by RK Close
Since when did we use a tablecloth? When had Liam ever owned a tablecloth for that matter?
Cole’s Jeep could be heard before it was seen coming down the long gravel drive—a cloud of dust floated behind him. He parked and climbed out carrying a grocery bag and wearing a cheesy grin.
I was glad to see he was in good humor. After the situation with the vampire, I was worried he’d still be angry with me. Cole didn’t hold a grudge, but he did have a temper. He walked up to Liam and gave him a rough hug.
“Happy birthday, Cole,” Liam said, taking the grocery bag from him.
“Thanks, Liam. I picked up some more beer.” He ran his hand through his hair, then walked over to me. I met him halfway and wrapped him in a brotherly embrace. Cole held on a little longer than normal.
When he finally pulled away, I asked, “We good?”
He smiled his boyish grin and nodded.
“Cole!” Jessica yelled excitedly. She hurried from the fifth-wheel trailer that Liam lived in while the cabin was under construction.
Cole hugged Jessica and spun her around. “I have your favorite cake—chocolate with buttercream frosting,” Jess said happily.
“Okay, but that’s not my favorite cake,” Cole said.
Jessica looked confused. She turned around toward Liam, her hands on her hips. “I thought you said that was his favorite?”
Liam smiled slyly. “You must have misunderstood. I said chocolate cake with buttercream frosting was my favorite.”
Cole and I laughed hard. “It’s okay, Jessica. It’s an old family joke. It happens every year, at every birthday,” I said.
Jessica didn’t seem to appreciate the joke or Liam, for that matter.
“Well, I don’t see the humor, myself,” Jessica said before walking away.
“Maybe time to change that tradition, Liam. I think you’re in the doghouse now,” I said. Cole gave me a look and we started laughing anew.
“She’ll get used to our ways, just like I’m getting used to hers.” He smiled and lifted a corner of the plaid tablecloth. “The grill is hot. Let’s start cooking.”
Nothing could beat an Arizona sunset for its spectacular beauty. Red, orange, pink, and purple smeared across the sky like a neon watercolor painting.
Daisy’s date arrived, just after sunset. His name was Eric, and he worked at the morgue. They stood close and occasionally held hands but didn’t seem totally together. Maybe it was more like Marissa and me—friends with occasional benefits.
Marissa knew everyone there, so she had no trouble making herself useful and chatting with whoever was near. Jessica had the side dishes and condiments neatly arranged while Liam worked the grill, cooking hamburgers and hot dogs. Daisy had insisted on chicken and provided her own chicken breast for Liam to grill. She didn’t eat red meat, something I couldn’t comprehend.
We were just about to start eating when someone on a motorcycle came down the driveway. The bike was smaller than mine, but I was still surprised to realize a woman was driving it.
Snug jeans and a sheepskin-collared leather jacket gave away the curves that were undeniably feminine. When she pulled off the shiny black helmet, I was equally surprised to recognize Zoey as she climbed off the bike.
I looked over at Cole to see his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide. He immediately walked over to her. When she had rested her helmet on the handlebars, she shook her long red hair out and smiled at Cole. “Happy birthday, handsome. Sorry if I’m late. The bar was packed, and I had a hard time convincing my boss to let me leave.” She hugged Cole and kissed his cheek briefly.
“How’d you know there was a party? I mean, I’m happy you’re here, but how did you . . .” Cole said, stumbling over his words.
“I invited her,” I said. I didn’t believe she would show up, but I was glad she did.
She gave me a quick hug but no kiss, I noticed. I guessed those were reserved for birthdays.
“So did I!” Jessica brushed past me to welcome Zoey herself.
Cole stared at me like he didn’t know if he should thank me or kick my ass. I winked at him and put my arm around Marissa.
“Thanks for coming. I would have invited you, but didn’t think you’d want to come,” Cole said.
“Why wouldn’t I?” she asked, moving past Cole and closer to the fire. Zoey was friendly as she greeted the others.
