by Gayla Twist
“I would like to, of course, but there’s really no need. As long as you don’t invite anyone else into your house, you should be quite safe,” he assured me.
A memory nagged at my brain. “This is going to sound strange,” I began, “and I might just be remembering a dream, but I think that man with the scar came to my window last night.”
Jessie gave me an alarmed look and then quickly pulled the car over to the side of the road. Putting it in park, he said, “What are you talking about? Tell me everything.”
I really struggled to recount the events that may or may not have occurred the previous night. In fact, if I hadn’t immediately written everything down in my dream journal, I was sure I wouldn’t have remembered any of it. As it was, things were foggy, and I stumbled around in my narrative.
When I was finished, Jessie closed his eyes for several seconds and said nothing. “So what do you think?” I finally asked to break the silence. “Did it really happen? Was it just a dream? I can’t even tell.”
Jessie opened his beautiful gray eyes and looked deep into mine. “I love you,” he said. “I love you, and I will protect you, no matter what.”
“What is it, Jessie?” I asked, a slight quaver in my voice. I then asked a question with a very obvious answer. “That scary dude is a vampire, and he was on my porch roof?”
Jessie nodded.
“So then why is it all hazy in my brain? Why did I think it was a dream?” I wanted to know.
“I think he used his influence over you to make you forget,” he told me. “You’re not all that prone to vampire influence, so that must be why you can remember so much of it.”
“Great,” I said, rubbing at my eyes to keep back the tears. I knew I was ruining my makeup, but crying would only make it worse.
Jessie reached out and took my face in his hands. “I will keep you safe, Aurora,” he said, leaning forward and kissing each of my eyelids with a touch as light as a butterfly. “I will keep you safe.”
I believed him. Actually, I had no choice. I couldn’t exactly protect myself from an angry vampire. “Are you taking me home?” I asked as Jessie pulled out on to the road again.
“No,” he told me. “We’re still going to the castle. My mother has gone to a lot of trouble to make this Christmas Eve special, and I wouldn’t want to disappoint her.”
“Do you think I’ll be safe there?” I asked rather hesitantly.
Jessie let out a low laugh. “As bizarre as it may sound, you’ll probably be safer in a house full of vampires than anywhere else right now.”
Even with that reassurance, I was still nervous. In part because my fears had been confirmed—last night’s visitor was very real, not just a terrifying nightmare. But also because it’s always nerve wracking to pay a visit to your boyfriend’s vampire mother. Especially when she lives in a large stone castle and has an older son that once suggested handing me over to a swarm of vampires as the best way to get rid of me.
We pulled up to the castle gate. A guard stepped out of a small booth and let us in, giving no reaction if he found it surprising that Jessie was driving an ancient gold VW bug. All of the Vanderlind cars were in mint condition, and my bug had the habit of sputtering and backfiring.
“You look beautiful,” Jessie said as he took my hand to help me from the car. He had insisted upon getting my door even though Viggo had been standing by to do it.
“Good evening, Miss Aurora,” the giant said as we walked toward the house with him bringing up the rear. “I hope you have a vonderful holiday.”
“Thank you, Viggo,” I told him. “Merry Christmas to you, too.”
“Gloria asked that I extend to you her good vishes.”
“Oh, I hope I get to see her tonight,” I told him. “I don’t know if she’s busy, but if she has the chance, will you ask her to stop by and say hello?”
“I vill tell her you asked after her,” the giant said. “But she is very busy vith the preparing of the feast, so I do not know if she can find the time.”
I didn’t know if that meant it wasn’t proper for her to come out from behind the scenes to say hello or if she was seriously that busy. “That’s okay,” I assured him. “Please tell her I said Merry Christmas.”
Turning to Jessie, I widened my eyes. “Feast?” I asked.
“Mother thought you might like to eat a little something,” he told me, and I could tell he was a bit embarrassed. “She hasn’t had an opportunity to have a real Christmas celebration in almost a century, so please just indulge her.”
