Chapter Twenty-One

Meena

The pain medicine they’d given me for my broken ribs didn’t dull the pain in my heart. “Why won’t he answer me?” I asked Sage for the tenth time as I lay curled up on the couch with Marshmallow and Pumpkin.

“Zelda said he’ll call when he’s ready. He was literally turned into another species less than forty-eight hours ago,” Sage said. “Give the poor boy time to adjust.”

“Sure.” I blew my nose for the thousandth time. “I’ll sit here and wait while Sybil shoves her cleavage in his face and tells him how much he owes her for saving his life.”

Sage gave me a you-should-be-ashamed-of-yourself look.

“What? You don’t think she’s going to take advantage of this situation?”

“Meena, she saved his life. He might need her guidance for a while but that doesn’t mean he’s going to fall in love with her.”

“I’m not talking about love.” I grabbed another tissue and folded it over and over again. “I’m talking about lust.”

“The boy wore llama pajamas for you,” Sage said. “I doubt he’s going to forget about you overnight.”

“You’re right. He did. And for less than twenty-four hours I had something good in my life. Despite working for Bane, and dealing with my deeply depressed father, not to mention the brief and painful reunion with my mom, I had one good thing in my life…someone who loved me enough to wear llama pajamas and hold me all night while I slept. And then poof…one truck crash later and he slid through my fingers, just like my mom.”

“Have you ever heard that old standard, don’t assume you know what is going on, because it makes an ass out of u and me?”

“That’s stupid.”

“I didn’t make it up,” Sage said. “I’m passing it along, and it’s surprisingly accurate.”

“Meaning?”

“Don’t assume you know what’s going on between Jake and Sybil. Wait and see. Give him a chance to show you his true character before you paint him as weak-willed.”

“Fine.” I grabbed a tissue and blew my nose again.

I heard my dad’s car pull up the drive. He came in through the front door and gave me a tight smile. “Hey, kiddo. How are you feeling?”

I tried to put on a brave face. “The pain meds are working.”

He pointed at the mound of used tissues I’d accumulated on the coffee table. “And those?”

“That’s the my-mom’s-memorial-is-tomorrow-and-my-boyfriend-almost-died-in-front-of-me debris.”

“One of those is bad enough.” He came and sat by me. “I want to keep the memorial small. Just us and a few close friends.”

“Good idea,” I said. “I don’t want false sympathy from the people who gossiped about her.”

“You are wise beyond your years.” My dad stood and headed down the hall without asking about Jake.

Once I knew that he was out of earshot, I said, “I’d like Jake to come to the memorial.”

“Then you should invite him,” Sage recommended.

It wasn’t that simple. “I’m not sure my dad will want him there… He seemed pretty prejudiced about vampires the last time I brought them up.”

“He didn’t want your mom to come back as one. That doesn’t mean he’ll have a problem with Jake. The only way you’ll know is if you ask him.”

I grabbed my mound of tissues and carried them into the kitchen trash can. Movement made me a little woozy. “These pain pills are messing with my head.”

“Maybe you need to eat,” Sage said. “Sit and I’ll make you something.”

“Thank you.”

When my dad came out of his room, Sage was serving up a family sized ham and cheese omelet.

“Hungry?” he asked my dad.

“No, but that smells good and I can’t remember the last time I ate.” My dad sat and accepted the plate Sage gave him. He sighed and then dug in.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Just waiting for life to stop sucking,” he said. “It’s been a few years now. I’m hoping for an upswing.”

“I get it,” I said. “I’m furious that I couldn’t bring Mom back but I’m glad she’s finally at peace, and layered on top of that gladness is a nice slice of guilt for being grateful that she’s no longer hanging in limbo.”

“Exactly how I feel,” my dad said. “Sad, depressed, and relieved with a huge helping of guilt.”

“Being a human is so complicated,” Sage said.

“You don’t think of yourself as human?” my dad asked.

“No,” Sage said. “I think I’m sixty percent magical feline and forty percent human.”

“Speaking of things that aren’t quite human,” I said. “I’d like to invite Jake to the memorial.”

