by R. E. Carr
Edwin glowered a bit, but one wave from Mina held him back. “I’m fine, darling!” she called to her son. “Be back in a jiffy.”
“Sorry, but only one strange vamp at a time,” Gail explained.
“Well, I may be strange, but I am no stranger,” Mina said, her smile broadening. “After all, I’m the little one’s mother too.”
“Technically you’re his father,” Lorcan said flatly as they entered the dining room. “But even I will admit that the concept is . . . hinky.”
“Hinky?” Gail and Steve mouthed.
“I must thank you for letting me see him this once,” Mina said softly. “I mean, before the sheriff gets here, and she works her special magic that ruins everyone’s fun.”
Mina peered cautiously at the glowing eyes lurking in the shadow of the kitchen door. However, only a single human emerged from the shadows carrying a tiny bundle in her trembling arms. Mina clutched her hands to her chest as Maria ducked behind Lorcan, and her bundle made a halfhearted whimper at the sudden change of scene. Mina pulled her purse open slowly, careful not to make any more sudden movements. Gail and Steve raised a brow as the elder vampire slipped a vibrant crocheted blanket out of her designer handbag. She unfolded it to show a blue eastern dragon playing with a red western dragon on one half and a wolf cub rolling with a golden fawn on the other.
“That’s terrifying . . .” Steve started.
“Terrifyingly adorable!” Gail finished as she rushed to her adoptive vampire mother’s side. “Did you make this, Mina?”
Mina chuckled. “It’s amazing what a little miasma can do if you’re willing to sit in a coffee shop and listen to a bunch of hipsters during a yarn-swap meeting. Oh, she made this too.” Mina rummaged around again and pulled out a rattle with a stuffed wolf attached to it. “May I . . . give these to him?”
Lorcan took the blanket and sniffed it. Mina rolled her eyes. “It’s infant safe, hypoallergenic and washable too,” Mina explained as she took a few more steps towards the baby. “I know I don’t have the most experience with baby humans, but everything is on the internet nowadays.”
“It’s almost tasteful. Rather surprising coming from you, Mina,” Lorcan grumbled. He turned sharply away, eliciting quite the pout from his ex-wife. Her expression changed completely, however, as Lorcan wrapped Lincoln up in his new blanket and carried him over so she could present his new toy personally.
“Of all the wonders I’ve seen in this and a hundred lifetimes . . .” she whispered, tears welling in her eyes. “A baby . . . vampire. May I?”
Everyone held their breath as the tiny human was passed into her arms. Mina didn’t hold back either her smile or her tears and clutched Lincoln to her chest, making all manner of noises one would never expect to come out of a vampire legend.
“Oh, who’s the cutest little Undying that I ever did see? Lincoln is!” Mina danced around the remains of the dining area, cooing and making funny faces until even Maria and Lorcan melted a little and smiled.
Gail leaned over to Steve. “She’s not like any other vampire on the planet, is she?”
“Nope. You know, this might be the first time I’ve ever felt bad for her. She’s—”
“She’s never going to see him again,” Gail said, catching her breath a little. Mina, however, seemed blissfully lost in the moment—taking in every inch of Lincoln’s face, clutching his hand, and even rubbing her nose against his cheek. Soon, she began drilling his human grandmother for an in-depth description of every second of the little one’s life thus far, culminating in a deep sigh from Maria.
“I’m not sure I can really give you a sense of his aura, considering he’s only a few days old,” Gail could just hear Maria reply over Mina’s gushing. “He hates to sleep unless mommy is around, though.”
Mina slumped a little. “Well, he is a very special baby boy who has two mommies, and two daddies,” she said, springing back almost instantly. “And all of us love him very, very much.”
“You are . . . strange.” Maria let out a deep breath and looked at the baby. “I hope he takes after his other mother, if you don’t mind.”
Mina burst into hearty laughter, bouncing Lincoln and sending Lorcan rushing to their side, but she shooed him away. “I’ve got this,” she said, settling down again. Lincoln gurgled at her, seemingly in reply. She swayed gently, singing under her breath until the perpetually wakeful child started to doze in her arms.
