“What for?” I asked, knowing Gran’s concoctions always had a medicinal purpose.
Gran placed a hand on her hip and stopped what she’d been doing. “I had some herbs left over, so I made you an herbal first aid kit. The jars are marked. So are the pouches. There’s stuff for headaches, stomach aches, a salve for cuts and burns, and so on.”
“Cool. Thanks,” I said.
“You’re welcome. Now, go get it before you forget.”
“I’ll come with you,” Mom said as she pulled off the gloves she’d been wearing and tossed them on the ground. “I could use a break from the sun anyway.”
“Oh, poo! You haven’t been out here that long,” Gran insisted.
“I know, but my skin is sensitive after not having seen sunlight in so long.”
Mom was only teasing, but her words still hit me in the gut. They were a reminder she’d been held prisoner too many years inside the building Regina ran.
Mom placed a hand on my shoulder and steered me toward the front door of the trailer. “She’s probably sick of hearing me say that. I think I’ve used the same line ten times now. Gardening has never been my thing.”
“It’s not mine either,” I said. A smile twisted the corners of my lips, another reminder of how similar we were.
“Gracie seems to enjoy it,” Mom said as she started up the steps to the trailer. “If you can get her away from Cooper, that is.”
I picked Moonshine up and climbed the stairs behind her. “They’re still joined at the hip, huh?”
“Yup. They remind me a lot of you and Eli. There’s the same sense of chemistry crackling in the air whenever they’re together.”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about my little sister having chemistry that crackled with anyone.
“Where is Gracie now?” I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. It had been a while since I’d hung out with Gracie. I swore I’d make more time for her, but it seemed like I was never able to.
“She’s school shopping with Callie and probably Cooper,” Mom said in a soft tone. Sadness shifted across her face.
“She didn’t want you to take her school shopping?”
“No. It’s okay though. I understand. She has a life I know nothing about because she grew up without me.”
Gracie had been seven when Mom disappeared. Now, she was thirteen. She had grown up without her.
“It will get better. Gracie can be stubborn sometimes,” I said, hoping to ease her mind.
“I know. I just keep waiting for it to happen.”
“It’s only been a month. Give her more time.”
Mom shook her head and glanced at me. “When did you get so smart? You’re so grown up.” She nudged me with her shoulder.
I tucked a few stray strands of hair behind my ear. “I’m not sure.”
It was a lie. I could pinpoint when I’d grown up—the moment I thought she’d left us.
“Well, this is what Gran made you,” Mom said as she motioned to the jars and sashes of herbal concoctions on the kitchen counter. “Like she said, she marked them so you’ll know what to use them for.”
I skimmed over the labels. “This is great.”
Mom reached inside the cabinet beneath the kitchen sink and pulled out a grocery bag. She placed everything inside.
“How’s Dad doing?” I asked as I scratched behind Moonshine’s ears.
“He’s doing well. He’s over at Hershel’s helping him fix the potholes in his driveway.”
“Has he been drinking any?” I hated to ask, but Herschel and my dad had been known to drink the day away together.
“No. He hasn’t had anything since the day I came back. He swore to me he wouldn’t, and so far, he’s been able to keep his promise. I’m proud of him, but I worry because I know it takes a lot out of him. I know how bad of an alcoholic he was while I was gone. What he’s doing can’t be easy.”
“I’m proud of him too.”
“He’s also cut back on his pill consumption. I know that makes it even more difficult for him not to turn to alcohol.”
“How did you get him to do that?”
Mom flashed me a sideways smile. “It wasn’t easy, but I talked him into testing a few of Gran’s concoctions out for pain. He was skeptical, but he realized the gel she makes works better than a handful of pills. He also realized a lot of the pain was in his mind. A lot of it had to do with all the alcohol he was drinking, too.”
“Gran always said all the alcohol he consumed was inflaming his body.”
“She knows her stuff. I’m surprised he didn’t listen to her.”
