Sandra acknowledged the greeting with a curt nod and Iramis watched her wife as she followed Adata back.
“How long has it been going on?”
Iramis blinked in surprise. The question was expected, but she had not expected it to be delivered in such a resigned tone. It was as if Sandra had given up already.
PART III
Sandra stood under the shower, praying that the scalding water could wash away the feeling of utter despondency that weighed on her heart. Did she wait too long? Was she to blame for Iramis having found someone else? Or was she not woman enough for the vampire anymore that she had to look for another vampire? So many questions and not one single answer. Fresh tears welled up in her eyes and she lifted her head to let the water wash away her pain. What should she do now? After confronting Iramis, she had not even waited for the vampire to reply, not ready to hear all the excuses which she knew would only hurt more.
The bathroom door slid open and she quickly pushed her head under the stream of water to wash away her tears. She saw Iramis’ shadow as the vampire sat down on the toilet seat.
For a moment the only sound in the bathroom was the shower running.
“I’ve known Adata for almost 2 000 years,” Iramis began.
Sandra closed her eyes.
“For more than half of that time we’ve been on and off lovers.”
Her heart sank at the admission. How was she going to compete against a gorgeous immortal woman who had been lovers with Iramis for over a thousand years? She was but an average looking human who, after having born two children, had to make peace with stretch marks and sagging breasts. Compared to Adata, she looked like a worn-out peasant girl. She needed to get away from here before she broke down. Snapping off the shower, she stepped out of the steaming cubicle. Iramis stood and held out a towel. Sandra hesitated for a moment before she took it and wrapped herself in it. She pursued her lips when she realized that Iramis was blocking her way to the door.
“You’re in my way,” she said coolly. Iramis shrugged. “Please let me pass.”
“Not until we’ve talked this through.” Iramis’ eyes were dark with concern. “The kids want us to have a snack with them before they go out. We can’t let them see us like this?”
“And whose fault is that?” sneered Sandra.
“This is a simple misunderstanding that I hope we can sort out before we alarm the children.”
“Misunderstanding? You think?”
Iramis sighed deeply. “Yes. Let me tell you what you think you saw.”
Sandra gaped at Iramis. How stupid did Iramis think she was? She knew what she had seen and Iramis herself admitted that she and Adata were lovers before. Her anger flaring, she pushed Iramis out of the way.
“I’m not interested in your lies, Iramis.” She pushed passed Iramis and left the bathroom.
***
Swearing under her breath, Iramis followed Sandra into the bedroom. Sandra had dropped the towel and for a moment the sight of her wife’s naked body distracted her. Sandra turned and her eyes flashed with annoyance. Caught staring, Iramis blinked.
“I haven’t seen Adata in over three hundred years, Sandra.” She approached Sandra but stopped when the brunette held up her hand.
“And what? Did you hope to rekindle your affair while your little, unsuspecting human wife was thousands of miles away taking care of your children? Had I not come here; I probably never would’ve known. You’re a vampire after all. You’re quite good at keeping secrets.”
Iramis tilted her head to the side as she studied Sandra. Pain cut cruelly through her at that moment. “If that’s what you were thinking about me, why did you marry me? Why have children with me?”
Sandra’s face blanched, but she did not reply. Iramis walked to the door. With her hand on the doorknob she spoke.
“I’ll take them to the game room for now. I’ll have Killian bring you to us when you’re done here.”
Despite her urge to slam the door, Iramis calmly pulled the door shut behind her. For a moment she stood in hallway, her chin resting on her chest. She needed to pull herself together before she met the children. Not that they might pick up on her mood immediately- they were adequately distracted. This was not the first time that they had been at a vampire gathering of this magnitude. They loved these gatherings. There were probably more humans than vampires in attendance. Even though this gathering was called at such short notice, Iramis had noticed that many vampires were still accompanied by their human families.
The compound was located several metres underground, but it offered a lot in entertainment for both vampire and humans alike. There were children’s playrooms, game rooms, movie theatres, restaurants, nightclubs, swimming pools and saunas, amongst other things. This was like an underground five-star resort.
