by R E Mullins
After slipping the ring on her finger, John kissed her hand before standing. Turning to his old mentor, he beamed. “Justin, you’ll be my best man?”
“It will be my honor,” Justin instantly replied. The corner of his mouth quirked as he added, “Come inside. I’ve Champagne cooling.”
Jo suspiciously looked between the two vampires. “You knew? Was this planned?”
“I’d no idea when it would happen.” Justin sent one of his rare smiles in her direction. “All I knew was that John loved you and the boy. I’ve had Champagne waiting ever since your first visit here.”
John was hesitantly watching her. “It’s really a yes? You’ll take me on and let me be Cody’s dad?”
“Oh my God! Yes.” Joann threw herself at him, and he caught her up. John wrapped her in his arms while Justin ran interference with Cody by preventing him from ascending John’s leg like a monkey.
Laughingly, he bounced the boy while regarding the couple as they enjoyed a passionate kiss.
“Us tin.” Sounding worried, Cody took Justin’s usually stern face between his perpetually sticky hands and looked intently into the vampire’s calm eyes. “Help. Thon and mama stuck.”
Hearing that, John raised laughing eyes and advised, “Better get used to this, kid, cause I’m going to be kissing your mom a lot.”
But even as he spoke, he reached out an arm to take the boy and kissed him loudly on the cheek. Then nestling him in the crook of his arm, he took Joann’s hand, and they retraced their steps back to the house.
Before they rounded the side of the estate, they heard a belligerent and very young-sounding female screech, “You’re such a butthead, Anthony. There’s no way in hell I’m staying out here. It’s the middle of bumfuck nowhere. Get it out of your head. Right now.”
“You’ll do what I tell you, Gwynnie,” the exasperated male voice countered, only to be cut off by another angry shriek.
Justin stopped so abruptly Joann almost stepped on his heels. John’s joy, Stefka thought, was apparently filling his head and making him slow on the uptake. A second later, however, the other vampire’s footsteps stalled, and the eyes he turned on Justin were loaded with consternation.
All sorts of unspoken messages flashed between them. The one that came through strongest was that Anthony’s arrival was a shock to both of them and neither was pleased with his intrusion.
“Who is it?” Joann whispered, and Cody mimicked a beat later, “Is it?”
“My brother, Anthony,” Justin said as he lifted his shoulders in resignation. “I don’t recognize the female. John, unless you want to renew your acquaintance with your less than honorable sire or meet the truculent shrew he seems to have brought with him, give me a few minutes. I’ll get them inside, and you can leave unseen.”
When his expression darkened, Justin knew John considered it the coward’s way out. “There’s no reason to speak to him,” he said flatly. “Even if Anthony sees you leaving, why the hell should you care what he thinks?”
John glanced down at Joann’s confused and anxious face before nodding. As Stefka predicted, his old student didn’t want to put his woman through any unpleasantness.
Deciding he couldn’t allow his brother to ruin John and Joann’s celebration, he made a mental note to order Champagne to be sent to their place. Then, though he’d rather do anything else, Justin squared his shoulders and walked around the side of his house. It was time to confront his extremely unwelcome company.
When Anthony saw him, he shouted “Justin,” and rushed to meet his older brother. The next words he uttered, however, were in his more usual style and alternated between wheedling and demanding. “You don’t know how glad I am to see you. I’m in way over my head.”
Justin tuned him out. Instead, he was taking in his first glimpse of the bad-tempered female. His first impression was that the slight blonde with a sulky mouth couldn’t be more than a teenager.
“How old, Anthony?” He demanded harshly. “How old is she?”
“Old enough.” Anthony’s mouth turned mulish as he groused, “God, just listen to her.”
Gwynn took exception to his comment, and after that, Justin felt bombarded from both sides. His irresponsible brother resumed his recital of complaints against his neophyte while she never stopped criticizing Anthony long enough to take a breath.
Though Justin was immediately disposed to be on her side, her strident tone made it clear she was unhappy and wanted everyone within earshot to suffer with her.
From what Justin pieced together from the two voices intertwined in discordant harmony, was that Anthony had been up to his old tricks. Once again, he’d turned someone without making sure they completely understood what was happening.
Only this time, he might have met his match by turning an incredibly headstrong girl.
“I’m not taking her,” Justin baldly announced the second he could get a word in edgewise. “For once you need to take responsibility for your actions, Anthony. Train your neophyte, and do right by her.”
Anthony’s color rose. “I wasn’t dumping her—”
Gwyn interrupted him to yell, “That’s not what you said earlier.”
“Shut up,” he rounded on her angrily. “Just shut up for one fucking minute.” Turning back to Justin, he gave what his older brother recognized as his most winsome smile. “I came for advice. That’s all.”
