TWENTY-SIX

“Do you need anything besides a drink?” I asked as I helped Jose Luis into bed. He had taken a quick shower but had needed my help getting into his flannel pants. His head hurt worse when he bent over. Though he tried to hide his pain, he could never fool me.

“This is good,” he said as he sipped from his glass of juice and placed it back on the night stand. “I think I will watch television for a while.”

“You should probably try to get some sleep,” I requested looking into his bloodshot eyes.

“I am really not that tired. I did a lot of sleeping lately. There was nothing else to do.” He grabbed the remote and turned on the set.

I kissed his forehead and turned to leave the room.

“Lily?” he called just as I reached the door. I turned to face him. “Um, I wanted to say thank you.”

“Thank you?” I went to sit by his side. He scooted over to give me some room, his face suddenly scrunched in pain. “Does it hurt that much? Maybe we should get you back to the hospital before—”

“No, please. I don’t want to go back there. There is nothing they can do for me anymore. I would rather just stay here.” His face grew more serious. “I was trying to say thank you for coming to get me. That was very brave.”

“You don’t need to thank me, or any of us. We did what needed to be done. You are part of this family now. I’m just glad they let you go without a fight.”

“Yes. That could have been really bad. I know you were totally outnumbered since they have so many of them up there,” He looked down at his lap. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“What is it?” I placed my fingers under his chin and lifted his face. “You don’t have to be afraid to ask me anything.”

“Where is Christian?”

Anything but that. I should have expected it though since he had never seen us apart. He had never known us to not work together. I had no choice but to answer honestly. If I didn’t, Jose Luis would see right through it. “I truly don’t know.”

“Did you have a fight? Is he angry because I’m—”

“No! Don’t ever think that. None of this is your fault. And no, we did not have a fight. He just…” How did I say it so he would understand when I didn’t even understand what could have made Christian turn his back on me, on us? Jose Luis wanted to stay with us, both of us, not just me. I looked into his face as he waited for an answer, his eyes glued to mine, full of hope and wonder. “He had to go away for a little while but, he’ll be back.”

“Ok. I hope he returns soon. I want to see him before I—”

“He will be back soon. I promise. Now just watch a movie and relax. I will be up in a little while to check on you. Maybe by then you’ll be hungry.” I kissed his forehead again and rushed out of the room.

I lied to him, flat out lied. Christian wasn’t coming back, ever. I felt it in every fiber of my being, yet Jose Luis believed me. I knew what he was about to say. He wanted to see Christian before he died. I was going to lose him too if I didn’t do what needed to be done yet I didn’t know whether or not Jose Luis was even willing. We hadn’t talked about his alternatives and now it was all up to me and me alone. Making that decision alone didn’t hurt as much as it angered me. Christian could not have picked a worse time to turn selfish.

As I headed toward the stairs, Fiore caught up to me. “So, how is he?” she asked.

“He tries to say he’s ok but I can see how much pain he’s in. He couldn’t even dress himself. I wish I knew how much longer.” I tried to swallow through the constant knot in my throat.

“Did you talk to him about his options yet?”

I shook my head. “I want to talk to Aloysius first. I’m not really sure what to say to Jose Luis and,” I sat on the top step and looked up at Fiore’s concerned face. “I can’t believe I have to do this by myself now. It wasn’t supposed to be this way.”

She kneeled behind me and rubbed my back with one hand. “I know it wasn’t but it isn’t your fault. You are Jose Luis’s mother now. He needs you.”

I laughed. “I know. It’s kind of hard thinking of myself as his mother when I’m technically only four years older than him.”

“I guess I can see your point. But you have to remember that in experience you’re almost a full century older than him.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I stood and gave her a quick hug. “Let’s go talk to Aloysius. I need a little advice on what to say to Jose Luis. Oh, by the way, does Aloysius know what we did at the beach?”

“Not one bit and I think we should keep it that way. Don’t ask don’t tell, right?” She winked.

“Right.” It was probably for the best considering the time period Aloysius came from and how formal he always acted. I couldn’t imagine his reaction to something like what Fiore and I did.

Aloysius was just hanging up the phone as we approached the kitchen. The expression on his face automatically turned to concern when he saw us enter. “How is our boy feeling?”

“He says he’s ok but I know better. He can’t even bend down because his head hurts worse. He even needed help getting dressed and getting into bed. He has no appetite either. He’s watching TV now,” I explained as I pulled a chair from the small table in the corner of the kitchen and sat.

“Any new injuries from his captivity?” he asked as he sat across from me, motioning for Fiore to take the last chair.

“No. According to him no one hurt him or made him do anything. He says he did nothing but sleep while he was there.”

