolie's father and she was with Brad Pitt, then I'd just successfully placed myself in "Six Degrees of Separation" with Brad. Yeah, he rolled his eyes at that too.

  We were talking about what kinds of fish Teren was hoping to catch on the trip, and he assured me that he'd only use his pole to catch them, when we turned a corner through the scenic sequoias and the focal point of Yosemite Valley came into view. Half Dome peak was one of the most recognizable peaks in the world. It could be seen from nearly everywhere in the valley. It looked like Paul Bunyan had walked right up to the mountain and swung his axe, cleaving the top of it in two. Then Mr. Bunyan had strode off with half the tip and left behind a perfect, well, half dome. It was a breathtaking sight.

  A little surprised at how quickly we'd made the long drive, and wondering how fast Teren had pushed his little Prius, I looked around at the thick, green blanket of trees lapping up to the majestic gray peaks that were formed into unique shapes and sizes through eons of erosion and glacial carving. The passage of time deep within the layers of those rocks, made this twenty-five-year-old human girl feel very mortal and insignificant. The entire valley imbued a sense of permanence that was difficult to grasp. Being in this place made you believe that we were all pebbles in a much bigger pond. A pond with infinite edges that we would never fully see or understand. . . nor were we meant to.

  Entering the valley, we drove past what looked like a perfect rectangle of granite, reaching as high as it could towards the Heavens. This particular formation was known as El Capitan, and it was a stopping point for rock climbers from around the world. As we drove miles below it, I imagined I could see tiny humans dangling from seemingly too-thin ropes as they scurried over the dusty surface.

  Teren glanced up with me. "Rock climbing might be fun one day," he casually said.

  I looked back at him with an Are you serious? face. "After you're all super-healy, you can go up there, but you couldn't pay me to go with you. I'd rather not break every bone in my body. . . thanks. "

  He laughed at my comment as we continued driving through the sea of sequoias. Eventually, we pulled into the campground. The trees encroached on our car as we drove under a canopy of the majestic, red-barked monoliths. I could see ragged scratches along some of the trunks, reminding me that we humans, and one vampire, weren't the only inhabitants of the forest.

  We drove over the pine strewn road to a lot in the back, where Ben must have told Teren our reserved space was. Pulling up next to Ben's gray Honda Pilot, we parked and stepped out of the car. The sunlight hazily filtered through the massive limbs high in the air above us, and the distinctive smell of the pine trees, interspersed among the redwoods, hit my nose and made me smile. I glanced over the top of the car at Teren, who had a smile similar to mine plastered on his face. Nature could be so beautiful.

  We walked a few feet into our camp and I smiled at Tracey, who was helping Ben set up their tent. And by helping, I mean she was idly holding a pole in her hand while he figured out which way the X pattern was supposed to line up. Spotting me, she waved, giggled, and dropped the pole. Ben frowned at her while every piece of the tent fell apart. Teren laughed and went over to help him while Tracey came over to me.

  "Cute pants," she exclaimed, as she flicked a pocket flap on my side. I laughed as I looked down at her cargo pants; they were the exact same as mine, only khaki, not sage. Apparently, we had both shopped the same fifty percent off rack at Macy's last week.

  "You too. "

  She adjusted her t-shirt and ran a hand back through her loose hair. "Thanks. Shall we make lunch while the boys work?" She nodded her head back to where the guys were struggling with the tent. I grinned as Ben lost a pole somewhere in the fabric, and the entire half that they'd managed
to erect fell down. Ben ran a hand through his highlighted hair and sighed, while Teren laughed at his misfortune.

  "Yeah. . . good idea. "

  We rummaged through the coolers in the cars and made up some sandwiches for everyone. We found a bag of chips and some sodas, and then packed the coolers into the provided bear-proof food lockers. There was nothing about having our food locked away in a 33x45 inch metal locker that made me feel any better. Just the fact that bears roaming around the campground was so commonplace that they'd felt the need to install these lockers gave me pause. That was a little closer to nature than I wanted to be.

  Coming up behind me, Teren laced his arms around my waist and whispered in my ear, "Don't worry. . . I think I can take a bear. " I looked at him over my shoulder as he opened his mouth and flicked his tongue over his canines. I laughed at the implied gesture, and felt a little better about the situation. No matter what, my pit bull would protect me.

  Turning in his arms, I slung mine around his waist. "I'm sure you could," I whispered. "And what a treat that would be for you-better than a chicken. "

  He laughed at my comment, and I hugged him. Over his shoulder, I could see the successfully raised tent. My eyes slid over to where Teren had also set up our smaller, and more easily put together tent. It was a few feet from Ben and Tracey's and back a bit from the fire ring. Breaking apart from Teren, I searched his eyes. The campground was well shaded with the towering trees around us, and while there was still plenty of light, it wasn't the same as being directly under the sun. I was attuned to Teren's glow, so I clearly saw it in the whites of his eyes, but no one else would notice. . . until nightfall.

  I sighed and he smiled. "It's fine, Emma. . . don't worry. "

  Ben came up behind us and clapped Teren's back. "Worry about what?"

  Teren smiled and casually said, "Bears. "

  I blinked my eyes at him in surprise. It was so easy for him to lie. Although, it wasn't really a lie. I was a little concerned over that, too.

