by Terry Spear
I wished he had, too. “It wasn’t your fault. You know me, a throw-caution-to-the-wind kind of guy.” I doubt if James had warned me how bad someone like Lynetta could be, I would have heeded his words. Once she controlled me with her vampire love song, it was all over. Humans just didn’t have any kind of resistance to the bloodsuckers’ allure.
As soon as we arrived home, every light on in the place, my parents hurried out to greet us, both looking nervously about them as if they waited for a full-fledged vampire assault. Dad was a big, heavyset guy, a football player in his college and high school days, but tackling bodies in a game was one thing. He was a mouse when it came to any other kind of confrontation, and he had ulcers to prove it.
My mother was definitely a nervous Nelly. Don’t know how my brother and I managed to be so unafraid of taking risks. Maybe it was our youth. Maybe our parents had been the same way in their teens. Or maybe we rebelled against being as timid as them.
When the neighbor’s dog had chewed up my mother’s garden shoes, it was James who took them to task for it. When telemarketers hounded us day and night, I gave them an earful. When the local Italian restaurant burned my mother’s dinner—despite her insistence to the contrary—I asked the waiter bring her a new platter of lasagna.
But they were the most concerned parents a kid could have, and for now, I knew returning home was the right thing to do.
With tears in her eyes, my mother took Marissa into the house like she was her long-lost daughter. Inwardly, I smiled. Mom didn’t know yet that Marissa would be her daughter-in-law someday when we could swing it.
My father took me aside in the living area. Mom wrapped her arm around Marissa’s shoulder and led her to my room to sleep for the rest of the morning.
“Son, what’s this all about? James was pretty cryptic,” my father said, his voice couched in concern, and I figured he’d assumed I’d gotten into further trouble—if that was possible.
My mother returned to hear what was going on in my life, and sat beside Dad on the loveseat, his hand gripping hers. I explained what had happened. My parents now knew they lived in the Twilight Zone, and Dad, like usual, was at a loss for words, and Mom reserved comment, her face pinched with worry.
I couldn’t blame them. How many parents had to deal with a son who turned vampire? Who had picked up a witch for a soul mate? Who believed the only way he was going to get out of this with most of his real self intact was through the aid of said witch? Who had become a warlock on top of everything else?
Dad and Mom just looked shocked. I couldn’t imagine what horrors they were envisioning with all the news. I wished I could reassure them everything would be all right, but how could I? I was a long way off from straightening out my life.
Dad called Marissa’s parents and explained that she was at our home, safe and sound. Could she sleep here, then we’d return her after Mom fed Marissa when she woke?
Thankfully, her parents agreed without any objection, a better outcome than I could have ever planned. I was damned proud of my dad. He and I had concocted a pretty good story, avoiding some of the stranger details. But being that her parents were a witch and warlock, Dad assumed they suspected there was more to the tale than we let on. Still, they promised to inform the police to call off the search and agreed to let things stand as they were for now.
The update on Kate was that she was resting comfortably at the hospital and receiving blood, which relieved me immensely. The police would be over to speak with us both later, too, so we had to get our stories straight and hope that Kate’s was similar enough to ours. Though if the versions of our stories didn’t match up, we could probably say she was confused from the terror she had experienced.
The rest of that morning, Marissa slept in my bed and I wondered what she thought of my room—the walls papered in Air Force and Navy jet planes, the comforter a sky blue, and model planes strung from the ceiling or sitting on stands on every spare inch of my dresser, side tables and computer desk. My uncle was an Air Force jet pilot and it had been my dream to be one, too. Or a Navy pilot. Whichever branch of the service was willing to take me. But now…I shook my head. I imagined I might not be able to hide my unusual condition and pass the physicals.
I settled down on the tweed couch in the den, wrapping myself in the softness of a spare down comforter we normally used for overnight guests. Though in the past, both my brother and I had camped out in front of the wide-screen T.V., watching some totally cool movie that came on in the middle of the night. I would have preferred cuddling with Marissa, but despite my announcement we were soul mates, I knew my parents would haven’t bought my sleeping with her as part of the deal.