My dad narrowed his eyes. “He’s a vampire now, right?”

I nodded and the omelet did a little dance in my stomach.

“How do you know it’s safe to be around him?” my dad asked.

I didn’t, but I wasn’t about to admit to that fun fact. “There are plenty of people willing to be vampire snacks, so I don’t think Jake will be looking to bite anyone at the service.”

“Are you sure?” my dad asked.

“I’ll ask him if he’s comfortable attending the service. If not, I’ll meet him someplace afterward.”

“Not without Sage,” my dad said.

“Fine.” After I finished my omelet, I headed for my room. Sitting cross-legged on my bed, I texted Jake about my mom’s memorial. And then I waited. He may have ignored all my other texts, but he couldn’t ignore a text about my mom’s memorial. And if he did, what did that mean? Did it mean that the guy I loved was gone?

…

Jake

Over the past two days, my phone buzzed on a regular basis with texts from Meena. I’d read each one several times but had no idea how to respond. She was probably only texting out of obligation. I doubt she wanted to see me. She’d made it clear that she’d thought calling Sybil was the wrong choice but I couldn’t see any good that could come from her or me making a deal with Bane.

From where I sat on the front porch steps, I could sense so many things. The smells and the sounds were amazing. Bees buzzed. Leaves rustled. There must be a peach orchard around here somewhere because the sweet scent of the peaches drifted on the breeze.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I grabbed it and read the text. Shit. No way could I ignore a text about her mom’s memorial. Maybe it was time to suck it up and deal with this. Rather than texting, I called.

“Jake?”

“Hey, Meena.”

“Why haven’t you answered me?” Irritation flowed through the phone like water. “Do you know how worried I’ve been?”

“Sorry. I’ve been adjusting to my new circumstances. It’s kind of overwhelming.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m grateful to be alive,” I told her, which was the truth. “And I’m grateful neither one of us made a deal.”

She sniffled. Great. I’d made her cry.

“Sorry,” she said. “Between the accident, my mom’s memorial, and these pain meds, I’m an emotional mess.”

“How are your ribs?” I asked.

“Sore, but they’re a lot better than they were.” She took a breath which had a shuddering sound to it, like she was trying not to cry.

“Good. Listen, I want to come to your mom’s service, but I’m not sure I can deal with a crowd of people.”

“There won’t be a crowd,” Meena said. “My dad doesn’t want to deal with a bunch of people, either.”

“And he’s okay with me seeing you now that I’m a vampire?”

“He’s not thrilled, but he’s going to have to learn to deal with it because it’s not like you and I are going to stop seeing each other just because you became a vampire.”

What did I say to that? Guess I’d go with the obvious. “So you still want to see me?”

“No. I’ve been texting you like a stalker because I don’t want to see you, you idiot.”

I laughed.

“It’s not funny,” she said. “Why didn’t you answer me?”

I’d hurt her feelings. That much was clear. Still, I felt like I deserved a break. “I’ve had a lot to deal with.”

“And I haven’t?” Now she sounded mad.

“Did you call me to start a fight?” I asked.

“No. I called you because I need your support at my mom’s memorial. Will you be there for me or not?”

“I will.”

“Thank you. After the service will you stick around for a while so we can talk about how I haven’t stopped loving you just because you became a vampire?”

I walked right into that one. “Nice ambush,” I said.

“Wasn’t sure if I’d get a chance to slide that in before you disappeared on me again,” she said. “What about you? Have you fallen under Sybil’s spell or are you still my boyfriend?”

“I miss you.” That was the truth. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” And then I hung up. Cowardly? Maybe, but becoming a vampire had changed my feelings. It was strange how I didn’t identify as human anymore. Somehow the shift did something to your perception of people. The friends Sybil had invited over were pretty, but I hadn’t found any of them attractive. Was that because I only wanted Meena or because I didn’t find human females appealing anymore? Or was it because I saw them as a food source? I wasn’t sure. Sybil was just as hot as she ever was, even when she wasn’t trying to be.

“So you finally talked to Meena.” Sybil sat next to me on the steps wearing jeans and a pink T-shirt.

