MERLOT AND DIVORCE AND DEADLY REMORSE

by Jodi Vaughn

  “Because her friend, Lori, said we could come live with her. She was just being nice. But we don’t need to go anywhere because we have our own house.” I glanced in the rearview mirror and studied the looks on my girls’ faces. They didn’t look too convinced. It was my job to change that.

  “How about we go to the Sugar Shack?” I looked at them through the rearview mirror.

  “Today?” Gabby’s face lit up like fireworks.

  “Sure, why not?” I shrugged.

  “But you never let us go to the Sugar Shack after school. You always say it will ruin our dinner.” Arianna eyed me suspiciously.

  “Well, if you guys would rather us go home, then…”

  “No!” they said in unison.

  I smiled as I turned down the street.

  I didn’t tell them, but I was thinking that one day they’d learn the secret that most women carry with them throughout the years.

  Ice cream cures every heartache.

  Chapter 4

  After dinner, I pulled out my laptop. I’d gotten an email from the garage door company.

  The invoice was over three hundred dollars. I studied the bill and noted that they had to replace the spring that held the weight of the door, as well as some wiring. The email said that I was lucky the door hadn’t crashed down on anyone. After I’d gotten home, I had examined my legs for the cuts but they were already healed. There wasn’t even a bruise. Had I not been hurt because I was more resilient as a vampire?

  It was just one more question to ask Khalan.

  I shook my head and looked up a list of attorneys in Charming and the surrounding areas.

  One was a womanizer, one had gotten in trouble for some shady dealings and was facing disbarment, and the rest didn’t look like they were the type to fight for my kids and me.

  What I needed was a bulldog. Not some nice guy.

  I shut my laptop and grabbed my cell phone. Usually, I called Nikki when I needed advice. But now that we were no longer friends, I couldn’t do that.

  I thought about the girls from my book club. While I liked them all, I wasn’t sure if I could trust them. My confidence had been sorely shaken.

  I shut my laptop and stood. White dots danced before my eyes, and my legs felt like jelly. I sat back down and took a deep breath.

  I had been out in the daylight for too long today. That, coupled with the stress of what was going on, was sapping my energy.

  The last time I’d had blood was on Friday night when Khalan had given me his.

  According to vampire code or law or whatever they called it, he was my Maker. Ever since he turned me into a vampire, he had tried to get me to leave my old life behind, which included my girls.

  I could never do that.

  I opened my eyes and rubbed my temples. I needed a kick-ass attorney and some blood. But I wasn’t going to get either of them tonight.

  I stood.

  I needed a plan.

  I pulled out a piece of paper from the kitchen drawer, along with a pen. I started a list of places where I could get some blood.

  I had taken human blood before. From none other than the neighborhood killer, Cal. But in my defense, I didn’t know that he was a killer at the time. I’d just thought he was the ordinary, RV-driving Cal.

  I had also taken animal blood from a furry little raccoon who’d offered his neck to me when I was cramping with bloodlust.

  But according to Khalan, I had left the animal too weak to cross the road, and he’d met his end with a Toyota Camry.

  In all honesty, I felt worse about the death of the raccoon than Cal being in jail.

  Maybe I truly was losing my humanity.

  Another option was buying a bunch of steaks at the butcher. Once everyone was in bed, I stayed up and sucked the blood out of each and every one. The thing about that kind of blood was that it took a lot of steaks, and the blood was cold. It gave me a brain freeze by the time I was finished, and it never really satisfied me the way fresh blood could.

  If only there were some way I could get animal blood in larger quantities without raising suspicion or causing harm.

  Until I figured that out, I would just have to go back to sucking on cold steaks.

  I headed to my girls’ bedrooms to see if they needed any help with their homework. Although we’d had a good time at the Sugar Shack, Arianna was still giving me the cold shoulder. I didn’t know how to help her.

  I knocked on Arianna’s door.

  “Yeah,” she said, her tone bored.

