Urban Mythic: Thirteen Novels of Adventure and Romance, featuring Norse and Greek Gods, Demons and Djinn, Angels, Fairies, Vampires, and Werewolves in the Modern World

by C. Gockel

  Gertie met his gaze. “You were listening?”

  “The walls are so thin. I didn’t mean to. Everyone heard.”

  “Oh.”

  “Listen, I didn’t mean to go down this road. Really. I’m going to leave you alone now before I make an even bigger fool of myself. Good night.”

  He walked out before she could think of anything to say.

  Alone in the queen-size bed, she laid there talking to Jeno in her mind, hoping he was listening. She wanted him to know how much she still cared about him and how much she missed him. Although she knew he wouldn’t, she asked him to come to her. Was he just going to sit idly by as Hector tried to woo her away from him? Or was Jeno going to fight for her?

  The alarm on her phone woke her the next morning. The on-suite bathroom had everything she needed to get ready. Once she was dressed, she followed the hallway to Hector’s room. They hadn’t discussed how he was going to sneak her out of the house to school.

  When she reached his room, she softly rapped on the door. He didn’t answer, so she tapped a little harder. Still nothing.

  She turned the knob and entered. “Hector?”

  The morning sun bathed the room with light, washing over the unmade four-poster bed and matching side-table, where an opened book lay face down beneath a lamp. Some papers on the desk beneath one of the windows caught her eye. They were charcoal drawings. She stepped closer and was surprised to see the drawings were of her: one of her in the ocean, another of her dangling from the claw of the enormous crane, and a third of her sleeping in a bundle of covers on Hector’s bed on the ferry from Crete. She stared at the images with a mixture of awe and embarrassment.

  “I can’t get that night out of my mind,” Hector said from behind her.

  She turned to see him in nothing but a pair of jeans. Water dripped from his wet hair down his face and chest.

  “It was the best night of my life,” he added.

  Gertie stared back at him, speechless.

  “If Nikita hadn’t been interested in me, do you think things might have turned out differently between us?” he asked.

  “I don’t know.” She turned away from him, back to the drawings on the desk. “These are amazing. You’re really talented.”

  “Thanks.” He moved closer to her and put the drawings away in a drawer.

  “You don’t have to put them away,” she said. “I like them.”

  He hesitated, and then took them out again. “All right. I thought maybe…”

  “What?”

  “They’d make you feel uncomfortable.”

  Her heart was beating fast. “That was an incredible night for me, too.”

  He glanced at her mouth. “Really?”

  She nodded.

  He put a hand on her shoulder, and just when she thought he might kiss her, he asked, “What are you doing up so early, anyway? Don’t you usually sleep until noon, like a normal teenager?”

  She snapped out of her reverie. “I’m going to school. What do you mean?”

  “You can’t. Mr. and Mrs. Angelis are going to withdraw you today. I heard them talking about it.”

  Gertie’s mouth dropped open. “Oh, no. Have they done it yet?”

  He shrugged. “Even if they haven’t, if you go to school, don’t you think they’ll find out?”

  “No. Not if no one says anything.”

  He went to his dresser and took out a t-shirt. As he pulled it on over his head, he said, “I think you should hide out here, just in case. I’ll let you know later today if Miss Piper called your name.”

  Miss Piper was their photography teacher.

  “What about your mom?”

  “She’s already gone again, but she’s off tonight, so I’ll probably eat dinner with her and then sneak you up the leftovers.”

  “Okay.”

  “You can eat whatever you find downstairs. My mom left a pan of biscuits on the stovetop.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “And there’s lots of other food in the fridge for lunch. Help yourself, okay?”

  She nodded. “Thanks.”

  She followed him downstairs and walked him to the door, where he stopped and turned to her. “You going to be okay here, by yourself?”

  She nodded again.

  He leaned close and kissed her on the cheek. “Try to not to worry. We’ll get everything worked out, okay? Give Mamá and Babá a chance to recover, and then you can explain everything to them.”

  “Okay.” She smiled but on the inside she felt a lot less confident.

  After he left, she sat on the big, cushy sofa in the middle of the great room and gazed up at the painting of the giant crane. For the first time in her life, she hated missing school.

  For the first time in her life, she had friends and a family who cared.

  How could she have lost it all in one stupid night? If only she hadn’t tried to read Phoebe’s mind. It wasn’t Gertie’s job to solve everyone’s problems. If she’d minded her own business, she would still be at the Angelis apartment, where she belonged.

  “What am I going to do?” she asked the portrait.

  As if the bird had answered her, an idea came to her mind, swift and clear. She ran upstairs and opened her bedroom window, so she’d have a way back in at night.

  26

  Fourth Bite

  The walk to the nearest bus stop from Hector’s house was twenty minutes; from there, Gertie took the bus to the metro-rail and rode for twenty more minutes to the acropolis. Once there, she strolled around with the tourists, lunched at a café, and then hung out at the Parthenon all afternoon, waiting. She bought two gifts at a shop—one for Jeno and another for Hector. For Jeno, she found a soft black pillow with white letters that said, “I’m dreaming of you” on one side and “I’m thinking of you” on the other. For Hector, she bought a sketch pad and a set of charcoal pencils.

