by Kasi Blake
“We can talk if you want,” Matt said. When she stared at him in confusion, he added, “Scarlet. I know she’s a pain in the neck. I think she says outrageous things just to get attention. Ignore her.”
“Believe me, I try.”
“You can keep me company while I work.” He smiled, and his brown eyes twinkled behind silver-rimmed glasses as he closed in on her. “I’m trying to find all the books by Poe. The owner is thinking of selling the whole lot to a collector in New Orleans.”
Summer returned his smile. “I’ll help you find them.”
“Thank you.” He gripped the back of her neck and kissed her on the lips. “You are so sweet.”
Was she? She leaned against him for a comforting embrace. Her eyes closed, and she reveled in the blissful sensation of being in love. They hadn’t swapped the words yet. She refused to be the first one to say them. He placed a kiss on her nose before assigning her a shelf while he searched the one below it.
They worked in silence.
Being with Matt reminded her she’d never experienced a serious soul mate kind of love. Over the decades she’d been with a lot of different guys. Falling in love was fun; falling out of love was painful. For years she had played the part of a wild party girl, teasing boys with what they could have only to disappear from their lives forever when she lost interest. Her heart had gone untouched until Jackpot. Falling for him had been a major mistake.
She cleared her throat, nervous. At the moment she seemed to have more than her share of saliva. She swallowed convulsively. Knowing she couldn’t give what she wanted to say too much thought or she would change her mind, she put it out there. “Trick did a noble thing, turning vampire to save Dani Foster’s life.”
Matt scoffed. “I think he did it more for himself than for her. Dark magic was killing him. He used her as an excuse to save his own life.”
“Wow. That’s a cynical view to have of your own brother.”
“I love Trick, but I’m not blind to his flaws.” Matt shrugged before moving a short stack of books that he’d already combed through. He placed them on the floor beside his feet. “Trick’s father did a real number on his head, so he has a twisted view of people. He can be selfish and arrogant and... I should stop there. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Trick’s not a bad guy. He can also be generous and fun and kind and...”
“Are you mad he chose to become like me?”
Summer bit her lower lip and continued to thumb through books while waiting for an answer. She’d wanted to ask about his true feelings concerning her vampire origins for a while now. Did he hate it that she had fangs? Was he afraid of her? Did it disgust him?
Matt pushed his slipping glasses up the bridge of his nose. “I think he could have found another way.”
“So you wouldn’t make the same decision? You wouldn’t become a vampire to save someone you love?”
Matt sighed. “I don’t want to play armchair quarterback. It’s impossible for me to say what I would have done in his place.”
Her hand reached for his. “What if you were in love with me? Would you do it then?”
“I... would you want me to?” The poor guy looked like a rabbit about to bolt. “Would you ask me to?”
“If I loved you, yes.” She could tell she was losing him to fear and doubt. Her hand tightened on his. Rushing on, she said, “If you loved me, really loved me, you would want to stay with me forever. Right?”
“Statistically speaking, most relationships don’t last one lifetime, let alone several. Becoming a vampire to be with someone is... dumb. When things don’t work out, you have to live an eternity alone... or worse. You fall for someone human and have to go through that whole painful decision process with them.”
Her heart dropped.
The conversation had gone differently in her head. She hadn’t expected him to jump at the idea of becoming a vampire for her. He was still in like, not love. But she didn’t want to open herself to someone she’d eventually lose. The next time she fell in love it would last forever. It had to.
“Forget I said anything.” She turned away, reluctant to let him see how much he’d hurt her. “You’re right. It was dumb.”
“No, it wasn’t.” Matt placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. “It was brave.” He pushed stray hair out of her eyes, and the gesture made her heart beat faster. He added, “You can talk to me about anything. I hope you know that.”
She nodded and faked a smile even as doubts filled her mind. If he wouldn’t turn for her, he didn’t care enough. She was fooling herself into thinking she could have a relationship with this boy. Some vampires were okay with loving and losing their human companions. Not her. It was all or nothing. Maybe she should break up with Matt now.
Her lips parted.
“I’ll think about it. Okay?” He kissed her on the forehead. “I’m the kind that believes in planning ahead, so I will definitely give our future a great deal of thought.”
She beamed at him. “Good.”
“If I decide there’s no way I can see myself turning vampire, I think we should break up before it becomes too complicated. Agreed?”
She swallowed hard. Break up. The words hung in the air between them. Seconds ago she had been ready to un-couple, but hearing him say it made the whole thing real. She couldn’t live without him. The way he made her feel like she was floating on a cloud was surreal. How could she possibly go back to her old life?
“We don’t have to split up,” she said. When he lifted his eyebrows, she explained her train of thought. “You’re young enough so we could be together for years before people think you’re a cradle-robbing pig.”
A snort of laughter parted his lips.
She added, “Think about it.”
“Believe me, I will be thinking of nothing else from now until I reach a decision.”
She faked another smile and hoped it looked genuine. Ideas floated through her mind as she returned to her search for books written by Poe. She needed a contingency plan in case Matt decided to dump her. There had to be a way to convince him to turn for her. Or perhaps trick him into turning.