“I’m hungry,” Gwynnie whined, and Justin fought against pressing his palms to his temples. He thought about telling her she’d sound more pathetic if she lowered the pitch of her voice, but feared it would set her off even more. Then he felt ashamed by his lack of sympathy. It was impossible to predict what emotions a newbie would experience after turning. Even those that begged for their changing bite might have initial regrets.
Annoyingly, Anthony was rolling his eyes with contempt. “Hungry again?” Raising his hands in defeat, he informed his brother, “That’s another thing, she constantly needs to be fed.”
“What do you expect? Neos need a lot of blood.” Justin considered the she-vamp for a moment. She was so brand new her vampirism glowed off her like a newly minted penny. “When? Two? Three days ago?
“Four days,” Anthony muttered sulkily. Predictably, he started gesturing with his hands, his expression turning earnest as he tried to work his brother. “I saved her life—dammit. And she wanted it, but since then she’s done nothing but complain.”
“This isn’t feeding me,” Gwynnie pointed out with a stamp of her foot. Dramatically, she pressed a hand to her tummy and howled, “My insides feel so empty it’s like my stomach and backbone are touching.”
“Picturesque,” Justin said dryly. Cutting in front of the squabbling duo, he opened the front door, and motioned for them to enter. “Come along then and get something to eat.”
After showing Anthony and Gwyn the kitchen, he had to bite back an acid comment when his brother also took a couple of blood bags for himself. That was when Justin decided to set down some ground rules. “Tonight I’ll help you lay out a training program for Gwynn,” he informed Anthony. His gaze lit on the blonde as her shiny new fangs were already penetrating the vinyl on her second bag. “You can sleep the day here. However, I expect you both to leave after you rise.”
Unfortunately, he was unable to get either of his guests to cooperate. Anthony couldn’t be bothered to concentrate on forming a training schedule and all Gwynn wanted to do was sleep.
As dawn broke, he gave up. He left Anthony sprawled in front of the T.V. while Gwynn snored softly on the couch. “Use whichever guestroom you like. I usually rise about dusk, and I suggest you get some sleep before you leave.”
Later he would think he might as well have saved his breath. Waking late the next afternoon, he found Gwyn still asleep on the couch, but Anthony was nowhere to be found.
The folded piece of white paper, left on the kitchen counter, held only three lines.
Sorry Lus,
She’s nuts, and I can
’t take any more of her.
I need a break, but I swear I’ll come back to get her.
Coming soon!
Look for Justin Stefka’s story in
Waking Up Dead.
A word about the author…
R.E. Mullins has lived in the beautiful southwestern part of Missouri for most of her life. She was employed as a phlebotomist and assisted in the Phlebotomy Adult Continuing Education Class at Ozark Technical College.
You can contact her at [email protected]
~*~
Other R.E. Mullins titles
available from the Wild Rose Press, Inc.
It’s a Wonderful Undead Life
Vampire in the Scrying Glass
A Vampire to Be Reckoned With
Cold Hearted Vampire
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Also available from The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
Cold Hearted Vampire
by R E Mullins
http://a.co/9zP7svu
Dr. Michaela Blautsauger, a Nosferatu vampire, is considered an expert in her field of work. However, her skills when it comes to dealing with others and showing emotion is almost non-existent. When Detective Seth Whitehead barges into her lab, she discovers the human is just as interesting as the blood formula she is working on.
Seth's tenacity to find who is committing crimes in Amber Heights pits him against vampire aristocracy as well as Toltec vamps who are nasty to say the least. When the she-vamp he is falling heart over fangs for leaves the country to find the blood plant she needs, he follows and discovers his cold hearted vamp truly has a heart.
When they both fall into Toltec hands, Seth knows he will do anything he has to do to keep Michaela from suffering harm. But will he be able to keep his own life in the process?
Also Available
A Vampire's Unlikely Alliance
by Tena Stetler
http://a.co/a3XHAbN
Stefan is a Native American vampire, former assassin for the Vampire Council. In a twist of fate, he now DJ’s the midnight shift for a small radio station in Whitefish, Montana, on the edge of Glacier National Park where his secret is safe until...
Born in Ireland, Brandy now works as a park ranger and trail guide in the park. During a full moon, Stefan and Brandy’s paths cross in a near physical collision on a trail. Their attraction is immediate and undeniable, almost as if fate demanded it. Their union was foretold long ago in Irish folk tales where vampires and gryphons, warlocks and demons, witches and faeries must work together for the good of man and magic kind.
Is a trip to Ireland the key to unraveling secrets and returning the magic? And even more importantly, will their love survive the trip?