by Tish Thawer
I was glad that Evangeline was no longer blaming my mother for what had happened.
"I know this will be hard to deal with, and I'm sorry for having to put you through this, but it's obvious that Terrance is the one who killed your mother," Evangeline stated.
I sank down to the floor and let Christian wrap me in his arms. I had seen this coming from a mile away, but it still devastated me. I just couldn't understand why he'd done it. Terrance had always treated my mom like something he cherished, so why did he end up killing her instead? Something just didn't seem to be adding up.
Once I regained my balance, I explained that even though he did seem to be the obvious choice, I just couldn't believe that Terrance had been the one to kill my mom.
"Honey, you have to face the facts. Terrance was addicted to the taste of your mother's blood. You said yourself that he told you it was unlike anything he had ever tasted before. He could have easily followed her home after feeding from her one night and found out where you lived and then returned whenever he wanted. I'm sure that as the poison spread, the need for her blood became more and more prominent. He probably just broke into your house to feed from your mom and finally lost control. Rose, I'm sorry, but you have to agree that it's the obvious answer and makes perfect sense." Christian had sped through his explanation. But he was right. Everything that he was telling me had wrapped my mom's death up in a nice little bow. Mystery solved.
After a few moments of silence, I resigned myself to face the facts. "I guess you're right. But what I don't understand is why he didn't come back for me."
* * * * *
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Regrets
(Jeremy/Dad)
Meredith's and my night had been a whirlwind of passion, but when I woke up to find her sprawled in my bed with her blonde hair spilling over my dead wife's pillow, it had sent a jolt straight through my heart. We had slept together before and spent the night with each other multiple times, but it had always been at her apartment in Masen. So waking up here, in the bed that I had shared with my wife for years, was something that I clearly hadn't prepared myself for. I suddenly started to have major regrets and a major change of heart.
"Meredith, I have to go pick up Rose. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave." I knew it sounded rude, and I realized that I was taking the coward's way out by using Rose as my excuse to get rid of her. But in reality, I just couldn't bring myself to look at the woman that reminded me of Loraine for a moment longer.
I really don't know what I was thinking by getting involved with her in the first place. Rose was right. I had obviously gravitated towards Meredith because of her looks and how she had reminded me of Loraine. I guess I had been using her to fill the gap that my wife's death had left in my soul.
"I don't have to be back in Masen until tomorrow. Are you sure you don't want me to stick around? I could help explain things between us to Rose, if you'd like." I could see that she was truly trying to be helpful, but I suddenly just couldn't stand the thought of her being around my only daughter.
"No. Thank you, but I really need to speak to Rose alone." I was already heading towards the shower as I took in the hurt expression on her face.
"Jeremy, is everything okay? Have I done something wrong?" Her voice was filled with trepidation.
"Of course not. I'm just anxious to pick up Rose and clear the air between us. I'm sorry if it offends you, but this is something that I need to do alone." I was starting to get angry that I had to justify the fact that this was between me and my daughter. Yes, I knew it concerned her since she was part of the reason Rose had run off in the first place, but since I currently thought that our arrangement was quickly coming to an end, I just couldn't muster up the energy needed to make her feel better.
"Look, Meredith. I'm grateful for the time we've spent together, but after seeing Rose's reaction at the café, it's clear to me that I have rushed into this. I think it would be best if we stopped seeing each other until I can get things settled between Rose and me and truly figure out how I'm feeling." I turned to continue my escape into the bathroom, and that's when I heard the crash.
Seeing the broken vase on the floor alerted me to just how angry she was. "You have got to be kidding me! After everything that I have gone through to be with you, you're going to let your daughter dictate how our relationship is going to go?" She was kneeling on the bed completely naked, which should have been enough of a distraction, but what really had my attention locked in place was the glowing red color that was emanating from her eyes.
* * * * *
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Nowhere To Go
(Rose)
"I'm not sure why Terrance didn't come back to kill you, Rose. It's a completely logical question, but I'm not sure that we will be able to get you an answer to it." Evangeline explained that because of the poison, Terrance was unable to focus on any of the time he'd spent with my mom, the demon. And now that he'd drifted permanently dark and seemed to only have malicious tendencies, Evangeline didn't think that he would be in a sharing mood, even if he could access the memories.
"Couldn't we at least try? Maybe if he sees me and realizes that his deception is no longer a secret, he would open up about it." I couldn't imagine leaving here without some answers.
After hesitating briefly, Christian stood up and took my hand. "I'll take Rose down to question Terrance if you want to stay here and explain to everyone what's happening."
"I'm not sure that's a good idea. You saw how he launched himself at me last night, and I know that he would have attacked Tori earlier if she had gotten any closer." Evangeline was clearly concerned that Terrance was a threat to both Christian and me.