Because of the exhausting night, both of us slept past eleven. Mom fixed us a breakfast spread fit for a king—with scrambled eggs, toast, sausage, cantaloupe and honeydew melon. I wasn’t sure whether it was because she was so happy to see me again, or if she was trying to impress Marissa or a little of both. But we definitely appreciated her royal treatment since neither of us had dinner the night before, and poor Marissa didn’t even have lunch.
Dad had already gone to work at the bank as a loan officer. James had left early to do some last minute studying with some of his classmates for a biology test. Only Marissa and I chowed down at the table with Mom.
She studied Marissa and me like a mother sparrow watching over her chicks in the nest. Twice, Marissa caught her eye, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
“I updated your parents,” Mom finally said, her voice soft. It was if she hadn’t lost a son, but gained a daughter, and she seemed really pleased with the notion. She’d always wanted a daughter, said they were sweeter than boys, and she’d love to have one to shop with and do whatever else girls did with their mothers. I wondered then if Marissa was the kind of girl that liked to do things with her mother.
Marissa nodded at me.
I didn’t think I’d ever get used to her reading my mind.
She smiled and tackled another slice of cantaloupe.
My mother took a sip of her coffee and then set the mug down. I noticed then that we were using her expensive and very ornate Michelangelo silverware that she only offered during special family holidays. Even the placemats, covered in soft hues of blueberries and a pale blue background, seemed brand new, cheerful. I saw, too, that she wore a flowery shirt and blue denim skirt, like she did when she attempted casual at a ladies’ luncheon. Was she trying to dress up, but seem dressed down to make a good impression on Marissa?
I loved my mom.
Mom sighed deeply. “They seem like awfully nice folks, but I don’t think they believe everything that was said last night about your disappearance and Kate’s injury.”
Marissa fingered a glass of milk and copied my mother’s worried sigh. “I’m…well, I’m always very upfront with my parents, though this is going to be pretty difficult to explain. Still, I don’t want to lie to them.”
“But what about Dominic? What if they tell the world and the police hunt him down for being one of the cold-blooded killers?” My mother’s voice was filled with new worry.
If anyone knew I really was a vampire, I was certain I would suddenly be the focus of the hunt for the one guilty of the vampire-like killings.
Marissa glanced at me, then turned her attention back to my mother, and I knew instantly she was going to tell the thing I’d kept secret until now. Not that I was ashamed—well, I was ashamed about turning her without her permission. But I had felt it was up to her to tell on me, and at once, my ears burned with embarrassment. I’d not only gotten myself into this bind for good, but my lifemate as well.
“I’m one of them, too,” Marissa said gently. “Only I haven’t been turned as far. So it wouldn’t do for my parents to say anything about Dominic’s condition when I’ve got a similar problem.”
Tears filled my mother’s eyes and Marissa reached across the kitchen table. My mother took her hand and smiled weakly. Marissa said, “I do have some
of the same vampiric abilities as Dominic. Luckily, I don’t seem to have any need for blood.”
My mother visibly swallowed, but looked much relieved. “I’m so sorry, dear.”
“I had to save Dominic’s life.”
Mom looked at me, surprise and accusation evident as her jaw dropped. “You turned Marissa?”
“By accident.” I felt like a heel all over again. I explained what had happened, hoping my mother would forgive me as Marissa had.
My mother walked around the table and hugged Marissa. “You’ll always be part of our family, and I can’t…can’t thank you enough for saving Dominic. You’re very lucky to have her, Dominic.” Her tone was a bit scolding.
Nobody had to tell me that twice. “Yeah, Mom, she’s really something special.”
“Will the two of you be all right on your own? I…I have some laundry to do.”
She always did laundry when she needed to get her emotions under control.
“We’ll be fine,” I said, grabbing her plate and mine. “We’ll do the dishes in the meantime.” I figured she wanted to leave us alone so we could discuss whatever we needed to before Marissa returned to her parents’ home.
