Chapter 9

I held my breath, unsure of what came next. As I child, I’d wander our woods, daydreaming of mythical creatures, anything to escape the violence of my stepfather, who made it a regular job to verbally abuse my mother and me. She’d do her best to shield me—even put herself in his path when words weren’t enough to vent his rage.

I used to escape through TV shows and movies; they were the only refuge from life as I knew it. But there was no movie screen in front of me, playing out scenes from horror flicks, rescued damsels in distress—and certainly no holy water to ward off evil spirits. My dreams over the last month had been trying to tell me something.

But I wasn’t dreaming right now. I sat up in the bright autumn sunlight spilling in through the window; I’d forgotten to pull the shades closed last night. My pulse was racing as I tried to deny the implausible truth about him; I was imagining it, I had to be. I had to talk to him about this—not tonight, not tomorrow, but now.

I grabbed my phone and called Ashleigh as I stumbled out of bed.

“Happy Halloween, gorgeous!” she said.

I headed to the bathroom, slopping toothpaste on my brush. “Oh, yeah. Happy Halloween to you, too. Hey, are you going to see Geoffrey this morning—before the party tonight?” I hastily brushed my teeth while she was talking.

“It’s funny you should ask. Yes I am, actually. I’m supposed to meet up with him at his place in just a few. Why do you ask? Are you hoping to come along with me by any chance?”

I spit out the toothpaste. “Yeah, actually I would—if it’s not too much trouble. He brought me home last night and…” I sucked at acting happy, but for her sake I did my best, “… we had a great time.”

“Well, allow me to help that one along,” she gushed, happy to be using her matchmaking skills once again. “I’ll be over in, let’s say, fifteen minutes?”

“Sounds good,” I said, hanging up the phone. I threw on my one Halloween sweater, though I looked at it and had to do a double take. The characters unnerved me for a split-second. I pulled it on over my head, then pulled on my black jeans and boots. I headed out the door and promptly ran into the one person I didn’t want to see right now.

“Morning, neighbor! Where are you off to in such a rush?” Chase asked, morning coffee in his hand. His goofy grin always reminded me of a Charlie Brown sketch. His unruly blond hair was styled with a ton of gel, he slightly resembled a punk rocker.

“Uh, nowhere special. Just meeting up with Ashleigh—you know, work stuff.” I tried to walk away, but he kept up, joining me at the elevator doors. I pushed the button, over and over, inpatient to get going. He noticed.

“What’s up with you? You seem a bit stressed.”

“It’s nothing, really.” I didn’t want to be talking with him. There was only one person I wanted to speak with this morning, and soon I would be.

We got in the elevator together and the doors closed. His tone changed, which caught my attention. “Ah… Megan?” He shuffled his feet, clearly an awkward sign. “So, you and that singer, Drake. You guys going out?”

I turned on him, ready to jump, and caught myself before I did. Why was I getting defensive? “Yeah. What of it?” I said as calmly as possible.

“So you’re really going out… together?”

The floor numbers weren’t going down fast enough.

“Maybe. Why do you want to know?”

His short reply seemed difficult for him to say. “Just be careful. You know what musicians are like.”

The doors finally opened and I saw Ash’s car, idling on the curb. I turned back to say goodbye and noticed the color of his eyes. They were now a deep green. I blinked in confusion; maybe he got contacts? But I wasn’t interested in chitchat right now.

“Sorry, Chase. Bye!” I yelled back, taking off at a run.

“I’m good, Meg. See ya.”

“Goodness, you’re in a hurry,” she said, as I plopped down, huffing, and buckled my seat belt.

“Didn’t want to keep you waiting, that’s all.”

She pulled out into morning traffic. Cars going by had the strangest creatures as drivers today. Normally, on Halloween, I wouldn’t think twice about this… but not today. She hit the freeway and we headed to Geoffrey’s place, talking about work and tonight’s plans all the way there. Not that I heard a single word she said, except for her voice. I couldn’t get the images, the nightmares, out from behind my eyes.

“Hey, what’s with you?” she asked. “I just asked if you two had gotten married yet, and you said yes?”

Oops. I clearly wasn’t paying enough attention. She saw my surprise and answered her own question.

