“You will call Hannah tomorrow to apologize. You feel terrible for the way you acted.”
She looked confused, but she responded. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I will call her tomorrow to apologize.”
Chapter Eleven
“That was the most bizarre conversation I have ever had with my mother,” Hannah said as she set her phone on the coffee table.
Lydia looked up from the romance novel she was reading and raised an eyebrow. It was an annoying habit she had developed recently. It wasn’t as annoying as her new habit of disconnecting from the world, but both were getting old fast. “Can you name a single conversation with your mother that wasn’t strange?”
“This one was the strangest. Maybe she’s having a nervous breakdown. Those are fashionable right now, aren’t they?” Hannah was only half-joking about this. Her mother did love to follow along with the latest trends in mental illness. The most amusing of these trends was the bulimia. Her mother had actually required therapy twice a week, because she had gone into a deep depression when she had been unable to make herself vomit.
“Nervous breakdowns never really go out of style. They’re kind of like addictions to pain meds. Hey, maybe your mom is addicted to pain meds again. I remember the last time she was addicted to them, she called me to ask what I wanted for my birthday.”
“That was kind of nice,” Hannah said.
Lydia snorted. “I was eighteen and she thought I was turning seven, which made it more bat shit crazy than nice.”
“Well, I know it’s not pain meds since she hasn’t had an injury to justify them recently. I would have heard about that.”
“True,” Lydia agreed. “We all would have heard about her being hospitalized for her hangnail, or whatever it was this time. So what was so strange about the phone call?”
“She called me to apologize.”
Lydia actually gasped. “Apologize for what? Wait, this wasn’t one of those backhanded apologies that she loves to give where she’s actually blaming you for something, was it?”
Hannah shook her head. “I ran into her when I was having dinner with Nathaniel last night.”
Lydia made an ugly face, and Hannah wondered again why Lydia hated Nathaniel so much.
“Well, she was her usual pleasant self,” Hannah said dryly. “She only came over because she recognized Nathaniel’s relationship to a woman she wants to network with.”
“Naturally,” Lydia said.
“Well, to make a long story short, I told her off, and then she caught me making out with Nathaniel in front of the restaurant.”
Lydia’s eyes widened with interest. “Let me guess, she gave you the speech about giving the milk away for free?”
Hannah nodded.
“How did Mr. Perfect react?”
“He looked like he wanted to say something, but I stopped him. I just wanted to handle her on my own.”
“He does seem like the type that would want to throw around threats,” Lydia grumbled. “So what did you do?”
Hannah was about to ask Lydia about her hostility toward Nathaniel, but the doorbell distracted her.
“I mooed at her,” Hannah said as she reached out to open the door.
Lydia laughed so hard that she nearly fell off of the couch. It was amusing to hear Lydia laugh with her raspy voice, and the occasional snort. Yes, her super cool cousin snorted when she laughed.
“Hey Noah!” Hannah greeted him with a warm hug.
Noah hugged her back one armed. His other arm was holding two pizza boxes. He looked down at the three cats trying to come in the door with him. “Your cats?”
“No, they just like our porch.” Hannah leaned down and spoke sternly. “You boys need to go home before you worry your owners again.”
The cats meowed in protest but headed down the stairs.
Noah shook his head and laughed. “I don’t think they wanted to leave.” He held up the pizza boxes. “I figured we could eat while I help you with your Statistics homework.” When he noticed Lydia he added. “I’ve got more than enough pizza for three.”
Lydia shook her head. “I’m not really hungry. I think I might just take a nap.”
Noah looked around the room. This was his first time visiting Hannah at home. She usually came over to his place when they studied. The condo was fairly large. The living room had two large picture windows that let in a great deal of light, making it seem very open and airy. The floors were a dark shade of hardwood. The room was overrun with plants. They were literally everywhere. He could see through the door leading to the balcony that it was also filled with plants. All of the furniture was in shades of reddish brown, and they had more throw pillows in this one room than he had in his entire house. In truth, he didn’t even own a throw pillow. There were doors around the main room which Noah assumed led to the kitchen, bedrooms, and bathroom.
