I heard the sharp boop boop sound as her car alarm clicked off. “K,” she responded and hung up. I guess she didn’t hate me. Woo Hoo! I wondered if she’d still feel that way in an hour when she learned just how long I’d been lying to her.
I carried the Father’s luggage into the house. The man was in our kitchen he hummed happily. He was also cooking. Yay, I loved it when other people cooked. I burned toast I mean how hard is it? You put it in the toaster and it toasts right. Not for me, for me it turned black and smoked and the fire department had to be called. My dad said it was a gift. He was not funny. “Dad, which room do I put Father Mike’s belonging in?” The whole house was starting to smell like bacon, woo hoo! I liked bacon. Crisp, warm, crunchy bacon, yeah, I know I sounded like an advertisement for pork product.
“The blue room,” he responded from the gym. It was a joke, when we’d first moved in, I had been three and had asked how I would know all the rooms apart. He’d spent the next year painting each room a different color. Our house was ginormous you know the kind of place featured in lifestyles only we didn’t live like it. No help to do the clean up, no gardeners, Laurna said it was a waste. I had told her we were private people. Now I had to tell her the truth. Those people, the people who make other peoples’ lives run more smoothly were a liability.
If I was honest, she was a liability. I was going to watch her grow old and die just as my father had done with everyone he’d ever cared for. In all honesty, my dad had seen a couple of centuries when good old wrinkled up, worn down, Father Mike in there had been born. If I were lucky, I’d find another Ao to spend my life with. If I wasn’t I’d be alone.
If I were real unlucky, I’d be like my dad. A Dream-walker had taken my mom out when I was three. He waited centuries for her. He’d had her for so little time.
Sometimes late at night or early in the morning I would hear him talking to her, or worse praying for her. He seemed to think he’d done something wrong, something terrible that had condemned her. I didn’t want that kind of pain, ever! I wasn’t sure that anything was worth that. I lugged Father Mike’s stuff into the blue room and hung up the garment bags for him.
“The white one’s for you dear,” I jumped out of my skin, holy crap, ninja priest snuck up on me.
I squelched the panicked expression on my face, then turned to the sneaky little crypt keeper and asked, “for me?”
He smiled mildly. “Yes, dear, it’s for the ceremony tomorrow.”
Dear, did I look like Bambi to him? Okay I was a little angry that someone whose bones actually creaked when he moved had gotten the jump on me. I wasn’t mad at him. I was mad at me. What kind of Ao was I going to be if someone on a first name basis with every member of the geriatric clinic could blindside me, crap! Self-doubts a bitch, I had something special I was supposed to wear, “for the ceremony?” I was so confused. I felt so out of my depth. I was supposed to be prepared for this. I was supposed to have two more months to discuss the individual aspects of the ritual with my dad but apparently, I wasn’t getting that extra time.
He patted my arm like he was my grandpa, “It is normal to be afraid, but you’ll be fine. Two Ao for parents,” he smiled brilliantly. “Doesn’t happen often you know, most of them are just half breeds or less who get lucky.”
That was supposed to make me feel better? He sucked at this. Weren’t priests supposed to be good at making people feel better?
I took the garment bag. “Have you done it before?” I asked I wanted to say I knew I’d be fine. I wanted to seem tough but hell, but he was a priest, right? They are experts on helping people get over their fears, right?
He nodded sagely, “Oh yes dear,” dear again, ugh.
I had a ton of questions but none of them seemed to make it past the rising knot of fear in my throat. I had never heard of anyone doing the ritual early. It was always done on the twenty first birthday. Before then most were too weak to survive it. Please, oh please I whispered in silent prayer let me be strong enough. I patted his hand and wandered away without another word. I walked numbly back to my room. I suddenly felt like chanting “I think I can, I think I can.” How’s that for juvenile. I tossed the garment bag on the bed. Deep breaths I told myself, deep breaths, except I was feeling dizzy from all the deep breathing.
I don’t know how long I sat there like that. Laurna came in, looked at me. Put the red bull down on my dresser then she sank down to the floor next to me with the grace of a ballerina. “That bad huh,” she asked her voice soft like she hadn’t recently been screaming at me. I nodded feeling better enveloped in the familiar scent of honeysuckle. She just sat there and waited for my next move.