“Are you two fighting already? Is that why you’re so preoccupied?” She took the off ramp, but I couldn’t tell if this was the same one Geoffrey used last night or not.

“Yeah, a little one,” I lied. “Nothing big; I just want to straighten it out before tonight, that’s all.” Even to my ears, that lie sucked—but she fell for it and that’s all that mattered.

“Well, if it’ll help, I’ll just excuse myself while you two talk. Good idea?”

“Thanks so much, Ash. It means a lot.”

I fake-smiled and she continued to talk shop as we turned off the road, down his long drive. During the day it was an amazing sight—the trees with their fall colors mingled with the dense forest green that lined the drive. But I wasn’t here for the scenery.

The Jag pulled into the circular driveway outside the front entrance. We got out and the front door opened. I recognized Andrew immediately, but my stomach was in knots. How am I going to do this?

“Good morning, Ms. Dior. Mr. Drake is expecting you. It’s lovely to see you again as well, Ms. Megan.” His sweet smile was welcoming, but I was so nervous that I found it hard to return the greeting, so I just nodded at him.

We walked down the main hall, which now featured a low, creeping fog along the floor, chilling my feet. The hallway lights had been replaced with gaudy gothic black light chandeliers. My clothes glowed eerily white as we entered the front room, which looked like a scene out of The Addams Family sitcom. Every shelf, counter, and table surface was covered in what looked like heavy industrial webbing—the good stuff. The plastic spiders seemed all too real. A group of skeletons sat in the corner holding goblets of bubbling red liquid; each couple seemed to be conversing, totally robotic, moving their arms and heads.

On the ceiling beams were a family of black ravens. Orange and purple rope lights wound their way around the top of the walls, illuminating the eerie scene throughout. Toward the kitchen stood Frankenstein with a tray of goblets for the next customer.

I looked out the balcony doors where a howl erupted, catching my attention. I stared out, totally terrified at this point. There on the railing, perched like it was ready to attack, sat a full-size werewolf, claws and teeth bared, ready to rip a stranger apart. I suddenly had doubts that I’d be able to do this.

We sat down in the front room, the windows clear of the morning fog. The view was breathtaking, with the huge inlet down below shimmering in the morning sunlight. Andrew brought coffee, and he and Ash chatted as I fidgeted on the edge of my seat, not wanting to get comfortable. She was clearly not intimidated by the decorations, which must have just been put up after I left last night.

She’s here. Sigh. Not again… not now.

The voice was only in my mind again, and I knew if I turned around he’d be there in the doorway, staring at me. I swallowed down my fear and turned. I was right, of course—the one time I wish I wasn’t.

“Megan, this is a nice surprise. Ashleigh, good morning.” She stood and they hugged. I stood up as well, automatically taking a step backwards, my fear building.

“To what do I owe the honor of having you both here?” He seemed genuinely happy to see us both, but I couldn’t help but notice things. He was pale, more so than the usual Northwesterner. He moved way too gracefully, especially for a man; once again, though, it was his blue eyes that unnerved me. Today they were especially bright. Last night I swore they were darker, nearing black.

“I wanted to go over the line-up of special guests for this evening…” She glanced at her phone, then back to us, “… oh my, this’ll have to wait to later. Seems as though the caterer has Henry in an uproar about the entrée for tonight. I have to go before he throttles someone.” She quickly gave me a peck on the cheek and whispered, “Good luck.” I swallowed down the bile that was fighting its way up my throat.

“Oh, well, do be careful. When Henry gets his knickers in a bunch someone usually gets their head bit off.” He escorted her to the door as I stood, beginning to pace. I glanced around to get a quick look around just in case I had to bolt. Even in the middle of nowhere I could get out. I could hear Andrew in the kitchen, humming. It sounded so normal. Did he know that his boss was possibly a psycho? Wait, what about the others? Oh shit, I hadn’t thought this through. I heard the Jag pull out, leaving me here… alone. The warmth of the house that I experienced last night quickly evaporated as he walked back in. I made my way to the windows, with my back to the glass, not wanting to have him behind me where I couldn’t see. He stood there, in all his bad biker smoothness, looking at me, his arms casually crossed. So I spoke first.

