by Ranae Glass
Shane never wanted to become a vampire, but he’d long gotten past being bitter about it. His family shunned him—painful but not unexpected—and he’d expected Isabel to do the same. He should have known better. He should have given her more credit. Isabel loved fiercely, with everything she had. For a long time, he felt worthy of that love. Then he changed. Everything changed. Everything except his love for her.
“We feel everything more intensely than humans. Everything is magnified. Grief becomes numbing depression, anger becomes blood rage, and love becomes obsession. To feel is to be consumed by emotion,” Xavier had told him back when he was still in the cage. And he was right. When Xavier told him that Isabel was going to take him in, well, he’d never felt so unworthy of anything in his entire life.
Shane had showed up on Isabel’s door a different person, but the moment he saw her, burning need and desire overwhelmed him. Undying and unconditional love instantly ignited into passion so fierce that it felt like a life-sustaining need. In that moment, he could have killed her and savored her blood until it filled every empty space inside himself. He’d barely been able to control himself. And she knew it.
So they drew a line in the sand. Isabel had to protect herself from him, and he had to make sure he’d never lose control like that again. Otherwise, he’d have to leave. And he didn’t want to leave. It was selfish, but true. He didn’t know how to be without her.
And now Xavier, the man he once thought of as his friend and mentor, had become infatuated with Isabel. It was hard to watch. Xavier was playing with her like a cat played with a mouse, and she didn’t even see it. Shane ground his teeth at the thought. Now he had to lie to her and steal from her. All for the same man who kept sending her flowers and taking her to expensive restaurants.
Rage rose up his throat, thick and suffocating. Reflexive muscles tightened in his neck as though he were trying to drink clotted hemoglobin through a cocktail straw. He felt torn between his love for Isabel and his loyalty to Xavier. Love ruled because if Xavier didn’t want Isabel to find whatever was in the file, then Shane sure as hell did. He moved over to the messiest pile, the one she hadn’t gotten around to organizing yet. With his anger as fuel, he used his vampire speed to find the folder. It was old, the seam re-bound with duct tape, telltale coffee stains in crescent-moon shapes on the cover, and black marker that no longer smelled scrawled out the word Ambrose across it. Shane pulled off the brittle rubber band holding the folder together and sat down at the desk.
It was Xavier’s file. An in-depth history of Xavier Ambrose going back over a hundred years. Deeds, birth certificates, family trees, even old black-and-white photos.Shane thumbed through each page. Xavier Ambrose had been born Polite San Lucas. Shane smirked to himself.What a name. Born in 1793, he was turned in 1815 by someone named Caroline Bonlevou. There were a few photocopies of old ship manifests with the name Polite San Lucas highlighted. Other than that…
Whatever it was, he wasn’t seeing it. He took the file, shutting the lights off and closing the door behind him. It was time to put his experience as a PI to good use.
In his room, he switched on his laptop. He separated the file into three sections, family, life history, and financial history. Careful not to damage the yellowing paper, he sorted through old deeds. The San Lucas family owned three properties, and Xavier owned four recently purchased under his new name. Shane decided to look into the old deeds first. One was signed over to Marie La Roux in 1790 by a man named Miguel San Lucas. The other was purchased in 1810 by Xavier under his real name and turned over to his sister Marie San Lucas. A quick check showed that the first had been destroyed in a flood and the second had been sold forty years later to unrelated persons. The third property was a massive estate just outside Savannah purchased in 1936. It sat on nearly two hundred acres of desolate, heavily wooded real estate. According to court papers, the city had tried to have it declared a historical landmark in the mid-seventies, but the owner of the property reportedly demolished it before they could. There had been several offers on the land since then, but they were all turned down.
Shane stared at the deed and realized something. He fumbled through the other papers. Xavier had officially changed his name to Ambrose in 1923. So why had he, over ten years later, purchased a property in the San Lucas name?
That was it. That was the key. Shane took the deed downstairs and made a copy of it, carefully replacing the original in the file and rubber banding it. Now all he had to do was figure out why Xavier Ambrose was trying to keep it a secret.
"Relax, Isabel. Just rest. I’ll be fine.”
I had managed to manifest myself a big, cushy sofa in the dark recesses of my mind. In fact, just by imagining it, I was able to transform the formless, dark hole I was currently trapped in into a replica of my living room. With a few improvements, like the sofa, my mental self was quite cozy. And exhausted.
Sue Hardy was in control now. She spoke through my mouth and fidgeted with my fingers as my mental form lounged. She was rummaging through my closet, looking for something to wear. Apparently, I dressed like a hooker. Maybe Devon wasn’t so wrong about me after all.
“It’s not that,” she said. “It’s only that I’m not comfortable showing so much skin.”
Sue had lived and died in a time where women still wore heavy tights and long dresses to the beach. It was no wonder she was nervous in my closet. Not that I was big into showing skin, but what was conservative to me was downright whorish to her.
How about the jeans and the blue blouse?
She shook my head. “It’s too… satin.”
Just wear a T-shirt then, I growled. My exhaustion, impatience, and general lack of a body were making me grumpy.