I pulled the garment bag to me and slowly unzipped it. She looked over my shoulder but stayed silent. The dress was white silk. The sleeves were split from the elbow down, the back and a good portion over the abdomen was cut out. “Getting married,” Laurna asked when I turned to look at her those blond eyebrows were raised in question. Vaguely aware she’d asked a question I shook my head no.
The front was embroidered with a cross. I ran my finger along the icon; it gave me strength, corny huh?
“I am going to be remade,” I said softly and hoped my fear didn’t carry in my voice.
She frowned, “Okay no more obscure answers today. I need some truth.” Her blond hair fell into her face. Her blue eyes were sad. They reminded me of rain. I felt bad for being so dishonest with her.
I took a deep breath. I was going to break the rules. I wondered briefly, what the punishment for that was. Then I thought do I really care? The answer was a resounding ‘No’ I did not. “I should have told you before. I know that, but it’s not like it’s one of those things you just blurt out.” I sat back sinking into the soft mattress. “Hey Laurna, guess what? I’m not human, well not really. Oh, and I can see monsters. You know Vampires, werewolves, well were-anything they call themselves Shifters, Dream-walkers, demons of all shapes and sizes, hell any of those nightmare creatures from your fairy tale books, hope you don’t mind.” I had stood and I paced back and forth. Her mouth had fallen open.
She stood too. “What do you mean you’re not human?” she practically yelled, throwing her hands into the air in frustration.
I stopped, shrugged, and made a kind of scrunchy face at her. “That’s the part that worries you the most?” I started to laugh. Vampires existed, one was real interested in her in particular and she was mad I wasn’t exactly human. She looked at me for a minute like I‘d lost my damn mind, the look was so funny I just laughed more. I laughed hard. Then she did too. We both fell to the floor laughing helplessly. It was what you did when too much happened too fast you either cried or laughed. I preferred laughing.
When we finally stopped laughing she asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?” Yeah, I thought that wasn’t really an option before. Hell, it wasn’t supposed to be an option now, but I was tired of lying to the person I cared for most.
“It’s against the rules. I was afraid, lots of reasons. You could have thought I was nutso.” I pointed out, biting my bottom lip. She probably thought I was nuts anyway.
She shoved me. “You are nutso,” she exclaimed, “and not just for this. Remember when you took apart Mr. Klepsons car because he failed you for,” she shook her finger and imitated the man’s annoying tenor, “completely failing to understand the love story behind Bram Stoker’s Dracula.” Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open finally getting the joke.
I laughed too. I had left pieces of the man’s car all over the city. “Well now at least you understand why I can’t get behind the whole necrophilia movement.” She threw her head back and laughed harder. It was funny once you understand the motive behind the things I did.
The stopped abruptly, “Are they really the walking dead,” she asked in a conspiratorial tone. Her blue eyes were so wide.
I waved my free hand at her “No,” I sighed, “their demons.” That makes a difference right?
She gasped, “Like fro
m hell,” her hands shook she whispered “and would that mean you are? Well, I know you’re not from heaven?” She winked at me.
“God no,” I exclaimed. “Not your common, sense of demon just creatures. You know of the evil Shadow-born variety. They are older than the Christian concept of heaven and hell, some of them literally. I don’t know I think Dayton Tameron might be that old, he’s one scary Vamp.” I shuddered and reached for my red bull. He was really scary and yet I couldn’t help thinking about the way his breath felt on my neck. Okay I had lost it I mean really. Vampire breath is bad.
She laughed, “Good because the thought of you as some kind of angel would really shake my faith.” I made a face at her back; she got up off the floor, and brushed herself off. I needed to vacuum but I’d been kind of busy lately. “So ceremonial garb,” she picked up the white gown and held it to herself. “I like it,” she did a kind of twirly thing in front of the mirror, “much better than my communion dress.” I remembered the dress all lace and ruffles she had looked like an overdone wedding cake in that thing. She had hated it. I chuckled at the memory. She raised an eyebrow, “Somehow I don’t think my mother would approve,” she ran her hand along the cut out belly suggestively. I bit back a laugh her mother would have had a heart attack she hated blue jeans. I took it from her. “Wait till you see the ritual, your mother would hate it.” Her eyes widened as I threw the damned thing into the closet.
