by Laura Del
“Did she know what you were?” I asked, not meaning to interrupt him, but I was just too damned curious.
He nodded. “She did. Dat’s how we met.” My eyes widened, and he laughed. “I was in London, a t’ing I do a lot, and it was a complete accident how we met. She was walkin’ home from a friend’s party dat night, and I remembered seein’ ‘er a couple times before. She was a lovely lookin’ young gerl, and all ‘er friends seemed ta get a real joy from bein’ around ‘er.
“Well, dat night, I’m ashamed ta say, I was feelin’ a little hungry so I went out ta get meself somethin’ ta eat. Since I only need a little ta get me through, I went out lookin’ fur someone dat I could easily manipulate. I found one in the back alley of a pub. It was easy ta persuade ‘em, and when I finally sank me teeth inta ‘em, I ‘eard dis gasp from beside me. When I looked, there she was.” He shook his head, still smiling. “She stared at me fur a second and then said dat I had missed a spot on me face, and laughed at me, right out.”
I smiled in spite of myself. “She did?”
“She did,” he confirmed. “Then she skipped off. Like nothin’ had ever ‘appened. I toiled about it fur nights after she left me in dat alley, and I waited fur ‘er. Finally, she showed up out of the blue. One night, the night dat I had almost forgotten about ‘er, she showed up on dat same street. I followed ‘er a bit and then she turned round and said, without shame, ‘What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?’” he mocked my mother almost perfectly, and I laughed.
“Ye can imagine how shocked I was dat she knew I was followin’ ‘er. I was a might embarrassed too. However, she smiled over ‘er shoulder and gestured for me ta walk with ‘er. She wasn’t scared, not one bit, but that was Aggie, it was. Yer mother was fearless. We became fast friends after dat, and I was sad ta see ‘er go. But we had two wonderful years of friendship before she decided ta go off ta America for University. And life went on. ‘Til dat day I saw ye in the pub. Ye are the spittin’ image of ‘er, ye know dat? Not the hair, of course, but everythin’ else.”
He pushed a curl out of my face and placed his hand on my cheek. “Then she died,” he went on gently, still holding my face. “I’ve never felt such sadness,” he paused, finally letting his hand fall from my face. “Dat’s all a part of life, though. It makes me ‘appy to ‘ave known ‘er, and it delights me dat she learned a little from me ta pass onta ye.”
When he stopped talking, I thought about her. I thought about what Moms would say to me or what she would want me to do. And, as if he picked it right out of my brain, he answered, “She would fight ta the death.”
“I already did,” I said solemnly. “I died once. The question is do I want to do it again?”
He nodded. “Right. Well, dat all depends on how much ye luv ‘em.”
I shook my head, astonished by his whole demeanor. “What kind of vampire are you? You give good advice, you don’t try to kill people, and you haven’t once tried to sleep with me. Are you sure your one of them?”
He laughed loud and boisterous, smiling so wide that I could almost see his back teeth. “I’m a special kinda vampire. One dat hasn’t lost his humanity like so many others before me.”
I pursed my lips. “Good to know.”
“Listen,” he spoke quietly to me, “ye have ta make dis decision fur yerself, understand?” I nodded. “But, it’s not considered weakness ta ask fur a little help now and again. Ye have a strong spirit, Patricia. Don’t let it overrule what’s in yer heart, though; ye’ll go mad. So,” he sighed, “what are ye gonna do?”
I thought about it for a second and took a deep breath before I answered. “I’m going to get through this nightmare wedding then I’m going back to Louisiana and fight those bastards for their Alpha. And I’m going to win.”
“Hooray fur the Wyatt!” He raised his fists in triumph, getting up off the ground to help me to stand. Once I was up, he took a good look at me and shook his head. “I think dat perhaps ye need sleep, me lady.”
“I’m fine,” I yawned, and he giggled. “Besides, I have to go downstairs and tell the mob I’m not dead.”