“Are you ready for tonight?” he asked.
She blinked, her mind a total blank. “Tonight?”
“Dinner with my family.” He looked alarmed. “Please tell me you haven’t forgotten. This is really important to me. I mean, seriously, if we’re going to have a relationship, we need my parents to be on board.”
“I didn’t forget.” How could she? Dinner with his parents had become a cold fist in her gut. She had no idea how she was going to get through an entire evening with them. It had been ages since she’d tried to impress a boyfriend’s family. “Trick won’t be there, will he?”
“Doubt it.”
“Good.” Dealing with parents was bad enough without having the hunter sitting across from her at the dinner table.
Matt put a hand on her arm. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.” He smiled, but it seemed forced. He added, “If it makes you feel better, we can come up with a plan.”
A genuine smile spread across her face. A plan? Yes. They needed a plan to fool his parents into loving her.
♫
CHAPTER FIVE
Devil Inside
Trick headed downstairs after putting on his best suit. Laura insisted he dress for the occasion. He walked past Matt’s open bedroom door and caught his brother struggling with his tie. Standing in front of the dresser mirror, Matt swore under his breath as he yanked on the expensive material. You would think someone with a genius IQ would be able to deal with a Windsor knot.
Trick entered his brother’s room without knocking, got between him and the mirror, and went to work on the tie. Sean had taught them both how to make a proper knot years ago, but Matt’s clumsy fingers refused to follow through. Good thing Trick had practiced for several weeks to impress Sean.
Matt was
already sweating and the girl hadn’t even arrived yet. Perhaps he’d finally realized having a vampire over for dinner wasn’t the best idea.
“I can’t believe you invited Summer to meet the parents,” Trick mumbled under his breath.
Matt made a face like it wasn’t his fault. “Dad has been on me for weeks. What was I supposed to say? I ran out of excuses.”
“Do what I do, moron. When he starts pressing me about my social life, I just stand there and smile until he stops. Or I change the subject and steer him off course.”
“Guess I’m missing the deception gene. When someone asks me a question, I feel compelled to answer.”
Trick shook his head. “That is so sad.”
“Why are you here?” Matt glared at him. “Isn’t there a vampire somewhere that needs killing?”
Done, Trick moved to allow Matt a view of himself in the mirror. While his brother checked his appearance, Trick asked, “Why would I go hunting for vampires when there will be one in my house tonight?”
The color drained from Matt’s face. “Are you... don’t you even think about it. You are not killing my girlfriend. If you even try, I swear I will—”
“What? You’ll what? Seriously, I’m curious. Aren’t you the poster boy for anti-violence?”
“Not when it comes to Summer. I would do anything for her.”
And that was what worried Trick.
“Wrong answer.” Trick shoved his brother.
They stood there staring at each other for an awkward amount of time, neither willing to back down. Trick had only been partially kidding about staking Summer. He may have unwillingly joined the vampires to save Dani’s life, but that didn’t mean he’d forgotten Summer was dangerous. He wasn’t totally convinced his new vampire friends should see another sunrise. Maybe they weren’t monsters in the way his biological father had defined the word. Maybe. But they were immortal and possessed supernatural strength. That made them lethal.
Until he was one-hundred-percent positive they weren’t killing people on the side, he would be leery of them—especially the one dating his brother. “Relax.” Trick forced a smile. “I won’t stake her over dessert.”
“Swear?”
“It’s my night off.”
Matt’s mouth tightened. “Better keep it that way.”
Normally, Trick wouldn’t let Matt get away with the threat, but he understood it wasn’t about him. His brother was on edge over his girlfriend meeting their parents. Matt would have been unnerved by the situation even if she wasn’t a vampire.
Trick saw humor in the situation, but he wasn’t in a laughing mood. His earlier conversation with Dani worried him. The smell of her blood had nearly driven him to do the unspeakable. When he thought about how close he’d come to biting Dani, his stomach flipped over in a sickening way.
Matt frowned. “Something wrong?”
Deep breath. “I might have a problem, a serious problem.”
“Well?” Matt slid his suit jacket on while admiring himself in the mirror.
“I was with Dani, and I could smell her blood.”
“What does that mean?”
Trick snapped, “I am a vampire, Matthew. What do you think it means?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.”
“Until tonight I could only smell blood if someone was actually bleeding. This was different. I smelled it in her veins, and it was distracting. I mean, I think I felt... hunger, like the worst cravings ever. Cowboy calls it blood lust.”
Matt froze.
Trick rushed on. “I didn’t bite her. There is no way I would ever do that.” He spoke the words aloud to convince himself. “I’d get Scarlet to stake me first. I just wanted you to know it might be happening.”
“What?” Matt asked.
“I might be turning into a monster.”
Once again they stared at each other without speaking. Then Matt continued to get ready. Seconds stretched into minutes, and neither of them spoke. Trick didn’t know what else to say. His worst fear seemed to be coming true. Maybe vampires didn’t instantly become monsters. It might be a slow process.