“Thank you, dear.”
When Mom walked down the hall to the laundry room, Marissa poked her fork into a pile of scrambled eggs. “What did your parents think about your warlock abilities?”
“They’re remarkable for adapting to ever-changing situations pretty fast. Though we really didn’t discuss it much. I’m sure they’ll want to know more about my new abilities—but later. What do you think your parents will say about all of this?”
Marissa wrinkled her brow. “I’m not sure, Dominic. A couple of years ago my cousin, Jack, claimed he was spirited away by a genie…female version. He left his schooling and parents behind and just vanished. Luckily, he was only seventeen and didn’t have a wife or kids. But still, his parents were worried sick about him. When he turned up a year later, that’s the story he told.”
Speechless to hear such a farfetched tale, I didn’t say anything.
Marissa smiled, joined me at the sink, and kissed my cheek. “We might not have believed Jack, and many still are skeptical, but he explained he had to save the genie, and free her from the bottle forever. In return, he received fifty million dollars. Of course, the I.R.S. is still taxing him on it, but, hey, what a windfall! Now he and his parents have this mansion on the lake.”
“So did your parents believe him?”
Her blue eyes studied me, and the Caribbean color reminded me of her beautifully bewitching patron demon from the Gulf. “It’s hard to say. I’m not always sure what they’re thinking. But they try to keep an open mind.”
I envisioned myself climbing up the side of their house to prove what we said was true.
Marissa smiled and squeezed my hand. “Now that I have got to see!” Then she gave the cutest little frown. “Hey, I wonder if I can do that?”
Chapter 20
MARISSA
My heart beat twice as fast when Dominic drove me to my parents’ house in his pumpkin orange Bug. He glanced at me and smiled. “I haven’t driven it since I was turned. Doesn’t cost anything in gas to get around the way I do now.”
“Hopefully, that will all change, Dominic.” With all my heart I hoped we could stop Lynetta’s turning him more. But then I wondered about Joshua and how different he and Dominic were from each other. “Do you think Joshua killed anyone?”
“It’s likely, the way he injured Kate. He seemed to enjoy hurting someone who was weaker than him.” A glint of red appeared to flash in Dominic’s dark brown eyes.
I reached over and ran my hand over his leg. Instantly, his mouth curved up.
“Distract the driver more like that, and I’ll have to pull the car over and finish what you’ve begun.”
I grinned, wishing he could. Then I leaned back against the vinyl seat. What would my parents say about all of this? I feared the worst…they’d forbid me to see Dominic.
Dominic clenched his teeth, gripped the steering wheel tighter and turned to me, his expression wounded.
I felt terrible about what might happen, but I was still underage and had nowhere else to live. Witches and warlocks didn’t live with human families, even if both families mutually accepted it, because of society’s taboos against it. Though I highly doubted my parents would agree to such an arrangement anyway. “I’m sorry, Dominic. That’s what I fear the most. They may be able to accept the story that we tell them about all that has happened, but I’m not sure they’ll want me to see you anymore.”
“But—”
Shaking my head at him, I told him in no uncertain terms that I couldn’t deal with an argument with him about it right now. I was trying to keep my hopes up but the closer we got to my home, the more I dreaded seeing my parents and the closer to tears I became. “They can ground me, force me to stay away from you, but only for a while. We’re soul mates, right? We’ll be together soon enough.”
Dominic rubbed his smooth chin. “If they don’t allow you to go with me, to stay with me, I might not be able to protect you. I can’t…won’t allow it.”
I chewed on my lower lip, trying to think of a way we could still get together. He was right. We had to destroy Lynetta as a joined force and it had to be accomplished before tomorrow evening. Then my heart sank. The witches’ and warlocks’ dance was tomorrow night. I’d never get to go. Then again, so what? Dominic’s life was at stake, and there’d always be a dance next year.
Dominic kept his eyes on the road, but reached over, grasped my hand, and squeezed.