“Okay,” I said, but with some reservations. The last time I was invited to dine with friendly vampires, they begged me to sample so many dishes that I thought I might burst. “It isn’t going to be like Madame Csorbo’s dinner. Is it?” I wanted to know.
Jessie looked even more embarrassed. “It might be a little bit like that.”
“Oh, great,” I muttered to myself. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have spent the last day and a half chowing on holiday cookies.
As soon as we entered the castle, a woman’s voice called out, “Colette. How wonderful to see you again.” Jessie’s mother swooped down on me all glittering diamonds and silk. She was a stunning woman with Jessie’s wavy black hair and gray eyes. We exchanged a rather awkward hug and then she stepped back, holding both of my hands. “Don’t you look charming,” she said. I knew it was a white lie meant to spare my feelings. I was in a wool skirt, thick tights, and a sweater. Mrs. Vanderlind was in a ruby-red silk gown and dripping with diamonds. She seemed a little overdressed for a family Christmas Eve dinner, but she also looked like a movie star from the golden age of film. Jessie told me she was turned by her father when she was twenty-four, which explained why she looked more like his older sister than his mom.
Mrs. Vanderlind turned and called over her shoulder, “Daniel. Colette is here.” I fought back the urge to correct her about my name. Jessie and I’d had to pretend I was Colette when we went to plead our case in Budapest. Mrs. Vanderlind obviously felt the need to keep up the ruse.
Another vampire appeared in front of me, but without the same enthusiasm as Mrs. Vanderlind. This vampire was rather sullen. “Hello, Aurora,” Jessie’s brother, Daniel, said, the disdain in his voice almost palpable. It was obvious that Daniel was Jessie’s brother; they had the same build, the same dark hair, the same gray eyes, but Daniel didn’t have the warmth that added to Jessie’s good looks. Daniel was handsome, but with more of a sinister look. There was something slightly reptilian about him.
“Happy Christmas,” Daniel added, but any happiness I may incur was not his intent. Given a choice between listening to Daniel speak to me or walking through the desert and suddenly hearing a snake’s rattle, there was a good chance I would have gone with the snake.
“Come in. Come in,” Mrs. Vanderlind insisted as Viggo relieved me of my coat. “I’m so glad you were able to join us,” she said, taking me by the hand and leading me into the great hall.
The furniture in the vast room had been pushed against the walls. In the center of the room was an enormous Christmas tree dripping with decorations from the highest peak to the lowest branch. I thought it would take a storage area larger than my mom’s house to warehouse all the ornament boxes in the off season. But I suppose when you live in a giant castle, you have spare room for frivolous items. “It’s beautiful,” I said, marveling at the tree. It really was like something out of an old-fashioned Christmas story when the little poor boy finally discovers that he is a member of a very rich family.
“I’ve had so much fun decorating, not to mention planning the meal,” Jessie’s mom enthused. “I really can’t remember the last time I’ve enjoyed the holiday season so much.” She was so excited, she was practically glowing.
Jessie couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, give her your present, already, why don’t you?” he said.
I gulped. It had never occurred to me to purchase presents for Jessie’s family. “I’m sorry,” I told her. “I didn’t
know we were doing a gift exchange.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Mrs. Vanderlind said. “I’ve just been trying out a new hobby and ended up making you a gift.”
Her comment left me scratching my head. I’d never really thought of vampires as having hobbies. “That’s nice,” was all I could think to say.
Mrs. Vanderlind scampered over to the tree like an excited child proud to show off her handiwork. She pulled out a medium-sized box wrapped in shiny paper and festooned with multicolored ribbons. “I know you probably think I’m being silly,” she said, “but please open it now. I can’t wait to see you in it.”
I indulged her and started peeling back the paper, but apparently I wasn’t going fast enough because she started tearing at it herself. “Here, let me just help you with that,” she said, by way of an excuse.
