by Tish Thawer
"I'm not sure either, but I'll tell you anything you want to know. If some vampire has been manipulating you then there is definitely something seriously wrong. And Rose, I think you need to tell Christian everything."
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CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Serious Problem
(Christian)
The moment I woke from my comatose sleep, I knew there was a serious problem within the clan. But I didn't expect it to be between Terrance and Tori.
Apparently Evie's idea for me to concentrate on my developing powers while I slept had worked, because when I woke the first thing I saw was a vision of Terrance sinking his fangs into Tori's neck.
I headed straight for Terrance's cell expecting the worst, but when I rounded the corner what I saw instead surprised me. Tori was actually walking towards Terrance's cell but she hadn't reached it yet. I guess my vision had been more like a premonition.
"Are you okay? What are you doing here?" I asked her.
"I'm going to ask Terrance a few questions of my own." The tone in her voice indicated that she was not happy. "I want to know who this demon bitch is, and I plan to find out even if it takes a bit of coercion." The baseball bat she produced from behind her back totally caught me off guard.
I guess she was planning to beat the truth of out Terrance. But thinking back to my "premonition," I knew it wasn't going to work out and would end with Terrance's fangs buried in her neck. "Tori, you can't do this. Evie commanded us to stay away from Terrance. I don't even know how you've made it this far, but there's no way I'm letting you put yourself at risk by entering that cell, so just forget it."
Seeing her tiny frame holding that bat was almost comical, but I knew better than to underestimate her. All vampires had preternatural speed and strength, and I knew that if it came to me fighting her off I would win, but I was sure she would put up a damn good fight.
Just as Tori stepped towards me, Evie and Dax turned the corner at the end of the hall. "Tori, stop right there." Evie's command rang in my ears. Tori stopped midstride and remained frozen until Evie reached her.
"I commanded you to stay away from Terrance, so why did you think you'd actually get close enough to him to use that bat?" Evie didn't sound angry, but I could tell it wouldn't take much to push her in that direction.
"When I walked past his cell tonight on my way to Dom's room I noticed that I was able to get really close despite your command. So I went back to my room and grabbed my bat and was just coming back to see if I could make him talk. Someone has to figure out what's going on." Tori's voice was rising and her hair and eyes had begun to drift.
She sounded so upset and I couldn't blame her. I knew she and Terrance had previously been involved, but I think what was really upsetting her had more to do with the fact that she really didn't want to be trapped inside the club, feeding from the same people over and over.
Tori had been raised in a very strict household, and while Dominique had enjoyed the life of a '20s flapper, Tori had been stuck at home, caring for their parents and doing most of the chores. Once their parents had passed away, they had lost their home and Evie found the girls wandering the streets together. Once Tori had awakened from the change, the freedom that came with being a vampire had set her heart to flight. She loved being outside, and I knew that was what she would miss the most.
"Honey, give me the bat. I know you want some answers and obviously think this is a good way to get them, but I promise you...you're wrong. Please don't risk yourself by doing something like this. Terrance will bite you, and then you'll be infected and will drift permanently dark. You know what I'll be forced to do if that happens." Evie held out her hand to take the bat from Tori.
Tori handed Evie the bat, then took a couple steps forward to stare at Terrance as he sat in his cell just glaring at us. "Terrance, can't you tell us anything about this woman? We just want to help you. Please, just tell us." Tori pleaded with him, but I knew it wasn't going to do any good.
He sat there silently just like I knew he would. Evie reached out and placed a hand on Tori's shoulder, and Tori turned and melted into Evie's embrace. As the two women walked off, Dax and I stood outside the cell staring at Terrance.
"Not that I'm ungrateful, but why were you here trying to stop Tori?" Dax asked.
"When I woke this evening, the first thing I saw was an image of Terrance sinking his fangs into Tori's neck." I shrugged my shoulders and started to make my way towards the stairs.
"So, I guess that Evie's right after all. You are the one being triggered. How do you feel about that?"
I wasn't sure how I felt about it, and I didn't really know what to say to Dax, but the stress of discussing it was immediately postponed as we reached the top of the stairs. As I emerged from the rising pit, I looked up and found Rose standing in the club...right next to Justin.
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CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Time for the Truth
(Rose)
After riding around with Justin, I learned that not only had Terrance lied to me, but that I had absolutely no way of becoming a vampire anytime soon. Apparently it was common knowledge between the clans that Evangeline had lost her ability to inflict the change. They were waiting on the next Sire to be triggered, but until then there was no way that I could be made a vampire.
Justin had also informed me that we would not be killed if we told Christian's clan that I was aware that vampires existed. He had explained that the only time a vampire is killed is if they drifted completely dark.
