13

Forever

 

It made no sense. How could Aurora appear at the worst possible moment? For a second, I nearly convinced myself I’d somehow ended up in the middle of a nightmare, and this was the part where I’d wake up and go, “Wow. That was seriously screwed up.”

But Aurora didn’t fade away, and neither did Fane. He’d pulled away from me and was staring at Aurora. I expected him to say something, anything. I waited. We all waited.

A brief flash of hurt filled Aurora’s eyes before they turned into daggers, pointed at both Fane and me. She turned to leave.

“Aurora!” I called desperately. “It’s not what you think!”

She didn’t answer or stick around for more than a second before storming away.

“Aurora!” I called again, leaping to my feet.

Fane caught my arm and pulled me gently back. I stared at the open door, feeling like the absolute worst friend in the entire world.

“Noel, you’ve got bigger problems.”

I turned my head slowly. For about thirty seconds, I’d forgotten why we were here.

I stared into Fane’s eyes. “I’m dead, aren’t I?”

One by one, Fane’s fingers released my arm. “You are very much alive, Noel. Forever.”

“Forever,” I repeated. Tingles of pleasure raced up my spine. Me. Noel Harper. Vampire. I’d been given the gift of everlasting life. One of nature’s specially selected.

Blood rushed through my veins, pumped to my heart in pure joy.

This was better than winning the lottery.

I didn’t realize how big my smile was until Fane interrupted my thoughts to say, “You took that rather well.”

“Should I be upset?” I felt different in a good way. Even my voice sounded more confident.

Fane studied my face. “Most people are, to some degree. Even if they’re happy about it, there’s the initial shock. You seem pretty calm. Should that worry me?”

“Why? Do you think I’ll start killing people?”

Fane raised a brow.

“This doesn’t change anything.” I considered that a moment and laughed. “Okay, it changes everything, but I’m still me, and I still believe in the same principles of right and wrong. Killing people is always wrong, no matter who or what a person is. I need to have a serious chat with my boss, though. I can’t believe he didn’t tell any of us.”

Fane shook his head. “I wouldn’t advise that.”

“Why not?”

“Noel, think about it. Why didn’t your boss tell any of you that you were vampires?”

I chewed on my lip, unable to answer that one off the bat. Why didn’t Melcher just come out and say we were undead? He hated vampires. His entire mission in life was to rid the world of them. Why would he create more?

I blinked several times. “I don’t know.”

“Exactly.” Fane straightened. “And how can you know that he doesn’t plan to eliminate you once you find out?”

“Why create us in the first place if he only plans to kill us later?”

Fane raised a brow. “Later is the key word. For now you’re at his disposal to do his bidding. He probably waits as long as he can before you and the people you know begin to notice you’re not aging.”

A tremor ran down my spine. That couldn’t be correct, could it? Maybe Melcher gave us the option to carry out our duties forever, passing us on from agent to agent after he and the leaders after him aged. But again, why not mention that from the beginning? Why not inform recruits at orientation or even boot camp?

“Maybe he was concerned we’d hesitate to carry out our duties if we were killing our own kind.” Now there was a moral dilemma. It certainly would make me think twice, which showed that maybe Melcher really did know what he was doing.

Then again, there was still the question of what he did when hunters or informants found out or, if they didn’t put it together themselves, how he chose to inform them when the time came.

“Maybe you’re right to hold back on telling my boss, but I have to tell Aurora.”

Fane stiffened. “Aurora can’t know.”

“How can I not tell her? This is huge!” Fane couldn’t be serious.

“She’ll flip out if you tell her.”

I gestured furiously towards the door. “She already has flipped out! How am I supposed to explain what happened in here if I don’t tell her?”

“You can’t. Not yet. Not until we figure out what’s going on. Can you guarantee she won’t rush off to that boss of yours and demand answers?”

I pressed my lips into a firm line, thinking. Yeah, Aurora was bullheaded like that. She’d already done it once with her blood cravings. Melcher was already suspicious of her, enough to ask me of all people to watch her for odd behavior.

It all suddenly made sense. Melcher wanted to know if Aurora starting turning, so to speak—acting on vampire tendencies. He wanted to know if she somehow figured it out. What would he do with her then?

No matter what Aurora thought of me, I had to keep her safe.

“She’s going to hate me,” I said.

Fane’s lips stretched into a grim line across his face. “She’ll hate me even more, but at least she’ll be safe.” He walked slowly to the door. “We shouldn’t be talking about this here.”

