Twilight Dreams

by Amanda Ashley

  “Me, too,” Rosa said.

  Sofia cocked her head to the side. “So, Holly, how long have you been a vampire?”

  Lena gasped, her empty glass falling from her hand. It rolled across the carpet, but she didn’t seem to notice.

  Luciano simply stared at Holly, as did Rosa.

  Caught completely off guard, Holly glanced at Micah.

  He laughed as he put his arm around her. “It happened recently,” he said. “She’s still getting used to the idea.”

  “But how?” Lena asked. “Why?”

  “It’s a long story,” Micah said. “Why don’t we sit down and I’ll tell you all about it.”

  * * *

  Holly wasn’t surprised when Sofia took her aside later that night. As she followed her outside, she was pretty sure Micah’s sister didn’t want to talk about the wedding, and she was right.

  Sofie gestured at an iron bench. “Shall we sit here?”

  “If you like.”

  Sofia bit down on her lower lip, then said, in a rush, “Tell me the truth. What’s it really like? Micah makes it sound horrible, but you wanted it.”

  Holly sighed as she pondered how best to answer. “I love Micah,” she said, remembering a similar conversation with Kadie. “He’s the only reason I ever considered becoming a vampire. Because of what happened with Braga, it happened a little sooner than I’d planned, but I’d already made the decision to ask Micah to bring me across if we were going to stay together.”

  “So, what’s it like? Is it wonderful? Horrible? What?”

  “I don’t know how to describe it. There are so many things I miss—my favorite foods—mainly chocolate and coffee—being awake during the day. Dreaming. Just being normal. Human. Some things are good, like not having to worry about getting sick or growing old. But I’ll never have Micah’s baby, never have grandchildren. You’re so young, you’re probably not thinking about any of that now. . . .”

  “You’re not that much older than I am.”

  Holly nodded. “I know. At your age, I never thought about having a family. To tell you the truth, I never really gave it much thought until I knew it would never happen. Like being human, being a vampire has its advantages and its drawbacks.”

  “What about the blood thing?”

  “It’s a big part of it. You can’t go without it. I hear it’s very painful if you do.” Holly placed her hand on Sofia’s arm. “I thought, after what happened to you, that you’d given up the idea of being a vampire.”

  “I did, but you seem so happy.”

  “Sofie, I was happy before. It isn’t being a vampire that makes me happy. It’s being with Micah.”

  Sofia nodded, her expression pensive.

  “Micah was right. If you decide you want to be one of us, you need to wait until you’re a little older. I know you feel all grown up at eighteen, but you don’t want to be eighteen forever. Trust me. Twenty-five is the perfect age. Old enough to have some wisdom, but still young.”

  “Do your parents know?”

  Holly shook her head. “Not yet. I’m afraid to tell them.”

  “Why? Don’t you think they’ll still love you?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t told Micah, but my father is very rigid in his thinking. He’s convinced vampires are the devil incarnate. A good friend of his died mysteriously. To this day, my dad is convinced a vampire killed him. Who knows? Maybe he’s right. As for my mom . . .” Holly made a vague gesture with her hand. “I just don’t have any idea how she’d react to the news that her only child is a vampire.”

  “Well, I’m sorry I blew your cover tonight.”

  “It’s all right,” Holly said, grinning. “Micah said it would be hard to keep my secret, since you guys already knew about him.” Squeezing Sofia’s hand, she said, “Please think about what I said.”

  “I will. Thanks for being honest with me. I’m glad you’re going to be my sister.”

  “Me, too. You know, if you were a little older, I could fix you up with my cousin Ethan. He’s really cool. I think you’d like him.”

  “How old is he?”

  “Twenty-six.”

  “Hmm. Is he cute?”

  “Very. Tall, Blond hair, dark brown eyes. Played football in college.”

  “Sounds dreamy. Do you think an eight-year age gap is too big?”

  “I don’t know. If he’s at the wedding, I’ll introduce you, assuming he’s still single. We’ve kind of lost touch over the years.”

