Finding comfort in the teenage vixen’s protective nature, I curiously asked Gabriel, “Why is the sun harmful to vampires anyway? I’ve never understood that.” That one myth had always seemed a little odd to me. What about being undead made the sun…unsavory?
Gabriel looked up from where my kids were listening to his silent chest. Tilting his head at me, his face back to scientific impartialness, he asked, “Have you ever heard of Solar Urticaria?”
I looked over at Teren, frowning. He was frowning too. “Um…no.”
Gabriel smiled softly, like he wasn’t surprised. “That is understandable. It is rare for humans.” He leaned forward again, the kids on either side of him mimicking his posture. “It is a condition in which exposure to ultraviolet radiation, and in some, even rarer cases, any sort of light, induces a case of hives all over the skin.”
He spread his hands out, the kids miming the motion. “All pureblood vampires suffer from a form of this condition…but a hundred times over the human variation. To them, any exposure is fatal, igniting the skin.” He shrugged, and my kids followed suit. Starla looked over, smirking at them. “In mixed, the effects are diluted, and usually fade by the third generation. In first, it is the most severe, causing immense pain and discomfit, even indirectly. In second, like myself, the direct sun can be tolerated in small doses.”
He leaned back, watching his tiny copycats as he did so. Smiling at them, he added, “Much like with the human version of this, no one truly understands why.” He looked back up at us, a small smile on his lips as he shook his head. “The body, vampiric or otherwise, is a miraculous and complicated thing.” He smiled wider. “Solving that puzzle is also on my to-do list.”
I laughed a little as I leaned into Teren’s side, both grateful that neither he nor I, nor our children, suffered from the rare trait that the other vampires did; it pushed us all that much closer to the normal end of the spectrum. Watching Gabriel take a moment to explain to the children how their hearts worked to pump their non self-propelling human blood, I was also grateful that the vampiric community had this brilliant man among them, striving to solve their limitations.
Looking out our wall of windows that faced the Pacific ocean, offering a sunset to die for, no pun intended, I also considered the flip side of Gabriel’s research. If he did succeed in blocking vampire’s limitations, they would be more prevalent among the human race. And the human race, like it or not, was right at the top of their dinner menu. A shudder running through me, I was warmed by the idea that the vial that was keeping me alive had been a five hundred year project for Gabriel. It could be several centuries before vampires roamed free under the sun, maybe a few millennia even.
Gabriel and Starla stayed until the magnificent sunsets our home afforded filled the living room windows. They sat on the couch and talked with us while we all enjoyed a plasma nightcap. Starla winced over our blood choice, preferring wild animals to “tame” mindless cattle, but Gabriel sipped his respectfully, the whole while asking our kids a wide variety of questions.
He fixated most on their ability to feel each other, asking one child what the other liked or disliked. When Julian would heatedly tell him that Nika hated broccoli, Gabriel would smile and shake his head, amazed by the connection that they shared. It made me slightly uneasy, watching him run a mini-experiment right in front of me, but he wasn’t hurting or bothering them with the questions, so I let it continue.
Once the sun was nearly extinguished from the sky, he rose. Starla rose with him, muttering, “Finally.” Gabriel raised a pale eyebrow at her, his face stone-like in its disapproval. She instantly bowed her head. It was a little submissive for my taste and the feministic side of me wanted to tell Starla not to do that. He may be her elder, but he wasn’t her master. But, the L.A. group all deferred to Gabriel, calling him Father. And even though Starla could be stubborn and childish at times, she clearly worshipped the man and knew her place. I had the horrid feeling that if he commanded her to kneel and kiss his feet, she would.
He didn’t though, he only turned away from her silent chastisement and twisted to us, a warm smile on his face. I let the knowledge of his power fade as I shook his hand. He wasn’t one to abuse his position. He never insisted on people calling him Father, he never asked for adulation. All he seemed to ask for from those around him was a level of respect, to him and equally, to others. The odd cult-like glorification seemed to come more from his followers, than from Gabriel himself.
The world was lucky that Gabriel didn’t desire it. Given the proper incentive, I was sure this powerful mixed vampire could do just about anything.
Clasping Teren’s hand, he warmly said, “It’s been a pleasure speaking with you again, Teren. I always look forward to our visits.”
Teren smiled as he returned the firm shake. “As do I, Gabriel.”
Gabriel’s eyes shifted to me, running up and down my body. It wasn’t sexual in any way, merely a doctor surveying the health of his patient. Cocking an eyebrow at me, he asked, “Any side effects from your daily dosage?”
Knowing that he meant the life-giving shot I gave myself in the hip each day, I shook my head. “No, I feel great.” I patted my chest, my heart. “All is well.” He nodded at hearing it, not looking surprised by my answer.
Starla beside him shifted impatiently, obviously eager to leave what she clearly considered a dump. Knowing that Gabriel wouldn’t leave the city without dropping by the ranch to see Halina, I bit my cheek to hide the smile. I had to imagine that Starla would be doing a lot of sighing and eye rolling this evening. The price you paid when you chauffeured your father around.