“She does,” I said.
“So, have any plans for your birthday?” An excited gleam flashed in her eyes.
“No. Not really. I’m happy with sitting around and relaxing in my PJs. I don’t want anyone to make a big deal out of my birthday.”
“Sorry to burst your bubble, but you know that’s not going to happen, don’t you?”
“A girl can dream,” I said.
“No comment on if that dream will happen for you this year.” Mom handed me the grocery bag full of Gran’s concoctions. “I love you. I’ll talk to you later. I should probably get back out to the garden, even though I don’t want to.”
“Better you than me.” I stepped to the front door and let myself out. “Tell Gracie and Dad I said hi.”
“I will.”
“Love you. Talk to you later.”
“Bye honey.”
I headed home with a grocery bag full of herbal concoctions and Moonshine trotting beside me, trying to determine what everyone might have planned for my birthday. Were there any clues lying around the trailer? I made a note to look.
Surprises weren’t my thing.
5
It was close to two in the morning when Eli came home. I’d been curled up on the couch with Moonshine watching TV for hours. I hated nights when he worked and then went to a pack meeting. I knew it was something I’d have to get used to, though. Eli was in training to become the alpha.
“Hey,” he said as he kicked off his boots at the door. “I thought you’d be in bed by now.”
“I wanted to wait up for you,” I said as I paused the movie I’d been watching. “Did you mention anything to your dad about Jane?”
“Yeah. Apparently, he’s already been in contact with Dan at the police station about her. Dan paid her a visit yesterday. He thinks she’s crazy, and because of that, Dad doesn’t feel there’s any information we can gain from talking to her.”
“What? Why?” I didn’t understand how officer Dan could write her off. Of course she was crazy; she’d witnessed people being mutilated in front of her. That would be enough to drive even the sanest person crazy.
Eli’s hands shot up. “I know you think she has information about the Midnight Reaper we could use to catch him, but officer Dan said she’s schizophrenic or something. She never stopped looking out the window while he was talking to her. At one point, she thought spiders were crawling up her legs, but there was nothing there. She repeatedly said someone was watching her, and that she was next on his list. She’s paranoid and delusional. He couldn’t make sense of the things she said.”
“One of us might be able to,” I insisted.
“Dad thinks it’s a waste of time. However, he does believe the Midnight Reaper is headed to Mirror Lake.”
“Exactly what I said.”
“I know. I thought you’d like that part.” Eli grinned. “He wants to do patrols around town. Day and night. Which means you’ll see a lot less of me until this monster is captured.”
“I won’t see less of you because I’m patrolling too.” I lifted my chin, challenging him to argue with me.
“Figured you’d say that. I already told Dad you’d be onboard to help.” Eli winked. “We’re going to need all the help we can get, because, like you, Dad also believes this is something supernatural.”
I was right. A chill crept up my spine. I hoped whoever was responsib
le would be caught before they reached Mirror Lake, but it didn’t seem as though that would be possible. Hell, he’d already made it across the United States without being caught.
“Who is taking part in the patrols?” I asked.
“Dorian, Sabin, Max, Frank, Tate, Glenn, and some others. Dad suggested we ask your mom too,” Eli said as he moved to sit beside me.
“I’m sure she’ll want to help.” I sat up straighter on the couch. Moonshine kicked her legs out as though telling me to be still. “You should ask Violet too. She might want to help.”
Eli nodded. “I’ll ask. The two of you could partner up during patrols.”
“I’d be okay with that. Violet is a good kid.” I smoothed my hand along Eli’s forearm, soaking in his warmth and the feel of his coarse hair there. I’d missed him today. “I still think your dad should reconsider talking to Jane. My gut is telling me she knows something valuable.”
“Your gut, huh?” Eli smirked.
I narrowed my eyes. “Are you mocking me? You should know by now never to mock my gut feelings, Eli Vargas.”
“I’m not mocking you.”