Trick heard Summer’s feet coming up the cement path to the house. He rushed to the window and pushed it open. Below him, Summer hesitated halfway up the walk. The little blonde vampire was having second thoughts about dinner with her boyfriend’s family. Trick smiled to himself. Good. A slight push from him would probably send her racing home. Crisis averted.
“Your girlfriend is here,” Trick said. He jumped out the window and landed beside Summer without giving his brother warning. To Summer he said, “I need a word with you before you ring that doorbell.”
Hands on hips, Summer pursed her lips together. “Worried?”
The sad thing was she looked prettier than usual. The blunt ends of her fashionable bob, razor sharp, attested to the fact it was freshly cut. She was dressed in a modest pair of trousers and a baby blue sweater beneath a heavy coat. She’d thought of everything. Vampires didn’t feel the cold the way normal people did, but she had dressed for the occasion. No one would suspect this girl of being a vampire unless she said or did something stupid.
“Turn around and go home,” he said.
She folded her arms. “Your parents are expecting me.”
“Say you’re sick. Stomach flu. Just go home.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you are seriously paranoid?” Summer’s lips curved into an annoying smile. “If I couldn’t handle dinner with your parents, I wouldn’t have agreed.”
“Go home,” he repeated in a firmer tone.
The front door popped open, and Matt ushered her inside before Trick could protest. Their father joined them in the foyer almost immediately. He called his wife in from the kitchen. There were introductions, smiles, and boring talk about the weather.
Trick watched from the doorway, unhappy at the turn of events. He held his breath as he waited for her to mess up. His stomach muscles clenched until they hurt. It was going to be a long, long night.
♫
Laura Donovan seated Summer next to Matt in the formal dining room. She gestured for Trick to sit across from the girl. He grinned as he plopped down in the chair. It was the perfect position for him. He could kick her under the table if she started to say something stupid. Since turning vampire he had learned to watch every word that came out of his mouth. He was careful not to run too fast. He didn’t teleport if there was the chance of being seen, and he took inventory of himself every day to make sure he wasn’t a monster.
Summer glanced around at the bright red walls and colorful paintings of wine bottles. A grapevine design was etched just beneath the crown molding near the ceiling. She shook out her cloth napkin before placing it on her lap. “This is a lovely room,” she said. “May I ask who decorated it?”
Trick and Matt exchanged a puzzled glance. Summer’s usual confident-to-the-point-of-being-abrasive tone had been replaced with a soft-spoken, sort of sweet drawl that dripped with sincerity.
Laura beamed. “It was me. Interior decorating is a hobby of mine.”
Sean Donovan raised a glass to his wife. “I am married to a woman of many talents.”
Matt lifted his ice tea in a silent salute to his mother, and Summer followed his lead. While she didn’t miss a single social cue during dinner, Trick got lost in a fog of confusion. He kept waiting for her to do something that would give them both away.
He had forgotten Summer was a consummate actress. Before Sean Donovan could launch into the long list of questions he’d prepared the night before, she took over the conversation. She manipulated their parents into thinking she was an open book, more than eager to share her life with them while concealing truths.
“My parents died in a car accident during my first year of college.” She paused long enough for Sean and Laura to make sympathetic noises. To them, it appeared she needed a moment to stop herself from crying. She said, “I couldn’t concentrate on my studies after that, so
I went to Europe for a year. My father had wanted me to take time off from school to explore different cultures. I wanted to get my degree as quickly as possible. I was in a big hurry to grow up and start my life.”
Laura nodded. “You honored your father by following his wishes. I’m sure he would be proud.”
Summer lowered her eyes as if hiding tears; Trick suspected she was hiding a smirk. By the time she raised her face, she had gained control over her expression which was appropriately sad. Matt reached for her hand as if trying to comfort her. It was then Trick realized his brother and the vampire girl had worked a plan out ahead of time but hadn’t bothered to tell him. Instead, they had let his stomach twist in knots to the point of cramping.
He glowered at Matt.
“I moved to Reno because my brother lives here,” she said. “I wanted to reconnect with him. We weren’t exactly close while growing up, but he’s the only family I have now. Family is so important. Don’t you agree, Trick?”
He choked on his tea and set the glass down hard. Golden liquid splashed over the side. Laura threw a linen napkin on top of the spill. To Summer she said, “Don’t mind him. He’s a bit shy when it comes to girls.”
Summer snorted; she slapped a hand over her mouth.
“Matthew has applied for college after taking two years off,” Sean said. “I hope your budding romance won’t interfere with that. Do you plan to finish your education, Summer?”
Laura called her husband by name and gave him a stern warning look.
“Dad,” Matt said in protest. “We just started dating.”
“How many times have I told you that you always need a plan?” Sean asked.
Matt opened his mouth again, but Summer spoke. With a wobbly emotional lilt to her voice, she said, “My father used to say the exact same thing.”
Laura gave her husband her infamous now-see-what-you’ve-done look, and Trick worked hard to keep a smile from his face. As much as he sometimes hated Summer, she definitely knew how to handle snoopy parents. Better than him, in fact. He could take lessons from the girl.