"We won't get close to the cell. Besides, he's still in chains and has nowhere to go. I think it's important that I be the one to escort Rose to see him." Christian's eyes narrowed while he took in Evangeline's concerned expression. It was clear that the two were having some sort of private communication.
"All right. Come straight back up through my office once you're done. And for God's sake, whatever happens, please make sure you stay out of his reach." Evangeline hugged me and then quickly exited her office, leaving Christian and me standing alone, still holding hands.
"I can't tell you how sorry I am that this is happening to Terrance, and apparently it's all my mom's fault." It was still a hard pill to swallow, but obviously one that I was going to have to get used to.
"Oh, Rose, none of this is your mother's fault. Not really. It seems to me that Terrance just happened to cross paths with her at the pool. Honestly, it could have easily been any one of us." He lifted my face by gently placing his finger under my chin. "I don't blame your mother or you for anything that has happened. And to be really honest, I'm just so happy to hear that you want to become a vampire like me. The thought of spending eternity with you makes me happier than you can imagine." He bent down and kissed me softly.
I didn't have the words to express how relieved I felt. When this whole fiasco had started, I wasn't sure he was going to forgive me for keeping the truth from him. But now we were both excited to move forward with our lives. I threw my arms around his neck and increased the intensity of our kiss.
"Come on. We have to get down to Terrance and get this over with before the club starts to get busy." He led me over to the book case behind Evangeline's desk and proceeded to push a button under one of the shelves. The bookcase separated, revealing a staircase that led down into a white tiled hallway.
Once we made our way into the rising pit, he led me in the direction of Terrance's cell. I was nervous to see him again, especially now knowing everything I did.
"Are you sure you're going to be up for this? You've experienced quite a few shocks tonight already." Christian stopped and rubbed his hands up and down my arms.
"Yes, I'll be fine. I have to do this." I was tougher than people gave me credit for, and I was about to prove it.
As we rounded the e
nd of the hall and finally came to rest in front of Terrance's cell, we found him sitting on the floor, his back against the wall. His hands and feet were still cuffed in chains. Once he looked up and caught sight of me, he immediately jumped to his feet.
"Obviously you recognize Rose, and the fact that she's here in our pit should be a pretty good indication that your secret is out of the bag." Christian's voice held a sharp tone that had obviously set Terrance on edge. With wide eyes, he frantically kept looking back and forth between the two of us.
"Terrance, why did you lie to me?" I guess if Christian was going to play the bad cop, I was supposed to play the good cop. Not that I wanted to, mind you. I would much rather be playing the bad cop right now. Because honestly, seeing his gorgeous face again and now knowing that he'd been playing me this whole time, pissed me off more than I could explain. It actually felt like I was fighting a rising tide of lava that was preparing to explode from within me.
"I'm sorry, Rose. I think she somehow made me do it." Terrance sounded so...normal. I had expected him to be foaming at the mouth and maybe yelling and screaming. But instead, he sounded like his old self: the nice vampire that had opened up my little sheltered world to one of imaginary creatures and the possibility of eternal life.
"What are you saying? She made you lie to me, or she made you kill her?" I wasn't letting him off the hook that easily.
As I waited for his response, I noticed Christian tilting his head with a curious look spreading across his face. I refused to discuss anything in front of Terrance, so I left it for later. "So tell me. Exactly what did my mother make you do?"
"Your mother? What are you talking about?" I guess it was true. The demon blood truly did have a masking effect on Terrance's thoughts and memories.
Unable to control my rage a second longer, I went to take a step towards him when Christian grabbed my arm and shook his head.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about you son of a bitch. You fed from my mother and her demon blood infected you. Then you lied to me about everything. Everything you told me about vampires was a complete load of shit. You never had any intention of changing me, since obviously–YOU CAN'T!" I was shaking with anger by the time I was done and I sunk back into Christian's embrace.
After staring at me for a few seconds, Terrance shook his head. He slid back down to the floor. "I did feed from your mother, and yes, I lied to you. I lied to everyone. But you're wrong...your mom wasn't a demon and I didn't kill her...I loved her."
* * * * *
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Revelation
(Rose)
After Terrance's revelation, Christian pulled me away from the cell. It was probably because I was dangerously close to losing my temper.
"Why are we leaving? We were just starting to get somewhere." I was desperate to know what Terrance had to say about the events surrounding my mom, especially the part where he'd said she wasn't the demon and that he'd loved her. What the hell?
"I need to talk to Evie before we continue. There is something else going on here, and even though it's still unclear to me, I think it's important to let her know what Terrance has said."