The door suddenly opened behind her and she turned. Sandra had changed into jeans and a shirt. Iramis revelled in how young and carefree the outfit made her wife look. With her hair caught in a ponytail, she looked more like a college student than the mother of three.
“I was hoping to catch you before you meet up with the kids,” Sandra said quietly. “You’re right. Whatever happened is between the two of us. It’s not fair to drag the children into this.”
Iramis stared at Sandra and noticed after a while that her silence was unnerving the younger woman. She was still angry about the things that Sandra said, but as Sandra mentioned, the children should not be alarmed by this. She nodded slowly.
“The game room is this way.”
***
The evening turned out to be quite pleasant considering the state of affairs between her and Iramis. After a light supper in one of the restaurants, the boys left with Iramis for the video game arcade, leaving Jenny and herself to get pampered at one of the beauty salons. Stretching languidly after the relaxing massage, Sandra looked at her watch. They were supposed to meet up with the rest of the family at the movies. They still had an hour before they had to be there and Jenny was still in the sauna. Sandra grinned. Jenny had made a new friend and the two of them quickly coordinated their treatments so they could gossip and get acquainted. Taking a seat in the waiting room, Sandra grabbed one of the magazines and began paging through it.
She was engrossed in an article about nail art when she felt someone taking the seat next to her. Looking up with a polite smile, it immediately froze on her lips. Adata sat quietly looking at her.
“You have it wrong, you know,” the vampire said softly, her eyes staring deep into Sandra’s.
Closing the magazine, Sandra threw it on the small table. “Did Iramis send you?”
“No, my wife sent me to pick up our daughter,” Adata said calmly.
Sandra blinked in surprise. Adata was married? And she had a daughter? The only other person in there, besides Jenny, was Imogene, Jenny’s new friend.
“Imogene?”
Adata smiled and Sandra could practically feel the love and pride radiate off the vampire. “Yes, she’s not comfortable around so many vampires.”
“But…but you…her mother is a vampire,” Sandra said carefully.
“Actually, both her mothers are vampires. Imogene will let us know when she’s ready to be converted.” Adata shrugged. “We have all the time in the world to wait for her to make the decision.”
Sandra averted her eyes. “And your wife?”
“What about my wife?”
Sandra cleared her throat. “Does she know about you and Iramis?” It hurt to ask that. Her eyes trailed over the vampire’s exquisite face. It was understandable why Iramis would not give up such a spectacular looking woman.
Adata’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Yes, she does and she’s ecstatic at the chance to meet Iramis. But it’s still not what you think.”
Clenching her fist, Sandra skewered Adata with a cold stare. “How come everyone assumes they know better than me of what I saw and heard?”
“Because you’re mistaken,” Adata said curtly. “Iramis
loves me and I love her with every fibre of my being. I will walk through fire for her and I like to think she would do the same for me.”
Not wanting to hear anymore, Sandra surged to her feet, nausea and heartache causing her to hug her stomach. She needed to get Jenny and leave. She turned to leave when Adata spoke again.
“Wouldn’t you do the same for your children?”
Spinning around, she blinked in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“Wouldn’t you walk through fire for your children, Sandra?”
The fact that the woman had to ask irritated Sandra. She would die for her children. “Of course, I would. I love them.”
“Exactly,” Adata said calmly. She came to her feet to tower over Sandra, her eyes were intense. “That is what you’ve witnessed.”
Sandra held up her hand. “I don’t have time for riddles.”
Before Adata could say anything, Jenny and Imogene entered the foyer. Jenny immediately rushed into Sandra’s arms.
“Mom, you won’t believe it,” the teenager gushed, her hazel eyes twinkling with excitement.
Pushing Adata and her riddles to the background, Sandra cupped her daughter’s face, staring into twinkling hazel yes. “What, honey?”
“Imogene is family. Can you believe it?”
