by Anna Santos
“You can bring her to go out with me and my friends tonight. Meet us at the usual pub at nine,” I said, stepping back and holding tighter to my books. “I have to go now. I’ve promised Francesca that we would study together for the upcoming exam. See you later.” I waved goodbye as I crossed the street to join my friends.
I could agree to meet the ‘sister’ but I wasn’t stupid enough to be left alone with two deadly vampires in a place free of humans. I didn’t want to get caught, and I had no idea if Ewan was believing in my new identity or not. Either way, Anastasia was cunning and she never liked me, so I was sure that my existence was something that she was rather eager to end.
16
DADDY ISSUES
AWKWARD WAS NOT THE EXACT word, but there wasn’t another one that would cover the moment I was experiencing right then. On one side of the table, Ewan and Anastasia, and on the other side, me, Francesca and Sebastien. Sebastien was one of my friends and Francesca’s love interest. I had other college friends in that pub, but my closest one was Francesca, and I was trying to bring her close to Sebastien.
“So, you are engaged,” I said, talking to Anastasia while staring at her big diamond ring.
“Yes.” Anastasia’s answer was short and dry as every single one of them until then. She wasn’t trying to conceal her bitchy personality. She didn’t like me, that was clear as crystal.
“He’s a really famous rock star,” Ewan said.
It peaked Francesca and Sebastien’s interest because they looked his way.
“Who?” Francesca asked.
“Ludovic Vogel,” Anastasia answered, slightly shrugging as if it wasn’t a big deal.
“Oh my God! He’s a really famous German rock star,” Francesca said with a twinge of awe. Anastasia smiled and nodded. “Where did you two meet?”
“I saw him perform in a concert and I went backstage to tell him how much I had loved his music,” Anastasia said with a mild, interested voice. “He’s really famous in Germany but not so much in Europe. Though, his band is planning to release a CD in English.”
“Do you speak German?” It was Sebastien’s turn to ask.
“A bit, we lived a few years there,” she shared. “It’s a lovely country. A bit cold for my taste. People are a lot more fun here. Though, I miss Paris. It’s Ewan’s favorite city and there’s always something different happening.”
I almost rolled my eyes at her words since Ewan didn’t like Paris at all. The only place he was happier was in America. But I tried to ignore the stinging sensation inside my chest and pretend to be interested in what Anastasia had to say.
“You must have traveled a lot,” Francesca said with widened eyes. “I would love to get out of Italy.”
“You could visit France,” Sebastien said with a dazzling smile.
I smirked at those two, but I don’t think Francesca understood the implication of his words.
Sebastien was attractive. He had brown hair and brown eyes, a charming dimpled smile and a slim build. Francesca wouldn’t shut up about him, and I tried to give her the courage to declare her attraction or love, whatever that was, to him, but she was extremely shy. I had already decided to give them a little push once I was done dealing with Ewan.
Francesca said with blushed cheeks, “My French is really bad. I’m a lot better at English.”
“Your English is remarkable,” Ewan praised, preventing Sebastien from talking again.
“My granny was American. She married an Italian and moved here. She always said she would take me to America, but she died a few years ago. My mom isn’t that interested in going to America, though.”
“We could try a semester in America,” Sebastien said. “Sarah could show us the place she lives.”
“Yes, that would be fun,” I agreed, pinching Francesca’s arm so she would stop being so blind to Sebastien’s attempts to show interest in spending time with her. “Besides, I’m sure that if you go to Paris, Sebastien will be more than happy to show you around and help you practice your French.” I gave them a lopsided grin, watching how Francesca blushed harder and Sebastien nodded vigorously. I pinched her again so she agreed.
She seemed to wake up. “I would like that.”
I put my arm around her shoulders, proud of her for being so brave. “So, when are you going to get married, Anastasia?” I asked her, deflecting the attention from Francesca.
“They are going to get married at the end of this month,” Ewan informed.
“But you are so young!” I made no effort to conceal the judgment in my tone.
