“Yeah. I found that out just before my mom had her heart attack. I went over to talk to him but he wasn’t there and then Mom….” Holly trails off. “Anyway, he showed up at the hospital. He was great but I was too worried about Mom and it didn’t seem like the time or place to ask him about buying the house next door.”
“Probably not,” Carmen agrees. “But now you have to go ask him if he’s a vampire too, so, there’s that.”
“Yeah.” Holly sighs. “My life is a mess.”
“Everybody’s life is a mess,” Carmen coaxes. “It’s the messes that make life worthwhile.”
Holly pushes off the couch. “I guess I can’t put it off any longer.”
“Do you want me to go with you?” Carmen asks.
“No. Stay here and watch over Mom.” Holly brushes her lips over her mom’s forehead. “She’ll be okay until I get back, right?”
CHAPTER 14
Holly stands on the front porch of the neighbor’s house half hoping she is wrong about everything. She imagines an attractive stranger opening the door instead of Tristan, fantasizes about what she’ll say to the new guy and how she’ll laugh about the misunderstanding with Carmen afterward.
The porch light is out and the yellowish glow from the street lamps doesn’t quite reach Holly allowing her to blend with the shadows. She exhales loudly and tucks a stray hair behind her ear wondering if it would have been a good idea to shower first. Holly raises her hand to knock, lowers it in a moment of hesitation, and then, in a burst of confidence, raps lightly on the door frame.
“Come in,” a voice calls from beyond the door.
Holly hesitates but ultimately opens the door and steps inside. The hall is dark but light from the kitchen illuminates the far end of the hall, enough for Holly to see that it appears to have been restored and updated. She walks toward the kitchen, suppressing the memories threatening to undo her.
“I knew you would put it together.” Tristan stands near the stove, hair loose, half tucked behind his ear, as he works over a large pot. He’s dressed in jeans and a worn t-shirt, surprisingly casual and comforting to Holly.
“It was the book,” Holly says uncertainly. The surrealism of this scene is almost too much to handle. “You’ve redecorated.” She notes the modern feel, stainless steel on granite countertops with the new-build smell still fresh.
“The previous owners left a disgusting mess.” Tristan flicks the stove off and turns to face her. “There were roaches in the cupboards, Hol.” His nose crinkles in disgust.
Holly frowned and shook her head, his mother would have died before having bugs in her house. She had no idea the former residents were so filthy.
“After you left, I didn’t pay much attention to who lived here,” Holly admits.
“Oh?” Tristan seems genuinely surprised. He sets the pot on the table and gestures for her to take a seat. “I made jambalaya.”
Holly slides into the open chair and sniffs at the pot. “Something you just picked up?”
“Yeah, you could say that.” Tristan sits in the chair opposite her and fills a bowl for her.
“It smells amazing.” Holly takes a bite, avoiding his gaze. “It tastes pretty good, too.”
“Thank you.” Tristan is watching her but Holly is not ready to look at him yet. “How is your mom?”
“Tired,” Holly says, still focusing on her bowl.
“And you?” Tristan probes.
“Confused,” Holly confesses. She sets her spoon down and finally looks at him. He’s just as beautiful as ever, maybe more so.
“Yes, we have a lot to discuss.” Tristan agrees. “I’m guessing you have a lot of questions for me.”
“Will you answer them honestly?” Holly challenges, arching an eyebrow at him, searching for his tells.
Tristan considers this for a moment. “I have never lied to you, Holly. Not about anything important anyway, I mean, unless you count surprises like the U2 concert.” His mouth twitches into that half smile she used to love.
“You know what I mean.” Holly frowns. “I’m serious, Tristan. You’ve done all of this,” she waves her hand at the refurbished kitchen, “followed me around, saved me from muggers and an insane warlock, but you made me figure out it was you instead of just telling me. Why? Why would you do that?”
Tristan lowers his head. “I didn’t know how to tell you.”
“What? That you are alive and well? That you just stopped writing and fell off the grid for no good reason? Where were you? Partying? And why does your mother believe you are dead?” Holly’s voice climbs several octaves to that shrill level she genuinely despises.
“I’m trying to explain but you keep interrupting. I needed to know that you could understand it, possibly accept it.”
Holly’s stomach sinks. She watches him, sees his eyes swimming with emotion betraying the internal conflict behind his cool exterior. “When?” Holly asks softly, knowing the answer but needing to hear it from his lips.
“I think you know when,” Tristan replies, each word edged with a blend of sorrow and anger, his eyes are full of remorse. “I didn’t want to come back to you like this. Believe me, Holly, I tried to stay away but I never stopped thinking about you. Not ever.”
“How?” Holly’s voice fails, cracking on the word, wishing she could take it back because she’s not really sure she wants to know.