“Is that . . .?” Steve asked.
“Pretty sure it’s ‘Eyes Without a Face’,” Gail replied. “She’s already exposing him to Billy Idol.”
“And he loves it!” she said triumphantly as he drifted off in her arms. The small crowd could only watch as she continued to hum, sing, and sway. The air hung heavy as another tear rolled down Mina’s cheek. Finally, after what seemed like a blissful eternity, she clutched him once more to her chest and kissed the top of his head. Her normally infectious grin fell to a tempered, tight smile. She gulped a little before reluctantly easing Lincoln back into his grandmother’s waiting arms. “Thank you, from the bottom of my heart,” she whispered to Maria. She finally let go, clutching her hands to her chest once more.
“If you focus hard enough, a moment can last an eternity.” Mina looked pointedly at Lorcan. “Or you can blink, and a lifetime is wasted. I have one last errand to accomplish.”
Mina once more dove into her handbag, this time pulling out her phone. She wandered over and took a few photos of the sleeping infant. “For the one parent who hasn’t gotten to see him yet,” she explained. “I promise that he will have his eternal moment as well, rather than a lifetime of regret.”
“Morgan?” Maria asked. “He’s—?”
“He’s in trouble, but I haven’t given up hope yet. He offended my brother greatly, and Arthur can be rather—”
“A stubborn, vindictive asshole?” Lorcan offered. “You have to promise me that he will never see our son.”
“This is for Morgan’s eyes only . . . and mine. I swear to you, my love.”
“I’m not—”
Mina leaned over to Lorcan and whispered something that even Gail’s enhanced hearing couldn’t pick up. Lorcan paled slightly and nodded. “Some things are forever, indeed,” he whispered in return.
“I’m feeling a little awkward here, how about you, Pumpkin?”
Lorcan and Mina continued to stare intensely at one another. Gail nodded. “I’m with you, Honey Bunny.”
Mina glanced over and gave them a wink. “I’m telling you, I can arrange you two any time you want. The sheriff—”
“Is the last person I want to hear about right now,” Gail replied. “Really, it’s nice that you’re thinking of us and all, but both Steve and I are getting over awkward marriages—”
“But you’re both tragic widows who are mourning a complicated loss,” Mina countered. “It’s quite poetic when I think about it. I’ll—”
“Mina!” Lorcan barked, his voice back to full Texan growl. Maria pointed to the baby and put a finger to her lips. Lorcan cringed. “It’s time to go.”
Mina nodded quickly. “Yes, it is, I suppose. Please give my love to Paige.”
“Your . . . love?” Lorcan asked, raising a brow.
“She’s raising my son. I give her all my love and best wishes. Not everyone is as bitter and cold as you, darling. If I believe in love and understanding, the forces of karma will all work out in the end. I know this. You would know this too if you would ever stop fighting and just listen to the universe.” Mina walked over to Gail and took her hand. It was Gail’s turn to raise a brow as Mina took Steve’s hand as well. “Believe me when I say, I know a thing or two about love.”
Gail looked over to the seething and uncomfortable Lorcan before smiling awkwardly. Steve cringed visibly as well. Mina winked at them both.
“True love is everything like the storybooks, and nothing like it at the same time. If something is meant to be, the universe wills it to happen; and if it’s wrong, it
will fight it till its dying breath. Everyone gets what they deserve, but only those rare few who listen ever realize this. After all, it’s so much more comforting to think that all your suffering is random, isn’t it?”
“Nothing is random,” Gail replied, looking away. A flicker caught her attention. When she turned back to look at Mina, she saw a strange reflection in Lady Harker’s hazel eyes. For the briefest of moments, Javier smiled at Gail. Gail looked away again, quickly enough to confuse both Mina and Steve. After a bit more awkward shuffling, Mina exacerbated the situation by plopping Steve’s hand on Gail’s.
“So cute!” Mina exclaimed before making her way to the door.
