Alanna sighed and brushed aside a lock of my hair. “Yes. Grandma has looked through it before, but not with the same…intent.” She raised an eyebrow at me and I nodded. No, things were much different now. Things were much more serious. Alanna nodded as she watched me, then she frowned. “They haven’t found any leads yet.” I frowned as well and Alanna brought a palm to my cheek. “We won’t stop looking. We’ll find something.”
I nodded and looked down as Alanna kissed my forehead again. When she left the room, I continued on with my difficult phone calls.
My mother was next and just as I’d suspected, she wanted to spend every long, boring moment sitting in a chair beside my bed here at the ranch. I told her over and over that Imogen and Alanna had experience being midwifes, having helped their older sisters deliver children (also part of the cover story) and they had the free time to wait on me. My mother had a nine-to-five job and bills to pay. She couldn’t just drop everything for me. She protested, vehemently, and then I asked if she could help us out by watching Spike. That gave her pause. I told her the girls here were allergic to dogs (since I couldn’t tell her that Halina had a sweet tooth for them. Not that she would do that to Teren, but no need to tease her with him being under foot all of the time) and it would really help if we knew he was being taken care of.
After long pauses and exaggerated sighs, she finally agreed to take him. Honestly, with Ashley moved out, I think my mom was getting lonely. While she was worried about me, I think my news had just made her day. After more details on the accident, which I had to have Alanna fill me in on before I could tell her (and they mainly involved us getting rear ended, nothing too dramatic, but enough to jumpstart labor), and my mom asking if I’d been hurt, (I told her my neck hurt a bit, which was true), we finally said our goodbyes, Mom assuring me that she’d be up often, especially the closer I got to the births.
I didn’t say anything to that. I couldn’t think that far ahead, not without crying, or panicking, or both.
I took a break after that, having a light, bloody lunch with Alanna in the kitchen while Jack took care of ranch stuff in the fields. She flitted out to help him throughout the day, but had to take breaks from the sun if it was too nice out. Today was sunny and bright, a beautiful ‘spring is just around the corner’ day, so she’d been spending a lot of time indoors.
We talked about inconsequential stuff while we ate. She seemed to understand that I’d had enough tough conversations already and I really didn’t want to have any more. I thanked her for the sandwich, and the glass of fresh blood, and made my way back to the library to make more hard phone calls.
My next two, both happened to be at my work. Opting for the easier of the two, I called Tracey’s direct line first. She picked up on the second ring, her voice light and happy. “Neilson, Sampson and Peterson. This is Tracey.”
I blinked a moment at her tone, she hadn’t sounded like that in awhile. I could hear her light breath coming through the phone, heard her hair swishing in a repeating pattern, like she was twirling a piece in her fingers. “Hello?” she asked.
I coughed, embarrassed. “Hey, Tracey. It’s Emma.”
Her voice brightened and I could hear her smile through the other line. “Hey! Missed you Friday. Clarice only scowled when I asked about you. What’d you do to piss her off?”
I exhaled a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding, happy from her ignorance that no one had told her my story yet; at least she hadn’t been worrying about me all weekend. “Well, that’s why I’m calling actually…” I went in to all the details of the fake story that I could, Alanna supplying the details I still wasn’t sure about, whenever I paused mid-sentence.
Tracey’s voice was sympathetic, but unworried. “Oh, Em. God, that sucks. I have no idea what I’d do if I was stuck in a bed for months.” She started laughing and I knew exactly what she was picturing herself doing, stuck in a bed for months. A thought struck me as I remembered Hot Ben saying he was going to surprise her for lunch. She seemed pretty chipper, compared to how she’d been lately. Maybe it had gone well.
Grateful to talk about something that didn’t directly involve me, I smiled and said, “You seem in a much better mood than you have been lately. Something up?”