Nika and Julian, starting to yawn as their long days caught up with them, clutched at Gabriel’s legs. “Stay, Grandpa,” Nika whined.
Julian immediately chimed in with, “Stay, Grandpa, stay.”
Gabriel smiled and rumpled their hair. “I wish I could, children, but your grandmother is waiting for me.” He tilted his head and raised his eyebrows, his face amused as he stared down at our miniatures before him. “I wouldn’t want to disappoint her, now would I?”
Sighing, both children finally let him go, whispering soft goodbyes that almost had a tearful tone to them. Scooping them each up in an arm, the weight almost unnoticeable with my strength, I kissed each soft head.
Gabriel smiled warmly at them, then he and Starla both headed to the door, Starla looking like she wanted to blur right through it. Teren and I said our goodbyes again, our children softly mimicking us, and Gabriel paused with his hand on the doorknob. Looking back at us, his gaze locked on Teren’s.
“Before I forget, Halina had me looking into finding someone for you. She was a little difficult to locate, living in a rather isolated rural area, but I did and I’ve sent her to you.” He looked up at the sky, almost like he was searching for this person in the minute cracks of our ceiling. Dropping his gaze back to Teren, he shrugged. “Assuming all went well, she should be getting on a plane sometime this evening.”
Teren’s brows drew into a point. Mine did too. I had no idea who he was talking about. Teren, following my mental path, asked, “Who are you talking about?”
Gabriel straightened, releasing the door. Starla sighed, her perfectly styled, chunky-haired head falling backwards with a light groan.
Ignoring her, Gabriel took a step towards us. “Miss Davids…Carrie. I found her, and had her sent to you.”
My heartbeat increased as that name passed his ancient lips. Teren instinctually reached out for me, his arm encircling my waist. I hadn’t heard that name in awhile and the shock of it still stung a little bit. Not that there was anything wrong with the woman herself, I’d only met her once and she’d been perfectly pleasant about the whole thing, but she had an intimate history with my husband. A history that she still remembered. She remembered everything about him, right down to the pale eyes, dark hair, and love of writing. No one was allowed to remember my husband that clearly, but because he’d hidden her from his family,
she did. And he’d hidden her…because he’d knocked her up. It still surprised me sometimes, that Teren had almost been a teen father.
We’d struggled to conceive in time and he’d already successfully done it once. That still blew my mind a little. But she’d lost the baby and they’d been split apart. The part of me that could look at the situation objectively saw how much that entire thing had hurt Teren. He’d lost the first love of his life because she’d been ripped apart from him. They’d never really had their moment of closure, just a tragedy that hadn’t ended well for either of them. I think that was the real reason Teren wanted to find her; he wanted closure. He wanted to let his past die, so he could freely relish his future, with me.
Plus, he’d never told her what he was, and he wanted to. Before he had her mind wiped of all trace of him, he wanted to finally confess what he’d hidden from her for so long. He just needed that moment of release, and I was going to let him have it.
While I watched the emotion slide over Teren’s face, I thought about Gabriel finding her. Then I thought about his last comment. Shifting my head back to where he was intently watching Teren, I asked, “What do you mean, you had her ‘sent’ to us?” How exactly does one send a person?
Gabriel’s perfectly green eyes swung to me. “I had her compelled to come back to Teren.” His eyes shifted back to Teren’s as his eyebrows rose. “You did need to see her, correct?”
Teren nodded, then frowned. “You had her compelled? By a vampire?”
Gabriel nodded, like it was no different than having takeout delivered by a restaurant. “Yes. I knew one in the area, and had him pay her a visit.”
Teren stepped forward, concern clear in his features. "A visit?”
Gabriel furrowed his brows and crossed his arms over his chest. “He was under instruction to not harm her, if that is your concern.” Gabriel almost seemed offended that Teren would even consider that possibility.
Teren shook his head but Gabriel beat him to it. “The vampire was a friend, and trustworthy. I told him to send her to your address as soon as possible.” His eyes swept down to the children laying their heads on my shoulders, nearly asleep as I held them. “I did not think you would want to fly to the northeast corner of Maine.” He looked between the both of us, his eyes inquisitive. “I suppose I could have her turned around, if you’d rather go to her?” He tilted his head. “Perhaps I could watch the kids for you…while you’re gone?”
Starla popped a bubble, breaking the sudden tension in the air. Gabriel twisted his lips, then held his hand out. She sighed, but immediately put her gum in his palm. Teren shook his head. “No, no, she’s already on her way.” He smiled lightly. “I’m just…shocked, I guess. You caught me by surprise, that’s all."
Gabriel relaxed his position and nodded. Smiling softly, he said, “Well, I wouldn’t worry about her safety. I can nearly guarantee that she wasn’t harmed in any way.” Nodding softly at us, he twisted to open the door. “Enjoy the remainder of your evening, Teren…Emma.”
I nodded distractedly, fixated on the word “nearly” and said, “You too, Gabriel.”
A wry smile lit his beautiful face. “Thank you, Emma. I plan on a very…enjoyable evening.”