“Are you wearing pink?” I asked, confused by this look that was not her norm.

“I like pink. When I’m going for the full vamp effect I wear leather. This is my relaxing around the house outfit.” She bumped me with her shoulder. “Don’t change the subject. How’s Meena?”

Sybil could have eavesdropped on the entire conversation. “I’m going to her mom’s memorial tomorrow. Other than that, I’m not sure.”

“As much as it pains me, I’m going to give you some honest advice. If you want a relationship with Meena, you can have it. Just know that as time passes you will grow apart.”

“What does that mean?”

“I fell in love with a human boy. He aged. I didn’t. I offered to turn him, but he wasn’t interested. He’s a grandfather now.”

Son of a… I hadn’t even thought about that. “So you’re saying I should break up with Meena or I’ll end up dating a grandma?”

“No.” Sybil leaned back on her elbows. “I’m saying you can go to your senior year of high school and date Meena. Go to trade school. You can pretend you’re a normal guy for about five more years and then the age difference is going to become noticeable.”

“So I can continue my relationship, but there’s a time limit on it.”

“Pretty much,” she said. “But it’s better than the ten-year time limit Bane would have given you or Meena.”

“You’re not wrong about that. And thank you for being my friend.”

“One more friendly piece of advice. Don’t feed on Meena. You’ll be tempted but it will make things a lot more complicated.”

“Thanks. That’s a problem I hadn’t even thought of.” When I’d finally given in and fed, I’d bitten the donor’s wrist. Biting someone’s neck seemed too intimate. Sybil and the other vamps varied how they fed. After decades of feeding it probably wouldn’t be a big deal to me, either.

“Here’s lesson number two on feeding.” She opened the small cooler she’d brought out to the porch. “We have a deal with the blood bank. People donate on a regular basis and we don’t go all fangy on the general population.” She handed me a bag full of blood.

“Seriously?” I was kind of ticked. “Why did you teach me to bite people when this is an option?”

“You needed to know how to feed and this is kind of the vegetarian option because it’s cold.”

I bit into the bag. The moment my teeth came into contact with the chilled blood I grimaced.

Sybil laughed. “Our teeth weren’t meant for the cold, but you get used to it.”

I drained the bag. And the mild craving I hadn’t been paying much attention to went away. When I finished, I folded the bag in half and put it back in the cooler so I wouldn’t drip blood on the porch. “How long can a vampire go without feeding?”

“That’s a scary and controversial topic. Vampires can be starved. It’s a terrible, painful fate. I’d suggest avoiding it.” She leaned back on her elbows and turned her face to the sun. “I only need to eat about every three days. Every vamp is different. I suggest eating every twenty-four hours and then see if you can back off a bit and extend the time, but don’t wait too long and put your human friends in danger.”

“Where do you keep the blood bags?” I hadn’t seen them around.

“Peggy likes having us here, but she doesn’t want blood in the kitchen so I bought a refrigerator and put it in the basement. I keep track of what we have on hand and try to restock monthly. If you ever notice it’s getting low, let me know.”

…

Meena

“Jake said he’d be here,” Zelda said from where she sat next to me at the memorial. “So he’ll be here.”

“I hope you’re right.” The memorial was awful. Like a monument to all the things we could have had if I’d managed to save my mom. Family photos from when we were still a family at Christmas and Thanksgiving. One great big happy lie.

My two sisters were here. We hugged. We cried. They kept saying it was better that Mom had moved on. I just cried. They told me I should suck it up and think about how my actions affected dad. I considered blasting them with lightning.

And now I was waiting. Jake said he’d be there. If he didn’t show, I’d…I don’t know what I’d do. A world where he wasn’t there for me might make me join my dad for a nightly drink.

I heard a door open. Jake came in. I wanted to rush over to him but pride kept me planted in my seat. He was late. He could find me. When he spotted me he smiled. No pointy teeth were visible, so he must have mastered his glamour.

I gave a small wave. He came toward me and Zelda scooted over a chair so he could sit next to me. He gave her a brief hug and then sat down and grabbed my hand.

“How are you holding up?” he asked.