“I take it you like Halloween.” I glanced out to the deck, looking how far down the drop might be. I could clear that railing, I thought.

“It’s our favorite holiday. But that’s not why you came here… is it?” He eyed me carefully. He took one step forward, and I countered with one of my own backward.

“No, it’s not. Who are you?” I said through my clenched jaw, my fists balled up. I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my muscles.

“Megan, let me explain.” He put his arms up in surrender. “You know who I am. I don’t believe that’s the question you want to ask, is it?” My mouth went dry as the knot in my throat grew larger.

“What are you?” I snarled, edging around the larger dining room table, clearly trying to keep some distance between him and me.

“I don’t need to answer that. You have the answer already or else you wouldn’t be here. Are you ready for that answer? If you are, know this: your world as you know it is about to completely change.” Out of the corner of my eye I saw Pepper walk in, surprise playing out on her cherub features.

“Geoffrey, careful. She’s frightened.” Her voice, his voice… I knew them together. They had been my mystery visitors in the hospital. I eyed her, now my doubts including her along with the others. I skirted the walls, keeping my back to them, just as my mom had taught me in closer quarters.

“What are you?” I barked once more, now with my back to the front door, a clear shot.

“You have to say it, to accept it, Megan. I won’t hurt you. I couldn’t hurt you
any more than I could hurt myself. No one in this house will do that.” He took a slow step towards me, yet I didn’t move. If what I was certain of, that he was my presence, the voice that I had softly heard in my mind, then somehow he’d known me for a lot longer than just a couple of months. The picture I’d found, the date of birth, the fact that I could remember him from when I was just a child. I’d never seen him eat, he avoided direct sunlight, plus he seemed to move with a gracefulness of an angel; the ice-cold hard skin; the crystal blue eyes. All these things I quickly assembled in my mind.

The dawning of reality must have played across my face. My eyes wide with wonder.

“Geoffrey, it’s you. It’s always been you.” My mind told me to be scared, but instead I listened to my heart, the feeling of trust growing as I was about to say it out loud, but my natural instincts to fight kicked in.

“You’re a… a…” I stuttered, stumbling over the one word that stuck in my throat, “… a vampire.” The silence in the air was thick enough to cut through. His eyes softened as I tried to accept the enormity of the moment. My breathing spiked, the room began to spin, and my knees weakened.

“Megan…” he called out as I began to slide down the wall. But I didn’t want him near me, so I found my strength. I ran to the door, grabbing the handle, wrenching it open. But when I did he was there, his hands up, backing away from me.

“Megan, calm down. I won’t hurt you…” his words were pleading. Images flashed before my eyes, confusing me even more. I closed my eyes, wishing they would go away. I raised my arms up, blocking him from touching me, and I ran as fast as I could, toward the forest edge, but just as quickly he was before me.

“Stop… please. I won’t hurt you.” The morning sun shined down on us with our hair being lifted on the slightest of breezes. We stood there, eye-to-eye, not moving. The images of the past began to merge with present right in front of me. Image by image, the story became clear to me and I found that my heart slowed.

I will never hurt you. His words came to me, while his lips never moved. So it really was he who I’d been hearing, over and over, through the years, helping me, protecting me… saving me.

“Why me?” I asked aloud as he relaxed his stance. I was beginning to bottom out from the rush of it all. Without taking my eyes off him, I sat down on the
forest floor. The wet moss quickly soaked my jeans. The coldness kept me grounded during this very confusing moment. He crouched low, running his hand through his hair, which caught my attention. I’d never seen it in the daylight, the red hues dancing in the sunlight. His soft smile helped ease what fear remained.

“I’ve always been here, Megan. Look back and you’ll see that,” he said softly. I thought back, all the times I could think of, when I was in trouble or even
danger of being hurt, and somehow I’d gotten out of it. Sometimes I knew how it’d
happened but others I thought it was just luck. Now, however, it all made sense. Right before me, I felt my fear change to trust, and with that an emotion I had been lying to myself about since I met him.

I was in love with him.

“The day we met, Megan, that was the first day of the rest of my life… with you.” His words rang truth loudly as I felt them in my heart. I looked at him, still confused, but I couldn’t deny it any longer. What I was feeling was the truth. He seemed hesitant, maybe afraid to approach me. I guess it wasn’t helping that I still held a branch like a weapon. I hadn’t remembered even picking it up at the base of the huge tree next to us. I tossed it aside and sighed.