Slowly raising her head to look at Imogene. She found the brunette standing with her arms around Adata’s middle. She raised her eyes to a smiling Adata.
“What is she talking about?” Sandra asked carefully.
Smirking, Adata brushed her lips over her daughter’s hair. “Iramis is my sire and Imogene’s grandmother.”
Sandra tried to keep her thoughts from jumping all over the place as she tried to make sense of what Adata had just said, but she was failing miserably. “Sire?”
“Yes, mom. Imogene’s mother is our sister,” Jenny said with a piercing squeal, causing Sandra to quickly cover her ears. “I can’t wait to tell Brandon and Oscar. Imo, would you like to come with me when I tell them?”
Imogene looked at her mother and Sandra saw the hesitation in the girl’s eyes. Adata gently kissed her daughter’s cheek. “I’ll come with you. Why don’t you two give us a moment and we’ll join you soon.”
The girl’s relief was evident as she followed Jenny out of the salon. Adata turned back to Sandra.
“I know what you’re thinking, but if you give me a minute, I’ll explain everything.”
***
Iramis looked warily at the carton of popcorn and then back at Brandon. The boy had a taunting grin on his face. For a moment she was tempted, but remembered the last time she called the boy’s dare. For a moment she relived that awful feeling as the greasy pulp that was once pizza made its way out of her system. Just the memory made her want to gag. She shook her head.
“Nope. I’m not doing it again,” she said as she pushed the carton back at Brandon. “I’m a slow learner, but I’m not completely stupid.”
Brandon chuckled. “Well, it means there’s more for me.”
“Have at it, buddy. Where’s Oscar?” She spotted him standing in the candy-floss queue. “Brandon, go get our seats while I wait with Oscar. Make sure you keep seats for Jenny and your mom too.”
She made her way over to where Oscar stood and felt her heart melt when the boy immediately reached for her hand. She would never ever get tired of being a mom.
“Milady, how can we serve you?” the boy behind the counter asked, skipping the other people in the queue.
“It’s fine,” she said quickly. “We’ll wait our turn.” It was so rare that she could do ordinary things like waiting in a queue with her son, that she actually wished they were little farther down the line. Oscar leaned into her body and she gently combed her fingers through his hair. Sadness, so sudden, pierced her heart as she caressed the boy. The events of earlier washed over her and she sighed deeply causing Oscar to look up at her. She flashed him a reassuring smile. Not completely convinced, the boy gave her hand a tight squeeze, making her heart clench.
He was so intuitive. But it was to be expected. They took a lot of time and love preparing to have him. Oscar was their love child.
Sandra did not mean what she had said earlier, but it did not make it hurt any less. Maybe she should try later to have that talk with Sandra again – now that she had time to cool off a little.
A few minutes later they were at the counter and with obvious pride, Iramis looked on as Oscar placed his order. They were about to make their way to the theatre when she sensed the presence of both Jenny and Sandra. Turning to them, she frowned when she saw Adata and a tall, beautiful brunette teenager following them.
Jenny came over to kiss her and Iramis grinned at the excitement she felt pulsing through her daughter’s body.
“Did you want to tell me something, baby,” she teased as she hugged her daughter.
“Yes,” Jenny gushed. “Did you know you had a granddaughter?”
Iramis’ head jerked up as a familiar presence brushed against her consciousness. Her eyes quickly scanned over the moviegoers. She sighed softly when she met Adata’s gaze.
***
Sandra sighed as she reached for the popcorn carton again. This time Brandon gave it up freely, a sheepish look on his face.
“Sorry, Mom.”
Sandra sat back. She knew that the job of a mother never ended, but today she felt like she had the full brunt of it all. As soon as the lights dimmed, Brandon and Jenny started an impromptu popcorn fight which had some of the parents in the cinema glaring at them. Being the offspring of Iramis however, quickly made the offended parties ignore the disruption, but it vexed Sandra more. She had threatened to confiscate the popcorn. It had worked for a while only for it to resume a few minutes later.