She started giggling and I heard her hand come up to the receiver, like she was cupping the phone. “Besides the world’s best nooner?” She laughed again while I blushed. From upstairs, I heard Alanna and her mom laugh softly. I shook my head. I guess things had gone exceedingly well.
“Ben?” I asked, already knowing who had met up with her today.
She laughed again, her hand dropping from the receiver. “Yes, of course Ben.” She sighed and I heard her relax back in her chair. “He came into work with a bouquet of flowers, looking hot as hell.” I bit back a laugh, knowing how awful he’d looked this morning. She sighed again, a small, satisfied sound escaping her throat. “We went to that café around the corner and he told me he’d been acting stupid because of some family drama back home, but he’d never meant to push me away and he loved me more than anything.” She sighed dreamily. “Em, you should have heard him, he was so sweet, and honest, and…regretful. He was so worried that I didn’t love him anymore. It was charming. He was almost desperate to get back together with me, like he wanted to be by my side every second now, to watch over me or something.” She laughed huskily. “We didn’t even make it through our meal before I was pulling him into the bathroom.”
I laughed and mentally made a note to never use the restroom in that particular café anymore. “That’s great, Tracey. I’m glad you two…worked things out.” I laughed again after I said that and she laughed with me. I thought over Hot Ben’s cover story to her and smiled that he’d basically called Teren and I family. And him not wanting to leave her alone, I knew exactly what that was about.
Tracey sighed and then a thought that wasn’t about Hot Ben seemed to strike her. “Oh, you’re on bed rest…you’re not coming back, are you?”
I felt the tears sting my eyes as I sighed softly into the phone. “I don’t know, Trace.” I ran a finger down a canine; my fangs had decided after lunch to not stay up and were snapping down every time I stopped thinking about them. It was annoying, and after awhile, I’d just stopped pulling them back up. Right now, I didn’t see how things would ever return to normal.
Tracey sighed and I heard the quiver in her voice. “I’m gonna miss you, Emma.”
She swallowed heavily and I heard the tear splash on her cheek; it made my barely contained tears flow too. “I’m gonna miss you too, Trace.” She lost it a little more and I struggled to not let my surging hormones run away with me. Barely containing myself, I told her, “Hey, stop that. We’ll still see each other. I mean, we’re best friends and our guys are best friends, right? We’ll still see each other all the time.” I didn’t mention that we’d all be keeping some major secrets from her now.
She sniffled and I could hear her tone brighten. “You’re right. I’m being silly. We’ll see each other so much, you’ll get sick of me.” I laughed at that and she added, “And besides, I love kids, I can’t wait to babysit yours.”
That line got to me and I slapped my hand over my mouth to not openly sob. I just didn’t know if they’d get the chance to be “babysat” by anyone, much less Tracey, who could never know what they really were. I nodded and squeaked out a, “Yep.”
Tracey wished me the best of luck breaking in my bed, and I knew when she said that, she meant it literally, and promised to come see me soon. Feeling more put together, but still hanging on by a thread, I told her I’d call her often, and then we said our goodbyes.
That left me a worn out tired mess when I finally called Clarice. I openly sobbed with her, figuring she didn’t really care either way and I could at least get the release, while at the same time sounding contrite. She told me that she wasn’t holding my spot for me indefinitely, but under company policy, she couldn’t fire me. If and when I decided to come back
, she’d find a place for me…somewhere. I sighed, knowing wherever I ended up…would suck. Figuring that out of everything in my life, my job was probably the least important, I thanked her for her tutelage over the years and wished her well in finding a replacement for me. She surprisingly said she’d miss me, and then she bluntly hung up the phone, not even waiting for my reply. I blinked into the receiver and then sighed and hung it up.
My last call was to Teren, to let him know that Mom was excited to watch Spike for him. He told me he’d swing by there after going home for a bit, and then he’d rush out to me. I told him I missed him, and hated feeling him so far away. He told me he felt the same, and I could hear the ache in his voice when he said it. I sighed and told him to hurry back to me and then we said our goodbyes.