Chapter 4
Deanna was supermodel beautiful. Every man in the airport turned to look at her as she walked by. She linked arms with my father and sashayed her way to the car. Googly eyed men followed in their path offering to carry her luggage, opening the car door for her, whatever, it was enough to make a proper feminist sick, and maybe a little jealous.
Okay so I didn’t want men drooling all over me but a date to prom would have been nice. Hell, any date would have been fabulous. It wasn’t like I wasn’t attractive, I was alright looking, I guess. I was just a little too blunt for most people. If a guy were interested he wouldn’t be after I told him in my most abrupt manner that I wasn’t the best conversationalist but I was pretty sure my breasts weren’t going to be responding to questions any time soon.
I had been kissed, once. Oh, how I wished I hadn’t broken that poor boy’s nose. You’d be amazed how punching the only boy who ever dared to kiss you can damage your social life. Still he should have asked or at least hinted he was about to try to get all lippy then I could have ducked or something. Then he wouldn’t have had to have all that plastic surgery and I might have dated some. What I paid for the plastic? The judge said I had to.
Anyway, back to Deanna. The AoLi was gorgeous. Her blond hair looked like spun gold. Father Mike was beaming under her gaze. He babbled about preparations and the meal they would be having tonight. We all piled into my dad’s jeep. She sat next to my dad and I was stuck in the back with Mike. I wondered for the fiftieth something time why I had to come with to pick her up. Oh yeah, because dad had said I had to.
“This is an interesting vehicle, Caden.” Her tone was soft as she slid a hand along the dashboard. She turned those blue perfectly outlined eyes on him. What the hell was going on? Was she flirting with my dad? Ha, I choked on a laugh. Little did she know my dad hadn’t even looked at another woman since my mom. He shrugged but said nothing.
She was undaunted. “After the ritual, will you continue to live here Caden or will you take the assignment you have been offered?” She slid that manicured hand over to his arm. Huh, what assignment, no really, I needed to know what assignment? Had my dad been turning down assignments to stay with me? For Christ’s sake, I wasn’t a baby. Then I thought about last night and found I had to thank God he hadn’t taken an assignment somewhere else. I’d be Vamp chow right now, if he had.
He took her delicate hand gently with his and carefully laid it back on her own thigh. “I will stay here as long as Macyn needs me,” he said evenly maybe even a little tersely. I resisted the urge to thumb my nose at her. I wasn’t in a very companionate mood right now.
She sighed and for a minute, I felt bad for her. I knew that sigh. That was the sigh you made when you wanted something you really didn’t understand and couldn’t have. Maybe being perfect wasn’t all it was jacked up to being. I could see how it could be lonely. Now I felt bad for wanting to be mean to her and thankful I hadn’t given into the urge.
My dad drove like a racecar driver, which wasn’t normal I had to wonder if he was in a hurry to get this over with or just get out of being trapped in a small space with a man hungry super model.
We pulled up to the house and there was Laurna’s black car. My father growled, oh boy! “Macyn,” he paused visibly trying to pull himself together. His face was all red. I thought something might burst in his head. “Why is Laurna’s car here,” he ground out as he killed the engine.
I hopped out of the jeep through the top and shrugged all the while making a completely unrepentant face. “Probably because Laurna’s here,” I said in a reasonable tone. Why else would her car be here?
My dad grabbed my arm before I could get too far. Damn had to learn to move a little faster when pissing off the AoD. “Didn’t you tell her you would be indisposed all day today,” he whispered harshly. The red had gone and was replaced with a kind of sickly white. There, I felt that guilty feeling again.
I frowned at him. “Nope,” I said softly struggling gently I knew I wasn’t going to get free if he didn’t want me to but I just wasn’t the kind of girl to hold still when being held on to. “I told her I was going to go through a ritual that could possibly kill me. Naturally she couldn’t stay away,” I jerked my arm away and shrugged helplessly at him. He looked down at his hand in surprise then back up at me. I don’t know that I have ever seen that look on my father’s face before but I tell you what, lesser men than me would have fled.