He shook his head. “No yer not. Yer gonna get inta dat bed,” he paused for a second, looking over at the bed and grimacing, “once I fix it. And I’ll go downstairs and tell everyone dat yer alive.” In an instant, he was up and a blur around the room. By the time he was back in front of me, everything was in picture perfect condition. Even the bed was turned down, and my warm pajamas were waiting for me.
“Wow,” I breathed, “now that’s hospitality.”
“Get inta bed, young lady, and don’t make me say it twice,” he commanded with a smile. Then he was out of the door and downstairs in a flash.
As I put on my pajamas slowly, trying not to disturb the bandages on my waist and chest, my eyes began to close. Then it hit me that I had woken up so early, and it was no small wonder I was so tired that I was about to fall over. I was sleep deprived.
I had just gotten into bed when Mortimer showed up again. He sat down beside me as I snuggled down into the covers. “Move over,” he said, and I blinked at him. “I’m gonna make sure yer not disturbed. Just in case Samuel decides ta invade yer ‘ead or somethin’.” I shifted in bed to give him enough room, and he took off his shoes and belt, placing them on the floor. Then he slid in next to me, moved me so that my back was against his chest, and finally draped his arm carefully around my waist. “Ye can sleep now,” he announced. “I’ll make sure ‘e won’t get inside yer mind.”
“Thanks,” I yawned again, closing my eyes. After a few seconds, he began to hum and I could feel myself relax against this strange vampire. It was odd, he wasn’t even cold. He was just sort of lukewarm. As my body relaxed, I could feel my worries slip away, and finally I found myself drifting into the darkness of a wonderfully dreamless sleep.
chapter
ELEVEN
My stomach was the bastard that woke me up. In the excitement of my breakdown, I had forgotten to eat, which wasn’t unusual considering I was a freelancer and sometimes I would rather starve than eat the crap food in motels, but that didn’t make me any less hungry now. I couldn’t tell if it was night or day, the clouds were so thick outside my window. All I could see was the frost that had formed on the pane. It was going to snow, and soon. Then I remembered that somebody was sleeping with me, but when I looked around, Mortimer had disappeared. For a moment, I wondered where he had gone, then I realized that he must have gone underground for the day.
Before I could get up to go downstairs and get something to eat, someone knocked on the door. Cindy poked her head in and smiled. “Oh, good,” she sighed, “you’re awake. I brought you some food.” She nudged the door open, bringing in some breakfast on one of my mother’s old trays. Moms got them from her great- grandmother for her wedding, so it was good to see them in use again.
I smiled as I sat up and she placed the tray on my lap. Someone had made me waffles and bacon with a nice cup of steaming hot coffee. “Thanks, Cindy,” I said, looking up at her, “did you make this?”
She nodded. “I did.”
“It looks great. So,” I sighed with delight, “what are we going to do today, boss?”
“Nothing,” she said sternly. “You’re going to remain in bed. I don’t need you getting sick on me. After all, I need my matron of honor.” I shook my head, opening my mouth to protest. “No ifs, ands, or buts,” she interrupted before I spoke. “You’re staying home and relaxing today, okay?”
“Yes, boss,” I replied, and when she turned to leave, I asked, “Where’s Mortimer? Do you know?”
She shrugged. “He left last night after he told us that you were okay. By the way, how are you feeling?”
I wondered how he pulled off coming up the stairs after he supposedly left last night, so he could sleep with me, but this was a vampire. I inadvertently answered my own question. “Better,” I
responded honestly after a moment of thought, “much better.”
She gave me a soft, kind look. “What happened?”
“It’s complicated,” I laughed a little. It was a stupid, evasive answer, but it didn’t make it any less true.
“Life is complicated.”
I nodded in agreement. “Very true.” She smiled and turned back around to walk out of my bedroom to leave me in peace, but I just had to ask her something. It had been bothering me for a while, and I needed to know. “Cindy,” I called after her, and she turned around again, “why did you pick me to be your matron of honor? Don’t you have any friends or family members you could have asked besides me?” I tried to say it as delicately as possible, but it still came off a bit rude.