After all my calls were done, I headed upstairs, only slipping up once on the top step, when I moved faster that I’d intended and tripped over the lip of the stair, and then I stumbled into bed, throwing the blankets over me and wishing that blip on my internal radar that was Teren, would hurry up and get closer already.
Chapter 14
And I Thought I Wanted You Before
I was just starting to feel the pull of sleep, when something in my body instantly sprang awake. All fatigue that I’d been feeling, poured off of me, replaced with an icy wash of anticipation. My skin pebbled in response, my breath picked up pace, and I squirmed under the silky sheets of our bed, suddenly restless. Teren was getting closer. I could feel it and the pull in my body to be near him was growing with every single step he inched closer. He was still miles away though, and I felt like my skin was crawling with the need to be in his presence. I couldn’t stop shifting positions in the bed.
I tossed and turned, the dull ache in my neck practically non-existent to me as the restlessness took over. He was so far away. I needed him closer. I needed him in my arms. I needed him now. I had no idea what this pulling sensation was, or if it was even normal, but it was driving me crazy, like foreplay without the play part.
As I tossed again, I heard Alanna asking me if I was alright. I sighed and sat up, my face heating as I explained. “Teren’s getting closer.”
She knocked and then opened the door, having blurred upstairs at the sound of my distress. “I know, dear.” She looked over my heightened breath, my glazed eyes, my extended fangs. She tilted her head. “Your reaction…” She inhaled and I blushed furiously. “You seem almost…”
I stood up, not wanting to hear her say it. “I know. It’s like this…” my hands ran over my body, “…this pull. I just need to be near him. Now.” She tilted her head at me and scrunched her brows. I frowned at her reaction. I’d sort of been hoping they all felt some level of this about each other. “You don’t feel…weird, when you feel the others get close to you?”
She shook her head. “No, not like this. I might be happy to see them, if it’s been awhile, but certainly not to the degree that you’re feeling it.” She grinned and shrugged. “Of course, my relationship with Teren is much different than yours.”
I sighed and covered my face with my hands, beyond embarrassed. She laughed and brought my hands down, replacing them with her cool ones on my cheeks. It felt nice against my fevered skin. I closed my eyes, but the rest of my body buzzed with energy. “Curious,” she muttered. “I wonder if he feels this too, and if it’s because you’re in love, or because he created you.”
I opened my eyes to find her studying me, once again like a science experiment. “Or maybe this is just on your end,” her eyes looked down to my stomach, “because of them?”
I pulled away from her, my body needing to move as I felt him approach me. It was like waiting for your lover to walk from the bathroom to the bedroom, only the walk Teren was on was much, much longer. The anticipation of reunion was making me stir-crazy. “I need to get out of here.” I blurred past her, tripping on the door frame and nearly crashing to the floor. Her cool arms were securely under me before I could though.
“Calm down, Emma. He’ll be here soon.” One of her hands brushed down my hair and I whimpered and bit my lip. I wanted to run. I wanted to set out on that highway and run blazingly fast to fly into his arms. I knew enough to know that wasn’t a typical reaction, so I nodded, and forced myself to walk achingly slow down the elaborate staircase.
Once in the entryway, I made myself stay in the house. It took every amount of will power that I had. I kept staring at the door and imagining myself running through it. Alanna stood near the fountain and watched me, her eyes curious and slightly concerned. I suppose I had the frazzled look of a woman who’d run out into traffic, if it met her goal.
Teren had had a lot of errands after work – going to our house and dropping off Spike. I knew my mom had probably grilled him over and over about the accident, making sure I was really okay, and about living out here, making sure the women could take the proper care of me. All of his tasks had taken awhile, and the sun finished setting while I was pacing.