“I think it’s romantic,” Francesca said, playing with her drink. Of course, she did. She was a romantic fool and believed in happy ever after. “You must have a lot of things to prepare. Have you decided on the wedding dress?” Francesca asked.
Anastasia nodded. “Yes, it’s extremely beautiful. Do you know Cymbeline?” Francesca and I shook our heads. “It’s a famous wedding dress designer brand from France. I had to fly to Marseille to try their dresses. But it was well worth it. First I thought I wanted something with an element of rock chick and a bit of structure and lace, but then I found Cymbeline’s website, and I fell in love with their collection which incorporates both modern styles with more traditional.”
“I love traditional long wedding dresses with a ballgown skirt paired with a fitted bodice,” Francesca shared.
“Oh, my god! We have similar tastes!” Anastasia shrieked in excitement. “I’m so in love with my dress!”
“She looks like a princess,” Ewan said to Anastasia’s delight. She grinned at him and tilted her head while playing with one of her curly strands of hair. She wasn’t trying to conceal her fascination for her supposed brother.
“You did help me pick it,” she told him with honeyed voice. “We are going to give a huge party. Everybody that is anybody is going to be there.”
“And your family?” Francesca questioned. “I imagine that your mom must be extremely happy and stressed about the wedding.”
“My mom died when I was a younger,” the vampire girl explained, putting on a sad face and holding on to Ewan’s hand. “Vincent has taken care of me ever since. It’s just the two of us.”
“Oh, I’m sorry about that,” Francesca said. “I didn’t know.”
Ewan glanced at me and took his hand from Anastasia’s. Placing her hand over her leg, he patted her shoulder in a clear sign of putting boundaries between them. “Let’s not talk about sad things.”
“I think you are brave to get married so young,” Francesca said. “You can’t be more than eighteen.”
“Age doesn’t matter when we know that we belong to someone. There’s no right age to get married,” the girl said. Francesca simply nodded.
“My parents married when they were eighteen and they are still happy together,” Sebastien joined the conversation, and Francesca’s eyes lit.
“I think it’s possible to love someone for a long time and want to spend eternity with him,” Anastasia claimed.
I stared at her with a fake smile on my lips. Good luck with that, it was all I was thinking since her words were obviously aimed at Ewan.
“Of course,” Ewan agreed, tapping paternally on her head to her annoyance.
She growled and moved his hand away, glaring at him, upset. That was strange. Francesca and Sebastien chuckled at their little fight, but I didn’t.
“You really act like brother and sister!” Sebastien said.
“No, we don’t,” Anastasia grumbled, glaring at us with murdering eyes. “We don’t even look alike!”
“Nastenka,” Ewan called her in an affectionate tone, which sent enraged feelings down my spine.
“Don’t call me that,” the girl pouted, folding her arms like the spoiled brat she was.
“Don’t be rude in front of our new friends,” he requested, putting his hand over her shoulder. She rolled her eyes. “She’s been a bit stressed these days because of the wedding, but she’s normally a nice person,
” Ewan said to us.
“I bet she is,” I said, smiling at the two of them and trying not to grit my teeth and throw up my dinner all over the table.
Ewan was acting like the perfect brother-slash-dad, and she was freaking out. The jealousy was getting the best of her. Plus, she was getting married, which I assumed was another scheme to make them win money from some poor bastard who had no idea in what he was getting himself into. Ewan was using Anastasia like he had used me. A means to an end, a pretty face to make him easy money. He was making me sick, and even if she was idiot enough to play his game, that didn’t make her innocent.
“Who wants to dance?” Francesca asked, excited when the DJ played a song that she loved.
European pubs had music, food, drink, and even a small dancefloor. They also had a buzzing and active nightlife, especially near the college area. There was always a themed party to attend with cheap alcoholic beverages and music to listen to and dance. I wondered how anyone had time to study.
“I would love to dance,” Anastasia declared, staring at her brother with pleading eyes. “Oh please, it’s been ages since we’ve gone out to dance.”
