She seemed to think about her answer for a minute before speaking. “Honestly, I don’t know. To this day, I still can’t believe that I left. Your father was such a good man, but he wasn’t the man that I married anymore.”
I snorted.
“Sweetheart, when your father and I first started dating, he would bring me flowers all the time, for no reason at all. He wrote me poetry, and he sang to me, and there was so much romance in our relationship. But, that changed after we had you. Ray became so serious and protective.”
“So you felt smothered by dad? Or was it me? Did you blame me for the lack of romance in your relationship? Because you know, you should have expected to give up some things when you became a parent. But I’d like to think that having a child enriched your life, even if it did cut away from your romance time.”
She looked hurt. “Alanna, I never stopped loving you.”
“Well, after all these years, I’ve finally stopped loving you,” I said, wiping my cheeks. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going home.” I looked at Quinten. “Come on. Ray’s gonna be so happy to see you.”
“Alanna, I can’t leave.”
I stopped. “What? Don’t you want to come back with me?”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me close. “Of course I do. You’re the most important person in my life, but your mother happens to be my maker. Someone has to teach me about being a vampire, and it’s her. I either need to stay with her, or she needs to come with us.”
“Quinten–”
“Alanna, I have almost no control over myself right now. The only reason I didn’t drain every last drop of blood from your body was because Carmen told me to stop. I have to obey my maker; she’s the only one that can make me safe enough to be around.”
I sighed. “I can’t leave you, not again. These last few days without you have been the worst in my life. I considered never getting out of bed again. I wanted to quit, give up on life.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I didn’t have enough time to seriously think about it before I felt our bond come back, or maybe I couldn’t hurt Ray like that, but what I do know is that no matter where you go, I’ll be there with you.”
He smiled. “I’m glad to hear that,” he said, nuzzling my neck. “Alanna, you’re so beautiful.”
It took me a minute to realize what he’d said. “You’re not blind anymore.”
He shook his head. “No. I can see again. When I began turning, at first all I could feel was pain, but after that, I felt my body beginning to change. I felt the damage that had been done to my eyes being repaired. I couldn’t wait to wake up and see how beautiful you are, but when I woke up, I couldn’t remember anything about who I was.”
“You didn’t remember me.”
“I didn’t, but when I saw you step into this clearing, I knew you were important to me. I just didn’t know how much you meant.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in his shoulder. “You have no idea how painful it was, thinking I’d lost you forever. Ray kept trying to tell me that the pain goes away after a while, but I didn’t believe him. It didn’t seem possible that it could ever stop hurting.”
He put his hand under my chin and tilted my face up to his. “Alanna, I promise you right now, I will always find a way back to you. If it takes a thousand years or a thousand lifetimes, you and I will always be together in the end.”
I looked down so he wouldn’t see me cry. “I…I love you, Quinten.”
He nodded, and kissed the side of my neck. “I’m glad you finally know it, because I love you, too. More than anything.”
I was crying, and so was he. We just stood there for a minute, holding each other, swaying gently back and forth.
Everything was coming back together. Quinten was alive. I’d found him again and, even if he was different, we were back together. My heart had been repaired.
I’d only lived four days without Quinten, and I was positive that I could never do it again.
Chapter Two
After a minute, I pulled away. “Alright, what are we going to do?” I asked, looking at Carmen, refusing to even think of her as mom. “I don’t think I can be near you, and I know that this is going to break dad’s heart.”
She sighed, and began to nervously play with her hair. “Believe it or not sweetheart, but I regret the decisions I’ve made, and I miss you and your father. I’m sorry you’re hurting about this, but Quinten needs me near, or he’s going to snap and kill someone.”
I glanced over, and frowned. The woman’s body was gone. “Didn’t he already?”
“No, the vampire you killed drained her while Quinten was busy staring at you.”
So, Quinten wasn’t a killer, but he might get that way. If Carmen wasn’t around to keep him in check. What did I do? I couldn’t be away from Quinten, but I couldn’t bring her home to Ray. I looked to Quinten for help, and he shrugged.
“It’s not like you can go home and not tell Ray that she’s alive. It’ll be better I think if he hears it from you. Besides, how would you explain me?”
“Great. I get to tell dad that his soul mate would have rather been with a bloodsucking vampire than with him. Awesome.”
Quinten frowned. “Alanna, I’m a bloodsucking vampire,” he said quietly. “Do you have a problem with that?”
He wasn’t defensive, he was just worried.
“Of course not, you’re still you. Nothing will ever change that. But, you didn’t run away and break my heart like she did to Ray.”
Quinten shrugged. “Maybe she had her reasons.”
I glared at him. “What?”
“Alanna, I’m just saying that you were young, there were things going on that you probably didn’t understand. Men can be good fathers without being good husbands,” he said tentatively.
“So you think Ray was a shitty husband? You think that she was justified in faking her death?” I asked, looking at her.
She turned her head away.
“Maybe she was,” he said quietly. “But no, I don’t think Ray was a shitty husband. I know him; he’s a good man, through and through. But, things happen. People change, they grow up, and they fight. Sometimes a relationship just can’t be repaired, no matter how hard two people try.”