Imogen came down the stairs and stood by her daughter, watching me curiously as well now. Halina, probably wondering what we were all doing hanging out in the entryway, eventually strolled in and sat on a step, watching me with a huge grin on her face. She glanced at Alanna as Jack peeked his head in the room, shook it, and then headed to the living room. “What’s her problem?” Halina asked merrily.
Alanna shook her head as she answered her. “Teren is getting closer to the ranch.”
Halina shrugged. “Yeah, and?” Alanna only shrugged at that and turned back to watch me continue to restlessly pace.
Shoving down my embarrassment, I made an irritated noise and ran my hands back through my hair. The restlessness ate away at me as I paced in circles on the marble floor. My hands ran over my body in ways that I really shouldn’t have touched myself with everyone watching, but I couldn’t help it, my body felt on fire. Occasionally I even itched and had to scratch my arms in places. I was pretty sure if this went on too long, I’d develop a nervous tick.
He got even closer, to the point where I could feel him at the end of the super long driveway. I flashed a look at the door again, my chest nearly heaving as I breathed heavily. He was so close now, I imagined I could already smell him. I wanted to shove the door down and get to him, but I knew that was nuts, and made myself stay put, staring at it and willing him even closer.
Halina giggled behind me. “This is exciting!” I tossed a glare at her over my shoulder, but she only smiled wider and looked over at Imogen and Alanna. “I wonder what will happen when he gets here?” She looked back to me, delight clear in her face. “Do you think they’ll combust…or just start having sex in the driveway?”
I hissed at her in a way I’d seen her do on several occasions when someone had irritated her, but she only laughed at me, throwing her arms over her knees, her short dress exposing all of her thigh, and resting her head on her hands, like she had a front row seat to the biggest event of the year.
I couldn’t focus on her any longer though; Teren was halfway down the drive, approaching fast. My heart surged, my breath picked up even more, and the circle track I’d been pacing became a short back and forth strut, right in front of the door. I couldn’t help the image of Spike pacing like this when he’d see Goldie in the backyard and wanted out, to chase her down. I wanted a chase too…just a much more satisfying one.
Over Halina’s chuckles, I heard Alanna and Imogen talking about how unusual my reaction was. Apparently getting into a fervor over your lover approaching, was not typical vampire behavior. Maybe it was the twins that were ramping up my emotions. Maybe I’d burst through the door and Teren would be completely unaffected by coming closer to me. But then again, yesterday he’d been just as…eager, as me. And that had been a much shorter separation. If he was feeling an ounce of what I was feeling, Halina may not be too far off the mark with her joke.
I heard the crunch of his tires as he pulled up to the house. I stopped walking. I heard the engine of the car shut off an
d I stopped breathing. My body started shaking with unrestrained energy and a rush of longing surged through me. He was so close. So close. I’d be in his arms soon. Soon.
The ache became too much, the need to be with him too great with him right outside. I surged forward, not even trying to hold back my super speed, and Alanna just barely streaked to the door before I busted right through it. The cooler air temperature prickled my flesh and the wind buzzing past my ears was distractingly loud, but neither one did anything to impede my progress. I was just past the huge, ancient timbers supporting the massive overhang of the front door, when a streak came rushing towards me.
That streak twirled me in a quick circle, my balance momentarily thrown off, but before I could fall, my shoulders were pushed back into the supportive log behind me. I ignored the momentary pain in that as I felt Teren’s presence collide with mine. My breath came back in a groan and my hands reached out to grasp any part of him I could find.
His mouth came down to mine and he groaned as his body pressed carefully, but firmly, into the side of my hip, ever cautious of my belly, even in the midst of…this. We both panted and moaned as lips and tongues and in my case, fangs, attacked the other. I tasted blood and knew I was nicking him, but he never complained, only growled deep and pushed his hard body into mine. Wanting to kiss him deeper, and feeling, more than knowing, that they were in the way, I somehow managed to pull them back up. He slipped his tongue more completely into me and I whimpered, sagging against the beam now holding me up.
Conversion Book Two: Bloodlines Page 31