Once the box was free of paper, she pulled off the lid and left me to page through a layer of lavender tissue paper to reveal an emerald green angora sweater. “It’s lovely,” I said, gently touching the soft yarn.
“I had to guess on your size, so I hope I was correct,” Mrs. Vanderlind said snatching the sweater out of the box and holding it up to me. “You wouldn’t mind trying it on. Would you?”
“Oh, for crying out loud, Mother,” Daniel said with an irritated sigh. “It’s just a sweater.”
“Of course, I don’t mind trying it on,” I told her, doing my best to ignore Daniel.
I quickly peeled out of my own sweater and slipped the angora over my shoulders. It buttoned up the front with little pearl buttons and had a round collar. It gave me some room in the bust and shoulders but nipped in at the waist. I knew instantly that it flattered my rather hourglass figure where most sweaters tended to turn me into a box with legs. “You made this?” I couldn’t help but exclaim.
Jessie’s mom nodded, a pleased smile on her lips as she took in her handiwork. “I started knitting a few months ago.”
“How did you manage to learn to make something like this in just a few months?” I had to ask.
She shrugged. “When you live for an eternity, you find you have a lot of time on your hands. I’ve found it’s best to stay busy.”
“It’s lovely,” I told her with all sincerity. “Thank you very much.”
“You’re welcome, my dear,” she said, and I could tell she was enjoying the glow of giving a well-appreciated gift.
“What do they call these things?” Daniel asked in a droll voice. “A Hallmark moment. When the vampiress teaches her future daughter-in-law how to knit.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m so glad my presence was required here so I could be a witness.”
Jessie glared at his brother. “I see that you’re in your traditional festive spirit,” he said. “It’s nice to know that some things never change.”
Mrs. Vanderlind shot both her sons an annoyed look. “Play nice, you two,” she scolded. “Jessie, where is your cousin? I thought you went out together.”
“We did, but he got caught up,” he told her. I thought I saw Jessie briefly glance in my direction, and I wondered if it was a secret that the two of them had gone to a mortal party. I thought it was best not to say anything. I didn’t want to be the one who let the cat out of the bag.
A servant dressed in the purple livery of the Vanderlind family appeared at my elbow. “Salmon mousse on wheat with chives?” he offered, extending a tray toward me with dozens of dollops of whipped salmon on mini-toast.
Maybe it was the fact that I’d grown up in the middle of Ohio, but I hated fish. I mean, I couldn’t even stand the smell of it. But Jessie’s mother gave me such a hopeful look that I had to accept one, along with a small linen napkin. I popped the morsel into my mouth, feeling the gross fishiness of it sliding over my tongue. I made a little noise of approval and managed to say, “It’s delicious.”
“Do you really like it?” she asked, beaming. “It’s from a recipe I found on the Internet.” She emphasized the word “Internet” like it was a novel thing for her to do.
“It’s really good,” I assured her, hoping I wouldn’t have to have another one. I wondered if there was any way I could ask for something to drink without appearing rude. Vampires sometimes forgot things about being mortal, like that mortals get cold or become thirsty.
“This is ridiculous,” Daniel said.
“Daniel,” his mother snapped. “I don’t demand hospitable manners from you every day, but the once in a decade when I do ask for them, I expect you to comply.”
“Fine,” he grumbled. He was obviously one of those guys who think that just because they’re not having a good time, they’re entitled to make everyone else miserable. “Although,” he added, “I think you should know that standing around watching you feed Jessie’s pet isn’t all that enjoyable.”
“Why don’t we have a little holiday music,” Jessie suggested, crossing the room to what looked like a dresser. “That’s probably something we all can enjoy.” He flipped open the top of the dresser to reveal a record player.
“That’s a lovely idea,” his mother told him, giving her youngest son an appreciative smile.
“You always were such a little suck-up,” Daniel said, directing the comment at his brother. “No matter how often you screw up or humiliate the family, you’re always forgiven because you’re so good at kissing ass.”
Jessie laughed. “Is that right, Daniel? Is that why you think people prefer me over you?”