I knew he loved me more than anything but for a moment I wondered if he would kill me on the lawn or wait until we got inside. He turned stiffly and went to open the jeep door for Deanna. Laurna got out of her car. She was wearing a white dress suit. She looked perfect. She wiggled her eyebrows at me and reached back into her car to pull out a long box wrapped in bright paper.
I went to her and wrapped my arms around her, “He’s mad,” I warned. When we had discussed this, I told her he would be so I guess she had time to come to grips with it. I think she was doing better than I was. Then again she’d never seen him kill anyone, I had.
She smiled at me. “So k,” she drawled nothing daunted Laurna Ericson. We walked arm in arm to the house. Father Mike spluttered something at my dad but I didn’t care. I wanted to care but the ‘carnivorous butterflies were eating me alive from the inside out’ feeling was back and I really didn’t have any time to think about the fact that I had upset the nice old priest.
They all followed us in. The priest headed straight for me. Anger was plastered on his face. He shook his forefinger at me so hard I was afraid he might start jabbing me with it. “What were you thinking? My God, this it just isn’t done.”
I opened my mouth and Laurna’s voice came out. Wait no she was talking, “Yeah and Vampires don’t announce on national TV that they exist and are such nice guys either but it has happened so suck it up. Move on, take it as it comes.” I blinked, twice; Laurna was never disrespectful, never. “Want your present,” she turned her back on the priest and smiled brightly at me.
He sputtered and shook his fist and for a moment, I thought something in his head might blow. Surprisingly Deanna came to his rescue. She put one of those perfect hands on his shoulder. “Really Father Micheal you don’t think you are overreacting a little?” She said in that same soft tone she had used earlier. “We are all breaking the rules to do this today. The Shadow-born broke the rules by coming out, Caden broke the rules raising his daughter on his own. It is a time of change perhaps the young lady is right?” She raised a blond brow. “Perhaps we should take it as it comes?” I still didn’t like the
way she looked at my dad, like she was a carnivorous plant and he was the only meat around, but maybe she wasn’t so bad.
The father shuddered bringing himself down from a righteous froth. “I would gladly do anything for Caden. Facing being ostracized and possibly killed for him is one thing, but to face it for his irreverent daughter who seems to think very little of this sacred occasion, I am unsure,” He frowned.
I had enough. I was pissed and everybody was going to know it. “Are you going to die today,” I asked harshly. He blinked in rapid succession. “No, well fuck; I might, so for now, if we are going to do this, we are going to do it my way. If you don’t like it whatever one less Ao in the world, maybe you can go out and fight the Vamps Mike you feeling up to it?” I turned grabbed Laurna’s arm. “I’ll be in my room when you make up your mind.” Together we stomped off. Okay, so I stomped off, Laurna was dragged by her arm.
I wrenched the dress out of my closet and started jerking my clothes off. My hands shook so badly I couldn’t unbutton my jeans. Laurna did it for me. “You don’t have to do this.” She whispered, “I wouldn’t blame you.”
“I would,” I sobbed. “This is what I have been waiting for my whole life. I just never thought…” Sob, “This is supposed to be uplifting. Why am I so scared?” And, that was the truth of the matter I was scared. I was only twenty, too young to die. It was going to be painful, even if I lived through it and I was just having a hard time believing in myself. Why me? What made me a better candidate than Laurna? Genetics, yeah, if it was genetics I wouldn’t be so imperfect would I? I mean look at Deanna she was perfect. She was blond and curvy the model female. I was flat chested, my lips were too big, and I always looked like a lemur, dark circles around my eyes. I breathed to fast making myself dizzy.
Laurna pushed me down on the bed and held out a paper bag. “Breathe,” she commanded. I obeyed. There wasn’t much else I could do.
“Before my ritual, I witnessed three others,” A soft voice came from the doorway. Oh God, Ms. Perfect had heard all that! “One of the girls died,” she paused and made a distressed face, “horribly.” Deanna glided across the room, pulled me up from the bed, and helped me slide the gown over my head. “But I knew what to expect. I had friends other Ao; I had been raised with to share my concerns with.” She pulled my hair up and pinned it. Her hands graceful as she tugged the errant strands into place, “Caden says you did not tell your friend about yourself until yesterday, is this true?” Her voice lifted at the end of the question.
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