Cole followed her. “Well, you turned me down for a date, and I thought . . .”
She smiled at him, and his face glazed over like it had when she’d spoken to him last night. “It’s your birthday, Cole. Lighten up.”
After the initial shock wore off, Cole seemed happy to have Zoey at his birthday celebration. I knew he would be. It was a last-minute decision on my part, but it made sense that she should be there with us. After all, she kept our greatest secret and we kept hers.
The bonfire raged, the smell of smoke and pine heavy in the air, and the stars twinkled in the night sky. Liam’s land was surrounded by national forests on three sides and the highway on the other, but we couldn’t see it through the trees. We’d all eaten our fill and were huddled around the fire sharing funny stories. The mood was light and festive, but I couldn’t help feeling restless. It was like there was something missing for me.
I caught her scent before I saw her small dark form separate from the forest and begin to walk toward us. It was as if she was summoned from my mind. Olivia and her constant shadow, Simon, walked at an ordinary pace—maybe for the humans in our midst. At least two people there didn’t share our secret--Daisy’s date and mine.
I felt the tension rolling off Cole and Liam. Liam moved in front of Jessica, and Cole took several steps toward the uninvited guests. “Easy, Cole,” I said cautiously.
“Did you invite them?” Cole demanded.
“No, but let me handle this.” I walked out to meet the two vampires before they reached our group.
“What’s going on?” I heard Marissa ask.
Olivia’s long brown hair was blowing in the breeze as she walked toward me. Her jeans were shredded, in the popular style, and not nearly warm enough for this weather. I knew the temperature didn’t matter to her. At least she was wearing an oversized leather jacket, even if it looked like it might have been a man’s.
Olivia intrigued me like no other woman ever had, and that fact was starting to bug the hell out of me.
I stopped and let them meet me in the middle of the field. A slight smile played at her lips, making my gut tighten in response. What was Olivia up to?
“Olivia. Simon.” I crossed my arms and watched them warily.
Olivia stopped in front of me and glanced over my shoulder at the others gathered around the fire. “A party? And you didn’t invite me? I think I’m hurt.”
She didn’t sound hurt, but I suddenly felt guilty for not inviting her. She had that sort of effect on me—always knocking me off my game.
“It’s a birthday party for Cole, and you are not his favorite person—or species for that matter,” I said.
I didn’t want to hurt her, but this was new territory for us and her intentions were unclear.
“I don’t have anything against Cole, even if he’s a bit hotheaded. Do you, Simon?” Olivia asked over her shoulder.
Simon, a young-looking Jamaican man with long dreadlocks, wore a leather baseball jacket from a high school that I didn’t recognize. He didn’t bother to reply. His expressionless face just watched me, as if bored. I’d always had the feeling that it would be a mistake to underestimate the quiet shadow that followed Olivia.
I wondered what their relationship was. Thinking of them as lovers made me angry, but I tried not to let it show.
“You should probably leave. I don’t want to spoil Cole’s birthday if your presence will cause tension,” I said as gently as I could.
She looked past me again. “They’re discussing it now. Sounds like the blonde thinks you should invite us to stay awhile. What do you think, Seth?” she asked, her
tone challenging.
I wasn’t certain what Olivia wanted from me and didn’t understand my feelings toward her. I felt conflicted when I thought about her, which was more often than I cared to admit.
“You can hear them?” I asked, surprised.
“Yes, my hearing is better than a shifter’s,” she said while appearing to focus on a conversation I couldn’t discern.
I looked over my shoulder to see Cole, Liam, and Jessica in what looked like a serious discussion. They all looked our way before Liam began walking toward us.
“They decided to invite us to stay,” Olivia said with a smug smile. She stared at me with a defiant gleam in her eyes. I didn’t know if I wanted to kiss her or turn her over my knee and spank her.
Liam reached us and looked critically at the two vampires. “We have two friends that don’t know what we are and don’t know about vampires, so if you two can behave yourselves, we’d like to invite you to join us.”