  When it was time for school to end, she texted Hector and told him she would be back that evening.

  “Where are you?” he texted back.

  “Taking care of something, No questions.”

  “Need help?” he texted back.

  “No.”

  “Let me know if you need a lift,” he wrote.

  “Thanks.”

  “Be careful,” he wrote again.

  Getting bored, she wished she’d brought her e-reader and then realized she could read on her phone. She had a hard time finding where she had last left off in The Vampire Chronicles, but once she found her place, it didn’t take long for the story to suck her back in.

  Before she knew it, dusk had come, and the tourists were leaving.

  She slipped her arm through the handle on her shopping bag and climbed down the rock toward the caves.

  I’m here to see you, Jeno, she thought as she descended.

  She peered down over the ledge and saw him and his sister, along with a few others, leaving the caves and scattering in different directions. Jeno climbed the rock toward her.

  When he was just a few feet away, her smile widened. Each time she saw him, he seemed more beautiful than the last. Her heart ached for him now. She wanted very much to be in his arms.

  Since he could read her thoughts, he obliged her when he caught up to her by circling his arms around her waist. She reached up and kissed him.

  He smiled against her lips. “You have a way of brightening my mood.”

  “I got you a present.” She reached into her shopping bag and brought out the pillow. “When you know I’m awake, put the pillow on this side, because I’m always thinking of you when I’m awake. And when you know I’m asleep, put it on this side.”

  He looked at her—long and hard.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “No one has ever given me a present before.”

  “Never?”

  “Not since I was a little boy.”

  Gertie thought of the woman he had loved for thirty years.

  “Not even her. Not because she didn’t
try.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She would ask me if I wanted this thing or that thing, but I always said no. I don’t need clothes, because temperature doesn’t bother me. I don’t need hats, gloves, ties, shoes, or any of those fashionable accessories.”

  “Because you can make illusions.”

  “I’m hard to buy for. I don’t like cologne.”

  “Why not?”

  “It overwhelms my senses.”

  “Well, I know you don’t sleep as often as I do, but when you do lie down, maybe this pillow will help you think of me.” She gave him a playful wink.

  He kissed the top of her head. “Indeed, though I don’t need help for that.”

  “What about books, or art supplies?”

  “I’m not much of an artist, but I do love to read.”

  “Then I know what to give you next.” She wondered why the woman he loved had never given him books.

  “Because that’s what we did together. That’s one of the reasons I fell in love with her.”

  “You read together?”

  “She had a very large collection of books, and I used to stay there in her house and read to my heart’s content. I lived with her for many years. I only returned to Athens the night I met you on the bus.”

  “I wish we could move in together,” Gertie said.

  “If we had the money for rent, we could.” He smoothed her hair from her eyes and gave her another kiss on her forehead.

  She tried to hide her thoughts from him, but she didn’t know how.

  “That’s true, koureetsi mou,” he said. “You would likely have to choose between me and the Angelis family.”

  “Well, they kicked me out, so…” she didn’t finish her thought.

  “But you came to me today hoping for a way to remedy that.”

  She really wished he couldn’t read her mind.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t stop myself,” he said.

  “If I could make them forget what happened that night between me and Phoebe, then maybe I could move back in and go back to school.” And live a normal life.

  “Or you could leave them altogether and live with me,” he said. “Who needs a normal life?”

  “We wouldn’t have rent money for long. My parents would cut me off if they found out I was living with a boy.” Not to mention a vampire.

  “We won’t know until we try,” he argued. “And you could always get a job.”

  That can be my backup plan.

  “I don’t like being the backup plan,” Jeno murmured.

  “You are a part of both plans. I’m not going to stop seeing you if I move back in with them.” If she erased Mamá’s memory, Gertie’s promise to never see Jeno again would no longer be a problem.

  He looked at her uncertainly.

  “Besides, I won’t be able to get much of a job if I don’t finish high school first,” she added.

  “I agree.” He pulled her close and rested his chin on the top of her head. “You should finish school.”

  She leaned her cheek against his chest. Will you help me with my plan tonight?

  “Of course. There was never a question about that,” he said. “But your plan will only work if you can get each one of them to look into your eyes.”

  “I’m pretty sure I can do that.”

  “Even though they think you’ve already gone back to America?”

  “Nikita and Klaus know the truth.”

  “Good. Go to them first, and then you can manipulate them into inviting you inside. You cannot enter their apartment without an invitation now that you’ve been told to leave.”

  “Thanks for not lecturing me about using your powers to solve my problems.”

  “The pleasure is all mine.” He closed his eyes and sighed.

  She smiled up at him, taking in his beauty and thinking that one day she really would like to live with him. Maybe after high school, she would go to college in Athens, and they could be together then.