  “I’ll hold you to it,” Sofia said. After giving Holly a quick hug, she went back inside.

  Holly gazed up at the night sky, wondering if her talk had done any good. She wasn’t unhappy as a vampire. There were, as she’d said, things she liked about it, though, given a choice, she would choose to be human again. But if that choice meant being without Micah, then she would choose to be a vampire every time. Because she loved him more than life itself.

  * * *

  Holly changed her phone from one ear to the other as she tried—and failed—to staunch her mother’s tirade.

  “We’re your parents. If anyone is going to plan your wedding, don’t you think we should be involved? I’m sure Micah’s family is very nice, but it’s traditionally the bride and her family that arrange the wedding, not the groom’s.”

  “I understand that, Mom,” Holly said patiently. “But since we’re getting married here, I just thought it would be easier to let Micah’s mother help, since she attends the church where we’re being married, and . . .”

  “Well, of course, it’s up to you,” her mother said, her voice frosty.

  “I was planning to come home to look for a dress. I’d love for you to go with me.”

  There was a distinct thaw on the other end of the phone. “Well, of course, I’d love to.”

  “That’s great. I’ll be there Friday night, around six.”

  “Wonderful. We can shop all day Saturday.”

  Holly bit down on her lower lip. She should have seen that coming.

  “Holly?”

  “Mom . . .”

  “Is something wrong?”

  “It’s just going to be a quick trip. I have to be back Saturday morning to . . . to go with Micah’s sisters to pick out their bridesmaids dresses.”

  “I see.” The frost was back. “Do you think you can find a dress in one night?”

  “I hope so. I just need something long and white, you know,” she said, hoping to lighten the mood.

  “Very well. I’ll see you Friday night. Do you need us to pick you up at the airport?”

  “No, we’ll just rent a car. Thanks, Mom. See you then.”

  She disconnected the call with a sigh of relief. At least that old saw about vampires not casting a reflection wasn’t true. She didn’t know how she would have explained that to her mother!

  “Everything okay?” Micah asked, stepping into the room.

  “I guess so.” She fell back on the bed, arms thrown wide. “Maybe we should have just eloped.”

  Micah stretched out beside her. “Your mom giving you a hard time?”

  “Sort of. She’s feeling left out. Not that I blame her. Ever since I was a little girl, she’s had this idea of what my wedding would be like. You know, about a dozen bridesmaids, me in a Cinderella dress, a reception fit for a queen.”

  “Is that what you wanted?”

  “No. I’ve never liked being the center of attention.”

  “It’s not too late to elope.”

  “It would break my mother’s heart. And what about your mom? I know she wants to be there. And your sisters and your brothers.”

  “Yeah.”

  “So, I told my mom I’d be there Friday night to go look at dresses. Is that all right?”

  “Sure.”

  “Will you zap me there? I don’t feel comfortable trying to transport myself that far.”

  “You know I will.”

  “I just . . .”

  Micah covered her mouth with his hand.
“No more wedding talk tonight,” he said. “I had something else in mind.”

  She looked up at him, brows raised.

  “Like what?” he asked, reading her mind. “Like this.”

  Removing his hand, he kissed her, a slow, gentle kiss that made her toes curl with pleasure. He loved her. The thought flooded her with warmth and a sense of belonging that brought tears to her eyes as he drew her close, closer. All borders and boundaries fell away as he kissed and caressed her. She made no protest as he slowly undressed her, then shed his own clothing in a blur of movement.

  She slid her fingers into his hair. He was beautiful. She ran her hands over him. His body was ripped, muscular. She reveled in the heat and hardness beneath her palms.

  She sighed as he caressed her in return, his dark eyes filled with love and desire as he aroused her. She knew his thoughts, his hopes, his dreams, as intimately as he knew hers. Every touch was intensified, every wish fulfilled, until sated and complete, she drifted to sleep in his arms, always and forever his.

