by Cecily White
“Omelet.” His voice was thick as he traced an outline along my face, my cheeks, my jaw. “I’m not dreaming? You’re real, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And I’m not dead?”
I smiled. “Not that I know of.”
Jack swooped me into his arms and swung me around. “Don’t ever do that to me again, okay? Never.”
My face was so smushed into his neck I could barely speak. “Mmkay.”
With astounding vigor, he sprinkled kisses across my forehead, over both eyelids, then down to my mouth. Brilliant golden warmth surged between us and I melted with relief. I didn’t realize until that moment how much I’d been relying on our bond for confirmation—of myself, of my soul. It was like at the field test, when he first kissed me. I knew everything would be okay if I just held onto him. Maybe my soul wasn’t mine, and maybe my blood was demon, but if God was willing to let me keep him, then there had to be some good left in me. Right?
“I love you,” Jack whispered, his forehead pressed to mine. “I don’t want to live without you.”
“So don’t.” I tiptoed up to kiss him again.
It wasn’t nearly long enough before my dad started clearing his throat. Not like Jack and I were doing anything gross—just a little kissing and some PG-13 groping. I’m surprised he let us get that far.
With great effort, Jack put me down, a faint flush crawling up his cheeks.
“Later,” he whispered.
We spent the next few hours in a strange combination of family reunion and top-of-the-hour newsbrief. Henry’s heroics had gotten him promoted to Headmaster. And while that was a bittersweet triumph, he took it well. His first act was to order renovations on St. Michael’s, including UV tinted windows and silver-plated cells for the newly matriculated vampires and werecreatures. He’d also ordered a whole bunch of books on necromancy and death magic for the library. I think Henry hoped once I sorted out the whole Wraithmaker thing I might be able to find Smalley. I had my doubts but, hey, everyone needs to dream, right?
Jack got promoted, too. Sort of. The Elders decided to make him permanent lead trainer for St. Michael’s, an honor he’d accepted on the sole condition that he’d have no direct authority over me. Translation: While at school, I was someone else’s problem.
I couldn’t feel too upset about it. Dane had volunteered to fill in when necessary and Marcus, while not as smokin’ as Jack, would make a decent substitute trainer. Marcus had suspected something was amiss when Daniel turned up injured the day after D’Arcy was killed. He couldn’t prove anything at the time, but it all made sense now. Daniel’s bondmate died guarding a family of vampires and (surprise, surprise) Daniel blamed the Peace Tenets. It was an easy sell for Thibault to recruit him as Lisa’s local muscle.
As far as Henry knew, my creepy former trainer would spend the next few decades tucked away in a psychiatric care facility making friendship bracelets and working through his loss issues. I almost felt sorry for him. Scratch that, I did feel sorry for him. Grief may pretend it’s a quiet emotion but it’s not. It’ll eat you from the inside then spit you out in little pulpy chunks. No one deserves that kind of loss, not even Daniel.
Dad assured me Lyle was doing well and currently being courted by every office from the DWC (Demon Waste Containment) to the Enforcement Guild. My heroic ex-boyfriend had come out pretty firmly in support of me, even threatening to launch a protest unless I was granted immediate re-admission to St. Michael’s. Apparently, those boyish charms could be used for more than just schmoozing girls on his rec room couch.
Matt and Katie, unfortunately, had a rougher time.
Katie was cleared of suspicion (mostly) and sent home under heavy guard. Bud said she’d refused to take his calls. Her mom wasn’t clear why, only that she wanted nothing to do with me.
Matt was held for interrogation for almost fifteen hours, way longer than anyone else. No one believed he didn’t know anything about Lisa. Given how tight they were, the Elders didn’t see how she could have kept it from him. I guess he had trouble understanding that, too. He’d bowed out of the Induction ceremony as well as the celebration that followed, claiming illness. But we knew better. Last Bud heard, Matt’s parents had announced he’d be taking some time off from school.
I didn’t blame him.
Nobody mentioned Lisa.