“If there was a storm in the air I’d cause a tornado.”

“Good thing it’s clear weather today,” he joked.

I opened my mouth to talk, but tears filled my eyes.

“Come here.” Jake wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close and I tried not to burst into tears. That lasted about ten seconds and then I was balling.

He stroked my hair. “There’s nothing I can say to make this any better,” he said. “Which sucks.”

“It does,” I said into his shoulder. “It really, really does.”

“If I could have everyone’s attention…” My dad’s voice came through a microphone. “I wanted to thank you all for coming. Many people have said that this is a blessing in disguise. Personally, I think that’s bullshit. A blessing would have been Emma never having done such a selfish thing in the first place.”

“Oh, God.” I pulled away from Jake and tried to figure out what to do.

“And no, I’m not drunk. I will be later, but for now, I am painfully sober and I’ve decided that this is a memorial and a time when we can speak our minds…kind of clear the air. I loved Emma with all my heart. For some reason that wasn’t enough. She’s gone. That sucks. I refuse to put on a brave face and say it’s all going to be okay. It hasn’t been okay for a long time.

“Meena.” He pointed at me. “You’ve stuck by me through all of this, or you were stuck with me.” He smiled. “Your sisters were older. They had an escape route. Moved on with their lives. Not that I blame them. But you, you’ve dealt with me barely holding it together. I’m hoping now I can get my act together and we can both move forward with our lives.

“One thing my Emma did love was ice cream. In honor of the fun times we had together before everything went to hell, please help yourself to the sundae bar.” He pointed at someone pushing in a cart with ice cream and toppings. “Thank you all for coming.”

“Did you know he was going to do that?” Jake asked.

I sniffled. “Which part? The soul baring or the ice cream?”

“Both,” Jake said.

“I knew about the ice cream,” I said. “The other part was a surprise.”

“I guess he had some things he needed to get off his chest.”

“What about you?” I asked. “Anything you need to tell me?”

“No.” Jake squeezed my hand. “Nothing to confess, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“So…nothing about Sybil?”

“She’s acting as a friend and a mentor right now. She hasn’t hit on me the entire time I’ve been there.”

That surprised me. “Really?”

Jake nodded.

“Huh…how are you adjusting to the whole vampire thing?”

“It’s different,” he said. “Drinking blood is disturbing.”

“I bet.” And then a strange question occurred to me. “Who are you drinking?”

He frowned. “Sybil has friends that volunteer. I’ve bitten two different people’s wrists. They seemed so happy afterward but it’s impersonal and weird.”

My dad came toward us, eyeing Jake suspiciously.

“Hello, Mr. Holland. Sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you, Jake. Would you two start the ice cream buffet? No one is eating and it’s all going to melt.”

“Sure.” Not that I felt like eating. We walked over to the containers of ice cream. I chose Neapolitan and added some sprinkles. Jake picked vanilla and added chocolate chips. We headed over to an empty row of seats so we didn’t block anyone from getting to the buffet.

I stirred my ice cream around and then set it on an empty seat and asked Jake one of the questions that had been on my mind. “Are you going to move back in with Zelda?”

“I want to,” Jake said, “but I’m not sure how to deal with the whole feeding thing. For now it’s easier to stay at Sybil’s.”

“So her sister’s house is now vampire central? I bet the one non-vampire sister loves that.”

“She doesn’t seem to mind.” Jake set his ice cream next to mine. “I think she’s happy to have Violet back.”

“I didn’t mean to sound anti-vamp,” I said. “But her older sister didn’t seem too pro-vampire before.”

“What about you?” Jake asked. “What do you want?”

“I want my mom back. I want you to be human. I want my summer job from hell to end.” I leaned my shoulder against Jake, wanting some kind of body contact. “I will happily settle for you being alive in my life with an altered diet.”

“I’m not the same person I was,” Jake said.

My stomach dropped to the floor. “What does that mean?”

“It means things might be different but I still want you in my life.”

That wasn’t so bad. I wanted to ask him to clarify but pushing him right now would be a mistake. I leaned in to kiss him, and he scooted away.