I nodded and followed Fane out of the October room. He stopped at the top of the spiral staircase and inclined his head for me to go down first. The living room got closer with each step I took. I’d spent so many evenings watching vampires from this room, envying them even, and I’d been one of them all along.

I looked for Gavin in the crowd. Part of me wanted to grab him and shake him and tell him we could be together forever if only he’d love me. Thanks for that, Fane, putting the delusion of love back in my head.

Another part of me wanted to throw it in his face. I didn’t need Gavin to turn me. I was Noel freakin’ Harper. I could turn myself.

But Gavin wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Maybe Valerie had her claws in him. Definitely didn’t want to be around Evil Red when she found out she was not only a tramp, but a vamp.

When we passed Marcus at the lip of the living room, I couldn’t help asking, “Have you seen Aurora?”

Marcus looked from me to Fane and then at the fresh bite mark on my shoulder.

“Not since she arrived, but I take it she’s seen you.”

I couldn’t help shooting Fane a guilty look.

Marcus leaned into Fane with an easy smile on his lips. “The trick is not getting caught, Francesco.”

Fane squared his shoulders and said, “We’re just on our way out. Catch you next time, Marcus.”

Marcus winked at me. “Congratulations, Joyeux Noel. That one’s quite the catch.”

It wouldn’t accomplish anything to deny Marcus’s assumption of Fane and me. While I gave Marcus a quick kiss on the cheek, Fane dug our coats out from under the pileup in the entryway.

“Does this mean I need to drink blood?” I asked Fane as soon as we were inside his car.

The engine sputtered and choked before revving to life. Fane took it out of park. A grin spread across his face. “I was wondering how long until you asked that. Turns out it’s your first question. Maybe I should worry.”

“Hey, buddy, I’m the vamp police here,” I teased, pointing a finger at him. “I’m the one who keeps everyone in line.”

I felt giddy and good. Lighthearted. Like this was my destiny all along.

“You do need blood from time to time to stay... healthy,” Fane said. “Don’t forget that you’re also sick, and you’re never getting better.”

“I know about the symptoms.”

“You’ve been told about them,” Fane corrected me. “But you haven’t experienced any.”

I shrugged. “Maybe I’m immune.”

Fane chuckled softly. I could almost hear his thoughts. Noel, you naïve newbie, you have no idea.

There was a steep hill at the end of Marcus’s neighborhood. Fane shoved his foot on the gas pedal. Flooring a car that weighed as much as a tank was quite the spectacle. The engine squealed in protest before chugging slowly up the hill. We made it to the top and turned onto the main road.

Once we were on flat ground, Fane said, “Maybe you haven’t noticed because you haven’t been paying attention. The mind is an amazing thing. It can make you think you taste food or feel cold. The mind can make you believe you’re still aging, still human, stretching the bounds of logic until they reach the breaking point.”

“But I do taste food.”

Fane shot me a sideways grin. “It’s in your head,” he said, tapping his own.

“I have noticed the cold doesn’t bother me too much. I mean, it never really did before, but I’ve been feeling especially immune to it. It’s like you said, my brain is trying to tell me I should be cold. I’m aware of the temperature dropping, but I’m not really cold.” I took a deep breath. “Am I going to be okay?”

“You’ll be fine,” Fane said. “Just don’t tell your boss. You say you gather information for him. Now you need to gather information on him.”

“How am I supposed to do that?”

“Act normal. Keep your eyes and ears open.”

“He asked me to keep an eye on Aurora, you know?”

Fane gave me a quick, hard stare.

“Wants me to report any suspicious behavior,” I continued. “That place I’m moving into next week... it’s for both of us. Aurora and me. My boss expects me to keep tabs on her. I guess now I see why.” Melcher wanted to know if Aurora ever figured out her blood cravings were due to the fact she was a vampire. Well, the joke was on him because I knew while Aurora was in the dark.

Fane held the steering wheel in a death grip, forcing the car through a yellow light. We didn’t clear the intersection before it turned red, but the streets were nearly deserted after eleven.

“Do you think Aurora’s in danger?” I asked.

“Not if you keep your mouth shut,” Fane said.

After Fane pulled up to his place and parked, we both got out and slammed our doors.