“They’re soul mates! They were created for each other. There shouldn’t have been anything for them to fight about.”
“We’re fighting right now,” he pointed out.
I stopped, realizing he was right. “I’m sorry,” I said miserably. “I just got you back, and pretty much the first thing I do is start a fight.”
“It’s alright. Come on, if we get going now, we can probably make it back to Ray’s by tomorrow night.”
I looked up at the sun. “How long was I out?”
“The rest of the day and night, and you were so tired we let you sleep in this morning.”
“You’re out in the sunlight.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I am. As long as I’ve…well, you know.”
“Fed?” I asked, trying not to show how grossed out I was. Then I thought of something. “Quinten, did my blood taste funny to you?”
He shook his head, managing to look embarrassed in the process. “No, your blood was amazing.”
I felt myself turn red. Sharing blood with someone was such an intimate process. I couldn’t believe that we’d done it in public, in view of Carmen.
He grabbed my hand. “You’re my soul mate, I remembered that the second I tasted your blood. It filled me, and as I was feeding from you, I saw the future that we could have with one another. Alanna, you don’t have to watch me wither away and die. You won’t have to spend eternity alone after I’m gone, because I’ll never be gone.”
“Quinten, I could have been happy loving you for a single lifetime.”
“Alanna, this was all meant to happen,” he said, placing his hand over my heart. “Your heart was made to beat with mine for the rest of eternity.”
I placed my hand on his chest, surprised to find a similar heartbeat. One that did in fact beat in time to mine.
I smiled. I was too happy that I still had him to care about any problems that might come up. So what if he was a beast that had to sustain himself on human blood? So what if I had to accept my mother too? As long as Quinten and I had each other, it didn’t matter.
Carmen cleared her throat. “We should be going.”
I nodded reluctantly. This was going to be horrible, but there was no use delaying it. Ray was about to have his heart ripped out of his chest, and it was probably better to do it and get it over with. The sooner he found out about Carmen, the sooner Jax and I could help him heal.
The entire trip home, Quinten and I clasped our hands together, refusing to let go of one another. We didn’t stop when night came, and kept running through the morning. By noon, Ray’s cabin came into view, and I’d never been more relieved to be somewhere.
I’d noticed Quinten getting more and more nervous as we approached the house, and I gave his hand a tight squeeze. He nodded once and, hand in hand, we walked into the living room. He stopped, and let go of my hand to hang back in the hallway, while I stepped into view.
Ray was seated on the couch, and his head was in his hands. Jax was obviously trying to comfort him. I wondered what must have been going through their minds since I’d run away.
“Dad?”
His head shot up, and I’d never seen a person more relieved in my entire life. He jumped off the couch and ran over to me, picked me up, and swung me around in a giant circle, squeezing the life out of me.
“Alanna, where the hell have you been? I found your note, and I was so worried.”
The note. It had been pretty vague. I hadn’t wanted to get everyone’s hopes up if I’d been wrong.
Ray set me down, and looked me over for injury. “Dad, I have some really huge news. Some of it I think you’ll like, and the other, well…”
Ray frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Dad, Quinten’s alive.”
He sighed, and pulled away enough so that he could look down at me. “Alanna–”
I turned and motioned for Quinten to step forward. He did, and I could see the amazement on Ray and Jax’s faces. Slowly, it dawned on Ray how this was all possible.
“Alanna, he’s a vampire.”
I nodded. “And? He’s still my soul mate.”
He looked unsure whether to hug Quinten, or pull me protectively behind him. “He’ll only have been a vampire for a few days. He’ll have no control over what he does.”
“Dad, you told me once that werewolves bond with the humanity in our partners to make up for the humanity that we lack. Our bond is still there and it’s stronger than ever, which means that what makes him Quinten is still there. He’s still the same man that willingly gave his life for me, and nothing will change that.”
Jax hesitated too. Neither of them had ever had a good experience with a vampire, and they weren’t sure what to make of having one in their living room. I guess I couldn’t blame them, but I knew that Quinten wasn’t a threat to any of us.
Ray sighed. “I’m glad you’re not dead, Quinten, but I have to be honest, I don’t feel entirely safe with you in the house. Not until you can manage to get control of yourself.”
“I understand, sir. But my maker can help control me.”
“Your maker?” Ray asked. “Well, I can guarantee that he won’t be staying here with you. No unknown vampire will be anywhere near us.”
I flinched. “Dad, Quinten’s maker isn’t male, and she isn’t unknown,” I said with a sob. I hadn’t cried since she revealed herself, but right now, with my dad holding me, it was all I could do not to burst into tears.
Carmen stepped into the room, and Ray froze in his tracks. His eyes widened, and his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. His breathing became labored and shallow, and he looked on the verge of having a panic attack.
“Ray?” Carmen asked, taking a step forward.
Ray’s response was automatic; he took a step away from her, towards me. “How?” he managed to choke out.
Carmen’s eyes were tear-filled as she looked at him. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“How about you start by telling him what made you decide to run away from us?” I suggested, glaring at her.