  * * *

  Holly was a nervous wreck when they arrived at her parents’ house in Sacramento. What if her parents took one look at her and shrieked, “Vampire!” She knew she was probably worrying for nothing, but she just couldn’t help it.

  She was giving serious thought to making some excuse and going back to Micah’s place when he exclaimed, “Hot damn, girl!”

  “What?”

  “You didn’t tell me you grew up in a mansion.”

  Holly looked at the house at the end of the long, curved driveway. A mansion? It was just home. But she had to admit that, if she hadn’t grown up here, she might think the same thing. It was a beautiful house. The white stone glistened in the moonlight. A bay window looked out over the rolling lawn. Tall trees grew on both sides of the house, offering both shade and privacy.

  Micah parked the rental, then got out to open her door. “Text me when you’re ready to leave.”

  “Oh, no you don’t,” she said, grabbing hold of his arm. “You’re coming in to meet my folks.”

  “I was thinking I’d do that at the wedding.”

  “Chicken?”

  “Who, me?”

  “Come on,” she said, tugging on his arm. “I survived meeting your parents.”

  “Okay.”

  Holly opened the door, calling, “Hey, Mom? Dad?”

  A woman in a pair of gray slacks and a white sweater swooped down on Holly. It was, Micah thought, easy to see where Holly got her good looks. The woman was beautiful. Elegant.

  Holly grinned at Micah over her mother’s shoulder.

  Mrs. Parrish took a step back, holding her daughter at arm’s length. “Let me have a look at you!” It was then she saw Micah for the first time. “You must be Micah,” she said, extending her hand. “I’m Vivian.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Parrish.”

  “Vivian, please. I’m sorry Arthur isn’t here to meet you. He had a late board meeting.”

  “Next time,” Micah said, smiling. “Holly, call me when you’re ready.”

  “I will.”

  With a nod, Micah took his leave.

  “He’s quite handsome, isn’t he?” her mother murmured.

  “I think so. Shall we go?”

  “Just let me grab my bag.”

  * * *

  Holly’s nervousness left her as they drove to the bridal shop in the mall. Talking to her mother had always been easy. How had she forgotten that? They chatted like best friends as her mom brought her up-to-date on the girls Holly had gone to school with, who was getting married, who was getting divorced, who was having kids.

  Inside the shop, her mother told the consultant that money was no object, and the next thing Holly knew, she was up to her eyeballs in wedding dresses. So many gowns to choose from—plain and fancy, short and long, modest and not so modest. Beautiful gowns of satin, lace, silk, taffeta, chiffon, and tulle. And the colors—white, ivory, blush. Even black.

  “I don’t know how I’ll ever decide,” Holly declared. “I love them all!”

  And then she tried on a gown of satin and lace that drove all the others from her mind. The bodice was fitted, then flared at the hips, with a short train behind. The consultant brought in a floor-length veil, and the decision was made.

  “It fits perfectly,” the consultant remarked. “You can take it with you, if you like.”

  “We’ll do that,” Vivian said. She smiled at Holly when the consultant left the room. “I didn’t think you could find a dress in one night,” she said, “but you did. And it fits as if it were made for you.”

  * * *

  Her father was home when they got there.

  “So, how’d the shopping go?” he asked. “Did you find anything you like?”

  “It’s being delivered to Micah’s house,” Holly said.

  “What? You mean I don’t get to see it? I paid for it!”

  “Sorry, Dad,” Holly said, kissing his cheek. “You’ll get to see it before anyone else except Mom.”

  “Well, I guess that’s okay,” he said. “Where’s this man you’re marrying?”

  “I texted him on our way home. He should be here any minute.”

  “What does he do for a living?”

  Holly hesitated. This was something else she should have seen coming. Her father would never approve her marrying a man who didn’t work. “He’s an actor.” It was the only thing she could think of.

  “An actor! I’ve never heard of him.”

  “Well, he’s just starting out.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be a star if he gets a break,” Vivian said. “He’s very handsome.”

  “Handsome! Humph!”

  When the doorbell rang, Holly ran to answer it.