Steve let out a sigh that could only be described as defeated and shook his head at Gail. “Once she gets an idea in her head—”
“Don’t finish that thought,” Gail snipped as she pulled her hand free. She rushed back outside where the hissing and spitting had erupted into a full downpour. Mina, however, stood in the open, holding her hands out to catch the droplets and turning her face upwards to collect the rain. Edwin leaned casually against the car, balancing the umbrella, so he could idly check his phone while his mother basked in the glory of nature.
“Are you—?” Gail took a tentative step towards Lady Harker.
“Mad?” Mina asked.
“OK,” Gail corrected. “I mean, I know we’re not close, but I can almost feel that you’re upset.”
Mina smiled mysteriously. “We’re closer than you think, and I am not mysterious or coy or even that clever, my dear. I wear my emotions proudly—every night and every day. One might even say that you can taste how I feel in the air. Perhaps I just needed a moment to wash away my pain and connect to everything around me.”
“It’s breaking your heart, isn’t it? You don’t want to send the werewolves away, do you?”
Mina’s eyes picked up every speck of light around them, glowing against her tan skin. She walked over and enveloped Gail in a soggy embrace, her heavy cascade of hair flopping against the shorter vampire’s shoulder. “It is the duty of every man and woman with a soul to embrace life and to protect it, child. Any pain or loss I feel is insignificant compared to the need to protect my family and to protect life. I must see that this pack is safe because if I do nothing . . . you know as well as I what will happen—how the story will end.”
“Don’t you see, though?” Gail fired back. “You aren’t changing anything. You are just hiding them away to die!”
“All living things die. I know this. I am just giving them a chance to live as long as they can, far away from those who would snuff them out before their time. I never thought it was a perfect plan, but the universe hasn’t shown me anything better . . . yet.”
Gail flipped her own soaking hair out of her eyes. Edwin met her gaze and let out a deep sigh. “Never argue with my mother on the universe, Gail. It’s not only pointless, it’ll probably get you soaked.”
“My siblings, they would never do this. They don’t trust that all life has a place. It’s not easy to take a pacifistic path for creatures like us. I never blame anyone for weakness, especially the young,” Mina said, hugging Gail tightly again. “Please know that. People grow and change, and the best way to learn is by making mistakes.”
Gail looked Mina straight in the eyes. “You can read minds, can’t you?” Gail asked in all earnestness. Mina merely winked. She let the younger vampire go and sauntered to her car. As she slipped under the umbrella and was handed a towel from the recesses of the backseat, the headlights flickered. Mina smiled.
“Not minds, Gail. . . hearts.”
24
“She made him a blanket?” Paige asked incredulously as she peered at Lincoln tucked safely under a rainbow afghan. “Really?”
“She is very different from any other vampire I’ve met,” Maria said, taking a swig from one of her grandfather’s multitude of flasks. She wrinkled her nose. “Definitely some blood mixed in the bourbon. Yuck.”
Paige wandered over and took a sniff. “It’s just human blood,” she said softly before taking a few gulps herself. “I know, Mom. I’ll pump before feeding him again, but all things considered . . .”
“Baby, I wouldn’t judge you for tequila and blow. Lord knows I’m almost to that point.”
Paige stood there dumbstruck. Maria hugged her carefully, adjusting the collar on Paige’s jacket. Her right sleeve was tacked up with safety pins, making Maria choke up a little bit. She tilted Paige’s chin. “Sorry if I stunned you, but I did survive the eighties, kiddo.”
“She really didn’t try anything?” Paige asked softly.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d just think she was a parent . . . giving their kid up. Paige—”
Paige leaned against her mom. “I’m sorry I got you into all of this. If anything should happen, you take Link and you—”
Maria shushed her gently. “I know what to do. I’m not going to say that nothing’s going to happen or some crazy shit like that. I’ve learned my lesson in tempting fate even before I got mixed up with vampires and werewolves.”
“Toy, she—”
Maria leveled her gaze with her daughter. “I know, kiddo. Believe me, I know. You just focus on what you need to do. I will guard this little guy with my life if I have to.”
“Please god, don’t let it come to that,” Paige begged. The door to the office slid open. Kyle and Bernard slipped in through the door. Maria gulped as the sunken-eyed, recovering Bernard handed her a police-issue vest.