  I opened the door and stood in the doorway. Arianna was lying on her bed with her feet up on the headboard, staring at the ceiling.

  “Just checking to see if you have your homework done,” I said softly.

  “It’s done.”

  I stepped inside the room, bracing myself for her wrath.

  “Arianna,”—I eased onto the bed—“I know that this is the hardest thing you’ve ever been through. And I am so sorry about that.”

  “Why?” She turned her glare at me. “Why are you sorry? Did you do something to make Daddy cheat with Nikki?”

  I drew back and sucked in a hard breath as if she’d slapped me across the face. I blinked and held my emotions together. She was just a hurt child lashing out.

  “I think that people make their own choices. I think that if Daddy wasn’t happy in this marriage, then he should have asked for a divorce. And as far as you thinking I did something to make Daddy cheat, well then, no. I have to disagree with you on that. Like I said, people make their own choices.” I stood and headed toward the door. “I love you,” I said over my shoulder and closed her door.

  Tears burned my eyes, and I leaned back against the wall for support. Miles had hurt me beyond belief. I didn’t expect the same from Arianna.

  After a long minute of standing in the hallway, I composed myself and headed into Gabby’s room. She looked up from her book when I stepped inside.

  “Hi, Mommy.”

  “I was just checking to make sure you had your homework done.” I sat on her bed.

  “All done.” She tossed her dragon book onto the bed and plopped down beside it. “Are you coming to our soccer game Saturday?” she asked.

  “Yes, I am.” I nodded and smiled.

  “You never missed a game until last weekend. And Lori’s mom is taking us to practice this week, so you’ll miss that, too.”

  “I know, sweetie, and I’m so sorry. I won’t miss another game. I promise.”

  “It’s okay.” She snuggled up next to me and gave me a warm hug. “I know you were probably too sad. But once you are out on the sidelines and watching us play, you’ll feel happy again.”

  “Yes, I will,” I said, even though my gut was twisting with the lie. I wasn’t sure when I would ever feel content again in my life. Just keeping the girls safe and happy would be enough for me. It had to be.

  “Did you brush your teeth after you took your bath?” I ran my hand through Gabby’s hair.

  “I forgot.” She sighed dramatically. “Can’t I do it tomorrow?”

  “No. Do it now.” I stood and pulled her up with me.

  “What’s the point?”

  “You need to brush your teeth so they don’t fall out.” I arched my brow.

  “Dragons never brush, and their teeth never fall out,” she said.

  “Well, when you become a dragon, then you can stop brushing your teeth.” I shook my head and headed downstairs.

  A few hours later while the girls were fast asleep in their rooms, I sat in the living room binge-watching episodes of Buffy. Every time Angel came on-screen, I sighed and wondered why the only other vampire I knew smelled to high heaven and was always in a bad mood.

  Just my luck that I got a Maker who hated me.

  “Why are you watching that garbage?” Khalan’s deep voice had me jumping off the couch and smothering a scream.

  “What the hell is wrong with you? You can’t keep breaking into my house like this.” I glared at him as I p
ressed my palm over my heart. “I could have shot you.”

  “Wouldn’t have killed me.” He shrugged and walked over to the loveseat and sat. He rested his elbows on his knees as he glared at the TV. “You could have at least watched Blade.”

  “I’ll add it to my list.” I waved my hand at the TV and then at him. “Is any of what they say true?”

  He slowly turned his head and faced me. He didn’t bother to hide the look of contempt on his face. “Vampires don’t burn up in the sun or explode when staked in the heart.”

  “A stake in the heart won’t hurt me?”

  “Oh, it will hurt. Like a bitch. But it won’t kill you.” He snorted.

  “Garlic? Holy water? Crosses? What about a garage door crashing down on top of you?” I ventured out a little more with my line of questioning. I had a hard time dragging information out of Khalan. I believed it was partly because he disagreed with my decision to stay in my home and not leave my life behind to embrace the vampiric lifestyle. The other part I knew had a lot to do with him just being an asshole.