  Hot Ben gave us a glorious smile as Tracey came up and wrapped a hand around his toned stomach. "Don't worry, I've been coming here for years and I've never seen one. It will be fine. " He patted Tracey's hand while he spoke, and I wondered if she'd had the same concerns that I'd had. Knowing Tracey, I was sure she had.

  We contently ate our little lunch. Well, everyone except Teren was content. He eyed his sandwich a little grumpily, and I wondered if maybe we should have found a way to sneak in some blood to keep him satisfied. Oh well, he'd have to deal with it until bedtime. . . then he could get a nibble off me. After our meal, we debated what to do, while we removed all traces of food and put away the rest of our stuff.

  Since it was only just after one in the afternoon, we decided to hike the Upper Yosemite Falls trail to Columbia Rock; it didn't go to the top of the falls, but it was a much less strenuous climb, although still a pretty good workout. We all got into our hiking shoes, shoved some water, trail mix and a digital camera into Ben's backpack, and drove to the trailhead to park our car for the couple hour hike.

  The first thing I noticed was that there weren't a lot of people on the trail. Most of the visitors also seemed to be doing the lower trail; there were plenty of couples with young children and older grandmas and grandpas shuffling along those paths, taking pictures of the vista around them. Ben explained that it was because the famous falls were dry for another month or so, until the winter snows fed them again. He said he liked coming here this time of year, because it was quieter, less touristy.

  I agreed as we neared our destination of Columbia Rock and no one seemed to be around us. Tracey and Hot Ben were on the edge of the rock, snapping photos of the trickling falls, the granite mountains surrounding them, and the valley of green trees nestled between them, when I heard a sound behind me that made me forget every worry I'd ever had about Teren's eyes. In a flash, I was reminded of the real fear I should have been worrying about all along.

  Teren and I had been standing quite a ways back from the edge, away from Tracey and Ben, as we caught our breaths from the hike and looked at the majesty before us. The noise I'd heard, was him dropping to his knees, clutching his chest, and groaning in pain. Tracey and Ben hadn't noticed yet, and I immediately dropped to his side.

  "Teren. . . what's wrong?" I frantically whispered.

  He looked up at me, his face contorted in agony as he clutched his hand over his heart, like an old man having a heart attack. That was when it hit me. He was having a heart attack. He was about to die at the top of an hour long hike up a mountainside, and at least a four hour drive from the ranch. He was about to die in a place that I couldn't possibly even begin to remove his limp body from on my own. He was about to die, and reawaken, in a place where currently only me, Tracey and Ben were present. He was about to wake monstrously hungry and one, if not all of us, were about to die, too. And then, a still hungry vampire would be loose among the crowds of men, women and children that we'd passed on the way up to this slope.

  I immediately realized how foolish this trip was. Now was not the time to be in the middle of nowhere, and hours away from the safety and solitude of the ranch. My earlier concern of exposure was near silly now. That had never been the real issue. This was the real issue. And it was happening now. . .

  His eyes tightened in pain as his hand reached out for me. I had no idea what to do, no idea how to help him. Should we start down to the car now, while he was still conscious? Do we clue in Ben and Tracey, or just quietly leave while they were snapping scenic photos. I wanted to scream at him to give me answers. I wanted to comfort him as he was dying. I wanted to cry. I was too scared to do anything though. I just watched his hand slowly snake up to my neck.

  Then that hand grasped my neck and jerked me forward, until my lips crashed into his. His mouth found mine and hungrily pressed against me. Confused, I started to push him away. He laughed and pulled me closer, parting my lips to sneak his tongue inside. That was when my second startling revelation hit me. He was faking.

  I jerked away from him and smacked him soundly across the head. He frowned and rubbed his ear. "Ow, Emma," he pouted. . . the jerk actually pouted.

  In a harsh whisper, I screeched, "Don't you ever joke about that again, Teren! I was scared shitless!" I smacked him again on the head. "I had no idea what to do!" I tried to smack him again, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me into his lap. "I'm supposed to take care of you, and I had no idea what to do!" He brought his hands to my cheeks, his eyes showing genuine remorse for his stupid joke. I could feel frustrated tears forming, and I tried to blink them back. "I had no idea what to do. . . "

  I couldn't hold back the sob and he quickly pulled me into his shoulder and scooted us to the far side of a large boulder, where Tracey and Ben wouldn't be able to see us. Rocking me back and forth on his lap, he rubbed a hand up and down my back.

  "I'm sorry, Emma. I'm so sorry. That was a stupid joke. I'm sorry. " He kept repeating it over and over, as he rubbed my skin under my light jacket.

  Eventually, my fear subsided and my tears dwindled. Feeling a little stupid over my reaction, I pulled back to glare at him. "That. Was. Not. Funny. " He sheepishly held my eyes as I stated, "Do not ever tease about that again. "

  Cringing, he solemnly nodded. He helped me fix my face, and then we stood up and joined a still oblivious Tracey and Ben in viewing the glorious beauty before us. It felt a little less majestic to me with a small river of fear still flowing through my system. Yes, he had been stupidly messing around with me, but that didn't change the fact that we shouldn't be here right now. If that had been real. . .

  I couldn't even finish that thought.