“Sure does seem like it.”
He licked his lips and his smirk grew. “I think it’s cute when you play off your intuition like that.”
“It’s not going to be cute when you realize I’m right.”
He exhaled a slow breath. “I’m sorry, but we can’t just go talk to her. My dad is really on me about doing things by the book now, especially after everything that happened last time with Drew, Peter, and Shane. All he wants me to focus on is rounding up people to patrol and setting a schedule for everyone. It isn’t our job to figure out who’s doing this or why. All we need is to make sure they don’t get into Mirror Lake.”
“I get that. I do,” I said, truly meaning it.
“But?”
“No but.”
“Wow, I figured you’d continue listing reasons why we should look into this further.”
“Nope. I’ll agree to disagree on this one for now. We’ll focus on patrolling and making sure the Midnight Reaper doesn’t get into town,” I said. “But.”
Eli frowned. “And there it is.”
“I do have a bone to pick with you.”
“About what?”
“Oh, you know, the birthday party you’re planning.” I tugged on his arm hair, causing him to jerk his arm away from me. “I thought you understood I don’t want a massive birthday party.”
“I do,” he insisted as he rubbed his arm. “I’m not throwing you a massive party. Only a small one. And who ratted me out?”
“Mom did,” I grumbled. “It had better be small.”
“Your mom? Really? I didn’t think she’d be the one to do it. I figured it would be Gran, considering she was the one who found my list.”
“List?”
“Well, yeah. I’m not just going to wing this. I have stuff planned. Food. Music. Drinks.”
“Did Gran say something about what you have planned?” I asked.
Eli nodded. “Yup. She didn’t seem happy with some of the things on my list. She scratched them out and wrote suggestions she deemed as suitable alternatives in the margins.”
“Sounds like something she’d do.” I laughed.
“She’s not going to be happy when she sees I didn’t adhere to the bulk of them.”
“What did you plan that she didn’t like?”
A birthday party consisted of food, beverages, and cake. Well, and music. There wasn’t much Gran could disagree with.
However, this was an Eli Vargas party. Now that I thought about it, there was probably a lot she might not agree with.
“I can’t tell you that. You’ve already ruined the surprise, or at least your mom did. You’ll just have to wait until tomorrow night to find out the rest.”
Tomorrow night. I couldn’t believe my birthday was tomorrow. I would be turning nineteen.
Some days, I felt so much older.
“You still have the day off tomorrow from Rosemary’s?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “Why? Are we doing something fun?”
“You know it. In the morning, in the afternoon, at night. Birthday booty has no limits.” He winked.
“Be serious.”
“I am being serious,” Eli said before his lips pressed against mine.
“Fine,” I muttered between kisses. “Be that way.” Moonshine hopped off the couch and pranced toward the front door. She scratched at it, letting us know she needed to go outside.
“Your turn.” I grinned as I pulled away from him.
“Not good timing, Moonshine, not good timing,” Eli huffed as he stood to retrieve her leash.
I chuckled as I leaned back against the couch. My mind dipped to thoughts of what Eli could be planning for my birthday. Whatever it was, I had no doubt it would be fun. Now that the surprise part was out of the way, I had nothing to be pissed about. I could enjoy myself instead.
6
Fingertips toying with my panty line woke me.
“Happy birthday,” Eli whispered, his hot breath tickling my ear.
“Mmmm…thank you,” I muttered. My mind was still asleep, but my body was awake.
“Are you ready for your day of fun?” Eli asked as his tongue snaked out to skim along my ear.
“I guess.” I still wanted to lie around in my PJs all day. Or better yet, allow Eli to spend the day worshiping my naked body.
“You’ll enjoy every second. Trust me.” I could hear the smile in his words.
A knock sounded at the front door, causing Eli to jerk his hand away from my most sensitive area.
“Damn. She wasn’t supposed to be here for a while,” he grumbled as he slipped out of bed and pulled on some clothes.