“This is a nice place,” he commented. “It looks like your plants could use some water.” It was true; they all looked a little wilted.
“I watered them today,” Hannah said. “Lyd’s been sick, and I don’t think they like having me take care of them.”
“It’s true,” Lydia said as she reached out a hand to touch one of the plants. “My babies hate her.”
If Noah didn’t know better, he would swear that the leaves on the plant actually moved toward Lydia’s hand.
“Most people get a dozen cats to keep them company,” Hannah mused playfully. “Lydia got a rainforest.”
Lydia flipped her off as she shuffled toward her bedroom.
Noah eyes narrowed as he watched Lydia walk away. “You said she broke up with Dominic, right?”
“He broke up with her,” Hannah corrected him. “Why are you asking?” Then a thought occurred to her. “Are you interested in my cousin?” Hannah seemed delighted by the idea.
“Stop trying to set me up or I won’t share this pizza with you.”
Hannah put a hand under her chin and thought for a moment. “What’s on the pizza?”
“I got vegetarian for me and pepperoni for you. Now tell me where I can set this.”
“Just set it on the coffee table and we can eat in here. I wasn’t trying to fix you up with Lydia. I just wanted to know why you were asking about Lydia and Dominic.” Okay, so maybe she was trying to fix him up with Lydia just a little bit, but she wasn’t about to admit that and miss out on the pizza.
He shrugged. “She just seems a little off. I’m not sure how to explain it.”
“She’s been really depressed since they broke up,” Hannah admitted. “She dropped her classes, and she doesn’t go out much. When she does go out it’s alone. I also get the feeling that she’s mad at me for something, but she won’t talk about it.”
Noah squeezed her hand. “I’m sure she’ll bounce back soon.”
“It doesn’t help that she really hates Nathaniel. She didn’t have anything against him until Dominic broke up with her. Now she’s always making nasty comments about him. I hate to say it, but I think she might be jealous that I’m with someone and she’s not. That just seems so unlike her.”
“Eat!” Noah ordered and handed her a plate with a slice of pizza.
“I’ll go grab us some drinks first,” Hannah said as she walked into the kitchen. When she came out with two glasses of iced tea, she found Lydia sitting on the overstuffed arm-chair eating pizza. “I thought you weren’t hungry?”
“The pizza smelled good,” was Lydia’s only explanation.
Hannah went to get another glass of tea with a satisfied smile on her face.
Six hours later, Hannah’s statistics book was still sitting in her room, and they were all seated around a card table playing Monopoly.
Lydia smiled sweetly. “Oh dear, you landed on Boardwalk. Now who owns that?” She looked around and then put her hands over her mouth pretending to be surprised. “Oh, that’s right, I do! And that red thing, is that a hotel? Oh my, this is going to hurt, Noah.”
Noah ga
ve her a boyish grin. “Can’t we work something out?”
“That won’t work with me, hand over the money.”
It had been an hour since Lydia had toppled Hannah’s little empire, so she was now an observer. “She has no mercy, Noah.”
Lydia gave him an evil grin. “Are you ready to admit defeat?”
He looked down at his money which totaled twenty-six dollars, and his properties which were all mortgaged. “Fine I admit defeat. You, Lydia Montgomery, are a heartless capitalist.”
“You’re just cranky because I made you my bitch in this game,” Lydia said with a smile. Then she yawned. She’d barely managed to keep her eyes open for the game. The fact that Lydia loved to win at games was the only reason she had stayed up after finishing her pizza.
Hannah smiled at Noah. He’d been the one to suggest the game after Lydia casually mentioned her love of board games. He’d given Hannah the one thing she wanted most, time with her cousin.
“I’d better go and let you ladies get some sleep,” Noah said as he started to put the contents of the game back in the box.
Noah leaned down and kissed Lydia on the top of her head on his way to the front door. “Hope you feel better soon, Lyd.”