She walked toward the bed and sat down, still smiling at me. “Your father said you’d ask sooner or later. So I’ll tell you,” she paused, looking down at her hands for a moment. Finally, she looked up, smile gone, and continued, “Well, my mother died when I was young, and before you say you’re sorry, I barely remember her, so it was just me and my dad for a long time. Until one day, he got sick, and he just never got better. That was ten years ago now, and I’m almost thirty-five.” She was a lot older than I thought she was when I first met her, and I nodded solemnly so she’d know I was listening to her. And when I opened my mouth to say something, she raised her hand in protest. “It’s okay. I know you understand the feeling, and I know you’re sorry for my loss; I can see it in your eyes. I just wish he was here to see me finally settle down, you know?”
“I do know,” I answered, even though I was sure it was rhetorical. “What about your friends?”
She sighed. “Well, I was always an H.B. ever since I was in high school.”
“H.B.?” I asked, confused by her phrasing.
“Head bitch,” she replied, and I suppressed a laugh. “I guess once a mean girl, always a mean girl. Anyway, when I met Richard, I just thought he was going to be one of my conquests. No offense.”
I shook my head. “None really taken. Go on.”
“Well, he stole my heart almost immediately, and I sort of moved away from them. I’m not saying I changed or anything like that. People don’t really change,” if she only knew, “but I became more myself with Richard, and when I found out I was going to have a baby, I was so excited that I called all my friends. But none of them responded, not even to my texts. I guess they never really were my friends to begin with. They just liked me for the free drinks I got them and for the attention I brought. You never know who your true friends are until you call on them for help and support. I learned the hard way that I had no true friends.”
“I’m so sorry, Cindy,” and I was. That was just an awful way to find out the friends you had weren’t actually your friends after all.
She shrugged. “It’s okay. When I came here to live with your father, I made friends with Sandy and Madison. They’re so great. They make me laugh, and they helped me pick out this beautiful crib for when the baby arrives. It’s so cute. Besides, I consider Richard my best friend. It’s so easy to talk to him, like breathing. I think that’s why I fell for him.” She smiled at me again, and I smiled back. She was a really nice woman, and I was ashamed of myself for judging her so quickly before.
There was just one more thing I wanted to know. “Do you have any other family?” I inquired gently.
She nodded. “My aunt, but we don’t speak. She’s not too excited that I got pregnant before I was married. She’s an old- fashioned kind of woman and doesn’t really get why I’m marrying a man almost twice my age. Actually, she was never nice to me anyway.”
“Well, Cindy, I am honored that you chose me to be your matron of honor, and I will do my utmost to make your wedding day go as smoothly as possible,” I promised, and I could see her eyes well up with tears. “Don’t cry. It’s going to be all right.”
“I know. I’m just so emotional from the baby that everything makes me cry. Now,” she said, getting off the bed, “you make sure to eat all that.”
“Will do, boss. Oh,” I remembered, “what time is it?”
She looked at her watch. “Around ten-thirty in the morning.” Cindy walked toward the door again, stopping before she got there. “Pat,” she smiled at me, “can I consider you family? If you’re okay with that.”
I smiled back at her earnestly. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Never had I seen someone so happy in my entire life, and as she left, I felt a lightening of the spirit. I could tell that it was going to be a good day.
I began to eat slowly, enjoying my breakfast, when a memory came to mind. There was another time that I had breakfast in bed, and it seemed like an eternity ago.
It was Halloween morning, and I was almost twenty-one. I had come home from school that weekend because my mother insisted that I visit, so I did as she asked. That morning someone was knocking on my door so loud that I wanted to hit them. They’d woken me up and I was not happy about it.
“Who is it?” I yelled, and Jim opened the door with a slam. I sat up as quickly as I could and scowled at him. “What in the world? It’s”—I looked at the Felix the Cat clock above my bed— “eight-thirty. The one-day that I get to sleep in and you wake me up. Sometimes you make me so…” my voice faded away as he walked up to me with a tray of food in his hand. “What’s that?”