“I don’t know why, but I’m not afraid of you. At least not the way I thought I would be.” I took off my glasses, seeing him clearly. He stood, careful not to move too quickly. He frowned slightly and seemed worried.

“You should be, Megan. I haven’t always been the person you see before you now… ” he drifted off on a dark thought. His eyes seemed to become unfocused like he was seeing something other than the forest surrounding us. Overhead, crows cawed at each other as the limbs of the trees swayed. The forest relaxed me, allowing the fear to melt away.

We sat in silence. He slowly reached for my hand and I held still, allowing him to come to me; his touch stirred deep in my being. Cautiously he leaned in, finding my lips with the softest touch. I pulled back to see him, knowing I wanted more. He’d spoken of the day we met. I remembered the cave, the dirt, how scared I was, and saw in my mind that it was he who had saved me.

“Yes, that was the day.” He answered my thought.

“How can you know what I’m thinking? How can I hear your voice?” He was clearly stumbling with his feelings, which was very different from the confident, well-spoken man I’d grown to know.

“Megan, I’ve wanted to tell you something. I’m just not sure how to do this. I’m a little out of my league here. I care deeply about you, probably more than I should.” He glanced down at my hands as he held them, touching lightly across my wrists.

If he was the voice I’d heard through my life, then perhaps that would be easier for him now, to speak silently. So I took a deep breath and offered. I raised my hand to cover his lips.

“Shh… don’t talk. Talk so that I can hear you.” I put my finger to my temple, showing him I understood this strange connection we had. Closing my eyes, taking a deep breath, I opened myself up to the voice I’d heard.

Trust me. I could not only hear it I could almost feel it in my mind. My smile began to grow. The energy that flowed was enormous, weaving between and around us, through us.

Megan. His voice came crystal clear, my eyes flashed open to see him directly in front of me with his back to the sun, glowing. His hair lifted by the heat of the rays. His eyes were reflecting the sheer energy that possessed us, both so alive with wonder.

Do you hear me? The breeze blew around me, softly moving my hair. He caught it between his cool fingers, placing it back behind my ear. My answer was a little nod, a giggle escaping from between my lips.

Yes… Yes I can. I leaned toward him, trying to absorb that moment. As I had spoken back to him, his mask of uncertainty fell away, revealing the love that glowed from within. Nothing else in the world mattered. The here and now became the past, present and our future. I was no longer lost. I looked into his eyes and I was found. I was whole like I’d never been before.

I wondered how to ask the list of questions forming in my mind. So again I listed what I knew of him, making sure I understood who sat before me.

With all the curiosity that I’d had as a child and as a teenager, doing anything to hide away from the home life I dreaded, mysteries and mythical creatures had served as an escape, a place to dream and hope.

He seemed to figure out that I’d gotten a little tongue-tied.

“Megan, I’ve waited your entire lifetime for this. I had to wait for you to find me. It had to be your choice. I stayed out of sight, in the shadows, in case you needed me.” The words flowed quickly now, having been bottled up for so long. We made our way, side-by-side at first, back toward the house. I didn’t know where the others were, but felt I could trust him.

“Over time I watched you grow, never interfering with your life. But I did my best to keep you safe, as safe as you can be, mind you,” he said with a slight smile.

“Yeah, that must have been a full-time position.” I tried to joke.

“How are we doing this?” I motioned between us, my eyes widening with the question. We walked into the front room. The cool creepy fog no longer seemed menacing.

“It’s our fate. We’ve been linked, you and I, since the day I found you, so many years ago. Do you remember that day?” He now spoke aloud.

“Yeah, I replay that scene over and over in my mind.” I hesitated. My mind was still fighting the evidence that sat before me. I tried my best to control the fear that wanted to creep back in, the trust and love that was growing, fighting an inner battle with it. It felt like I was strapped into a roller coaster car, going from highs to lows in a blink of an eye.

He saw my struggle and reached for my hand. My body betrayed my heart as I cringed a little.