She sighed, resigned. “Fine.”
She slowly slipped on my jeans and a dark green T-shirt. Tugging at the loose strands of my wavy, brown hair, she twirled them expertly in her fingers. Plucking two bobby pins out of my jewelry box, she pinned back the twists at the crown of my head, then she wrestled the rest into a bun. She looked herself over in the mirror. I had to give her credit; we looked great, if a little old fashioned.
“Are you sure Shane won’t mind spending the day with me?” she asked, a light flush developing in my cheeks.
He owes me one. It’ll be fine. I yawned and stretched. The imaginary sofa was really quite soft.
“It’s alright. You get some sleep, Isabel. I can handle it for one day.”
I grunted, not convinced. As it was, it’d be a miracle if Shane didn’t notice something was seriously off. But Sue promised to be very careful and, to be honest, a day of resting didn’t sound so terrible.
I’m fine.
“Liar.”
“Hey, are you talking to somebody?” Shane asked through my bedroom door.
Sue smiled and crossed the room to open the door. Shane was leaning against the wall on the other side, his face stiff with concern.
“Just talking to myself.”
He frowned, and she smiled. I groaned.
“Shane, I was thinking, would you like to go on a picnic with me today?” Sue asked, batting my eyelashes.
Shane tilted his head suspiciously, as if he couldn’t decide if I were joking or not.
“While I was sitting in the hospital,again,” she drew the word out, “I decided that I need a little break. Just a day. But I don’t really want to be alone. You know, in case my head goes fuzzy again.” She reached up and touched the bandage still covering the better part of my forehead.
“Um, I was sort of going to do some work for Xavier today…” he hedged, still looking at me like I’d sprouted a second head.
“I just feel—”
I cut her off.No. He won’t buy that I need a babysitter. Tell him that he owes me one. For almost letting his girlfriend kill me.
She took a breath, squaring her shoulders and raising her chin high. “You owe me, Shane Brooks.”
He raised one eyebrow. She folded her arms across her chest. I
t was a good move. Exactly what I would have done.
“Mercy almost killed me, because of you.”
Shane blanched before recovering himself. “And you want to be repaid with a picnic?”
“No, I want aday. One whole day out of our busy lives.” She paused, looking him right in his blue eyes. “I feel like I’ve been living in the dark for so long. I’ve been so lonely. Even with people all around me, I’m all alone in the world. I just want one day in the sunshine with someone I care about. Is that too much to ask?”
Her bottom lip was quivering like she might just burst into tears.
That was it. Surely, Shane would see right through her pitiful act. Surely, he knew me better than to believe I’d ever have such an emotional breakdown.
Shane reached forward, wrapping his arms around us. “No. It’s not too much to ask. I’m so sorry, Isabel. I didn’t realize how hard all of this has been on you.” He kissed the top of my head. “Of course you can have a day. We’ll do whatever you want.” He pulled back, still holding us by the arms.
She smiled and wiped her cheek with her thumb. “Okay then. What are we waiting for?”
SHANE
Isabel was standing, staring into the fridge like she was trying to find Narnia on the other side.
“You okay?”
She shook her head. “There is not a scrap of food in this entire house.”
Shane shrugged. “What’s new?”
“It’s just that,” she bit down on her bottom lip, “what will we take on our picnic?”
“We can run by Bubba Sly’s and pick something up on the way,” he offered, reaching past her to grab a blood bag off the top shelf.
She plucked it from his fingers, turned, and grabbed a large mug from the cabinet, a real mug, then looked at him. “Do you want this warmed up?”
“Um, sure.”
She carefully cut the corner of the bag, emptying it into the travel mug before setting it in the microwave and hitting the button.
Shane stared at her, half amazed. She hated when he used the real cups, and she had never once asked to help him prepare his breakfast. Just watching him drink it made her uncomfortable. Now here she was, warming it up for him. He was still gaping at her when the buzzer chimed and she retrieved the mug. She blew across the top once, as if testing the temperature before handing it to him.
“What?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“You can’t normally stand the sight of this, that’s all.”
She looked away when she answered, “I guess I’m getting used to it.”
“Guess so.”
Truth be told, Shane was pretty pleased at her sudden change of attitude regarding his diet. He’d always felt sort of awkward and uncomfortable drinking around her before. But now, he felt more normal. More at ease. He took a long, deep drink, watching her over the edge of the cup as he did. She didn’t shudder, blink, or look away. She just smiled, grabbing a bottle of tea for herself.
“So where are we going to picnic?” Shane asked between drinks.
“Well, I was thinking we could go to Moultrie Park. Then we can go over to Folly Beach.”
“That sounds fine. It’s a little overcast today, might even rain later.”
“I don’t mind a little rain.” Isabel smiled, and it made Shane rock back on his heels. She looked so happy, so vibrant. He hadn’t seen her smile like that in a long time. It was nice.
“Well, alright then. I’ll grab my wallet. You close up the shop.”
She nodded and practically bounced out of the kitchen. They met up a few minutes later by her car. She tossed him the keys.
“You want me to drive?” Shane asked, amazement thick in his voice.
