Verity shrugged. “I honestly wouldn’t be able to tell you because I’ve never seen any such thing.”
The holiday record reached the end of its track and loud scratching filled the room. Verity jumped up to lift the needle when she noticed Riley’s grim expression. The boy’s chin touched his chest as he muttered, “That’s not the only way to kill a vampire.”
“Oh, Riley,” Emery whispered and sat up straighter. “I’m so sorry. I forgot. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“It’s okay.” But something had changed for the young vampire. The memories of killing his father must have filled his head because his eyes pinched shut, and his hands gripped the edge of his chair. Verity wanted to wrap her arms around him until the hurt was gone, but she worried it would only upset him more.
Deane got to his feet and turned to gesture at the windows. “The day’s getting on. I forgot to bring in a box from the car. Riley, would ye help me with it?”
There was no response at first. It took Deane walking to the doorway and calling over to him once more to get Riley up. He slunk out of the room after Deane. Their footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Emery dropped her face into her hands. Her voice came out muffled. “I totally screwed that up.”
“Why don’t we check on the birdseed ornaments and put some food together for you guys. I bet you’re getting hungry,” Verity suggested, waving at the door.
At the thought of food, Emery perked up and went downstairs. Though Verity didn’t have much experience preparing food for human consumption, she knew how to make it look pretty. She pulled out the baked ham and put it on a platter, surrounding it with the vegetables Deane had brought. She set it on the table, along with the other sides.
“These are hardening up,” Emery said, touching one of the ornaments sitting on the counter.
Riley carried a box into the kitchen and set it on the floor. He turned to Deane, who was beside him. “What’s in it?”
“Ah, ye’ll find out soon enough,” was all Deane said in response.
“Help yourselves to food if you want it. We don’t stand on formalities here.” Verity put out a few plates and some silverware.
Riley pulled off a piece of ham and put it in his mouth. He chewed it for a while and an expression came over his face that made it seem he was eating a rubber tire. Verity picked up a baby carrot and bit off half. While she crunched on it, she took a step closer to Riley. “I remember how much I loved chocolate when I was young. It was a special treat. But when I turned around your age, it just tasted like mud. It was disappointing to say the least. I miss sitting down and enjoying a proper meal, but it doesn’t stop me from eating a little something still just to feel human.”
Riley swallowed his bite, and his shoulders slumped. “Is there anything special about us? I mean, having to survive on blood seems more like a weakness than a special power. At least they can turn into animals.”
He looked at Deane and Emery, who were serving themselves food. They paused to blink back at Riley and Verity, curious to hear the answer.
“We stay young so long as we feed.” Julian lifted his drink to his lips.
Riley sighed again. “That just means the suffering is prolonged—all the stuff you give up like food, friends, being able to get married, having to literally feed off animals. I was hoping we could do something cool like walk through walls or fly.”
“Sorry, man.” Julian came up to him and clapped him on the shoulder. “No such luck.”
Deane and Emery didn’t waste any time eating. Either they were really hungry, or they didn’t want to draw attention to themselves and the fact they hadn’t lost their taste buds like Riley. Verity touched the seed ornaments, which had firmed up. She pulled some twine from a drawer and started cutting sections to secure through the holes they’d made in the centers of the seed shapes.
When it appeared their shifter guests had eaten all they could, Verity gestured to the back door. “You guys ready to make some birds happy?”
She handed Emery her gingerbread man and gave Riley a stack of various ornaments. Deane drank the rest of his second glass of whiskey while Julian cradled his seed shapes and went outside. Verity followed him out and showed them how to tie the ornaments onto the shrubs and trees. “Try to leave them all around. Just don’t go into the alligator enclosures.”
The sea breeze rustled the thin fabric of her dress against her legs as she stood and watched everyone walk in different directions. She hoped the activity was enough to get Riley in a better mood. She understood his frustration at trying to come to grips with how his life would change now that he was a vampire. Verity still resented the fact she couldn’t live a normal life, but it was something she’d accepted.