I flushed, remembering exactly where he was going and he laughed a little before exiting our home, taking the complaining Starla with him.
Chapter 6
Letting Go
Teren checked the flight times between Maine and California after we put the kids to bed. There was nothing direct, and with multiple layovers, and the hour or so flight from L.A. to San Francisco, the earliest she could show up was six or seven in the morning. But we really didn’t know how long the vampire Gabriel sent would take to find her and compel her. And we didn’t know if he’d told her to go home first and get some stuff, or if he’d just run into her on the street and told her to leave town. Hopefully the man was nice enough that he let her make some arrangements before she left. I’d feel horribly guilty if she lost her job because some vamp compelled her to haul up and abandon her responsibilities.
Teren wasn’t happy that she’d been “forced” into making such an arduous trip, but I think the real reason for his snippiness as we lay in bed, was the fact that he was nervous about seeing her. While I’d briefly met her a few years ago, when I was pregnant, Teren hadn’t seen her since high school. And the meeting was going to be an emotional one, I was pretty sure of that.
Sighing irritably, he snapped shut his computer and flung it on a chair. “It would be nice to know exactly what flight she was on, so we could meet her at the airport.”
I rolled over on my side, placing a hand on his stomach; the muscles under his shirt were tense, even relaxing in bed. “It will be okay, Teren. Gabriel had her compelled to come all the way to you. She’ll make it here.”
He looked over at me, swallowing. “I’m sorry you have to go through this.”
I blinked at him, sitting up on my elbow. The long strands of my hair curved around my arm and his fingers came up to stroke one; I could hear the silkiness sliding along his skin. “You’re sorry for me? Why? This is going to be hard on you…not me.”
He sighed softly, his eyes searching my face. I could see the guilt in his features and stroked my thumb over his cheek. “You are going to watch me reconnect with the first woman that I ever slept with, a woman that I accidentally got pregnant… I can’t imagine that you’re thrilled about it.”
Pulling back a little, I twisted my lips. “Well, when you put it like that.”
He exhaled heavily and turned his head from me, flopping the hand that had been stroking my hair over his eyes. I turned his face back to me, removing his arm. “I was joking. I know what this means for you, how difficult it is. I’m not going to let some petty jealousy stop me from being there to support you.”
He shook his head, relaxing back into his pillows. “I’m still sorry. I should have taken care of this years ago.”
My hand drifted from his face down his chest, lingering on his silent heart. “Yes, you should have.” He frowned and I quickly added, “But I understand why you didn’t.” Sidling close to him, my other hand brushed the hair from his forehead. He smiled, slipping a cool arm around my waist. “You wanted someone important to you, to remember what you had together. That’s very…human of you.”
He smiled wider, pulling on my back. Knowing what he wanted, I lowered myself to his lips. Maybe it was his nerves, maybe it was the conversation, but he immediately shifted into I-want-sex mode and gently grabbed my head, angling me so our kiss was a deeply heated one. His other hand ran down over my backside, squeezing gently.
Grinning into his mouth, I wrapped my legs around his. He groaned as my hips pressed into his side, then shifted my body, pulling me on top of him. His breath heavier as we kissed, he muttered, “You’re all I need, Emma. You’re the only one I need to remember me.”
I groaned as his hands pulled my ready body into his ready body. Hearing the breathy sounds of light slumber coming down the hall, my body ramped up its response. I wouldn’t need to tone this down with our super-hearing children asleep. Grinding my hips into his, I mumbled, “I could never forget you, I will never forget you, husband.”
Panting as we simulated what we were both yearning for, I heard a light whimper escape his lips. His hands started frantically pulling down the light sleep shorts I was wearing. “Emma, I need you. I just really need you.”
Hearing the desperation in his voice, I helped his hands slide off my underwear. Not even bothering to shut off the light on his nightstand, we pulled off his pants and I settled myself over him. The word “please” passed his lips as his eyes closed in anticipation. Watching his face, I lowered myself onto him, groaning with relief as his coolness filled me. Even after all this time, it was still an incredible sensation.
As was my heat enclosed around him. His mouth fell open once we were connected. The desperation in his face relaxed, the rigidness in his muscles relaxing as well
. I leaned over his body as we began moving together. His eyes still closed, his face euphoric, his hands clenched and released my hips at a steadily increasing pace. Understanding what he was silently requesting, I matched my hips with that rhythm, clenching him internally as I did.
His head dropped back as he made a noise that I prayed our sleeping children didn’t hear. Attaching my lips to his neck, I whispered, “You like that, baby?” His only response was a quickly sucked in breath through his teeth. I let out my own groan that I prayed our little angels couldn’t hear.
Feeling my husband’s need beneath me made me feel even more connected to him. It nearly seemed that our bodies weren’t separate forms, working together for a common goal. No, for that moment we seemed like one body. That feeling got especially intense when his hands came up my back and clutched me to him. I wrapped my arms and legs around him, holding him just as hard. Then we both buried our faces in the other’s necks, crying out in unison as we came together.
Conversion Book Three: 'Til Death Page 11