“That’s good. At least they didn’t add to his pain. What is your plan now that he’s back?” He reached across the table for Fiore’s hand.

Fiore’s face lit up as she gave it to him and my stomach sank. She looked at me with guilt on her face and tried to pull away from his grip. “Please, don’t, Fiore. It’s ok. I just really miss him is all,” I explained.

“I know. I wish there were something we could do. Shouldn’t we be going to where the news report came from to see if he is there?” she asked looking at Aloysius.

“I thought so at first but I think it might be useless. If my guess is correct, he’s been traveling north and heading toward the United States.”

“Then we need to track him,” I insisted.

“Who knows how far he got or where he is planning to cross the US border. It could take us weeks to find his trail, even with an experienced tracker,” he paused to take my hand too. “Jose Luis and the other children need us more right now.”

“I understand but Christian is out there all alone. He’s a newborn for Christ’s sake.”

“I understand what you’re feeling right now. As his maker you feel responsible for him,” his eyes softened. “But you have to remember he is an adult and he made his choice.”

“You seem to forget I’m not only his maker. I’m also his wife,” I pulled my hand away from him and stood. “He walked out on me without so much as a go to hell. He owes me an explanation.”

Aloysius stood and came to stand in front of me. “Lily, believe me, I understand your pain. I know what it is like to lose someone you love. But you can’t let it consume you, especially when there are others who love you and depend on you.”

“I know Jose Luis is depending on me and I will be there for him,” I felt calm enough to sit back down. I needed his advice and the last thing I wanted was to be angry with him. It wasn’t his fault Christian left. “I don’t know what to do now. I feel he doesn’t have much time left. He doesn’t want to go back to the hospital either. He said…” Tears filled my eyes. Aloysius and Fiore reached for my hands at the same time, bringing a smile to my face despite the grief eating away at me.

“What did he say?” Aloysius asked in a mere whisper, pain obvious in his eyes.

“He didn’t actually finish the sentence but he was about to say that he wants to see Christian before he dies. I wish I could give him that.”

“That is, unfortunately, not in your hands. Have you spoken with him yet about what his options are?”

“No,” I swallowed the tears fighting for release. I had no time to feel sorry for myself. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I’m not sure what to say to him.”

“How about I make a pot of coffee?” Fiore jumped to her feet as if she needed something to do. Aloysius and I both nodded. She went to the cabinet to begin her task.

“Let your heart do the talking, Lily. That is what you’re best at,” Aloysius said as he turned his attention from Fiore to me. It was obvious it was hard for him to keep his eyes off her. As much as I envied the fact that they could be close with each other, I also felt happy for her. Aloysius snapped me out of my head with a squeeze of my hand. “Tell him what you want and then let him weigh his options. Make sure he thinks about what becoming a vampire will mean to him and to his sister. I am sure we will get her back and she will have to deal with whatever changes may take place, whether that is him leaving us for good or him becoming one of us.”

“I hadn’t really thought about what his decision would mean to Leilani. That changes things,” I took the steaming cup Fiore offered me and smiled at the comfort of it. My soul ached more for Christian’s comfort but I pushed the thought out of my mind.

“Not necessarily,” Fiore started handing Aloysius his cup and placing hers in front of her as she sat. “You have to remember Leilani was raised in a paranormal world. Things that would seem like complete fantasy to others are everyday occurrences to her. Remember, she herself is a witch. She may be too young yet to understand what it all means but she still knows it’s there.”

“I somehow keep forgetting the fact that Leilani is a witch. She just seems too young to me to have such strong powers,” I admitted.

“She was born that way, just like her mother. I’m sure she knows her brother has acquired some powers too, even if they are not as extravagant as starting fires. She’s also been around vampires since Melinda imposed herself on the hunters,” Fiore said as she stirred her coffee. She tapped the spoon on the side of the cup and placed it on the saucer.

“It is true that she’s been around vampires but that’s just what I mean. She’s being used by them. She’s being forced to offer her blood as nourishment for vampires. I wouldn’t be surprised if she fears us, or even hates us because of it.” I put my cup down and fell back against my chair, stretching my legs out in front of me. “It’s very possible she won’t even want to be near us let alone live with us.”

“That may be so,” Aloysius said. “But I doubt she would want to stay away from her brother once she’s reunited with him. Besides, if she sees Jose Luis loves you and trusts you, she will too.”

“I hope you’re right,” I sat back up and looked to both their faces. “How do you feel about Jose Luis becoming a vampire at fifteen?” That is what my biggest issue was with the whole thing. He was so young.

Fiore and Aloysius looked at each other before looking back at me. Fiore nodded for Aloysius to answer me. He held my eyes with his. “A lot better than I do about him dying at fifteen.”