Quinten put his arm around my waist and pulled me close. “Come on, let’s give them some space. This is gonna be ugly and you don’t need to see it.”
I nodded. He was right. Ray was about to be told that his soul mate left him for a vampire, faking her death in the process.
I caught Jax’s eye and jerked my head toward my bedroom. He gave Ray one last concerned look before following us. I closed the door firmly behind me and, for the first time in a while, I was glad to be in my room. It was familiar, it was safe.
The dresser in the corner was still the same shade of white, with the same green vines painted across it. My comforter was the same pale orange as it had been for years, and the walls were still the same ugly mustard yellow. When I saw the ocean creatures that Ilene had painted, I paused.
“Jax, how much is this going to destroy Ray?”
He shrugged, taking a seat on Ilene’s old bed. “Ray’s strong. He’ll get through this. I’d like an explanation though, since we’ve got time.”
I sighed, not sure where to begin.
“How could you?” Ray’s shouted.
I couldn’t hear Carmen’s answer, but it did little to calm Ray down. He continued to shout, and I didn’t blame him one bit. He’d just had his heart ripped out, and now the person that had done the ripping was trying to make everything ok.
Jax was still waiting for an answer. “Mom faked her death to run away with her vampire lover.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Are you serious?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I am. She was there when you and Ray rescued me from the Arena, and she decided to save Quinten by turning him. I guess she felt guilty for abandoning us. Then she told me everything. She said that she was sorry for the choices she’d made, and that she regretted it.”
“How did she fake her death though? That’s really complicated, isn’t it?” Jax asked.
I nodded. “Her best friend was a police officer, remember? She had knowledge of the supernatural world, and she helped mom fake a vampire attack. I guess they found some dead body that resembled mom’s, and placed her jewelry on it after they cut it to pieces. Dad probably wasn’t looking at her arm; he was looking at her wedding ring and the bracelet Ilene and I made her for Christmas.”
Jax shook his head. “That’s terrible. I can’t believe somebody could do that to another person. Especially a guy like Ray. Does that bitch even realize how badly she destroyed him?”
Quinten’s hands clenched into fists. “You know that she’s my maker, right?” He hissed.
Jax studied him carefully for a minute. “I don’t really care. Being your maker doesn’t excuse the fact that she broke a man’s heart and left her children to blame themselves for her death. Only a disgustingly weak person does something like that and expects to earn their forgiveness.”
“Maybe Carmen had no choice,” Quinten said, his eyes flashing dangerously. “She’s not a bad person. And you’re not going to say otherwise.”
Jax’s hands were clenched angrily too. “You gonna make me, leech?”
There it was. The first derogatory remark.
Quinten leapt across the room, faster than I could see, landing on Jax. The two fell off Ilene’s old bed and onto the floor with a loud crash. Jax rolled them over and slammed Quinten’s head down onto the floor twice, before Quinten reached up and head butted him.
Jax shook his head, and I jumped into the fight, determined to stop it before someone got seriously hurt.
I shouldered my way in-between them, forcing them apart. “Stop it!” I shouted.
The door slammed open and a reddish blur ran past me and hauled Jax up by the col
lar of his shirt. Carmen snarled, baring her fangs, and threw him against the wall. Jax slumped to the floor and moaned once, before his eyes closed.
I turned on Carmen, ready for a fight, to find her glaring at me. Ray was standing protectively by my side in a second. “If you touch her, I will end you,” he warned. His voice was tight with open hatred, and I wondered if he’d actually do it. Would he stake his soul mate to protect me?
“Quinten, are you alright?” Carmen asked, never taking her eyes off of the two of us.
Quinten stood shakily, and nodded. “I’m fine.”
“What happened?” Ray asked tightly. He was watching Jax with a concerned look on his face.
“That fucking leech attacked me!”
“Don’t you dare call him a leech you stupid flea-bitten mutt!” Carmen screeched, turning on him. She took a menacing step forward, prepared for another fight.
I jumped forward and grabbed her arms, pinning them behind her back. “Don’t touch him,” I growled. Who did she think she was?
“Let go of her,” Quinten said, startling me.
“She attacked Jax, and she was about to do it again.”
“He provoked me.”
I stared at him. “What is the matter with you? Did becoming a vampire make you a fucking idiot? Just because he called you a name doesn’t give you the right to throttle him!”
Quinten visibly relaxed, looking contrite. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get so out of control. It’s hard sometimes.”
I felt bad for him. He was so new to this world, and if he only had Carmen to teach him, it was amazing that he wasn’t a complete savage out there ripping out people’s throats.
I looked at Carmen. “I’m going to let you go. If you attack him, Ray and I will both make you regret setting foot into this house.”
I stepped away, and she turned to face me. “I’m sorry; I don’t know what came over me.”
That was a lie, and I knew it. I’d heard Ilene say it so many times, and in the exact same way, it was an easy lie to spot. Ray and I went over to help Jax to his feet, and I noticed Carmen was off to the side, talking to Quinten. She had him gently by the shoulders, but it looked like she was whispering very angrily at him.
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