The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky, threatening to sink below the horizon, taking with it its warm light. She noticed Deane go through the back door of the house and come back out with the box he’d asked Riley to bring inside. In his other hand, he clutched his glass, which had been filled with more whiskey.
Everyone materialized from different corners of the property in time for Deane to announce, “Let’s go down to the bay.”
“Sure, there’s a trail down beyond the gator enclosures.” Verity pointed across the parking lot. “This way.”
She led them to the access point she practically used daily. With the sun sliding below the horizon, the temperature dropped. Verity wished she’d grabbed a sweatshirt but pressed on anyway. She led them on the worn path through the bushes, across the rocks and down to the small patch of sandy beach she’d found on her early exploration of the property.
“This is heaven,” Emery murmured as she slipped off her shoes and dug her toes in the sand.
Verity wrapped her arms around her waist and stared out at the glimmering sea. “Isn’t it?”
Deane set his box down, drained his drink and put his glass in the sand. He straightened up, without any sign of intoxication. “It’s time for my present to ye.”
“Who?” Emery turned to him.
“All of ye.” He opened the box.
Riley craned his neck to see better. It still wasn’t clear what Deane held when he straightened up. Colorful, thin tissue was clutched in his hand. He gave one to everyone, then opened his up to form a domed lantern. Without a word, he bent over again to fish out more items from the box. Next, he passed around sharpies and lighters. He looked at their confused faces and explained, “They’re floatin’ lanterns. I figured we all have someone we’re missing today. If ye write a message to them and send it into the skies, they might just hear yer voice.”
Riley nodded at Deane before walking away to sit in the sand with his lantern and pen. He didn’t hesitate to start writing on his. Emery was visibly surprised. She shook her head. “And here I thought you were just a card-giving kind of guy.”
Deane rubbed his forehead and avoided looking at her. Emery went off to find a place to write on her lantern, and so did Julian after nodding at Deane in appreciation. Clearly Verity wasn’t the only one taken by surprise by his gift. She blinked at him in the twilight. He had emotional depth she hadn’t expected.
He kneeled and opened his pen, and she realized she should do the same before everyone else finished before she’d even started. Verity sat cross-legged in the sand with her lantern pressed flat onto her lap. Her thoughts went to her mother, the woman she missed every day. She wished she’d been able to say goodbye to her or had the chance to see her once more before she’d died to tell her she loved her.
Verity started writing her message to the woman she missed. She imagined her mother’s kind eyes and soft touch. She wrote the things she’d wished she could have said to her, the things she felt in her heart. A few strides away, she noticed Emery stand up and light her wick. Her red lantern puffed up with the breeze, and Emery let it go. The crimson zeppelin rose into the sky and blew inland.
Next, Julian set his free and watched it rise into the heavens with a melancholy express
ion. Then came Deane. Verity lit her wick and let go of her lantern. The yellow beacon rose to join the others. Tiny spots of colored light blinked high above the land. Their messages being carried into the atmosphere.
They stood with their heads arched back to watch them shrink until they couldn’t see anything but a few stars fighting against the light pollution of the nearby cities. Riley stood up and brushed off his jeans. In silence, he flicked the lighter, setting the wick on fire. He held his white lantern for a minute before letting it go. Deane went to stand beside him and rested his hand on the kid’s shoulder.
The gift had been for everyone, but most of all, Riley. That much was clear to her. Survivors are often left without having said goodbye to their loved ones. Coming to grips with that can be hard and is haunting. She hoped sending off his lantern would help Riley in saying goodbye. She wasn’t the only one left missing her mother.
From down the beach where Emery and Julian stood, Verity heard them sing “Silent Night” as they moved up the trail to go home. Their voices grew muffled the farther they went. Riley sighed deeply and mumbled, “I’m gonna go back.”
“We’re right behind you,” Verity said and watched him move through the dim.
