Romance with a Bite

by Tamsin Baker

  It took a couple of turns of the motor before it roared to life, the deep rumble courtesy of the powerful V8 motor and expensive modifications to make it noisier than necessary. How I was going to make it to my house without being noticed, I didn’t know. I’d just have to make it fast. Get there. Get Mom and get back.

  My stomach churned as I slipped the truck into reverse and eased the massive frame back and forwards until I faced the track without falling over the edge of the mountain I’d slipped down.

  My knuckles turned white as I eased the truck down the overgrown path. The recent storm made it more mud-slide than anything and I only let out a breath when I finally eased over the ditch and onto the dirt road that would take me to Conway.

  I glanced at the empty seat, realizing for the first time I’d left the Grimoire back with the vampires.

  Dusk turned everything into shadows as I finally eased Gary’s truck into my driveway. I’d only passed two vehicles traveling the opposite direction, luckily no one I recognized. I held my breath and prayed to any God of goodwill that I would go unnoticed.

  I dashed outside, leaving the door open and the motor running and bounded up the front porch steps three at a time. The front door swung open and I stopped, just inside.

  Inside was dark. And cold. And silent. The fire I usually started was absent. No lights were on. No smells of dinner cooking. I stumbled inside on legs I couldn’t feel. “Mom?”

  A shadow shifted. A slight movement from Mom’s chair. I dove into my knees in front of her, “Mom!”

  “Ella? Is that you?”

  My God. Her voice was reed thin. Weak. Coldness streaked on my cheek. I flinched back, only realizing that it was Mom’s fingers. I reached for them, wrapped my own fingers around hers in an attempt to share her warmth. “Oh my God, Mom. You’re freezing!” I felt up her arms her face. Everywhere was cold. Everywhere. “Why didn’t you light the fire?”

  “Ran out. Of wood.” She was so weak, talking was too much for her.

  Of course she would have run out of wood. I wasn’t here to restock it. “You should have used the gas.”

  “Didn’t. Pay. Bill.”

  “Oh, Mom.” I pressed my forehead against her cold one. She was so weak. I could feel the life trickling out of her as I spoke. I squeezed her hand. “I’m getting you out of here.”

  “Can’t. Get up.”

  “I’ve found some…people…who can help you. They can save you, Mom. But you have to get up. I have to take you there.” If I’d have come back tomorrow, I don’t think my mother would have been alive. I stifled my sob. It wasn’t going to help her.

  “You’ve found them.”

  I froze at her words, a jumble of questions forming in my mind. I sat back on my haunches and gripped her hand. “Who do you think I’ve found?”

  A smile ghosted her lips. “I see. You have. Knew you. Were special.”

  She knew. She knew. More questions screamed in my brain. “How…why…” They were the only two words I spoke. The only words I could say.

  “Only someone special. Can end it. For. Everyone.” Mom fell back into the chair, the effort of speaking was too much for her.

  Why didn’t I just bond with them? Why had I been so selfish? They could be here. Now. Saving her. Now everyone I loved as at stake!

  Love..?

  That word slipped out unintentionally. How did I know what that even was? How it felt? I loved a cup of coffee in the morning, but forever love? That was the stuff of romance novels.

  There was no time to dwell. I stood, urging Mom to stand. “Come on, Mom. I’ve got to get you into the truck”

  Her brow furrowed and her gaze slid around. “Not here?”

  I sobbed out loud this time, unable to keep it locked inside. “I’m stupid, Mom. So, so stupid. You have to come with me. I have to take you to them.”

  But she only smiled. “Worry. Too much. Things will…work out. Trust Fate.”

  It was all she could manage. I’d give anything to light the fire, feed her and let her rest, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t because of my own selfishness.

  I didn’t have the heart to argue with her, because what had Fate given us…or offered Davon, Cassius or Xander. Fate wasn’t soft and warm and fuzzy and I’d been doing my best to outrun Fate from childhood.

  Fate had given me a sick mother and dying Vampires. And unless I acted fast, Fate was going to take them all away from me.