“Let’s all go to the dance floor then,” Ewan proposed, getting up and offering me his hand.
I was taken aback by that gesture, but Anastasia grabbed him first and took him away. I followed Francesca, who stared at me with pleading eyes because it was her opportunity to dance with Sebastien.
For the next hour, we danced in a circle while Anastasia tried to have Ewan’s attention and break the dancing group. But Francesca was having fun and Sebastien was dancing with us, so I wasn’t upset by Anastasia’s attempt to spoil the night. Ewan, on the other hand, was getting frustrated.
When we got back to the table, Anastasia pretended a headache, so she could take Ewan away. He had tried to make her leave by herself, claiming he would call a taxi so she could go back to their place, but she was not that easy to convince. She was set on making the night a nightmare and taking Ewan back home, far away from me. After twenty minutes of Ewan being caring and understanding with Anastasia, and her being demanding and spoiled, the vampires decided to go back home and leave the humans to their own fate.
Before he left, Ewan asked to talk to me in private. He looked eager, but I wasn’t that keen on listening to his lame excuses, so I ignored him. I was not even sure why he had brought his annoying lover to our date. What is he expecting? A threesome?
My head hurt by the time the dynamic duo left, and Francesca and Sebastien were too busy talking to each other after some drinks. I decided to leave those two alone, maybe things would happen between them if they kept flirting like that. They made a cute couple. In a perfect world, they would get married and have perfect chubby kids. In a perfect world, vampires wouldn’t exist and eternity wouldn’t be such a heavy burden. In a flawless world, I wouldn’t feel the need to get my revenge and spend my time listening to Anastasia’s annoying voice.
I left for home, walking the dark streets that would take me to my apartment. I had some drinks, nothing concerning, and my stomach was feeling better. I was still trying to adjust to the need to eat food. I still needed blood, the food wasn’t enough to keep me going, but Galvin was enthusiastic about the last blood tests. Thinking about him made me feel warm and fuzzy. It had been two days since we were together. I missed him.
Before I could open my front door, I received a text message from Ewan. He was apologizing for leaving so soon and for Anastasia’s behavior. I couldn’t care less, but his message meant that he was into me and that was why Anastasia was so damn possessive and annoyed.
I didn’t reply to his text message. A few minutes later, when I was drinking my warm blood from a mug, I received another one, asking me to go out with him. One minute later, I replied affirmatively to him. Seconds after, he tried to call me. I was in no mood to talk on the phone, so I ignored his call. Another message, another reply, Ewan’s wounded pride surfaced by my option not to talk to him on the phone. I ended that situation by texting him I was tired and I wanted to sleep.
Playing hard to get was paying off, and it was driving him insane. I was going to sleep like a baby, no doubt about it. I could only hope that he spent the night turning in his bed, sleepless. The other option was screwing Anastasia to make her happy and ease her temper. I didn’t like that option. The mug flew against the wall across the living room and broke into pieces.
Ewan was planning to marry her off to some rich guy, so he could get rid of her. She wasn’t happy about it, but that was the excuse he was using to get money and look for another lover. I had the feeling Anastasia wasn’t going to keep playing nice for long, and she was going to try something against me. I could play the helpless human and damsel in distress. Wouldn’t it be grand if Ewan would turn on her and choose me? That was my plan all along. Maybe things would happen faster than I hoped for.
17
JEALOUSY
GALVIN WASN’T HAPPY, unsurprisingly. He wanted me to end my sabbatical vacation and go back to killing monsters, demons, and vampires. Things were complicated, and they needed me. My absence was making him work harder and to train more men to replace the ones they were losing. They had good hunters, but I was a powerful sorceress. I could catch vampires without having to kill them. He had to go out on patrols to use his powers to capture the newborns and the ones that were killing indiscriminately. Since they needed me so much, I was planning to ask for a raise, but I was betting that he would just ignore me and then hit me with ‘it’s our duty card’.