Hannah walked him to the door. “Thanks for coming over tonight, and for getting Lydia to do something other than sleep.”
“Sorry that we didn’t get a chance to work on your homework.”
Hannah turned to look at Lydia. “I’m sure I can handle my homework alone. This was a much better idea.”
Noah leaned forward to kiss Hannah on the cheek, but she turned back from watching Lydia and his mouth ended up on hers. They both stared wide-eyed at each other for just a moment before pulling back.
“Sorry,” he stammered nervously. “You turned, and then I just . . . well you know.”
“Of course,” Hannah said quickly. She could feel her cheeks getting hot. “It was just an accident.”
“Bye.” He waved at her behind his back as he made a hasty exit.
Chapter Twelve
Lydia sat on the couch, polishing her fingernails. Her skin was pale, almost ghostly white. The belt on her shorts was on the tightest notch, but it was still too big.
The Monopoly game the previous weekend had seemed like a breakthrough. It had felt like things were getting back to normal, but the following morning Lydia had been just as moody and withdrawn as she had been before the game. There was a tension between them that Hannah didn't understand.
The thing that worried Hannah most was Lydia’s lack of interest in her plants. All around the leaves wilted, as if the plants were in a state of depression too. Hannah had watered them, sprayed them, and even talked to them like Lydia did. As crazy as it sounded, they seemed to miss Lydia.
After taking a deep breath, Hannah pushed a stack of magazines to the side and sat on the coffee table. “Are you sure that you don’t want to come with us? You never go out anymore, and I miss spending time with you.”
Lydia didn't look up from her nails. “Miniature golf is not exactly my idea of an exciting night on the town.” She finally looked up at Hannah and rolled her eyes. “Will you please stop giving me that pouty face?”
Hannah looked down at her hands and took another deep breath before continuing her plea. She was fighting back tears as she spoke. “Something is wrong. You spend all of your time alone. I don’t know how much weight you’ve lost, but it’s too much. You sleep most of the time, and you look like a walking corpse.”
Lydia’s head snapped up. “Walking corpse?”
“Yes, you're as pale as a cadaver,” she replied bluntly. “I know that you really liked Dominic, but you only dated for a week and that was over a month ago. You can't stop living just because he broke up with you.”
Lydia's expression was icy. “I’m fine.”
The harshness in Lydia's voice hurt. Hannah was losing the battle to hold back her tears.
“I’m sorry for whatever I did to make you angry with me. I miss you.” She stood and started to walk away, because she just didn’t want to see the cold look in Lydia’s eyes anymore.
Lydia stood up and hugged her. “Sweetie, I’m not mad at you. I’m so sorry that I made you cry,” Now Lydia was crying too. “How about if we go shopping and get some lunch together tomorrow?”
Hannah choked down a sob, and nodded. “Promise me you aren’t taking drugs.”
That question actually made Lydia laugh. She held Hannah’s hands and spoke as though she were comforting a child. “I promise that I’m not taking drugs. You know I can’t even drink. Now please don’t cry anymore.” The doorbell rang, and Lydia used it as an excuse to change the subject. “That’s probably Noah.”
Hannah dried her eyes, and opened the door. “Hi, Noah!” She tried hard to smile, but it only succeeded in making her lips tremble.
Noah looked like he was about to ask her what was wrong, but Hannah shook her head to stop him.
“Are you two lovely ladies ready to go?”
“I’m ready, but Lydia isn't coming.” She looked over her shoulder at Lydia.
Noah sat beside Lydia on the couch, and rested his head on her shoulder. “Say it isn’t true. Are you really ditching me? I let you win at Monopoly Sunday night so you owe me.”
“I know what you’re trying to do, Noah, and it won’t work,” Lydia scolded as she pulled away from him. He didn’t sit up, but let his head slump across her lap.
“What am I trying to do?” he asked, blinking his eyes innocently at her.
“You’re trying to convince me to go out, because Hannah wants me to. It’s obvious that you’re taking her side because she’s dating your brother,” she said.