  Chapter Forty One

  I half carried Mom to Gary’s truck, using my shoulder to carry her weight. She was only slight, but she was also a dead weight. As soon as I had her settled, I jumped in the driver’s seat and closed the door. At least by keeping the motor running, the interior was cozy and warm.

  “Hold on, Mom. We’re going there now.”

  I saw her in the interior light, so pale and washed out she could be a cadaver. I shuddered, not wanting to think of it at all.

  I shoved the shifter into reverse and shot backwards down the driveway. It was snowing again and thankfully no one was in the streets. As soon as I had the wheels on the road, I slammed it into gear and sped off. Like the first time I’d done this, I hit the pedal with even more urgency.

  I turned the corner and a set of headlights blinded me. I caught a glimpse of Dean’s slack face and an impression of Gary in the passenger side, watching me pass. “Shit. Shit. Shit.”

  What was it I was just thinking about Fate?

  I floored it, the acceleration driving me back into the seat. If I could get out of town fast enough, they’d never catch me once I turned off the main road. I spun around the corner, catching a glimpse of Dean’s headlights doing a U turn on the road behind me.

  “They saw us. I going to have to floor it.”

  Mom’s fingers folded around the handle on the door as I sped far too fast down a road far too dark and slippery. I only knew if they caught up to me, I’d never make it back to my guys.

  My guys..? Nothing I thought or felt made any sense.

  “Mom, why have you never told me about this?”

  She sighed, a bone-weary sound. “I’d given up on it happening, honey. Thought we were…cursed just as much as the legend…said.”

  The heat must be helping. She sounded a little stronger, at least. Or maybe it was pure adrenaline caused by driving too fast down a dangerous road. “Legend?”

  “Spoken legend only. The Grimoire…doesn’t show all its secrets. Only what it wants,” Mom said.

  I was becoming more and more confused. The more she spoke, the more questions I had. “Just tell me about them, Mom. Tell me about the bond.”

  She gave me a brilliant smile and despite her pallor, I could tell she was truly happy for me. I just didn’t understand why. “Only bestowed on the… most deserved. It’s a true gift. My lucky, lucky daughter.”

  “I don’t feel that lucky.”

  “You don’t understand. There’s a story. Handed down from Ginevra’s daughter to us,” Mom said.

  I gasped. I hadn’t thought about it, but Ginevra must have had a child. We were the result of that. A child who grew up without a mother. Given what I knew of Ginevra’s heart, that might have been a good thing.

  Gravel pinged the underside of the truck and I spun down the road. I was getting there, but I needed to know everything before I saw them again.

  Before I had to decide.

  “Tell me the story.”

  “It’s the reason our family has been stuck in Conway for centuries. Because of the curse. The way in which it was cast. With that curse…Ginevra stole her daughter’s power. And that of her daughter, and so on. She did a great wrong. Cursed her own family in doing so.” Mom gasped for breath. She held out a hand as I reached for her. “Don’t stop. We need to. Get there.”

  My knuckles turned white as I gripped the wheel. Anger surged through adrenaline. I stayed silent, not wanting to exhaust her even more. It was taking everything she had to tell me the story.

  “I had given up hope. Too
much time…had passed. Ella. So sorry I didn’t tell you.” Her eyes gleamed with unshed tears. “I had…lost all hope. Didn’t think. It would be you.”

  I drew in a steeling breath. “So much time has passed. I would have thought the same thing too, Mom.”

  “Ginevra robbed us of our powers. Robbed us of ever leaving…that evil town. It’s taking the life…out of me to feed it. It would have done the same to you.”

  I had to wonder why my ancestors had never left Conway. Although the views were spectacular, that was the only good thing about it. Light flickered behind me. Red and blue mixed with the stark white headlights. Shit. Gary had alerted the sheriff. Of course he had. I eased on the gas, nudging the truck faster than I dared.

  “We’re being followed, Mom. Tell me about the Vampires.”

  She showed no shock at my mention of what they were. She really did know the story. “They were innocent beings. They should never have been attacked like that. Their Father killed. They can heal, Ella. They are good. Not like fables.”