“Who wasn’t supposed to be here for a while?” I asked.
“Your mom.”
“What she’s doing here? She didn’t say anything yesterday about coming by.”
“Which I find as odd as you do. She blabbed about my surprise but didn’t mention hers. Imagine that,” Eli grumbled. He wasn’t angry, per se, but I sensed his annoyance.
“Great. You know how much I hate surprises. Why don’t you just go ahead and tell me what she has planned?” I slipped out of bed.
“I’m not the type to ruin surprises.” He flashed me an adorable grin before leaving the room.
I pulled on my pajama pants and listened as the front door opened. My mom’s excited voice carried down the hall.
“Hey. Is Mina awake yet? Am I too early?”
“I’m awake,” I said as I made my way down the hall and into the living room. “What’s up?”
“Happy birthday, sweet girl!” she shouted as she rushed toward me and pulled me in for a hug.
Sweet girl. I secretly loved it when she called me that. It took me back to my childhood.
“What’s with the backpack?” Goose bumps prickled across my skin because I thought I knew.
“Put on some good shoes. Whiteside Mountain is waiting.” Mom winked.
My thoughts scattered. I was too excited to think. Hiking Whiteside Mountain had been a birthday tradition between my mom and me. One we’d spent years unable to do because of some filthy vampires.
“Are you serious?” I asked.
If I were being honest, a part of me thought she wouldn’t remember, considering how much time had passed since our last birthday together.
“Of course.” She placed a kiss on my forehead. “It used to be our thing. Are you not into hiking anymore?” Her eyebrows furrowed.
“Oh, she’s into it,” Eli insisted. He stepped to Moonshine’s crate and let her out. “Trust me.”
“I didn’t think you’d want to go,” I said.
“Hello, I was trapped inside a room held underground for six years. Of course I want to get outdoors and hike a mountain today. Anything outdoors is my jam right now.” Her face became more animated, bringing a smile to my own.
“Okay, then. Let’s
go.”
Mom chuckled. “Grab your sneakers.”
I headed to the bedroom to change into appropriate hiking clothes and grab my sneakers. Afterward, I pulled my hair high on top of my head.
Eli and Mom were talking in low whispers when I entered the living room again.
“Stop that,” I demanded. “No more birthday planning. Whatever’s already been discussed is fine. I promise you,” I said as I made my way to the kitchen to fill up a water bottle for myself.
“Don’t worry about grabbing food,” Mom said. “I packed enough for us both. You okay with having a picnic up there with me?”
“Yeah, sure. Sounds great.” My eyes drifted to Eli. Was he not coming?
Eli stepped to where I was. His hands found their way to my hips as he pulled me close.
“I’ll be here when you get back. Have fun with your mom,” he insisted before placing a soft kiss to my lips.
“I will.”
“Happy birthday,” Eli whispered before he let me go.
I flashed him a smile and then headed to the front door. This was going to be the best birthday ever because I had my mom back, and we were keeping our Whiteside Mountain tradition.
“I hope you don’t mind I dragged you out here today. I just remember how much you used to enjoy it. Figured we could recreate some old memories,” Mom said as she pulled a sandwich from her backpack.
We were sitting on the same rock we used to at the highest point of the hike. It overlooked the valley. While it wasn’t flat, it had grooves cut out that were the right size for my butt.
“Remember the first time we came up here?” Mom asked. She laid the rest of the food she’d brought out between us on the rock. “Your dad and Gracie came too.”
“Yeah, I remember. They complained the entire time,” I said before taking a bite of my sandwich. Peanut butter and honey. My favorite.
She laughed. “They did. I almost couldn’t wait for the hike to be over with so I wouldn’t have to hear either of them complain anymore.”
“Me too. Gracie was about in tears by the time we made it to this point. Remember?” I asked. “She dragged her feet the entire time, and complained her legs felt like they were going to fall off once we got back to the car.”
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