  “Garlic stinks. I’ve never seen true holy water, and I actually have crosses in my home.”

  “Crosses? Really?” The last part of his sentence shocked me.

  He narrowed his eyes. “Why did you ask about the garage door?”

  “Because the spring on mine broke this morning and the door fell down on top of me. I don’t have any bruises, although it hurt when it happened.”

  “You are stronger now. Your body heals at a rapid rate, and when you fully transition into a vampire, you will be invincible.” He crossed his arms over his massive chest. “Now, why are you lying around here like someone died?”

  I looked at him and glared.

  A small, sarcastic grin touched the corners of his lips.

  “Just because you’re a vampire, you still have to carry on. Besides, the turning process isn’t complete.”

  That was the one thing Khalan had told me. Turning into a vampire was a process, and it didn’t happen all at once. I still had a heartbeat; therefore, the process wasn’t complete yet.

  “How long does it take?”

  “I’m not sure. Never turned anyone before.”

  “Well, maybe you did something wrong. Maybe that’s why I feel awful.”

  “You feel awful because your husband cheated on you with your best friend. And because you need blood.”

  “Let me guess. In your human life, you were never in any sort of profession where you actually helped people. Am I right?”

  Ignoring my question, he stood and walked over to the window, looking into the backyard.

  “So, what are you doing here? It’s not like you could hear me watching Buffy all the way over where you live.” I jerked my head in his direction. “You couldn’t hear me, could you?”

  “I came over here because you need to get some blood. I was on my way to get some and thought you could come with me.”

  “From a human?”

  He turned his eyes on me and glared. “What other kind is there?”

  I knew he was daring me to say “animal.” Khalan had an affinity for animals. That’s why he often smelled bad. Because he was always hanging out with them. He seemed to prefer the company of animals to that of humans. And from what I had seen lately from my former friends and family, I was starting to understand why.

  “The last guy I drank turned out to be a killer.” I crossed my arms over my chest and tried to ignore the way my mouth watered as Khalan talked about blood.

  “Yeah, I heard about that.” He rubbed his whiskered chin. “I guess you should have drained him. Would have left the world a better place.”

  “He has a wife.”

  “True. Who you also took blood from.” He turned and looked at me with a dangerous glint in his red-rimmed, blue eyes.

  I slowly stood. A shiver ran down my back. “How did you know about that?”

  “I’m your Maker. I know everything.” A sinister grin slid across his full lips.

  I narrowed my eyes. “If you know everything, then what am I thinking right now?”

  “Something a true, Southern lady would never say.” He snorted and shoved his hands into his jeans’ pockets.

  “Why don’t you do something useful?” I curled my fingers into fists at my sides. He infuriated me like no one else could.

  “Like what?” He gave me a bored look.

  “Like help me find a divorce attorney. I need someone to make sure Miles gives me everything I deserve.”

  He barked out a laugh. “He’s going to fight you every step of the way with this divorce.”

  I froze. “No, he’s not. We’ve been married for over sixteen years. He loves the girls, and he’ll do the right thing.”

  Khalan cocked his head and gave me a stern look. “You’re trying to tell me that the man who cheated on his wife with her hot best friend is going to suddenly have a change of heart and be remorseful for everything he’s done? And in his remorse, he’s going to give you the house, along with child support and alimony?”

  “Yes.” I blinked. Why wouldn’t Miles do that?

  “You are stupider than you look,” Khalan groused.

  “Don’t call me that. I’m not stupid.” I stepped towards him. I wanted to punch him right in his smug face.

  He stared at me for a few counts and then shrugged. “If you don’t come with me to get blood, you’ll get sick and weak and…”

  “And, what?” I narrowed my eyes. “Would I die without blood?”

  “Go long enough without it, and you’ll wish you were dead,” he said.

  “Thanks, but no thanks. I’ve already got a plan to get my daily…nutrients.”

  “It’d better not be another raccoon,” he snarled.