  My fingers twisted on the wheel, guilt gnawing at me. I knew they were. I just knew they were and yet I’d still left them to their fate. I was as bad as Ginevra in my own way. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, apparently.

  “They are also made for you. For all of the evil done in the past, Fate has intervened to set things right. You all are…being rewarded,” Mom said.

  The lights behind us were gaining. They were going so fast. Faster than I dared. We were nearly at the break. I could only hope we’d get there without them discovering the track. Sweat broke out beneath my armpits, sticky and slick. The same sweat coated my palms and I rubbed them one by one on my thighs.

  “I don’t know about Fate, Mom. I don’t think I believe in that.”

  “Listen to your heart. Really listen. It doesn’t lie, honey. This is a shock. That is all. You didn’t know anything about them. If I had…told you. You would have…accepted them already. Curse would have…ended.”

  Mom was failing. She slumped against the seat, her body jerked about by the jolting of the truck. “It’s not your fault, Mom. Just… hang on. Hang on until we get there.”

  Red and blue lit up the truck’s cabin, but a familiar sweep of trees flashed past. There it was, coming up. I slammed on the brakes, the engine whining and groaning as I struggled to shift down the gears. “This is going to get rough.”

  I swung the wheel and my shoulder hit the door as I steered the truck over the ditch, through the trees and into the hidden track that I hoped would lead me to salvation.

  Chapter Forty Two

  Mom was thrown about, her limbs flying like a rag doll. Rocks thumped the undercarriage and branches screeched against the side of the truck.

  I couldn’t care less.

  I’d been gone too long. Left too late.

  Damn it, I should have saved them before I left!

  My burdened heart thumped inside my chest and something oily settled inside my stomach. If only I had known. I’d been kept in the dark all my life. Might things have been different if I’d known, or would my ability to always look for the bad before the good outweigh anything I might have done differently?

  My body tingled with a different tension. I’d only been gone a few hours, but I wanted to see them again. Desperately. Fear made my muscles tremble.

  Fear I was too late – for everyone.

  Please, God. Please let me see their faces again.

  I wrenched the wheel, following the track as best I could, offering up my prayer like a chant. The path ended abruptly, the wheels sinking into the trenches from where the truck had stopped before.

  Mom’s eyes were closed, her body limp. “Oh, God. Oh, no. No, please.”

  It took me three tries to unbuckle my seat belt, my breathing stuttering in my throat. I slammed the door open and scrambled around the front of the truck to wrench the passenger door open.

  I tapped Mom’s face, and when she didn’t stir, tapped her again more forcefully. My breath rushed out when her eyes flickered open, but it was several moments before they cleared from their blank state.

  An engine growl rent the silence. I gasped, my head turning towards the sound. They’d followed me! Oh my God. They’d seen me turn off!

  I unclipped her belt and eased my arms around her. “Mom. You’ve got to get out. We have to walk. Just a little way, but we have to go now, okay. There’s no time.”

  If I could get her through the barrier, they wouldn’t even see where we went. The barrier would hide us. I could be anywhere in this wilderness and they’d have a hard time trying to work out where we went.

  Mom’s fingers curled around my shoulder as I helped her out of the truck. She leaned against me, her breathing heavy as though she’d run miles, but she’d only gotten out of the truck.

  They were getting closer. As well as the engine sounds, I made out the sounds of rocks and gravel kicking against metal. They weren’t being careful at all. They were going as fast as they could to get us.

  I wrapped my hand around her waist, slung her arm about my shoulders and crushed her hands in mine. I balanced her as best I could, taking as much of her weight and turned in the direction of the house.

  The trees swallowed us as we walked. But it was slow. Too slow. “Just a little faster, Mom.”

  She drew a shallow breath, “You go. Leave me. Save them. No time.”

  I re-gripped her hand. That wasn’t going to happen. “We’re almost there. Another step. Good. Now another.”

  I wished I was strong enough to pick her up, but sweat poured down my forehead, dripping into my eyes. Fear made me stumble nearly as much as Mom.