My brain was fuzzy from information overload, but once I had cleared my head I told Justin about Terrance coming out of the woods, Christian's reaction to him, and how he'd had really black hair and dark eyes.
He convinced me to go with him to the club so that we could tell Evangeline about what Terrance had been up to. Since my plan to surprise Christian was ruined and it didn't look like there was going to be a way around it anytime soon, I decided that Justin was right; it was time for the truth.
I was completely petrified about coming clean about what I knew, but for reasons that I couldn't explain, I truly felt that it was the right thing to do.
We arrived at The Rising Pit just before 8 p.m. The door was locked, but Justin knocked once, and Evie opened it with a surprised look on her face and escorted us inside.
"This is a surprise, Rose. I hadn't realized that you knew Justin. And how in the world did you get away to come visit us on a Sunday night? I know your father is quite strict regarding your schedule."
She was probably wondering if Justin had bit me and brought me to the club so I quickly answered. "Actually Evangeline, Justin brought me here because I have something important that I need to discuss with you and Christian." I tried to keep my voice level and my thoughts blank. I still wasn't going to let Evie poke around in my head, even if I was planning on telling her everything.
As Evie started to lead us to her office, Christian and Dax appeared from under the stage. The look on his face was one I'd never seen before. I couldn't tell if he was happy or angry at seeing me, but from the rapid drifting of his hair from blonde to brown and back again, I could tell that he wasn't exactly in control of his emotions.
I stared at him with my mouth gaping open, as I had only learned about drifting during my car ride with Justin. It was obvious why Terrance hadn't wanted to touch on that subject since it would have been apparent that he was one of the bad ones.
"Rose, what on earth are you doing here with him?" Christian didn't sound mad, but he continued to drift as he made his way over to me.
"I have something that I need to talk to you and Evangeline about. Can we please go into her office?" If I waited much longer to get this off my chest, I didn't think I was going to be able to do it.
Evangeline had already moved to hold the door to her office open. Christian grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips. It felt so good to be near him. It was a devastating blow to realize that my plans to become his
eternal love had been completely crushed within the last two hours.
"Rose, I'm going to wait in the car with Jillian if that's okay." Justin gave me a tight smile as he eased his way back outside.
The way Christian was looking at me was starting to freak me out. "Christian, don't worry. There is nothing going on between me and Justin. Just come on...I'll explain everything."
He closed the door as we entered Evangeline's office. Instead of her usual, casual demeanor, Evangeline had her hip propped on the corner of her desk and a bleak look on her face. "Rose, I'd be happy to hear what this is about, so please, without further delay, would you be so kind as to put Christian and my anxiety to rest?"
"I don't really know how to start, so I guess I'll just state the obvious. I know that you are all vampires." I paused and hoped that Justin was right in his assumption, that Evangeline wouldn't kill me for knowing their secret.
Christian and Evangeline stared at each other for a few seconds before Christian collapsed into the chair next to me. It took him another moment to turn his head and glare at me. "How? How do you know? And how long have you been lying to me?"
That was definitely a surprise, and not how I'd expected this conversation to go. His words hit me in the chest like a blow from a prizefighter. "I didn't lie to you. I just didn't tell you that I knew what you were." I had hoped that my confession would be a relief to him, but obviously it was not. "How and when I found out is the reason that I'm here."
Christian looked at me like I was a complete stranger. I had hoped that by me sharing Terrance's deception he would see this as a good thing in the end.
"I found out that vampires existed about seven and a half months ago. I was coming to meet my mom after one of her swim lessons and found a vampire feeding from her instead." I was so nervous to reveal who that vampire was, that in that instant I didn't know if I could do it.
But just then Evangeline moved off her desk and came to kneel in front of me. "Rose, just tell us everything that happened. I'm not angry with you and you are in no danger from anyone in my clan."
Even though it was Christian that I needed reassurance from, I was thankful to have received it from Evangeline as well. "Thank you. I never meant to deceive anyone. I was just trying to surprise Christian by becoming a vampire, so we could be together forever."
I was hoping that little revelation would soften Christian's opinion of the situation, and from the look he gave me it had worked, if only slightly. The emotions warring across his face were caught somewhere between love and complete disbelief. "How were you going do that Rose? Evie is the only one who can create new vampires."
"I know that now, thanks to Justin, but before I was told something different...by Terrance."
At that point Evangeline actually fell backwards, flat onto her ass. "I knew it!"
I continued in a rush, "I'm sorry I kept it from you, but he told me that if anyone found out that we knew each other or that I knew that vampires existed, that he and I would both be killed. I know now that wasn't true. As a matter of fact, I think everything he told me was a lie. But I just don't understand why he would lie to me. I'm so sorry that I didn't come to you sooner."