Olivia smiled at Liam before looking at Simon. Simon nodded and began walking toward the fire without any hesitation.
“Thank you. We’d love to join you,” Olivia said, giving me a sideways glance before following Simon.
Liam looked at me. “Do they mean trouble?”
“I don’t think so. I get the sense that Olivia’s lonely. It doesn’t seem like she gets along with her own people very well,” I said as we turned to follow them back to the fire.
“Except Simon. What’s the story with them? Are they together?” Liam asked.
“I have no clue. I’m no expert on vampires, and she’s more confusing than the rest of them.”
Liam nodded, and I could hear Olivia’s soft laughter as we followed her and Simon back to the party.
3
Olivia
The blonde woman approached Simon and me as we reached the group. Everyone watched us with either curious or cautious glances. Except for Cole—he glared openly. Zoey, the witch, watched us but kept her distance.
“Welcome. I’m Jessica. We’ve never met, but you may have seen me on the news.”
We recognized one another. She was the one Lorenzo had stalked and abducted. He’d planned to turn her. She was lucky to be alive, or lucky to not be like me.
I could only assume the humans watching us must have been her reason for the official introduction. I sort of liked her. She seemed genuine. Jessica was the reason they allowed us to stay. It was her idea.
I shook her offered hand. “I’m Olivia and this is Simon. We were in the neighborhood and thought we’d stop by. Thank you for letting us crash your party, Cole.” I stared at him until he acknowledged me.
When Cole finally nodded his head, he held his tongue. I knew he didn’t want us there, maybe even hated us. It made me wonder if he’d ever change his mind, or would he always despise us for what we were?
Why shouldn’t he? I did.
The woman with curly dark hair who was usually behind a camera gave us a timid smile and waved. The man beside her smiled openly and even walked over to shake our hands. Humans were far too trusting. He could have been reaching for a rattlesnake.
“Hello. I’m Eric. It’s nice to meet you. Simon and Olivia, right?”
“That’s right. A pleasure to meet you, Eric,” I said.
Simon shook his hand and nodded.
Seth walked over to a woman I didn’t recognize and stood next to her. “This is Marissa. Marissa, this is Simon and Olivia.”
I watched as he slipped his arm around her shoulders. She smiled innocently and cuddled close to Seth. It made my blood boil. But far worse than that, his affection for her made my bloodlust rise in my throat. I was shocked as a vision of me draining her dry and shoving her dead body away flashed through my mind.
Embarrassed, I looked away quickly to hide my reaction and gazed into the fire. Simon must have sensed the change in me. He moved closer and stood by my side as we watched the dancing flames in silence.
When I gained my composure again, I glanced up to see Seth studying me over the fire. Feeling guilty and dirty, I looked away. There was a nervous silence where there had been laughter and loud voices. The change was making me regret my impulsive decision to show up at their party uninvited.
I was considering leaving when Zoey came up and offered us a beer. We accepted the bottles without words, but the mood seemed to change after that. Liam began telling a story about some silly stunt Cole and Seth pulled in middle school, and to my relief, the party was a party again.
When Seth wasn’t watching me or was engaged in conversation with someone, I’d steal glances at him and the woman who was obviously his date. It shouldn’t have surprised me that he’d be here with someone. His reputation was well known, and I’d seen him in action. Seth played the field, and he was good at it.
And why did I care?
We sang “Happy Birthday” to Cole and the scene reminded me of other good times in my life—my real life—when my sister and I had celebrated birthdays. It made me smile to remember her without regret, if only for a moment.
Simon and I made our excuses when the birthday cake was being passed around, saying that we had somewhere else we needed to be. We didn’t, but it would look awkward if everyone was eating cake but us.
We began walking back the way we came, and I wondered if anyone would ask where we’d come from. I’d leave that to the wolves to explain. Before we reached the edge of the woods, I heard Seth call my name. I stopped and turned to see him jogging the last few yards to reach us.