Realizing I had much more significant problems to solve, I sighed deeply.
“We can’t let your parents know I can vanish and reappear in the house.”
My spirits lifted, I turned to Dominic. “I’d forgotten. You can come to see me, and we can still make plans. But…what if I can’t leave the house?” I slumped in my seat, feeling totally defeated. “What if they concoct a powerful ward spell over the house and lock me in? I don’t know if they can do such a thing, but they might be able to. And I’m not very good at spells that I have learned, let alone the ones I haven’t.”
“We’ll take it one step at a time,” he reassured me with confidence and tenderness. He pulled curbside next to my house. “First, we have to tell them what has happened. After that, we play it by ear.”
He took my hand and instantly boosted my courage.
When we entered the house, my parents hurried to greet us. My mother’s blond hair was swept high above her head, which meant she was in one of her formal, stiff, unapproachable moods. Dad ran his hand through his long blond hair, a nervous tick, indicating he realized the situation was even more serious than they had first assumed.
He shook Dominic’s hand with a firm grip as if to say he was in charge and didn’t want Dominic taking advantage of his daughter.
I sighed, hoping we could get through the inquisition quickly and without too much pain.
Dominic explained everything that had happened to him prior to meeting me. I hadn’t realized that being human, he’d been totally defenseless against Lynetta once she targeted him. I’d assumed he was as much at fault, desiring her kisses without any encouragement from her, as beautiful as she was.
“You’re the one who is beautiful to me,” Dominic said, his mind scolding as if he couldn’t tell me enough how strongly he felt about me.
I smiled.
Then I drew my serious face while my mother looked on with a stone cold expression. Dad watched me with such intensity, I suspected he attempted to see if I lied each time I chanced to speak. When I explained how Dominic and I were soul mates, my mother couldn’t contain the small gasp that issued from her throat, nor could my father hide the flinch in his neck muscles as they constricted all of a sudden. He glanced over at Dominic, who nodded.
Then the questioning began in earnest, but most of the questions centered on my claim that Dominic and I were soul ma
tes. I thought it odd they weren’t more concerned about Lynetta, or the vampires who had descended on the city, or Dominic’s brush with immortality, or mine, too.
“It was written in the stars,” I said rather melodramatically, waving my hands at the ceiling.
My mother opened her mouth to speak, but just as quickly clamped her lips shut.
Dad asked, “The stars?”
“The Stars Enquirer,” Dominic said.
My mouth gaped as I stared at Dominic. We sat together on the sofa, and though we hadn’t once touched, I wanted to. I craved holding his hand throughout the ordeal, and I knew he wanted to provide me solace. I needed it, but we were sure it wouldn’t go over well with my parents, so maintained our rigid distance. Mom sat across from us on a wide-winged floral chair, her back stiff as a broom handle. Dad paced back and forth, but now stood still as a cat ready to pounce on a rat.
“The Stars Enquirer?” my mother squeaked out.
“You weren’t a warlock then,” my father accused, immediately jumping on the lie he figured he’d caught Dominic in. Even I was astounded, though he sounded totally sincere. “How did you get hold of one of our magazines?” my father asked.
A miracle. If it was written in The Stars Enquirer, our being soul mates was irrefutable.
Dominic reached over and held my hand and warmed me through and through. He was staking his claim, despite my parents’ disbelief, and his touch didn’t go unnoticed. Neither of my parents said a thing, but the looks on their faces gave evidence of their displeasure. However, it was the words Dominic spoke next that drew their utmost attention.
“The Stars Enquirer was sitting in the front seat of my locked car the night I was bitten by Lynetta. At first, I was so concerned about what Lynetta was and how it affected me, I didn’t pay much attention to the magazine. But when I returned to my home that night, I found it lying on my pillow. Still, I ignored it. After Lynetta took my blood, I’d been so lightheaded, nothing seemed clear in my mind. I thought maybe I was imagining things. No human could get their hands on one of your magazines. They’re forbidden to humans, as you very well know.”