  “It’s not. I’m trying something different,” I admitted and turned away from my Maker.

  “Tell me,” he demanded.

  I said nothing.

  “Fine. I’m going to buy some steaks at the grocery store.”

  “And suck the blood out?” He arched his brow. “You’d be better off making blood sausage.” He shook his head and opened the back door.

  “Blood sausage?”

  He had one foot out the door and turned. He gave me a questioning look. “You live in Mississippi. That’s next door to New Orleans. Don’t tell me you don’t know what blood sausage is.”

  “Some kind of gumbo?” I shrugged. I’d heard the term from one of my neighbors when they first moved in from New Orleans. Miles had wrinkled his nose up at the mention of it.

  Khalan blinked. “No. It’s not gumbo.” He spoke to me as if he were explaining why the Earth was round to a five-year-old. “It’s congealed blood in the shape of a sausage.”

  “That’s legal? I mean, grocery stores sell it?” He had my attention. Legally and morally attaining blood. I could totally do that.

  “No. You have to make it.” He scrubbed his hand down his face. “You seriously have never heard of blood sausage?”

  “No.” I waved my hand. “Anyway, how do you get the stuff to make it?”

  “You ask a pig or beef farmer.” He cocked his head. “It doesn’t matter. You need to know that animal blood isn’t as strong as human. In order to satiate your hunger for blood, you’ll have to consume a much larger amount of animal blood.”

  “Oh.” I nodded and gave him my best poker face. “Sounds like a lot of trouble.”

  “It is.” He narrowed his eyes. “The offer to go out and hunt an unsuspecting human is still on the table.”

  “Nah.” I motioned to the TV. “I need to stay here and see what happens between Buffy and Angel. I got a feeling that that Spike vampire is bad news.”

  “You have no idea,” Khalan deadpanned. He opened the back door and headed out into my backyard.

  I watched him until he disappeared into the woods backing up to my property line. After I’d made sure that he was gone, I locked the door and went for my laptop where I proceeded to look up every fa
rm from here to Memphis.

  Finally, I had found a solution to my blood requirement issues.

  Chapter 5

  The following day, after I had dropped the girls off at school, I pulled up the directions to a cattle farm on the outskirts of town. I’d tried calling the number listed, but all I got was the answering machine. With nothing left to lose, I decided to drive on over.

  After driving for an hour down some backroad in rural Mississippi, I spotted the sign for the Happy Acres Farm. I pulled down the long driveway and scanned the rolling green pastures dotted with black cows and the occasional horse. A barbed wire fence and large oak trees lined the winding drive. I stopped in front of a large, white farmhouse and got out.

  I cringed as the morning sunlight bore down on me. I opened the backseat and pulled out my large-brimmed, yellow hat. It had the words, Do Not Disturb, embroidered along the brim. I’d dug it out of the closet that morning when I knew I was going to be out in the sun. I usually only wore it to the beach, but until I could invest in some hats, the yellow hat looked like it was going to be part of my daily fashion from here on out. I slapped it onto my head and shoved my sunglasses further up the bridge of my nose. I’d worn a long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans with ballet flats. I’d even wrapped a silk scarf around my neck to make sure the sun couldn’t touch my throat. I was sure I looked like an idiot, but I was in self-preservation mode and, frankly, I didn’t give a dog’s rip what I looked like.

  An older woman wearing worn jeans and a denim shirt came out onto the front porch. She wiped her hands on her bright red apron and held her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun.

  “Can I help you, Miss?” she called out across the yard.

  “Yes, ma’am.” I wrapped my arms around myself and headed over. “I saw your farm on the internet, and I wanted to stop by and see about a purchase.” I gave her a friendly smile.

  “Of course.” She returned the grin. “Come on in. My husband and son are feeding the cows right now, but they’ll be back in a little while.” She held open the screen door and waved me inside.

  “Thank you so much.” I stepped into her home, relieved to be out of the sunlight.