She went to toss her pen in the box when Deane took her by surprise. He grabbed hold of her waist and pulled her in against him. The heat from his hands burned the low of her back. Her breath caught in her throat as his face hovered inches from her own and drifted closer until he rested his forehead against hers. Verity’s heart raced while she watched him close his eyes and hold her tight. Maybe he was more intoxicated than she’d previously thought.
His lips were so near her own. He brushed his mouth against hers just as Riley’s shout rose into the air, “Coming?”
Deane broke away from Verity, blinking at her with heavy lidded eyes. He picked up the box and waved her ahead of him. “C’mon, Kristie.”
She frowned in confusion. He must have been extremely intoxicated. Verity wondered if Kristie was his dead wife as she stumbled across the sand, not sure what had just happened. She could still feel his hands on her, wished they still were. The last time she’d been touched like that… it’d been too long. Though he was a man with ghosts in his past, something she couldn’t compete with.
When they got back to the house, Deane didn’t give any indication he’d just kissed her. She wasn’t even sure he’d remember it. His phone dinged, and he blinked at the screen for a while as though he was having a hard time focusing on it. “The night shift just arrived. We can leave whenever we want.”
“Maybe you should drive,” Verity whispered to Emery, keeping her eye on Deane.
Emery nodded. “I was thinking the same thing.”
Verity and Julian helped Emery gather their things to take out to the car before Deane knew what they were doing. Riley walked down the front steps and gave Verity an awkward sideways hug. “Thanks.”
“Oh!” she exclaimed, trying not to cry. His sudden embrace meant more to her than anything. “You’re welcome.”
“You better come back.” Julian came across the lawn and pointed at Riley. “I’ve got more to teach you.”
A sly grin spread Riley’s lips, and he nodded.
Deane moved down the front steps and breezed past them toward the car. “Emery, I can’t find my keys.”
“I have them,” she called from the parking lot. “You’re in the passenger seat tonight, my friend.”
The strangest noise came from Deane as he groaned and put up a protest. “Oh, aye, fine.”
Riley hurried after him to get into the car. Their red taillights lit up the night while Emery drove down their driveway. Julian sighed and crossed his arms. “Well, that went pretty well.”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
When Verity lay in bed that night, her thoughts went to the moment Deane had shared with her down on the beach. His wife had been a lucky woman if he’d held and looked at her like that every day. His touch haunted her, and she doubted he’d remember. If only she could find a man who loved her like that.
Twelve
Deane woke up later than usual with a headache. His eyes squinted at the light coming into his guest room, and he groaned.
He’d consumed more alcohol than he’d had in a very, very long time. It was unprofessional. If Alaric had seen him throwing back so much whiskey when he was supposed to be observing the vampires, he would have gotten an earful. And he would have deserved it.
Maybe it had been everyone giving him a hard time about being so stiff and not knowing how to have a good time. Or maybe it had been the old memories that had been swimming around in his head lately, but he’d cut from the norm and thrown a few back. Or maybe more than a few. He couldn’t remember.
A knock came from his door, followed by Emery’s voice. “You okay in there? Need some coffee?”
“Aye.” His voice scratched past the gravel in his throat.
Deane threw off his sheets and sat up. His head spun for a moment before he was able to set his world right. He sighed and scratched his jaw, trying to remember yesterday’s events. When only the morning’s activities came back to him, he gave up and went to take a shower.
“Here you go.” Emery handed him a full mug of coffee once he came to sit at the marble bar downstairs.
He grunted in response and lifted the black liquid to his lips.
She adjusted her red bandana and cocked a brow. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so—”
“No need to talk about it,” he interrupted her.
She winked at him. “It’s our little secret.”
“Great.” He took another sip of his coffee and looked around for Riley. “Where’s the lad?”
Emery took a bite of some toast and set it on a plate. “He went to South Beach with Marisol.”
“What? He didn’t ask me.” Had he heard her right? He didn’t think the Miami lodge leader was okay with Riley being unattended. And what if Riley got lost and couldn’t find his way back?
“He tried waking you earlier, but you were dead to the world. Plus, it was Cruz’s idea. Georgina went with them. It’s cool.”