We entered Evangeline's office through the bookcase and then waited for it to close before heading out into the club. It was pretty clear that Christian thought what Terrance had said was somehow important, but I didn't understand why.
After pulling me through the crowd by our clasped hands, Christian approached Dax. "Where's Evie?" Dax almost flinched at the stoic tone in Christian's voice.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm not sure, but I just need to find Evie to discuss something, so where is she?" Christian eased up on the tension a little.
"She's feeding upstairs." Dax looked at me as he said it, probably to gauge my reaction.
Christian only nodded in Dax's direction then proceeded to pull me up the stairs. "Do you want to wait outside?"
I raised my eyebrows at him. Obviously it was going to take everyone a little time to adjust to the fact that they didn't have to hide things from me anymore."I've watched Terrance feed from my mom tons of times, so if it's okay with Evie, I'd like to come."
I loved the look that filled Christian's eyes as he leaned down to kiss me. "There is no way for me to put into words how happy it makes me to finally be able to share every aspect of my life with you."
"I feel the exact same way." I kissed him back, trying to show him exactly how happy our newfound honesty made me. "I can't wait until all this is over and we can actually start seeing each other on a regular basis again." I knew that right now wasn't the time to discuss it, but the idea of Christian spending the night and day with me in my new apartment was like a little slice of heaven.
"We'd better get in there to tell Evie what happened or else I'm going to drag you into one of these private rooms and finish what we started the last time I was here." I slid my hands down his chest and I bit my lower lip in an effort to stop myself from kissing him again.
"You're right. But very soon, I will be getting you alone." His voice had that sexy, gravely quality that never failed to make me melt.
Christian stepped toward the curtained entrance and lightly called out, "Evie, may we enter? I have some news."
Silence reigned for only a split second. "Yes Christian. Please come in."
I have to admit, when we entered the room I had been a little nervous as to what I was going to see. Watching as Terrance fed from my mom was one thing. It had definitely taken some time to get used to, but after seeing how it really didn't hurt her in any way, it had gotten easier.
I was pleasantly surprised to find Evie sitting on the velvet couch with her visitor's wrist pressed to her mouth. She had a little handkerchief that she used to dab the corners of her mouth as she pulled his arm away. She made it look so civilized, so pleasant, and for the first time since learning of their existence, I actually wondered what it would be like to be fed from.
"What news do you have for me?" Evie asked. Her visitor stood up and silently exited the room, leaving the three of us alone.
"Terrance recognized Rose and didn't try to deny it when he saw her. But the really interesting part is that when Rose questioned him about her mom, he was able to focus on the memories and actually told us that she wasn't the demon and that he didn't kill her, but that he had actually been in love with her."
The confused look on Evie's face resembled the jumbled mess of thoughts that was currently rattling around in my head. I didn't see how this meant anything other than Terrance was still obviously lying to everyone.
"That is extremely interesting and disconcerting at the same time." Evie stood and started pacing the luxurious room.
"No offense, but what in the hell does that mean?" I was getting tired of feeling like I was being left in the dark.
"Whenever I question Terrance about the woman I see in his thoughts, the one he was feeding from, the images are always blocked or fuzzy. When you told us that Terrance had been feeding from your mom it just seemed clear that your mom was the demon. But now I'm not so sure. Because if she had been the demon, he wouldn't have been able to focus or talk about her in any way."
"What? I don't understand. You said that my mom was the demon and that feeding from her is what caused Terrance to drift dark and do the things he's been doing. Now you're saying that it wasn't my mom?" I would be absolutely thrilled if it turned out my mom wasn't to blame, but it still didn't clear up all the questions as to who was responsible and how it was connected to my mom's death.
"What exactly did Terrance say?" Evie returned to couch, sat down, and crossed her legs.
"He said, 'I did feed from your mother, and yes, I lied to you. I lied to everyone. But you're wrong...your mom wasn't a demon and I didn't kill her...I loved her'." Christian's verbatim account of what Terrance had told us seemed to leave Evie with even more to think about.
"There's something else." Christian's statement had me on high alert. I couldn't imagine w
hat he was going to say, since Terrance hadn't said anything else to us.
"What is it?" Evie asked. She was apparently just as curious as I was.
"I think my new ability, the one you said I'm developing, somehow worked while we were with Terrance. I can't explain it, but for some reason, I just know that Rose's mother wasn't the demon. Terrance was telling the truth."
* * * * *
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
True Love
(Jeremy/Dad)
The moment I spun around to face Meredith's rage I swore that her eyes had been glowing red. But once I refocused, it was clear that it had only been a play of light from the red vase that she'd smashed on the floor. The sun was streaming in through the bedroom windows and had apparently hit the vase just right, lighting up her face in scary relief.