“I’m the same person I was last night, Megan. Nothing has changed, but how you see me. I’m still in love with you, just as I was years ago and this morning. That’ll never change.” I pushed away the negative feelings until they cowered from my desire to be with him. I had to smile at the situation.

“I have to say, you know how to make me grin. Just now, when you were talking, it sounded as though you’re coming out of the closet. But in your case more like coming out of the coffin.” I smiled, relaxing in the humor. His shoulders gently laughed as I took his hand, holding it between my own, the texture like silk yet cold as solid ice. My curiosity was beginning to grow, and of course with that came more questions. How do I ask this politely?

“Just how old are you?” I waited, watching his eyes tighten just a smidge around the edges. He sat back, looking at me, and placing his arm along the back of the couch.

“It’s impolite to ask someone their age.” His eyebrow raised in sarcasm. He played with a thread on my shirt, seeming relaxed.

“That’s just women!” I quipped back.

With a calculating look he leaned toward me. “Don’t you have a more important question to ask me?” he stated so calmly, yet there was a warning there in the tone. I knew what he was hinting at, but it was his turn to say it aloud. If he knew me so well, could hear my thoughts, then he knew I was more fascinated with him as a person, his history. As a child I always thought that vampires were misunderstood people, not creatures as legends normally called them, but real people that got dealt a bad hand.

“Like what?” I played stupid.

“Like what my diet is, perhaps.” He moved closer to me, delicately tracing my neck with his cool fingers. A small thrill of fear ran through me.

My lack of reaction seemed to disarm him. Maybe it was because I’d already decided it didn’t matter, food was food. Who cared if he had a liquid diet, right?

“Blood is a vice I have—the one vice all of my kind have in common.” His words were dark, yet his very presence acted as a shield to any fear he was trying to convey.

“So, you drink blood, then?” I quipped, flipping my hair back, acting like I didn’t care. His eyes bore down on me in that instant. I held absolutely still.

“Why yes, are you offering?” He suddenly pulled me closer, his breath washed over my face, and the feeling of flying high hit. My own defenses kicked in as I jumped back, pushing him away with my arms, which was pretty useless since he was as solid and unmoving as a cement block. His calculating grin returned as his warning sank in. I finally exhaled, knowing the moment had passed.

He sat shaking his head with his eyes closed, a small smile pulling at one corner of his lips. He seemed perplexed, ran one hand through his hair, and said, “You
continue to surprise me, you know that? Do you have any idea of just how tempting you are, just how easy of a target you could be right here, right now?”

I found his choice of words interesting yet confusing. Me? Tempting? I had no fear of being with him; I didn’t see myself as a target.

“There you go again with me being tempting. I just don’t see it. I’m not that interesting.” I looked down at my very dull, boring self. Tempting wasn’t a word that I ever envisioned anyone using to describe me.

“Clearly you don’t see yourself as others do.” He shook silently with a laugh. “Let me see if I can explain it. In my eyes you glow, you radiate such energy and warmth. I’m drawn to you and only you. I don’t see anyone else anymore. I don’t have a choice and am happy to give that up. Besides…” He pressed closer, his body against mine.

“My heart hasn’t beaten for centuries, yet when you’re with me I remember what it was like to skip a beat or two. For my kind that is truly a miracle.”

I didn’t know what to say to his compliments, so I just blushed as usual, looking down at our hands intertwined together.

He leaned in, carefully kissing my cheek. I heard him inhale, his face so close to my own.

“And your scent is so… intense. Absolutely delicious. Just as unique as you are.” He sat back just a bit, leaning to one side.

“May I?” he asked, now tilting his head slightly toward my neck, playing with my hair hanging down. His cool hand softly touched my skin.

My mouth seemed stuck, so I just nodded my head slowly. He leaned in, his cool breath caressing my skin. A shiver ran the length of my spine and his ice-cold hand found the small of my back, locking me in his steel embrace.

Be very still, I heard inside. I closed my eyes, trying to hold my breath, not
moving, I felt as though my heart was pounding to get out of my chest.

His lips touched my skin, kissing along my neck down to my shoulder and back. He slowly rose back up, his eyes meeting mine as they simmered.

My own eyes were wide with wonder. Geoffrey, I silently thought, pulling back slightly. He stiffened in response, sitting back with one arm still lightly wrapped around my waist.