“Breakfast,” he replied, smiling his I’ve-got-a-secret smile. “And after you eat all of this, you’re to come downstairs, and I have another surprise for you.”
“Jim,” I was stern, “you know I hate surprises.” Some things never change.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. But I think you’ll like this one. Now, eat,” he insisted, putting the tray on the floor next to the bed, “and get your cute ass downstairs.” I scooted back down into the bed, placing the pillow over my head, and he popped back in. “And don’t fall back to sleep, Patty Melt. It’s gonna be a big day.”
“Yeah,” I mumbled, “it’s been a big pain in the butt so far.”
“I heard that,” he said on the other side of the door.
I groaned, getting up out of bed. I almost stepped on the tray. Then I picked it up and ate as much as I could. He had filled the thing with corn muffins, pancakes, eggs, bacon, and even fresh fruit. Something was definitely up.
After breakfast, I walked downstairs, still in my warm pajamas, to see him waiting at the bottom of the stairs, grinning. “What’re you up to?” I asked as I stood on the bottom step.
“Nothin’,” he said as he handed me a package. “This is for you.”
I took it from him and noticed it was awfully light. Then I untied the ribbon, ripped the blue wrapping paper off the box, and lifted the lid. Inside was a skimpy little Snow White outfit with an apple accessory. I opened my mouth for a second then closed it trying to figure out how to respond. Finally, I said, “Thanks. I think.”
“You’re to wear that tonight,” he told me. “You hear me?”
I rolled my eyes. “But it’s a dish towel.”
“Please,” he begged, giving me big eyes.
I sighed. “Oh, all right. But where are we going? You, at least, have to tell me that.”
“To Sandy’s party.”
Sandy’s famous Halloween party. Everybody went, and it usually had a theme to it. That year, it was famous couples. It was not my usual style to go in costume, and I hadn’t gone in a couple of years because I had school, but now I was trapped.
After that, Moms kept me busy, and she actually convinced me to get my hair and makeup done for the night. I knew something was up, but I never expected what happened to happen in a million years.
It was around nine-thirty, and I had put on the tiniest outfit I had ever worn. I grimaced as I looked in the mirror. The costume was a little tight and too short for my taste. But Jim had bought it for me, so I was determined to act grat
eful even if it killed me.
Taking a deep breath, I walked downstairs to my father’s eyes widening. “Patricia,” he said, looking pale, “you look like—”
“A princess,” my mother interrupted and smiled at me.
“Moms,” I huffed, “I agree with Pops on this one. It makes me look like a hooker.”
“But a very pretty hooker,” my father interjected.
“You’re not helping, Richard,” Moms scolded. “Go do the dishes.”
He stuck his tongue out at her, and she pushed him toward the kitchen. Then he tickled her, and she scowled at him while she laughed. I silently wished that I could have a relationship like that, a special someone who would see me for what I was and not what I had become as I grew older.
I remember smiling to myself before someone knocked on the door. “I’ll get it,” I announced, bouncing down the last two steps.
When I opened it, Jim stood there dressed like Snow White’s Prince, down to the cape, with his mouth open and his eyes wide. “Mother of God,” he breathed, “you look fuckin’ hot!”
I rolled my eyes. “Gee, just what I always wanted, to be compared to a temperature.”
“Don’t be such a jerk,” he laughed. “You know what I meant.”
I smiled. “I did. And thank you.”
He kissed me on the cheek, finally seeing that my father was right behind me. “Shit,” he whispered, “your dad is staring at us. Hi, Mr. Wyatt,” he said to him.
“Hello, James,” my father bellowed. “You make sure you bring her back in one piece.”
I turned to see my mother shake her head and take a deep breath. “But, darlings, mostly have fun.” She and Jim shared a glance, and I wondered what they were up to.
“Okay, let’s go.” I motioned for Jim to move out of my way, but his eyes widened again.
“Where’s the apple?” he asked, voice panicked.
I shook it in front of his face. “Right here. Now, can we go?” He nodded, and I waved to my folks. “See you later.”