  Engines sounded louder. Close. Too close. One sounded as though I could reach out a touch it. And then the sound of another engine quickly followed. The sound of more and more vehicles swarmed the path behind us like angry wasps over a fresh target.

  A door slammed. Another and another. Male voices.

  I recognized Gary’s voice. A man yelled out, loud and clear, and my blood ran like frigid ice in my veins. I recognized those twanging tones. It’d been the cause of the misery of my life.

  I don’t know why, but Minister Jeremiah and the Holy Trinity were right behind us.

  Fear made my legs weak. There was no way I was leaving Mom behind for them to find. There was no option now but to get through the barrier.

  I held on to her tighter, hoping I wasn’t causing her too much pain and struggled over rocks and slippery leaves.

  “Where is it?” Shit. The barrier had to be close! Branches rustled, footfalls sounded. They followed us! But how? It was almost impossible to see where we’d gone. I wasn’t even on a path.

  I clenched my teeth against making any sound. I steeled my arm around Mom’s waist, ignored my burning lungs, legs and screaming muscles and surged forward. It was impossible to tell where the barrier exactly was, but I went weak as the familiar spider webs brushed my skin.

  I stumbled through the barrier and was assaulted by furious wind and pelting hail. This wasn’t just a snowstorm any more. This was absolute hell.

  Mom groaned, her body shaking against the arctic chill. “Xander! Cassius! Davon! Help!”

  My voice was thin against the howl of the wind. I doubted they’d even hear me. There was no option but to try and reach the house. I stepped and fell knee-deep into snow. Cold wrapped around my legs, whipped through my clothing. The sweat froze instantly on my skin and soon I was wet through, my clothing only serving to chill me even more.

  Mom sank, her legs giving out beneath her. I toppled over with her into the snow. Her eyes were closed, head lolling and nothing I did was enough to rouse her.

  I tried to pick her up, but her body was too limp. She was a dead weight and I didn’t have the strength to even lift her shoulder off the ground.

  I sobbed out loud, helplessness cashing around me. I was so close but I couldn’t take another step further. I sank down into the snow at her side. I brushed away the
snow that continued to fall, fearing we’d soon be covered. There was the sound of voices right behind me. Close to the barrier. Too close.

  They might even step through and find us!

  God. Oh, God no.

  The tears I’d been holding off started falling, instantly freezing on my cheeks. Xander, Cassius and Davon hadn’t heard me and I was too cold and the Holy Trinity was too close for me to utter a sound. I was trapped and my Vampires weren’t coming. Realization washed through me like a tsunami of despair.

  They weren’t coming because they’d faded away into nothing. The cursed fulfilled. Evil abounded. They weren’t coming…because they couldn’t come.

  Nausea rose in my gut. I was late. Too, too late. They were dead. Bile rose up my throat and I worked hard to swallow it back down again. I could have had everything and now I’d lost it all. Through fear, stupidity and naivety.

  If only…if only…if only. The words of regret.

  I folded my body over Mom’s in an attempt to keep the weather as much off her as I could. I was either going to die of exposure or the townspeople were going to find us. Whichever way it was, it wasn’t going to be where I really wanted to be.

  In the arms of my Vampires. Being cherished. Cared for.

  Loved.

  That’s what they had shown me. That’s what they had already known and I’d been too scared to recognize it. The tenderness Davon displayed when he spoke about his Father. Cassius’s need to feed me with any meal he thought I would like. Xander’s strict control that was undone the moment he laid his hands on me.

  Those weren’t the actions of unaffected men. They had known all along how they felt. And that I returned it. You didn’t have to understand a bond to know it was there. And they loved me enough to send me away when I didn’t know what I wanted myself. That was real love. That was a bond that went deeper than the mere time we’d known each other, or the facts and figures about our lives.

  If only I’d looked deeper and believed. I owned a Grimoire. I’d met Vampires. Apparently I had powers that had been supressed through great evil. These were things in front of my face and yet I’d still rejected them.