“Of course I’m not going to report her, but I have to tell her what happened tonight. I know it’s risky, but I’m the one who’s going to have to live with her. How am I supposed to do that when she thinks you sucked me for pleasure?”

Fane looked around the silent neighborhood and headed inside. I followed quickly.

Joss took one look at our faces as we walked in and raised two brows. With my bedding on the couch, he’d taken the armchair, cup of tea in one hand, book in the other, which he lowered now.

“What’s going on?”

“She’s a vampire.” Fane gave me a pointed look.

“I didn’t know,” I said quickly.

Joss set his book in his lap, closed it, and stared at me like he’d never seen a vampire before.

He should try looking in a mirror.

Could I still do that? Had my brain been tricking me into believing I saw a reflection?

“They’re all vampires,” Fane said to Joss. “Noel, Aurora, Valerie; everyone who works for that extermination unit, but they don’t even know it. I’d like to meet the man in charge. He sounds like a real piece of work.”

I shook my head. “I know you think Aurora can’t handle the truth, but she’s going to find out eventually. I have to tell her now.”

“No.”

That one word was the harshest sound I’d ever heard Fane make. I glared at him, prepared to inform him that Aurora was my friend, too, and she deserved to know the truth. I’d want to know. If the situation was reversed and I found out Aurora had been keeping that from me, I’d be seriously pissed.

And living together wasn’t going to be any picnic if she thought the worst of what happened tonight. The hurt look in her eyes haunted me. Clearing this thing up as soon as possible was the best answer.

Fane leaned forward. “We already went over this. You never know how someone’s going to react to this sort of thing. Not everyone takes it as well as you. Most people panic or immediately go off and do some really stupid things. Some fall into a deep depression.” He glanced at Joss. “How do you think Aurora would take it?”

I chewed on my lower lip. I couldn’t imagine her taking it well. She’d sorta freaked out after initiation: had sex with a complete loser; beat up a boy at school; got suspended; macked on the first bad boy she could get her lips on, who also happened to be a vampire; and, to top it all off, gotten abducted from one of Marcus’s parties.

Once again, Fane had a point. It was probably wise to keep Aurora in the dark for as long as possible. She’d hate me, but I’d have to deal with it. I’d have to be a bad friend to be a good one. I sighed in resignation.

“What about Valerie?”

“Valerie especially needs to be kept in the dark.” Fane glanced at Joss with a slight smile. “That one would probably go on a killing spree if she found out.”

“Agreed,” I said immediately.

Joss set his book aside and rose from the armchair. “I’ll make you a cup of tea.”

Fane rolled his eyes. “Maybe she wants her first taste of blood.”

“Fane,” Joss said firmly.

The tone of his voice must have startled Fane as much as me. Fane waved his hand. “Fine, go make her tea.”

“I’m sorry it has to be this way,” Fane said after Joss walked over to the kitchen. “You’re going to want to tell her every time you see her, but you have to be strong.”

I nodded. “I can do that.” I took a breath. “There’s something you should know. The reason Aurora broke up with you is because Valerie threatened to report you to our boss if she didn’t.”

Now that the cat was out of the bag, Fane might as well know. If he and Aurora were ever to have any future chance at love, they would have to start telling each other the truth.

Fane didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. Now he knew, and that’s all that mattered. I understood the importance of protecting Aurora while I tried to uncover Melcher’s intentions, but someday soon one of us would need to tell her the truth.

Fane’s shoulders relaxed. “I want you to know I will always be a friend to you, now more than ever. If you ever have any questions, you call me. If you ever need help, call me. Okay?”

“Yeah,” I said nodding again. “Yeah. Thanks, Fane.”

His lips twitched. “You’ve been through the meat grinder this week.”

Yeah, I really had.

“I hope things get back to normal once you move into your new place.”

Nothing would ever be normal again. Thank God. Normal was for humans, and I wasn’t human.

“Do you want me to come with you to pick up your things?”

I gave Fane a blank look.

“The stuff your dad took. I can accompany you to your house to gather everything he took and help you move it to your new place.”

Pick up my stuff?

That wardrobe belonged to a pathetic little Goth girl. A vampire groupie.

I was no groupie. I was the star attraction.

I lifted my chin. “Let Clive keep those rags. I’ll get new clothes.”

Better clothes.

It was a new day, and I was ready to move onto bigger and better.

No more standing on the sidelines. No more blending into the background. No more being a snowflake in a blizzard.

The world was my oyster, and it was my time to shine.