He hugged me tightly again, though I could feel him nod in agreement. “Never again,” he whispered against my hair.
I pulled away from him. “And no more plotting with Jason,” I added. “I'm still not sure of his motives in this whole situation.”
Chase shifted his feet nervously, then looked over his shoulder, as if wishing Dorrie would hurry up and return.
I put my hand on his chin and brought his gaze back to mine. “Didn't we just agree on no more lies? What aren't you telling me.”
He inhaled deeply. “Remember when I told you that Jason and I had talked, and everything is fine because he doesn't want to date you right now?”
I nodded, then paused at his word choice. “Wait, what do you mean right now?”
Chase grabbed my hand, then pulled me over to the stools at the counter. We sat. “You're aware that Jason is over a hundred years old . . . ” he trailed off.
“And?” I prompted, eager for him to get to the point.
“And because he's lived a long time,” he continued nervously, “he doesn't think like other people.”
I drummed my fingers against my knee in impatience. “Go on,” I pressed.
Chase sighed in defeat. “You're young,” he continued, “and still deciding what you want and who you are.”
My jaw dropped as everything clicked into place. “He's waiting for me to change, isn't he?”
Chase shrugged, looking embarrassed.
“And he doesn't care if you date me in the meantime?” I asked, astonished.
“I'm sure he would prefer if we didn't, but he's not going to hate either of us for it. It's not like he doesn't have the time to wait us out.”
I shook my head, feeling more confused than ever. “And you're okay with all of this?” I asked skeptically.
Chase grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. “If I had my way, I'd have Jason take off, never to return, but I've only been around for twenty-two years, and jealousy is still a prevalent emotion for me.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “So why agree?”
He shrugged. “You broke up with Jason, and now you're sitting here with me, holding my hand. I'm not going to look a gift-horse in the mouth.”
I frowned. “Why would he wait for me? I mean, I know we care about each other, but there are plenty of other fish in the sea.”
Chase shrugged. “He loves you, and chances are you're immortal, just like him. His only other real option is another vampire, and we've seen how most of them are.”
Dorrie chose that moment to come barreling back into the room. “Fifteen minutes!” she exclaimed cheerfully.
One nice thing about demon delivery is that it's fast. I forced a smile for Dorrie, then glanced over at Chase. “I still find everything you just said incredibly weird.”
Chase shrugged. “Sorry?”
I sighed. “I think maybe I should have a talk with Jason. While I think he'll get tired of waiting around sooner rather than later, the idea is still . . . uncomfortable.”
Chase gave me a crooked smile. “I don't think it will do any good. Lucy and Allison already tried.”
I inhaled too quickly in surprise, sucking saliva into my windpipe. I had to pause for a coughing fit before I could reply, “What? Did everyone seriously know about this except for me?”
Chase nodded. “Pretty much. We all said our piece, but he has a pretty good point.”
I looked at Dorrie who was watching us with interest, then turned back to Chase. “Which is?”
“He feels sure that you'll live as long as your grandmother and father,” he explained, “and he's immortal himself. He doesn't mind waiting us all out, because time is all he has. It's all you have too, if you manage to not get killed . . . again.”
I let out a long whistle under my breath. I was so not worth a lifetime of waiting. Maybe my friends couldn't convince Jason, but I would still have to try. I didn't believe that I would live forever. I probably wouldn't even last through the year.
I turned to find Dorrie grinning at me.
“What?” I asked tiredly.
She grinned even wider. “Are you part of a love triangle, Dumpling?”
Chase and I both looked at her in disbelief.
“Where on earth did you learn about love triangles?” I asked finally.
She looked down at her feet, seeming almost embarrassed.
Chase answered for her, “She asked for some fiction books a few weeks back. I didn't know what she'd like, so I got a bit of everything, including romance and a few teen books. I'm guessing that's where she picked up that term.”
Dorrie nodded excitedly.
I cringed, and was about to answer her when the doorbell rang. I had never been more glad to hear a doorbell in my life. Chase left to answer the door, and when he came back, Dorrie was so excited for pizza that she forgot all about love triangles.
The three of us ate together, and it almost felt like old times again. Times when my dad was still alive, and things were less complicated. These times, of course, were different, but perhaps they weren't as bad as I'd been led to believe.
Later that evening, Chase and I left Dorrie to her reading so we could watch a movie in the den. We chose Bram Stoker's Dracula, one of my all time favorites.
Chase turned toward me with a smile during one of the slower scenes.
“What is it?” I questioned.
He smiled even wider. “I just realized that we don't have to do anything tomorrow. We can finally just relax.”
I smiled back mischievously. “Not quite . . . ” I trailed off.
Suddenly Chase looked worried. “What do you mean?”
“My dad told me what he was researching before he died,” I admitted.
He pulled back in surprise, but his expression quickly turned to excitement. “I knew I heard his voice! You actually got to talk to him?”
I grinned. “I sure did, and what he had to tell me was a real doozy.”
When I didn't elaborate, Chase put his hands on my shoulders and shook me gently. “Spit it out, will ya?” he asked playfully.
I raised an eyebrow and widened my grin. “How do you feel about road trips? We'll need to go somewhere I've never been before.”
He looked at the TV screen, then turned back to me and quoted the movie, “I feel myself quite wild with excitement!”
I laughed. “For your sake, Ms. Mina Harker, I hope things turn out better for us than they do for the poor Count.”
He sat up straight and lifted his nose in the air. “I always fancied myself more of a Van Helsing.”
I patted his hand. “Sorry dear, demons are always the bad guys.”
“Says who?” he pouted.
I shrugged. “Everyone, but that's okay. Everyone knows that bad guys have the most fun.”
He put his arm around me and turned me to face the TV screen. “Ain't it the truth?” he mused as we sunk into the couch to push our worries aside, if only for a night.
A satisfied smile crossed my face. A little fun seemed like a good idea. If that made me one of the bad guys, then find me a death ray and an eye patch. It was time to embrace my heritage.
Book Seven, Minor Magic, can be found by following the link below:
Minor Magic ~ Book Seven
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