With the popcorn carton cradled against her chest, she threw a quick glance over at her wife. Iramis sat quietly between Jenny and Oscar, her eyes riveted on the large screen. Knowing her wife, Sandra knew that the Disney movie was not what held her wife’s attention. She was aware of everything around her as she sat there. Strange, but as she studied her wife, it was as if she saw her for the first time. It was like that day almost twenty years ago, when she stood outside the bar, drunk on cheap whiskey and unsuccessfully trying to light a cigarette in a strong breeze.
Swearing under her breath as the flame blew out every time, she was surprised when a steady hand held out a flame, unruffled by the breeze. Grateful, she first lit her cigarette and took a long drag before turning her attention to her saviour. Even in her drunken state she could not help but gape at the tall blonde with the mysterious eyes, who was looking back at her. The woman cocked her head to the side as she studied her quietly. The breeze played gently through the blonde hair, tossing rich tresses across the ridiculously beautiful face. Not sure if she could get her brain to cooperate in stringing a coherent sentence together, she simply held out her packet. Those deep eyes touched on the packet and moved back to hers. The woman’s lips curled up into a slow smile.
“That’s a habit I could never get to stick,” she said in a deep, husky voice which made Sandra feel like ripping off her own clothing. Begging that her brain would collaborate this time, she pushed out the first words that came to her mind.
“I could teach you. It’s quite easy if you have the right teacher.”
The woman threw back her head and her husky laugher filled the alley. Stunned by how her body responded to the woman’s laugh, the cigarette fell from her suddenly numb fingers. The woman’s hand shot out, lightning fast, and caught the cigarette. As she held it out to Sandra, the woman spoke again.
“I’ve heard that this could kill you.”
Taking the cigarette and with a bit of her equilibrium restored, she brazenly leaned into the woman’s personal space. “So could lightning, cholesterol and a vampire.”
The woman looked slightly taken aback at that. The teasing light in her eyes died almost instantaneously as she stepped back and made her way towards the exit of t
he alley. Not knowing what she had said to offend the woman and not wanting to let her leave so abruptly, she called out to the woman.
“How do you know you’re alive if you don’t tempt death now and then?”
The blonde stopped dead in her tracks, her body rigid. For a moment she thought that her attempt at recapturing the woman’s attention had failed, but the woman slowly turned back to look at her, her eyes deep and almost hypnotic.
“Finish your cigarette and go back inside.” Her voice had an edge to it, dark and dangerous. She knew instinctively that she should have obeyed, but with the whiskey coursing through her veins and her growing fascination with the woman, she ignored her gut feeling.
“Only if you tempt death with me and try one,” she stubbornly said. The woman gave her a quizzical stare. She was not completely sure, but it seemed as if the woman rolled her eyes before she sauntered back. She came to stand before her, her tall body still rigid, as she glared down at Sandra.
“Your stubbornness will get you killed one day,” the woman growled deeply before holding out her hand. “Let’s get this over with.”
Grinning like a fool, she shook another cigarette out of the pack and placed it between her lips. Looking at the blonde, it was obvious that she was way out of her league and the only way she would probably get to wrangle a kiss from the woman was to close her lips around the cigarette butt. “Well, now that we’ve got that out of the way. You need to light it up since my lighter doesn’t seem to want to work in this weather.”
The woman dropped her hand and reached inside her leather jacket for the lighter and lit the cigarette. Taking a few puffs, Sandra held out the cigarette to the blonde. “Slowly suck it in.”
The woman gave the smoking cigarette a distasteful look before lifting it to her lips. Sandra rolled her eyes when the woman did the exact opposite she had advised her to do. A heavy bout of coughing ensued, which prompted her to gently pat the woman’s back. She was about to feel sorry for the poor woman coughing her lungs out when the blonde head lifted and blood red eyes skewered her. Her blood turned cold and for a moment she was rooted to the spot as she stared at the woman, who was also sprouting sharp, glistening fangs.
Blood Oaths Page 4