I’ve upset you, he said without words. He looked worried, his mouth pulled down at the corners.

“No,” I answered automatically. “It’s just a lot to take in. Give me a moment, all right?” I half smiled, taking his hand in mine. His hand felt like soft silk over hard cool granite.

He took a deep breath, and sat back, relaxing only a small amount. He looked closely at my hand, examining the healing scar. Since the explosion, it had mended nicely, though was still tender.

“How’s the hand today?” He was trying to distract me.

“It’s not bad, just a little sore.” He placed it between his own, the coolness relieving the slight ache instantly. I rubbed my eyes as the morning sun cut across the room. That’s when it happened. Once again my body betrayed me. My stomach roared to life, not having been fed for almost two days. I’ve never turned so many shades of red, blushing to the tops of my ears.

“It’s time for breakfast.” He smiled, showing his very white teeth. For the first time I was startled, swallowing loudly. Trying to play it off, I covered my neck in mock terror and chuckled when I couldn’t quite hold it long enough, giggling under my breath.

“Not me, goose, you. Your stomach sounds like you could eat a horse.” He hugged me, standing up, offering his hand to me.

We made our way toward the dining room and Andrew appeared. I now saw him clearly, and understood why he resembled Geoffrey so much: he was a vampire as well.

“Andrew is one of the most loyal people you will ever meet. And you get to benefit from his superb gift; he loves to cook.” We walked into a full-size industrial kitchen with every amenity you could think of.

“Seriously, he’s a vampire chef?” I asked as the aroma of scrambled eggs and
cinnamon rolls made my mouth water. On the huge buffet counter sat trays of jumbo blueberry muffins, breads, rolls, and scones, along with platters of bacon, thick ham slices, and sausage links and patties.

This was definitely not what I’d expected. Gore, blood, guts, screams of terror; yeah, that was on the list, basically made up from the many movies and books I’d enjoyed. But here was this very nice, clean-cut gentleman who was happily puttering around the kitchen. At the moment he was laying out what looked like an assembly line of to-go boxes. He made cooking look so easy. My cooking skills extended to the use of a microwave and McDonalds. He leaned on the counter, causally looking on. I chose my words carefully, trying to make them light, not too serious. For it was only for curiosity’s sake that I had questions, not out of fear.

“Oh my God. What’s with all the food?” My look of utter confusion made Andrew and Geoffrey chuckle.

“We’re all reborn with gifts of our own. Andrew’s gift is a very giving heart, always wanting to take care of people, no matter their status in life,” he said as Andrew respectfully bowed.

“You see, Ms. Megan, I believe in the old adage, ‘waste not, want not.’ Therefore I use my life to give back to those in need.” Now the to-go containers made sense.

“Where are these going ?” I asked.

“To the mission and homeless shelters in town. It doesn’t matter what era we’re in, there’s always a need to help those less fortunate than we. So I do what I can to help out.” What an amazing concept, helping those who couldn’t help themselves. On more than one occasion mom and I had found ourselves in that very situation, trying desperately to escape the stepfather from hell. I didn’t want to go down that path, so I turned to Geoffrey, who was silently smiling at me.

Andrew put a plate with scrambled eggs, scones, and jam in front of me, offered a glass of squeezed orange juice. I accepted it all gratefully. Geoffrey looked at the food, crinkling his nose in disgust. The last thing I wanted was for him to be uncomfortable around me.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Is this bothering you?” I quickly wiped jam off my chin.

“No, don’t be silly. It just doesn’t smell very appetizing, that’s all. Besides, you need to eat more often than I do.” I put that last part in the back of my head for future reference. I took my empty dish to the sink, though Andrew did his best to take it off my hands.

“The food was delicious, Andrew, thank you. You don’t need to do my dishes though, I’m a big girl.” We walked back into the front room, Goth décor and all.

“Wow, you guys go all out. I mean, I love Halloween and all, but this is like… huge.” I felt the little girl in me wanting to come out and play in the make-believe world I stood in, but this was reality, not fantasy. I swallowed down the little doubt that worried me.

“We celebrate life, all of it. We’re a family, just like anyone else’s…” But we both knew that wasn’t quite right.