I don’t think anyone knew what to say. You don’t stop loving someone just because you start hating them. Lisa had been my best friend for so long, the idea of going through life without her seemed foreign and impossible. It must have been equally strange for Bud. I thought of all the times she’d slept over, how he’d joked about giving her a room of her own and called her his second daughter. I couldn’t imagine what it was like for him to learn that’s exactly what she was.
Confusingly enough, Bud didn’t even suggest I come home with him. Seriously, the man didn’t think I could go to the grocery store without ending up on the back of a milk carton, yet he’d suddenly decided it was okay to start shacking up with my new vampire family?
Maybe Armageddon really was upon us.
Bud seemed subdued as I walked him to the door. “Ami, I’m not sure what to say about all this. About him.” He gestured to Jack, who watched us from the pocket doors of the parlor.
“You don’t have to say anything,” I told him.
“I just always thought if you had enough time, enough distance to figure out what you really wanted…” The frown lines in Bud’s forehead deepened. It was weird to see him fumble. I mean, the man made speeches in front of juries, for crying out loud. You’d think he could manage a father-daughter moment without turning into Elmer Fudd.
“Kiddo,” he tried again, “God’s greatest gift to us was free will, the freedom to choose our own path. It’s what differentiates us from the angels. It’s what makes us special. I don’t want anyone to take that freedom from you like they did your mother. Not the Elders, not the Guardians. And certainly not him—”
I silenced him with a big bear hug. “Daddy, I’m not Mom. I chose Jack.”
“No, you chose survival,” he insisted. “It’s not the same. Do you think you two would have bonded if demons hadn’t attacked that night? Do you think anyone believes you’re a vampire fledgling because you chose it?”
I didn’t answer, largely because we’d agreed not to talk about my dating life, but also because it seemed wrong to start a verbal assault on Luc who, despite being a sociopath, did bring me back from the dead.
“I’ll figure it out, Dad. I’m not a little girl anymore.”
His face was tight but he nodded like he understood. “I guess not.”
We hugged for a long time before he left. I think we both knew things would be different. He wouldn’t be making me breakfast tomorrow morning. I wouldn’t be stocking the fridge next weekend. Heaven only knew what would happen to the laundry. Maybe it was for the best. Parents need to grow up sometime too, right?
As soon as Annabelle handed Bud and Henry their coats and shut the door, Jack slid into place behind me, until his lips brushed against my hair. “You okay?”
I didn’t answer at first.
I wasn’t okay. Not yet. My mind kept racing with worries about what would come next, whether my friends would forgive me, how far Luc would take the whole fledgling thing. Whether Jack and I would ever complete our bond. I guess worrying was normal…as far as any of this was normal.
“I’m still pissed at you,” I said finally.
“I know.”
“You should have trusted me. We take care of each other, Jackson. That’s what being bonded means. You can’t make decisions like this without me anymore.”
“I know.”
He threaded his arms around my waist and guided me onto the wide leather couch. My body was heavy with exhaustion, my face achy from smiling. Don’t get me wrong, it was good to see my dad. And I wouldn’t have missed the debrief for the world. But there was something draining about my new vampire senses.
It’s hard to listen to someone when you keep getting distracted by the microscopic speck of dust at the edge of their eyelash. I tried to focus on staying pissed.
“If we’re going to be partners I get a vote in what happens. You can’t treat me like a little kid anymore.”
“That’s true. I can’t.” He kissed my neck.
“And no way am I staying here with Luc.”
Another kiss. “Mmmhmm.”
I nuzzled closer, resting my head against his heart. Bah-bum, bah-bum, bah-bum. So strong and lyrical. What I wouldn’t give to hear mine match his rhythm the way it used to. Embers glowed black and gold in the fireplace, like living jewels, and the chill threatened to return.
“I think my heart’s dying,” I whispered. “Am I going to be heartless someday?”
“You’ll be fine.” His arms tightened around me. “Angel blood and demon blood aren’t meant to go together. They’re at war right now, inside you. But once your body works through the change, you’ll be okay.”
The change.