“Never trust a bloodsucker. I also made you this,” he said, then handed Maria what looked like a bondage collar. “Carotid artery defense at its finest.”
“You’re . . . too kind,” Maria replied, before double checking the bullet-resistant lining stapled in Lincoln’s car seat. “You don’t think they’d really shoot?”
“It’s not whether you’re paranoid, ma’am, it’s whether you are paranoid enough,” Bernard replied.
“For once, I agree with the Viking, Ms. DeMarco. We’re trying to avoid as much conflict as possible,” Kyle said softly. He handed a pair of white syringes to the ghostly Paige. “Two doses, just in case.”
“Does everyone have them, Kyle?”
Bernard pulled open a pocket on his cargo pants and showed the tops of his syringes. “Even I took them, even though I think it’s stupid, just for the record.”
“Noted,” Kyle said dryly. “Look, I’m sorry to have to do this, but it’s time.”
Paige hugged her mom then wandered over to her son. He slept peacefully as his mother sniffled. She kissed her remaining hand then brushed her fingers against his cheek. “Take care, Link. Grandma is gonna look out for you.”
Maria bit her lip. She said nothing but squeezed Paige one last time. She then nodded ever so slightly. Once her daughter returned the gesture, Maria DeMarco picked up his makeshift bassinet and carried the infant out of the room. Kyle approached Paige cautiously.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Ask me that one more time, and you’ll be growing back a set of teeth,” Paige growled. “Now get me through this, so we never have to deal with the damn bloodsuckers ever again.”
She endured a round of jabs in her neck and shoulder, while Bernard slipped off her coat and replaced it with his thicker, more intimidating camouflaged hunting jacket. Paige cracked and adjusted her spine as she fought to get used to the weight on her back. “It’ll take a hit if they go all Kevin on us,” Bernard promised.
“Are the painkillers helping at all?” Kyle asked. Paige nodded unconvincingly as the sweat beaded on her brow with every move she made.
“Everyone is in position?”
“I think so,” Bernard replied.
“Well, make damn sure!” Paige barked, her claws popping out. Kyle grabbed her hand. “What?”
Kyle slipped his other hand under her collar and checked the tape. His fingers slid away slowly, painfully slowly. He looked away. Paige let out a deep, guttural snarl.
“You realize this is the point of no return, Little Bit. You deal with a vampire like this, and there is no turning back. Grandpa is going to go off with his crazy ex-wife and do god knows what—”
“Kyle!”
His cheeks turned as red as his hair, blurring with his five-o-clock shadow. He shuffled and futzed with anything remotely medical he could until a surprisingly strong Paige yanked him down to her eye level. “P-Paige,” he stammered, before she jerked him again and planted her lips firmly on his. He melted against her, making her yelp as his chest crashed into her wounds. He stumbled away.
“I’m not stupid. The sheriff is going to make an example of me,” Paige said softly. “After everything you’ve done . . . everything you’ve given up . . . I just wanted you to know. Jesus, I’m terrible at this sort of thing.”
“Paige, I’m a submissive, gay werewolf that fucks my alpha, even though I know that we’re completely destined to hurt each other, and it’s not natural to me. The only woman I’ve ever found remotely attractive is in love with my great-great-great . . . great-great-great-great-etcetera . . . Grandpa! I think I out-terrible you. You know what? Damn it to hell—since I know exactly what sort of fucked-up bloodsucking shitstorm is about to rain down on us, I just have to say this one time—”
“I love you too, Kyle,” Paige interrupted. Kyle’s jaw dropped.
“You . . . what? No—No, you have to . . .”
“Love isn’t always romance, and passion, and great destinies, Kyle. Through everything that has happened, you have been screwed over by the universe, quite literally. I infected you and doomed you to the same curse as the rest of us shapeshifting idiots, when you could have spent the rest of your life being a happy doctor with occasional anger issues. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner, and I’m sorry that we have a terrible, hormonal, codependent connection—but with everything that’s about to go down, we both know—”