Noah sat up and laughed. “Damn, she’s good at this.”
Hannah gave her cousin a scowl. “I know. There is no way to win an argument with her.”
“Then get a clue, and get out!” Lydia ordered. She was obviously trying to sound playful, but it came out sounding impatient. “And I beat the two of you at Monopoly because you suck!”
“You are a cruel woman.” Noah turned away, headed toward the door, and then turned to give her a playful wink. His boyish expression made Lydia smile.
“If you change your mind, just call me and we can meet up,” Hannah said.
“I never change my mind.” She caught sight of Hannah’s hurt expression and groaned. “If I change my mind, I promise to call.”
Not more than five minutes after Noah and Hannah left there was a soft knock on the door. Lydia rushed to open the door and smiled seductively at Dominic.
“I thought that they would never leave,” he said as he pushed her farther in, and kicked the door shut.
She looked down and sighed. “I hate lying to Hannah about us. I have to avoid talking to her to keep up the lie, and she’s really hurt by all of this. I’m not sure how much longer I can do this.”
He knelt before her to kiss her bellybutton. “Nathaniel doesn’t want us to be together. We must keep this a secret, or I will have to move away from here.”
“Stop that!” She giggled, and tried to pull away as his tongue moved into her bellybutton.
He stood and brushed his lips softly against hers. “How long do we have?”
“Hannah should be gone for a few hours,” she replied breathlessly as he removed her shirt.
“It is arousing to have a secret love affair, don’t you agree?”
Dominic always tried to make their relationship sound exciting. At first it had been, but that feeling quickly faded. Now she felt guilty for lying to Hannah and her friends. She was sure it was why she felt sick most of the time. Countless times she told herself that she was just going to end things with Dominic. It would be for the best. Then she would see him, and he would touch her. Dominic was an addiction.
“Why do you frown so?” Dominic asked, sensing her distraction. “I know how to make you feel better.”
He unfastened her bra strap with his left hand, pulled the shoulder
straps down, and then let her bra fall to the floor. His mouth covered her nipple and he sucked hard. He pulled back, blew lightly on her nipple and then moved his attention to the other one.
Her head tilted back and she moaned. All thoughts of Hannah and her friends faded into the back of her mind.
When he stood again, she took one of the buttons on his shirt between her teeth, bit it off, and spit it across the room. She then continued to do the same to the rest of his buttons until his chest was completely exposed. Her hands ran up his chest and over his shoulders, pushing his shirt off.
Dominic pulled her into his arms, and kissed her roughly. He hastily undid her belt and yanked her shorts and panties down over her hips. The shorts were so big that he didn’t even need to unfasten them to slide them down. Then he knelt before her and kissed her thigh.
Lydia arched her back in ecstasy as he supported her weight with one arm, and then he bit her. “Ouch!”
She pushed him onto the ground, and straddled him as he licked the blood from his lips. “You kinky bastard!” She pretended to pin his arms to the ground. “How am I supposed to hide our relationship from Hannah if you keep leaving teeth marks on me?”
With one swift move Dominic rolled her onto her back and pinned her down. She struggled playfully.
“How can I resist your sweetness?” he whispered, and then gently nibbled on her earlobe.
“Stop!” she nearly shrieked.
“What did I do wrong?” he asked.
“Your belt is stabbing me.”
He sat on the couch, smiling seductively. “I’m sorry.” He reached to unfasten his belt.
Lydia knelt between his legs and moved his hands away from the buckle.
“Allow me,” she cooed.
With her teeth, she unfastened his belt buckle, and then undid the button and zipper on his pants. “I can use my teeth too.”
He guided her down to the floor between the couch and the coffee table. With one arm, he knocked the coffee table over, spilling magazines across the floor.
As their bodies joined, her fingernails dug into his back. The ecstasy was overwhelming, and like none she had ever known. Every sensation seemed heightened until finally she climaxed violently. Only Dominic had ever given her this kind of pleasure.
Vampires and Vixens (Psy-Vamp) Page 8