I was missing him terribly. The past week, we didn’t have time to meet. That was the worst part. But we exchanged phone calls and even opened our mind-link to share our days. Building portals and teleporting were out of the question since it was a waste of energy, and he shouldn’t drain his powers. The nights full of passionate sex were out of the question, too. All we could do was exchange witty comments and some mellow romantic words. I was trying not to talk about what was going on with Ewan since he would get jealous and we’d just end up fighting. It always ended the same way, with him pushing me to kill Anastasia and Ewan and go back home, back to his arms, and me reasoning with him, explaining my plan wasn’t over yet.
Men. They are all possessive and hardheaded, no matter how old and how liberal they claim to be. Also, the absence of sex was making us grumpy, and we had different ways of seeing things in what concerned Ewan and Anastasia. Guess we were better at making love than agreeing about everything. He was used to giving orders and having everybody follow them. I was used to doing whatever I wanted. It was my personal life, so his orders were pointless. That was enough to put him in a bad mood.
My life with him would be dreamy if I wasn’t on a revenge quest that included flirting countless hours with a guy who Galvin believed I still had feelings for.
* * *
Four days had passed since the last time I had seen Ewan. At least, since he had shown himself to me because he had been following me. He had spent two entire days without giving signs of life and had canceled our date when he has been the one proposing it. Anastasia had changed his mind, no doubt about it. I was giving him the silent treatment when he called back to go out again. My excuse was that I was busy, but then I called him to schedule a date just to cancel it, moments before the date. I didn’t explain why I canceled, I just said I couldn’t make it. He must have been furious about it. Furious was good, I wanted to get on his nerves.
It was very late in the night when I arrived at my apartment.
“Sarah,” Ewan called me, appearing from nowhere.
I didn’t expect him to show up, even if I had the feeling that he was watching me from afar. Therefore, I looked back, startled, with one hand against my chest.
“What are you doing here?” I asked in an unfriendly tone.
“I tried to call, but you didn’t pick up!”
“Yes,” I said prolonging the s as if I was recalling it, and had totally forgotten. “I saw your twent
y missed calls and the three messages.”
“We had a date,” he said with his hands stuck in his pockets, and eyes piercing into mine.
“Did I forget to cancel?”
“Why didn’t you answer my calls or text messages?”
I had to continue to show indifference, but it was a bit difficult since my eyes were trying to undress him. He had dressed casually as always, but that black sweatshirt was flattering on him. He looked pale, though. I tried to focus on my next words. I shouldn’t drool every time I saw him. He was the personification of evil on Earth. It was just ironic that, like Lucifer, Ewan had the face and body of an angel.
“I was busy,” I answered, turning my back on him and unlocking my door to enter. “It’s late. Can we talk tomorrow?”
“No! I want to talk now,” he said, holding on to my arm and pulling me inside the apartment.
Blood raced through my veins, and I felt trapped. He was losing patience and wasn’t trying to conceal it.
18
THE CAT IS OUT OF THE BAG
EWAN CLOSED THE DOOR, letting go of my arm. Trying to calm myself, I put down my purse and removed my coat. I was wearing a sexy, short black dress, which wasn’t left unnoticed by his inquisitive eyes.
“Were you on a date?” he questioned.
I caught the trembling darkness threating to take over his eyes. It meant he was extremely pissed, and I was achieving my goal. He could be a womanizer and a prick but he wasn’t normally violent with his lovers. Unless he was planning to feed on them; sometimes, the hunger was such that he had killed a few.
I chased that knowledge away and acted as if he wasn’t a threat and didn’t scare me. He didn’t, I could take care of myself if he became violent, but I would have to blow my cover for that. Straightening up, I squared my shoulders and petulantly stared at him. “Yes. Why?”
Ewan stepped back as if he had been hurt, or probably because he couldn’t imagine someone missing a date with him to be with another man. I had wounded his pride. I thought he would just turn around and leave to never come back, but he just kept looking at me.