Tristan’s shoulders slump but he does not look away. He holds her gaze until he’s done. Holly doesn’t remember everything, just plucks out the most important details – a girl, prom date, wanted more than he was willing to give her, they fought, she killed him. “I didn’t know what she was, Holly. I thought she was just a girl, just a regular girl. I still dream of the blood, the warmth leaving my body, the smell of the earth beneath me. I could hear the sounds of the Quarter but I could not cry for help. I didn’t know she gave me her blood in the limo. I didn’t know.” Tristan hangs his head.
Holly is frozen in her chair, trying to picture a world where somebody would do something so horrible. “It wasn’t your fault,” She whispers softly. “You were just a kid.”
“I should have known.” Tristan’s tone turns bitter. “My family did not like her so I snuck out with her that night anyway. They knew. They knew exactly what she was but didn’t tell me, just forbade me to see her.”
“But why?” Holly is full of more questions now, how did his family know? Were they supernatural?
“Don’t you see?” Tristan exclaims. “I was human. I had a chance at a normal life. All I had to do was graduate from high school and move back to Washington and I would have been free to live my life with you never knowing about that other world.”
“I don’t understand. Why did your mom insist on taking you back to New Orleans if she wanted you to have a normal life?” Holly releases the edge of her seat, suddenly aware of how tightly she’d been clinging to it.
“They didn’t know.” Tristan looks up at her again, his eyes bright pools of sorrow. “My parents took me away in hopes that I would be normal but when my dad died, my mom had to take me back to see if I could inherit the family legacy. My parents were a part of a coven, a very powerful one. Unfortunately, I did not inherit their magical prowess.”
“So wait, your parents were some serious witches?” Holly could not imagine his parents in long robes or chanting incantations. They didn’t even have an herb garden. “How did we not know?”
“Mom and Dad left when I was young because they didn’t want me to be a part of that life. Apparently, it was not a good time to be a witch in New Orleans. The family didn’t take it well when two of their most powerful just up and left,” Tristan explains. “So when Dad died they pretty much forced Mom to go back and see if I could practice.
“It’s a thing, I didn’t really get it until after I turned. Then it was all explained. The vampires targeted me and turned me on purpose thinking that I could do magic. They expected some all powerful ally. Needless to say, they were not please
d to find out the truth. Of course, I could have saved them a lot of trouble if they’d just asked, but then, they probably wouldn’t have believed me.”
“So what happened?” Holly breathes. This story is better than any of those urban fantasies she likes to read.
“They turned me out.” Tristan shrugs. “Alexandra didn’t take it very well but she was little more than a fledgling herself so it didn’t matter. Then, my family wouldn’t take me in because of what I’d become.”
“What did you do? I mean, how did you get this house?” Holly can’t believe his mother would ever turn her only son away, but then again, it would explain her reaction to the phone call.
Tristan chuckles. “Oh, that. Well, I wandered for a long time. I had to figure out how to be,” he continues with their unspoken agreement to not say the ‘V’ word and fumbles for another way to explain, “how to be what I am now. I got lucky and met somebody who taught me everything I needed to know.”
“I see.” Holly isn’t quite sure how to take that. She imagines some older gentleman in an ascot and Hugh Hefner-style robe grooming Tristan into something different.
Sensing her discomfort, Tristan smiles. “There was nothing untoward about my relationship with Dasher. He actually reminded me of your dad, if your dad was British. Dasher took me under his wing and showed me another way to live, how to earn money and educate myself. He helped me create identities and….” Tristan trails off, a faraway look in his eyes, then he snaps back to present. “I owe him everything and intend to repay his kindness by keeping my word.”
“Is he dead?” Holly’s brow furrows, trying to follow the story as she realizes she’s missing some major plot points.
“No, nothing like that.” Tristan shakes his head. “I guess I’m jumping around a bit. It’s just that I’ve practiced this conversation a thousand times but now that I’m here with you, well, it feels different than I thought it would.”
“Oh.” Holly shifts in her chair and plays with her napkin.
“It’s not bad, Hol,” Tristan leans forward, “it’s actually easier but there’s so much to tell and I don’t know how much you know about supernaturals. I honestly didn’t expect you to know anything, I thought I was starting from scratch. That’s why I was so secretive and cautious about approaching you. It wasn’t until I knew you had an inkling that I changed my plans and then you kept getting into trouble and, well, I couldn’t let you die in some crazy accident just before I found you again.”
“Now you sound like the old Tristan,” Holly beams at him, “that stream of consciousness otherwise known as diarrhea of the mouth suits you.”
“Har. Har.” Tristan eyes dance. “And I see you’ve kept your sarcasm muscle in excellent shape.”
“Of course. How else could I live with my family?” Holly shoots back. “Or deal with all of this madness? I mean, warlock attacks, elves, gargoyles, Angel of Death in my house, and some ominous cloud of darkness hovering over my destiny….it’s kinda a lot to swallow.”
Tristan’s face darkens. “Where did you hear about a cloud over your destiny?”