“…but a family with one major difference. You don’t eat food.” I jokingly thought, They just eat the neighbors.

He looked at me, shocked.

“Oh God, did you just catch that?” I now felt like an official jerk.

“Actually it’s all right. Our ‘neighbors’ out here are our dinner, but we don’t feed on humans. Life is too short for your kind. We respect your right to live it as you should, no interfering. We choose to use our darkness, our gift if you will, to benefit others.”

“But you still need…” I hesitated on the word.

“You can say it. Fear of a word only increases the fear of the thing itself.” He sat patiently while I looked at him, totally perplexed.

“Did you just quote a Harry Potter movie to me?”

“Don’t change the subject.” He raised his eyebrow.

“Blood.”

“Yes, we do but we have our sources.”

“What, like a dealer?” Great, I pictured back-alley exchanges totally differently now.

“No, not like that.” Instantly an image flashed before me, exactly what I thought of his idea.

“Holy crap, warn me when you’re going to do that, all right?” I shook off the creepy image. And suddenly felt his hand, lightly upon my own, and a new image came. Slowly at first, so I kept my eyes closed: a daylight meeting with what looked like a lab tech or nurse of some kind, holding a cooler.

“We have our sources everywhere, we’re in every aspect of life, and we have jobs, families, and careers.”

“I take it they work at the blood bank, then?” Just then I felt like we were being watched. I turned to see the others passing through. They briefly glanced at him and me, Pepper in particular.

“Hi, Megan,” her perfectly pitched voice carried through the room. She hesitated, entering the room. She eyed Geoffrey, and he turned to me.

“Megan, this is Pepper Montgomery.” We stood up.

“We’ve met already, at work. Hey…” I said as she approached.

“Hey, Meg. It’s nice to see you. We wondered how long it would take.” She reached out and I heard Geoffrey’s surprise. I returned her hug easily. She was about the same height as me without heels.

“Pepper? What are you doing?”

“What, can’t a girl give her friend a hug in this house?” she said sarcastically, with her hands on her hips.

“It’s all right; she gave me some good advice. And I’m glad I listened.” I winked at her as she beamed back at him.

“So are you going to give her the grand tour or am I?” Pepper chided him. She reached for my hand, but he was faster, so fast I actually didn’t see his movement and I jumped in surprise. Okay, I think I’ve had enough for the moment, I said to myself. They both looked at me and he spoke up.

“Why don’t we take a rain check on that one, Pepper?” he said, slowly taking my hand this time.

“Sorry, it’s just a lot to take in.” I glanced down, suddenly feeling nervous.

Meg, I’m sorry if what she did upset you, his silent words said. I looked at him, trying to wrap my head around this strange connection we had.

“Maybe later Pepper, okay? I gotta get back, get ready for tonight.”

“Speaking of tonight, we’re all dressing up. You’re more than welcome to join us. Come find me backstage and we can play dress up, if you want.”

Her enthusiasm was sweet and I actually found myself pondering her offer.
“I might just take you up on the offer, thanks.”

Hand-in-hand, Geoffrey and I headed out to the car. I have more questions now than when I arrived. But where do I start?

“Let me try to answer some of those for you, if you’ll allow me?” He had heard my thought—and he was always giving me a choice.

“One thing I must warn you about, Megan. What we have, here…” he motioned to our hands intertwined on the gear shift, “… is not the norm. You need to understand our kind have been persecuted, hunted for centuries. We don’t trust easily. My trust of you is because of our link,” he said, touching his temple. “Links are said to be a myth—a fable amongst my kind. How ironic, I know,” he said, rolling his eyes almost in sync with me. “I knew the moment I’d found you in the cave so many years ago. I felt complete,” he said, repeating his words from the past. “That somehow, I was… whole, but what I didn’t know was that I was just a piece of the puzzle. I saw your eyes and I knew that I was home…” His eyes focused through me to another time.

I recognized his words. He wasn’t talking about himself; he was describing what I had felt for him the moment we met. I had been trying to deny what I knew to be the truth because it didn’t seem possible that someone actually loved me, just the way I am. And with that he drove and I listened, learning more about this absolutely great guy—my guardian angel—who just happened to be a vampire.

Now what exactly could go wrong, right?