“I know it is,” he replied. The look in his eyes was so hateful, I had the feeling Daniel wouldn’t mind staking his brother if he could. “And I know a lot more than that.” A cruel smile spread across his lips. “Your days as the family golden boy are about to end.”
Jessie glared defiantly back at Daniel, but I could tell he was a little concerned. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked. Daniel was way too smug.
Then from somewhere near the kitchen there was a loud crash. An angry male voice bellowed, “Get out of my way, you lumbering brute.”
“You are not velcome in this house,” we could hear Viggo telling someone. “You have not been invited, and you are not velcome.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” the other man told him. There was a sharp yelp of pain from Viggo, and I knew something bad had happened. The man went on to say “This is my house.”
Jessie and his mother whipped their heads around, staring open mouthed in the direction of the commotion. “Jessie, what is it?” I asked, my voice coming out as a frightened squeak. Daniel was wearing a delighted smile, so I knew it must be something very bad.
The scar-faced man strode into the room, his eyes like two burning embers. “I’m home, my children,” he announced. Then, looking significantly in my direction, he added, “What’s good to eat?”
Before I had a chance to even draw another breath, Jessie had scooped me up in his arms, spirited me out the door, and launched us into the night.
Chapter 24
“Jessie,” I said, a bitter winter wind blasting me in the face as we flew. He had me clutched in his arms and was squeezing me so tight it was painful, but I was too frightened to think to ask him to stop. “Who was that man?”
“He’s my grandfather,” Jessie said. He was flying at breakneck speed, trying to put distance between us and the castle.
“Your what?” I asked, unsure if I’d heard him correctly.
“My grandfather,” he repeated.
What he said made no sense, but we were getting pretty close to my house, so I decided not to pester him any further until we had our feet on the ground.
Jessie flew me right onto our front porch even though the porch light was on. If any neighbors had happened to be looking out the window, they would have had quite a surprise. “What about my car?” I asked him. “My bag? It has all my stuff. What about my winter coat?”
“Go inside,” he said, ignoring all my questions. “Lock the door. Make sure everything is locked.”
“Jessie,” I said, grabbing his coat so he couldn’t immed
iately fly off into the night. “How is that your grandfather? I thought you said he was dead.”
“I thought he was dead,” he told me. “It doesn’t make sense that he would still be alive.” He closed his eyes for a second, shaking his head slightly as if trying to erase a memory. “I should have known better. When you described the man that was watching us at the graveyard, I should have known. It sounded like him, but I convinced myself that it couldn’t be true.”
“But …” I also shook my head, almost mirroring him, unable to take it in.
“Aurora, I don’t know what’s going on,” he told me, removing my hands from his coat in a manner that was rougher than he usually treated me. “But I’ve left my mother alone with him so that I could make sure you were safe. I have to go back immediately. Now, get inside!”
He sounded so angry and so desperate, that I didn’t say another word. I just fumbled with the keys and finally managed to wrench open the door. As I was about to step inside, Jessie suddenly grabbed my face with both hands and kissed me rather forcefully.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said in a ragged whisper. “Just know that I love you. I’ll try to send you word when I can.” With that, he vanished into the night. I stood staring at the darkness for a few seconds, tears cascading down my cheeks. Then I remembered myself, hurried inside, and bolted the door.
After that, I wasn’t sure what to do. The house felt very still. I was expecting to see my mother, for some reason, sitting at the kitchen table or tucked under a throw on the couch in the living room, but the only trace I could find of her was a plate on the kitchen table. It held a sugar cookie and a carrot. Beside the plate was a note:
“Dear Santa,
We have been very good this year. The carrot is for you and the cookie for your reindeer.
Love,
Aurora and Helen”
“That’s right,” I said to myself. The idea was disorienting, but it didn’t stop it from being a fact. “Tomorrow’s Christmas.” Then I looked at the clock on the stove and corrected myself. “Today is Christmas.” It was ten minutes after midnight.