  “How’d it go?” he whispered.

  “Better than I expected. Come on in. Be charming.”

  “Charming? Right.”

  Hand in hand, they entered the living room.

  “Dad, this is Micah. Micah, my dad, Arthur Parrish.”

  She stood back as the two men shook hands.

  “Let’s sit down and get acquainted, shall we?” Vivian suggested.

  Holly smiled at Micah as she led him to an elegant white sofa. The whole room was elegant, he thought, from the matching white sofas that faced each other over a black lacquer coffee table, to the plush white carpet. He figured the furniture alone cost more than everything he’d owned—or would ever own—in his life.

  Arthur sat back, one leg crossed over the other. “So, Mr. Ravenwood, Holly tells me you’re an actor.”

  “Not yet,” Micah said.

  Arthur’s disapproval was palpable.

  Vivian broke the taut silence. “Can I get you two something to drink?”

  “A glass of red wine, please,” Micah said.

  “I’ll have the same,” Holly said.

  Vivian’s delicately arched brows lifted slightly. “You’ve never cared much for wine.”

  “I know,” Holly said, smiling. “But since Micah introduced me to it, I rarely drink anything else.”

  * * *

  “Well, I’m glad that’s over,” Micah remarked as they returned the rental car to the agency. “Your old man hates me.”

  “I should have told him you were a stockbroker or something.”

  “Good thing you didn’t. He would have asked me questions I couldn’t answer. Did you find a dress you liked?”

  “Oh, Micah! Wait until you see it.”

  “Did you and Vivian set a date?”

  “No. We need to talk to your mom and find out what days the church is available.”

  Sweeping her into his arms, he murmured, “It can’t be soon enough for me.”

  “Me, either. Micah?”

  “Yes, love?”

  “I’m hungry.”

  “Me, too,” he said, his dark eyes suddenly hot with desire.

  “Not that kind of hungry.”

  “Another hope crushed,” he said with a woebegone e
xpression.

  Holly poked him in the chest with her forefinger. “You turned me, Mr. Ravenwood,” she reminded him. “Now you have to feed me.”

  “I guess you’re right. I’ve never hunted in Sacramento before,” he said, taking her hand. “Let’s go see what the city has to offer.”

  One of the things Holly liked about being a vampire was that it didn’t take long to get from one place to another. Most of the shops were closed, but at this time of night, prey could be found in restaurants, bars, hotels, and theaters.

  They strolled hand in hand down restaurant row. Holly’s nostrils filled with a myriad of scents—fresh baked bread, fried chicken, fish, shrimp, and rice. Once, it would have made her mouth water. Now, it was the scent of blood that enticed her.

  “How about those two?” Micah asked, gesturing at a young couple exiting one of the restaurants.

  Holly nodded.

  With practiced ease, Micah called the couple to them and led them into the shadows. “A boy for you,” he said with a grin. “A girl for me.”

  Holly placed her hands on the man’s shoulders and bent her head to his neck, then hesitated. Take him. He’s just prey.

  She jerked her head back. Just prey? What was she thinking? People were more than prey. They were men and women with homes and families, hopes and dreams. Would the day come when she would see her parents as nothing more than prey?

  “Micah? Have you ever wanted to feed on your family?”

  He looked up, his hand wiping his mouth. “Hell, no. What brought that up?”

  “It bothers me that I’m starting to think of the people we hunt as prey.”

  “Ah. I guess that’s something every new vampire has to come to terms with. It’s a line you either cross or you don’t. I never want to cross it again.”

  “I never knew being a vampire was so complicated,” Holly remarked.

  “It’s easy to turn off your humanity,” he said quietly. “To forget you were once human. To just think of people as food, here to satisfy your hunger and nothing more. It’s easy to mesmerize them, to turn them into slaves willing to do whatever you ask. To just go rogue.”

  “Do you know anyone like that?”

  “No. I never sank that low. But the ones who do are a menace, not only to humanity but to our kind, as well. I know Saintcrow’s destroyed a few of them.”