“Well, you know.” Isabel motioned to her bandaged head.
“Ah, yes. Better safe than sorry, I suppose.” They drove the few blocks over to Bubba Sly’s Deli.
“I’ll wait here. You order for me. You know what I like,” Isabel said when they got to the parking lot.
“Alright. Be right back.”
“I’ll be here,” she said with a grin.
The deli was slow, probably because it was only nine in the morning, but Shane was able to order quickly without having to wait in line. As he walked the bag of grub back to the car, he saw that Isabel was staring at herself in the visor mirror and talking to herself again. His pace slowed. He wanted to try to hear what she was saying before she noticed him.
“Of course not. That’s nonsense. Why would you even think that?” she said, sounding flustered. Then she turned. Seeing him approach, she slammed up the visor.
Shane slid into the car, handing her the paper sack. “Everything okay?”
“Fine.”
“You were talking to yourself again.” He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, waiting to see her reaction.
She pointed to her head. “Concussion.”
“Crazy, maybe.”
She shrugged. “That too.”
The park was nearly empty. It was a crisp October day. The leaves had turned a burnt, golden orange, making the light streaming through the branches warm like honey. Isabel picked a large oak tree and spread out a plaid blanket. She sat down, leaning back on her elbows.
“You hungry?”
Her stomach growled. “Guess so. What did you bring me?”
“The usual, a foot-long Cheesesteak and a side of salt and vinegar chips. Oh and,” he drew a bottle out of the sack, holding it out like it was a bottle of wine, “a bottle of their finest diet soda.”
“Thanks.” She beamed like it was actually wine and took it, setting it gently beside her. Sitting up, she crossed her legs under her and unwrapped her sandwich. She looked at it curiously, lifting the bread open to examine the insides.
“Everything okay?” Shane asked around a mouthful of his own meatball sub.
She looked up, blinking. “Yes. I just… peppers.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And? You love peppers. You eat them all the time.”
“I… right, yeah. Of course. Sorry, my brain went fuzzy for a second. Must be the concussion.” She raised the sandwich and took a small, cautious bite. Her eyes flew open. “It’s really good.” She swallowed, wiped her mouth with the napkin on her knee, and took another tiny bite.
“Wow, you hit your head really hard, huh?” Shane muttered, still unable to stop staring at her. It was a good thing she’d convinced him to stay with her today. She was definitely not acting like herself. She was so… rattled. Almost demure. It was sort of cute. It was a side of her he hadn’t seen… well, ever.
“So listen, I know we haven’t had a chance to talk about this, but Mercy is getting released soon.” Shane took another bite. He wasn’t sure how Isabel was going to react to that news, and he wasn’t sure what reaction would make him happy.
Isabel set her sandwich in her lap. She puckered her lips, narrowing her eyes like she’d just taken a bite of something really sour. Then she sighed. “Are you in love with her?”
He almost choked on his sub. Taking a quick drink of soda, he pounded on his chest, drawing out the cough just a little to give himself a few seconds to think about his response. Of all the things he imagined Isabel would say, that wasn’t one of them. “In love, with Mercy? No. No.”
“Then why?”
“Why what?”
“Why did you…you know. With her?”
“I suppose it was just because I was lonely and she seemed to dig me, fangs and all.”
She frowned. “That’s not a good reason. It really hurt me. Seeing you with her like that.”
It was like being punched in the stomach. Isabel was sitting perfectly still, her head down, a stray rope of hair falling free of her bun. Shane reached over, tucking it behind her ear. “I’m so sorry, Isabel. I never meant to hurt you. I guess I just thought… that you didn’t care anymore. You never said anything.”
She looked up, her smile sad. “No, of course I didn’t. I wouldn’t, would I? Too proud, too stubborn. Bu
t I did care. I do care. I just want you to be happy. That’s why I kept quiet. I just… if she’s important to you, then I can find a way to make it work. I’ll try…”
Shane cut in. “No, that’s not necessary. After what she did to you, I’m never letting her anywhere near you again.”
Isabel looked smug. Shane laughed at her reaction. She hoisted her large sandwich and took a mouse-like nibble.
“Are you going to eat that or just scare it?”
Isabel rolled her eyes and dove in, taking a massive bite. When she pulled the sandwich away, a string of white cheese stretched out, finally snapping and dangling off her chin. She dropped the sandwich in her lap and grabbed for the napkins, but Shane beat her to it. He was still laughing as he carefully wiped the cheese from her face. When his fingertips grazed her skin, her face flamed crimson and she looked away uncomfortably.
She hadn’t blushed like that since their first date.
“What?” she asked as he stared at her. “Did you get it all?” She wiped her face again.
“No. I mean, yeah, you’re fine. It’s just… I haven’t seen you so relaxed in a long time. It suits you.”
She laughed. “Maybe I should hit my head more often.”
“Not to deflate that theory, but you already hit your head often enough, okay?”
They finished lunch and Isabel ran to the car, returning with two small bundles. She held one out to him. He took it, confused.
“Kites?”
“What? We have a good breeze.”
“Yeah, but where did you get them?”