Evangeline picked herself up off the floor and leaned against her desk again. "Why don't you tell us exactly how you two met and everything that he told you about us?"
By the time I was done relaying all the lies and promises that Terrance had fed me, Christian and Evangeline both looked completely devastated. Evie had found it especially interesting that Terrance's price for this information was that he be able to continue feeding from my mom.
"I'm sorry if you feel I've lied to you, but I swear I had no idea that what he was telling me was a complete crock of shit. I only found out the truth of how things really worked tonight, and I have Justin to thank for that." I took a deep breath because I had never felt so exhausted in my life.
Evangeline smiled. "Rose, I don't blame you. Terrance was manipulating you, and I have a pretty good idea as to why."
* * * * *
CHAPTER THIRTY
Next Step
(Jeremy/Dad)
"I've called Jillian's house and her parents said that they haven't seen either of them." I didn't know what I was going to do if I didn't find Rose soon. I was so panicked about where she could be and all the bad things that could be happening to her that I had almost called the cops. But thankfully Meredith was there and was trying her best to keep me calm. She had made us some Chamomile tea in an effort to settle my nerves and continued to remind me that Rose was a big girl. Something that I had refused to see for several months now.
"I just can't believe that she ran off. I never imagined that she would actually leave and not come home." It was only about 9 p.m., but it was dark outside and with her last words ringing in my ears, "Maybe I'll see you at home," I was regretting everything that had happened between us.
"Jeremy, I'm sure she's fine. It's obvious that Jillian picked her up and since her parents said she hasn't broken her curfew yet, I'm sure the girls will return soon. I know you're regretting what happened today, but I really do think that everything will be okay."
"Thanks, Meredith. I know in my head that you're probably right, but it's convincing my heart that's the problem." I had started to calm down a bit and decided that I would try Rose's cell phone again, when suddenly my phone started ringing in my hand.
"Hello? Rose?"
"No, Jeremy, it's Adrienne Case. I spoke to Jillian and wanted to let you know that the girls are fine. They just finished having dinner with some friends and they asked if Rose could spend the night. I told them that would be fine, but I wanted to let you know in case you wanted to go pick her up instead."
I sat there, relief flowing through my veins like warm whisky. I tried to think what my next step should be. I was so grateful that Rose was okay, but my first instinct was to rush over there and pick her up immediately so that I could see her with my own eyes and continue to explain about Meredith. Then I realized that I should just be grateful Jillian had checked in with her parents. Rose was obviously needing some more time to process everything.
I turned to find Meredith beaming at me. There was no I told you so look on her face–just genuine relief and caring. "Thank you, Adrienne. I think it will help Rose to cool down if she can spend the night there, so I appreciate the hospitality. Please let her know that I will be by in the morning to pick her up."
"Sounds good, Jeremy. I'll let her know, and don't worry, I'm sure this will blow over soon. You two never fight and are as close as can be," she replied. Her response was exactly what I needed to hear.
Once I hung up the phone and reveled in the fact that my only daughter was safe, I turned to face Meredith once more. Suddenly I was overwhelmed with desire, and with Rose not coming home tonight it looked like I was going to break my own rule after all. "Thank you for staying with me through all of this. I never realized how much having you around truly grounded me." I walked to her, preparing to show her just how grateful I was. "Would you do me the pleasure of spending the night with me? Here in my home?"
"I thought you would never ask."
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CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Demon Downlow
(Rose)
I'm not sure exactly how many times I almost passed out while listening to Evangeline. She explained what had happened to Terrance, and the first instinct I had was to run away.
Infected by demon blood? How the hell was I supposed to process that? I thought I had handled the fact that vampires existed pretty well, but demons...come on.
And from what Evangeline was saying it was obvious they thought my mom was the zôt that had infected Terrance. I actually think I threw up in my mouth a little bit at that revelation.
"You have to be wrong! You have to be! There is no way that my mother was a fucking demon!"
"Rose, please just calm down. We'll figure this out." Christian was kneeling in front of me, rubbing his hands ov
er my thighs.
I loved that he wanted to help, but I was nowhere close to being consolable. After lifting his hands from my legs, I pushed out of the chair and started to pace. "How am I supposed to calm down? You just told me that you think my mom was a demon, but I'm telling you, there's just no way it's true. She was just my mom. A normal, everyday, suburban mom who taught swim lessons for a living and took care of me and my dad." My dad, oh my God, I wondered if he had any idea.
"Rose, we had initially thought that the woman who infected Terrance had done so maliciously, but from what you're telling us, it seems like it was a simple side-effect from him accidentally encountering her demon blood."