That was the same word those women had said in my room. The way everybody said it, it seemed like it deserved a capital letter.
“The Change,” I repeated, trying out the new spelling. Totally worked, by the way. “What is that, anyway?”
“Luc didn’t tell you?”
“No, he quoted Romeo and Juliet, then I tried to strangle him.”
“Understandable,” Jack said. “Did you at least say thank you?”
“For bleeding on me?”
“For saving you.”
I shrugged. “Same difference.”
“Still, it might be polite to—”
“Hey, you know what’d be super cool?” I said, delicately. “Not getting lectured by my boyfriend about how to behave with my vampire sire.”
He stared at the ceiling, fingers rubbing the back of my neck.
For the next few minutes I let myself sink into his kisses. I loved the feel of his body next to me, the rise and fall of his chest against mine. He was all the best parts of humanity—warmth and love and self-sacrifice. I knew I’d never be as good as him, but he made me want to try.
“Do you think someday we’ll understand this?” I asked once he’d finished nibbling on my collarbone.
“What?”
“The prophecy? Luc? Lisa?”
Jack frowned. “I’ve been thinking about that. The ‘sacrifice of blood’ must have been yours, not mine. I mean, technically I did die before dawn so that part was satisfied, but you and Luc did most of the bleeding. And the ‘fury of the avenger’ must have been about Luc, too, not Lisa. She didn’t seem especially vengeful. Misguided, but not vengeful.”
“So, it’s true, then.” Luc’s pompous tenor snaked in from the edge of the room. “I keep telling you, ‘It’s all about me.’ But do you listen?”
Jack gave a low groan. “Speak of the devil.”
“Hello, cousin. Having a nice evening?”
Seriously, who did a girl have to exsanguinate to get a little privacy? “Lovely to see you again, Luc,” I called, super-politely. “Thanks for stopping by. Take care, now.”
Jack gave me a warning look. “Amelie, it is his house.”
“Yes, it’s my house,” Luc concurred, “and that blood in your veins is mine, too.”
I gave an involuntary shudder. Seriously, if I was going to go along with this farce, we’d need to have a major talk about boundaries. If that failed, we could always talk about baseball bats and chloroform.
Jack didn’t say anything for a long time, but he also didn’t move his hands from my waist. Eventually, Luc muttered, “Until sunrise,” and stalked out of the room.
“Until sunrise,” I mimicked. “Who does he think he is, anyway? Emperor of the universe?”
“No, just the Southern District.” Jack’s scarred fingers tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. His eyes had gone all soft again and I felt the bond squirm between us, restless and hungry. “Luc could make things very difficult for us. You have to be nicer to him.”
“Why?” I argued. “He owes you. You single-handedly saved his species, right? He should give you anything you want. His house. His vamp fledgling. A new car.”
“A new car?” Jack cocked an eyebrow.
“It doesn’t have to be fancy,” I said. “Maybe an Audi, or a small BMW. Something from this century.”
“Hmm,” he considered, “I wouldn’t mind an El Camino.”
“Is that like a convertible?”
“Sort of.”
With a delicious stretch, he reached over his head to shut off the lamp so we could see better out the huge picture windows. I’m not sure how much he saw, but with my new vamp-vision it was clear as daylight.
Fireflies danced across a low field of bluebonnets, their progress broken only by the massive oaks that curled in gnarled clumps over the earth. In the distance, a waning gibbous moon shimmered above a silver mirror of lake. As I focused my hearing around the crickets and household sounds, I could just make out a trickle of water—a natural spring beneath the lake—that sent gentle ripples through the moon’s reflection. It made me wonder where Lisa was. Whether she was looking at the same moon—if she was okay.
“So, what happens next?” I asked, eager not to think about her.
“That’s up to you.”
“Cool. I was going to suggest Jamaica for our honeymoon, but with the whole sun-sensitivity thing, Antarctica might be more appropriate.”
“Ami, I’m serious.”