  “We have many universities here to choose from.” Jeno cupped her face in his hands. “What will you do after that?”

  “Maybe get a job as a librarian somewhere.”

  “You could work the night shift and sneak me in. We could read the nights away.”

  “That sounds incredible.”

  “You really want to stay in Greece? You would renounce your parents’ fortune?”

  “Absolutely. This is my home now. Right here, with you.”

  He kissed the tip of her nose, which caused a smile to split her face in half.

  “You’re so cute when you smile,” he said.

  “But not when I don’t?” She frowned.

  He laughed at her. “You’re even cuter when you frown.”

  She laughed, too, and then became aware of the drop in temperature as the darkness of the night enfolded them.

  “You need to learn to dress in layers,” Jeno said. “You’re always so cold at night, and I can do little to help you.”

  “Just hold me for a while. Okay?”

  “I have no problem with that.”

  She wondered if Hector was worried about her, since she hadn’t told him where she was or when she’d be home. She wondered if she should text him.

  “I think you should,” Jeno said. “I can sense his anxiety.”

  “You’re such a thoughtful person.” She took out her phone and texted, “I’m safe and will be at your place later tonight.”

  Hector immediately texted back, “Are you with Jeno?”

  “Yes,” she replied. Then she turned off her phone.

  “Being able to read minds is not always a benefit, you know,” Jeno said.

  “I know.”

  “It’s hard to hear him thinking about you, and even worse to hear you thinking about him.”

  “It’s you I love, Jeno,” she gazed into his eyes. “If I had your powers I would force you to believe that.”

  “Kiss me instead.” He touched his mouth to hers.

  She closed her eyes and sank against him, her entire body delighting in the feel of his touch.

  Are you ready? she wondered. Are you ready to drink my blood?

  “I’m always ready for you, my love,” Jeno whispered.

  He kissed down her neck, where her pulse throbbed with anticipation. A moan fled from his throat as he broke through skin and drank.

  27

  The Angelis Family

  Gertie and Jeno flew across the city holding hands. She’d never felt so happy, or so hopeful, as she did in that moment, giggling with pleasure at the feel of the wind beneath her arms and against her face. The city lights below were stunning, and the nearly full moon in the sky above had never seemed closer, almost within reach. She surged with power, with a sense of invincibility, and wished she could always feel this way, enormously endowed with strength.

  Jeno, able to read her mind, threw back his head and laughed. He agreed that this was a happy moment. His thoughts revealed his equal pleasure with her by his side. Before reaching the Angelis apartment, he turned on his back and positioned himself below her, so he could gaze up at her as they flew. She laughed again, wrapped her arms around him, and pushed them into a continuous spin. She felt dizzy and delirious with power and hope and happiness.

  “I love you, Jeno!” she cried out into the night, even though his face was near hers. “I love you so much!”

  He pulled her close, firm against him. “Let me have another taste of you.”

  She laughed again and lifted her chin to expose her neck. He sucked at her neck where he had previously marked her, and the wonderful dizziness came over her again.

  “Oh, my!” She leaned against him and allowed him to navigate them through the sky as she caught her bearings.

  “Oh my, indeed.” He was breathless as his vampire heart pumped her blood through his veins.

  Too soon, he stopped. Gertie lifted her face from Jeno’s chest to find them hovering above the Angelis’s apartment building.

>   “Are you sure you want to do this?” Jeno asked. “It may not go the way you hope.”

  “I have to try to win them back,” she said. “I never realized what I was missing before I became a part of their family.”

  Jeno frowned, and she could see his memories of his own family, before they were ripped apart. His mother and father and sister had been close. He was happy then. “It was a good life,” he said out loud. “I understand why this is important to you.”

  Gertie’s eyes filled with tears of sorrow for Jeno’s loss. She supposed hundreds of centuries could never take away that pain.

  “Maybe I can be your family,” she whispered, stroking his cheeks. “Maybe we can build a family together.”

  Vampires cannot reproduce.

  “That’s not what I mean,” she said. “I mean you and me, and true friends who love us. Maybe I can help Mamá and Babá to accept you. Maybe Klaus and Nikita can grow to love you.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “It starts tonight,” she said. “I’m going to go to them, have them look into my eyes, and I’m going to erase their memories of the other night.”

  “Okay, koureetsi mou.”

  “Then, I’m going to suggest to them that they need to give you a chance to prove how good you are. Because you are good, Jeno.”

  It was Jeno’s turn to spring tears, but he closed his eyes and held them back. As he did so, he pressed his mouth hard against hers and kissed her passionately, his mind sending out thoughts of love, hope, tenderness, and need.

  “I love you,” he said. “You are sweet and kind. I’m glad I didn’t give up on love.”

  “Me, too.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “Are you ready, then?”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be. What time is it?”

  Jeno glanced at the moon. “Eight o’clock, or thereabout.”

  She squeezed his hands, kissed him once more, and then flew down to the sidewalk in front of her building.

  I’ll be waiting for you right here, Jeno said to her telepathically.

  Okay.