“Hey, can I talk to you?” Seth asked, then glanced at Simon. “Alone?”
What would he say to me? Was he angry that I’d come?
I looked toward Simon, and he nodded then disappeared into the woods. Seth watched where Simon had been standing only seconds before. When he turned his gaze on me, my chest tightened. It occurred to me then—these human feelings that Seth brought out in me, were what made me crave his closeness.
“I wanted to say that I would have invited you if I thought you would come.” He took a step toward me until we were standing close enough to touch. The light scent of his cologne grew stronger and I could hear his steady heartbeat pounding in my ears.
“Okay.”
He paused a moment then blinked at me. “That’s it?”
“What do you want me to say? Thank you for not inviting me?” I said, putting my hands on my hips.
He continued to study me like a science project. “Olivia, what do you want from me?”
It was my turn to blink at him. His question caught me off guard. What did I want from Seth McKenzie?
“Who said I wanted anything from you? Go back to your party, Seth. Go back to your girl-for-the-night,” I said, then left at full vamp-speed.
I felt like crying and I didn’t know why. I hadn’t cried since the night I went through the transition. I did something so awful that I’d never forgiven myself.
This was not me, anymore. I would not cry like a stupid needy girl. That was one of those human emotions I could do without and never miss. What was I doing? What could I possibly gain from any of this?
I caught up with Simon and we moved in silence as we made our way back to town. As it turns out, even vampires have limited energy resources. We sprinted for a while, then walked until we recovered, then sprinted again. Fortunately, our batteries recharge quickly.
He may have picked up on my mood, or even eavesdropped on the conversation between Seth and me, but he didn’t press or pry. Simon was good like that. Not that he didn’t ever push.
Simon was the cool big brother that I never had in life. We agreed on most things, such as music, movies, and discussing foods that we once loved to eat. But not all things, like drinking human blood—from actual humans. We agreed to disagree on that one. Simon didn’t do it in front of me, so I didn’t allow it to interfere with our friendship.
We reached the Victorian-style mansion that Victor had purchased. When we moved to this small hick town a little more than a mont
h ago.
The house had an L-shaped porch and was three stories tall. It was a beautiful whitewashed home with black shutters, but I’d never let Victor know that I thought so. The home was tastefully covered in white Christmas lights that outlined the roof, doors, and windows.
My room was in the converted attic. I preferred being away from the others and seldom ventured outside of my private space while at home. Spending time with my vampire family was something I loathed, and for many of them, I believe the feeling was mutual. I felt I’d go crazy whenever I thought that this was as close to a family as I could hope for.
The house was old but fully restored. I’d insisted on decorating for Christmas, something the others couldn’t care less about. I knew they thought that I was clinging to my humanity, but I didn’t care. Christmas was always a favorite time of year for my sister, Christine, and me. Christine. I pushed the thought of my sister out of my mind. It wasn’t healthy for me to go there.
When we reached the front door, Simon placed his hand on the doorknob to open it.
“Wait.” I put my hand on his. “Can we just sit out here for a while? I don’t want to go in yet.”
He nodded, and we sat on the porch swing together. After a long comfortable silence, Simon said, “What are you doing with him?” His soft Jamaican accent sounded smooth--almost melodic.
I didn’t answer for a moment. “I don’t know.” It was the truth. I had no idea what I was doing with Seth.
“This cannot end well, Olivia. He’s a shifter. His bite is deadly to our kind. You are not of the same ilk.” His words were firm but somehow gentle. He wasn’t telling me anything that I hadn’t already considered but still chose to ignore.
“I know. I know. I should stay away. Maybe we can just be friends, like you and me.”
“You are not in love with me, nor I with you. You have different feelings for the shifter. It’s not the same,” he said, rising from the swing. “I must eat.” Without waiting for a reply, he was gone. I was left with thoughts of what I wanted and what I could never have. And whenever I dwelled on all the things I’d lost, my sadness would eventually turn to anger. After a few more minutes, I entered the house.