“Carmen came to me, she revealed her elf face, told me about supernaturals, and said something about my destiny being clouded by something and she’s been looking out for me.” Holly shrugs, it seems normal now but judging by Tristan’s face, maybe not so much. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“The elf said there’s a cloud over your destiny?” Tristan’s speech is slightly pressured now, his body tense and somehow more alert altogether.
“Yeah, we don’t know what it is or anything but it’s there and every time we think we’ve figured it out, it turns out to be nothing,” Holly explains. “We thought it was you but here you are and I’m still fine.”
“Holly, elves don’t just intervene for no reason. Something serious must be coming for you.” Tristan begins cleaning up the table, trying to appear somewhat calm and failing miserably. “I assume there are wards on your house?”
“Y-yeah,” Holly stammers. “Carmen is there now and Petey is outside. Why?”
“We should just go there.” Tristan takes her by the hand and leads her to the front door. “Hold my hand, no matter what happens.”
“Um, okay.” Holly is about to chastise him for overreacting when she’s ripped from her feet and moved. The next moment she’s staring at Tristan again, his arms around her waist, cradling her body against his. She’s dreamt of something like this, but they were naked and it was definitely more romantic than the porch. Wait. How did they get to her front porch?
“Sorry, I hear it’s a little weird the first time,” Tristan whispers into her ear. His hair tickles her cheek. “You should go inside. Had I known, I would have come to you in the first place.”
“But, I don’t understand?” Holly looks into his eyes, now silvery pools.
“You need to be safe,” Tristan says, his breath is cool on her neck as he pulls her closer. “I would love to stay and talk more, but you should really go. I will see what I can discover for you and we will talk tomorrow evening.”
“I have more questions.” Holly’s argument is weak but so are her knees, so thoughtful arguments are not exactly working for her right this second.
“Of course you do,” Tristan kisses her nose tenderly, just like he used to, “and I will answer them all, I promise you.”
“But…” Holly trails off as Tristan plants his lips on hers, pulling her into him. His tongue parts her lips and lightly presses into her mouth. They have kissed like this hundreds of times but somehow it still sends tingles down her spine, Holly’s belly flopping and heart fluttering until all she can think of is where their bodies meet and how much more she wants. Then he’s gone, the chill night air filling the space Tristan occupied not a second before. Holly feels empty, gaping into the darkness.
“Damn, that was hot,” Carmen remarks from the doorway.
Holly opens the door and stalks in the house. “You saw that, huh?”
“Um, yeah. The whole neighborhood saw that.” Carmen follows Holly into the living room where Cody is checking her mom’s vitals. “So, what’d you find out?”
“I don’t know.” Holly flops on the couch and pulls a throw pillow up to her chest, resting her chin on it.
“Well, I found out that your ex-boyfriend is one hot piece of vampire ass and he’s still got a thing for you,” Carmen recounts. “Seriously, there was steam coming off of that kiss.”
“Why’d he leave then?” Holly grumbles.
“He didn’t tell you?” Carmen frowns. “That’s cold. Maybe you’re a shit kisser?”
“Gee, thanks.” Holly glances at her friend. “He seemed pretty freaked out when I told him about the darkness over my fate. He took it hard and basically kicked me out of his house, then he did this weird transport thing. Then, well, you saw the kiss.”
“Did he say anything else? Like tell you where he’s been or what he’s been up to?” Carmen presses. “I mean, you don’t kiss somebody like that just to disappear into the night.”
“He said he has to look into some things and he’ll talk to me tomorrow.” Holly shrugs. “Just what I need, one more person looking out for me.”
“C’mon, Holly. It’s not all bad, is it?” Carmen slides onto the couch opposite her. “It just means people care, right?”
“I don’t like any of this. I just want to go back to my boring life,” Holly complains though she only half means it. Would she really be better off not knowing? Probably not.
“I can leave, if you like?” Carmen suggests.
“No, stay. It’s been a long few days.” Holly sighs. “I’m going to try to sleep a little while mom’s asleep, though.”
“Okay, Hol,” Carmen agrees, “I’ll wake you if anything changes.”
“Thanks, Carmen.” Holly leans her head on the edge of the couch and drifts off, her lips still tingling from Tristan’s kiss.
THE FINAL CHAPTER
Holly wakes to Cody shaking her gently. “You
r friend left earlier, said she had to work. I am leaving for a little while but my sister will be taking over, just in case.”
She sits up and rubs the sleep from her eyes. Her limbs feel weak, drained. “Thanks, Cody. Wait, that’s not really your name, is it?”
He shakes his head, eyes full of mirth. “No, but we have learned that modernizing our names helps with blending. You are a strange one, Holly Chamberlain. I think I like you very much.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. Is there coffee made by chance?”
Cody nods his head. “Yes, I thought you might like some so I put a pot on. Listen, my sister is a little gruff sometimes, don’t let it bother you. She’ll be wonderful with your mother, I promise.”
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