“So am I,” I insisted. “There’s a penguin-watching expedition somewhere with our names on it. Cozy fires. Darkness twenty-four/seven. We could take one of Luc’s jets…only not the one he joined the mile-high club in. Too sentimental.”
Jack groaned. “Show some respect. That is your Immortal master you’re talking about.”
Ah, yes. Master Luc. Like I wouldn’t think of Star Wars every time I uttered that one.
There was something careful about the way Jack trailed his fingers through my hair, like he wanted to say something but couldn’t figure out how. I snuggled in deeper and stared at the endless night sky. I’d seen it a thousand times before, but never like this. Stars and planets filled the heavens, some glittering like brilliant sparks of scattered gunpowder, some duller—oranges and reds. I could have stared at it for hours and not gotten bored.
“Amelie, I have to ask you a question. It’s important, so I want you to think carefully before you answer.” His fingers moved nervously over the bare skin at my neck. “Are you sure about all this? About me?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
He frowned. “No, I need you to think first. I mean, you have a lot to lose now and I have practically nothing to offer. Crappy car, low-paying job, studio apartment. That’s all. Your dad hates me. And if people at school find out we’re together, there’ll be no end of crap from the student body.”
“I can handle crap from the student body.”
“Not to mention the Immortal community,” he continued. “Do you understand that Luc is the only male descendant of the current sovereign? Which means, as far as his people are concerned, you’re not just his fledgling. You’re royalty.”
He let that carrot dangle as visions of corsets, uncomfortable shoes, and guillotines filled my mind. “That sounds like a huge pain in the ass.”
Jack nodded absently. “People are being nice about this now, but once they have time to think about it…I mean, how long do you expect Luc to tolerate his Immortal charge playing house with his angelblood best friend?”
“Describe ‘playing house.’”
“Amelie, this is serious,” Jack grumbled. “If the Immortals catch even one whiff we’re involved they could question your loyalty. They could call for your death.”
While he talked, I’d rolled over so my belly pressed against his, my face nuzzled his neck, the threads of our bond knitting together like a luminescent sweater-vest. Man, he felt good.
“The smart thing would
be to pledge fealty to Luc and defect from the Guardians. You’ll be eighteen in a few months. Aunt Arianna’s already started the media circus. Luc’s not bad once you get to know him. And you’d have eternity to acquaint yourselves. He’ll give you everything you want, Ami.” Jack’s eyes filled with sadness as he dropped his gaze to the ground. “You’d be safe with him.”
“I would, huh?”
“Completely.”
I pretended to consider. “And I could have anything? Cars? Beach house? Apartment in Paris?”
“Anything,” he promised. “For the rest of your life.”
The rest of my life.
Did he have any idea what a long, dull road that would be without him? With a sigh, I pulled my lips off his neck, fingers lightly stroking the purple hickey I’d just made. “You’re right.”
“At least think about it before—” He froze. “What did you say?”
“I said, you’re right. It’s the obvious choice, isn’t it?”
The fire had gone out in the hearth; only moonlight and the flickering glow of our bond remained. I dropped a gentle kiss on his lips. “You should get an El Camino, no question.”
Relief flowed through his exhale and he smiled. “You’re twisted, you know that?”
“I never denied it.”
“We’ll have to pretend we’re not together,” he warned. “We’ll have to hide the bond until we can get away—find an Elder to finish the ceremony. And they’ll come after us. It won’t be easy.”
“Nothing worth having is.”
I sealed my body against his and let the warmth seep into me. Raised lines of skin pressed through his thin cotton shirt—shiny, dimpled scars where Thibault had cut him. My heart ached at the memory.
“So, you’re sure about this?” Jack asked. “Because if you say yes, then we have to do it right. There can’t be any mistakes.” The light was back in his eyes, an edge of anticipation at the corners. “No more sneaking off together. No more breaking protocol—”
“Ah, protocol, my old nemesis.”
“I’m serious. Starting tomorrow, you and I are on hold. Henry talked to Akira, and she’s willing to keep quiet about the bond. As far as anyone at school knows, you’re with the Immortals and we’re just acquaintances.”