Relief flooded him as Emery studied him in silence. She took another bite of her food and waggled her toast at him. “You’ve changed.”
“I don’t know what ye’re talking about.” He hunched his shoulders over the bar and wished the conversation would end.
“Fatherhood suits you.” Emery shoved the rest of the toast in her mouth and swallowed it with a wince.
“It’s a headache is what it is.” Deane stared at the pattern in the marble. “And I’m not his dad.”
“Maybe, but you’re more of a dad than he ever had,” Emery answered matter-of-factly. “Want something from the kitchen? I’m going back for seconds.”
“Sure.”
While Deane hunched over the counter, his phone started ringing. He pulled it from his pocket and weighed the pros and cons to answering Alaric’s call. He decided to let it go to voicemail since he wasn’t alert enough to answer questions from his boss just yet. He needed the caffeine to hit his bloodstream and the traces of alcohol to flush from his system.
He did, however, listen to the message Alaric left. “Hi, Deane. Consul Beaumont informs me the Grand Consul has begun to arrive at their secret location, although not everyone is present as of yet. They expect to convene tomorrow afternoon, and the blood-suckers are the first order of business the following day. Keep our prisoners available when the Grand Consul calls to question them. I don’t get the impression Consul Beaumont is taking this threat seriously, but at least Representative Green’s term is coming to an end soon. If I can gain the Rocky Mountain territory and become our representative, I might be able to make the kind of change we need. But I digress. These blood-suckers are not to be trusted, and since I’m considering putting my name in for our territory’s representative, I can’t look bad in front of the Grand Consul. I need you right now. You’re one of my oldest friends and enfor
cers. I know you’re trying to figure out how to contain Riley, but he’s not like one of our younglings. He’s different and should be treated accordingly. He is a living specimen of this new threat. Keep him out of trouble and help me look good, and I’ll owe you big.”
Deane turned off his phone and leaned his jaw on his fist. He’d known the man for decades, and Alaric had appeared to have gone through some changes himself. His rancor toward the vampires worried Deane. He’d referred to Verity and Julian as prisoners when Deane perceived them as seeking sanctuary, informants. It made him wonder what Alaric might suggest they do with them after the Grand Consul concluded. Would he recommend imprisoning them indefinitely? Simply because they were the same breed of beings that had attacked Aerilyn? That hadn’t been the creed of the Genus Society he’d pledged his allegiance to.
He wasn’t in a hurry to head home to Denver. Not with so much conflict at the forefront of his mind. Deane sighed heavily and tried to push his concerns from his mind.
“Have a good Christmas?”
Deane looked up. Cruz came from the back of the building to sit beside him at the bar.
Deane drained his coffee and swallowed it down. “Aye, it was good. Riley seemed to enjoy being around his family. How about ye?”
“Fighting, tears and bloodshed, and that was just over who got the last custard pudding. But what can I say?” The lodge leader’s eyes gleamed as he shrugged. “It’s always good to be surrounded by family.”
“Oh, yeah?” Deane knew it was important to the shifter elite to prove just how pedigreed their families were and wondered if Cruz cared about such things. “How far back can ye trace yer lineage?”
The lodge leader drummed his fingers on the counter. “Well, I know my bisabuela, great-grandmother, took to the skies over Paraguay two centuries ago, but beyond that, who knows. Who cares, really?”
That was a refreshing viewpoint. Deane shook his head. “Not me.”
“So why talk about what the gentry put value on? I care about what I see and what I feel. I don’t care if you’re a first- or tenth-generation shifter. If you have a good heart and care about your community, you strive to be the best person you can be—that’s it. We all have weaknesses and imperfections. My wife cannot stand the fact I love oxtail stew—she abhors it. But she makes it for me anyway and locks me outside when I eat it. She allows me my delicacy, and I love her for it.” Cruz lifted his brows wistfully and sighed. “What are you up to today? Back to the vampires?”
Half-Blood Secrets: A Paranormal Series (Half-Bloods Book 2) Page 15