LIPSTICK AND LIES AND DEADLY GOODBYES

by Jodi Vaughn

  “It’s what I know, Mom.” She lifted her chin. “Besides, I think that princess was way too whiny. I mean, she didn’t even thank the dragon for all the food, jewels, and things he bought her.” She narrowed her gaze.

  “I think he stole those things, honey. He didn’t buy them.” I bit my lip to keep from smiling.

  “Whatever. The point is, the princess was a spoiled brat who was used to living in the castle and getting whatever she wanted. She should have thanked the dragon for taking her away. I mean, she got to fly on his back for Pete’s sake!” Gabby waved her hands in the air to make her point. “Do you know what I would give to fly on a dragon’s back?”

  “No. What would you do?” I grinned and waited for her answer.

  “I would love that dragon forever. I would be his best friend, and I wouldn’t ever leave him. That’s what I would do.” She held up her hand. “Oh, and I would bring him people to eat.”

  “Gabby, that’s very graphic, and it’s not a nice thing to do.”

  “I didn’t mean nice people. I would only bring him the bad ones.”

  “What do you think qualifies as a bad person?” A part of me wondered how she would describe Khalan.

  She tapped her finger to her chin and looked up at the ceiling, seemingly lost in thought. She grinned and then met my gaze again.

  “A bad person would be anyone who does anything bad. Like people who hurt other people. Or people that bully those who are weak.”

  I nodded, carefully choosing my words. “I see. What about forgiveness? Do you think someone who has hurt someone else and not say they’re sorry should be fed to a dragon?”

  She frowned. “If someone hurt someone, that means they did it on purpose.” She shook her head. “Saying you’re sorry doesn’t mean squat.”

  “Gabby. Language,” I warned. I had to admit, what she said intrigued me.

  “People make mistakes. Nobody is perfect,” I said.

  “I know. But when you do something to hurt someone, you are making a choice to do it. It means, not only do you have no heart, it means you are very selfish.” She narrowed her eyes. “Like that princess. I think the dragon should have eaten her.”

  A laugh rolled out of me, and I glanced at the bedside clock.

  “Okay, my beautiful dragon. It’s time to go to sleep.” I slid out of bed and leaned down to tuck her in.

  She smiled up at me. I touched my lips to her soft cheek.

  “I love you,” I said.

  “I love you too, Mommy. And would you mind calling me dragon from now on?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I wish I were a real dragon with scales and large wings. Then, when someone at school hurts Arianna’s feelings, I could breathe fire on them until they are fried chicken.” She shrugged. “And then I just might eat them.”

  My smiled faltered. Something about her playful words felt off.

  “Honey, is everything okay with Arianna? Has she said something about someone being mean to her at school?” My stomach clenched.

  Gabby blinked and shook her head. “No, not that I’ve seen.” She slid under the covers and pulled the comforter up to her chin.

  “You know, if something ever happens or someone does something mean to either of you…”

  “I know, Mommy. I’m supposed to tell you.” She gave a long-suffering sigh.

  I nodded and decided to let it go. I knew Arianna would tell me if I should worry. She’d always been good about telling me everything.

  “I love you, sweetie.” I leaned over and kissed her cheek. The warmth of her skin made my heart clench as a sense of loss washed over me. I wanted a family for my girls.

  “Love you, Mommy.” Gabby smiled and shut her eyes. Her long lashes rested against her pink cheeks. She was the picture of innocence and all that was good in my life.

  I left her room and headed down the hallway to Arianna’s room. She spotted me in the doorway and quickly sent a text and put her phone on the bedside table.

  “Everything okay?” I glanced from her phone to her.

  “Yep.” She arched her brow. “Is everything okay with you?”

  My throat tightened. “Yeah. Why do you ask?” I managed to squeak out.

  “I don’t know. You’re just acting weird.” She sat up in bed and crossed her arms over her chest and eyed me. “Plus, you lost all that weight.”

  “All that weight? You act like I was an elephant.” I scowled.

  “Come on, Mom. You definitely lost like…twenty pounds.”

  I glanced down at my body and then back at her.

  “I didn’t mean it that way, Mom. You look really great. You really do. I’m just wondering if something happened to make you lose so much weight so fast.”

  I forced a smile. “No, honey, I just had a little bit of the stomach flu and didn’t eat for a few days.” I shrugged. “I guess I should have gotten sick years ago.”

  “Nah. You’ve always been gorgeous. But you know that.” Arianna’s face fell a little.

  “Thanks, honey. But you’re way better-looking than me.” I lifted my chin. “I mean, you are beautiful now. Just wait until you turn eighteen. I’ll have to beat the boys off with a stick.”

  That pulled a ghost of a smile from her lips. “Really?”

  “Without a doubt.” I nodded slowly. “It’s a day I’m dreading.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” She smiled and scrambled under the covers.

  I walked over and sat on the bed then leaned down and kissed her cheek.

  “You know you can always tell me anything, right?”

  “I know.” She scowled and then looked at me under her thick lashes. “You can talk to me too, Mom.”

  My heart nearly shattered in my chest at her words. I blinked back the quick tears that had gathered behind my eyes.

  “Thanks, Arianna. I needed that, sweetheart.” I gave her a kiss and stood. I hurried out the door before the tears spilled down my cheeks. I closed the door and leaned against the wall as I cried freely. My oldest daughter had been the one to offer words that had broken down my walls and struck my heart.

  Even when I felt like I had lost everything, I knew I still had my daughters.

  Chapter 18

  I brushed my teeth, and then brushed them again. I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. Then I picked up the hairbrush and ran it through my tresses.

  Miles was already in bed reading, as was his usual bedtime routine. I looked at the light spilling from under the door, and my stomach dropped.

  I knew I was stalling, doing everything I could think of before I had to get into bed with him. I wasn’t sure if I could even do it. Not the mattress where he’d had sex with Nikki.

  Anger flared in my stomach as the image once again flashed in my head. Hatred settled in my gut.

  The light from under the door went dark.

  Miles was done reading and was ready for sleep.

  I looked back at my reflection and narrowed my eyes.

  I opened the door.

  “Hey. Ready for bed?” Miles’ gaze roamed down my body. I recognized the tone. It was the same one he used before he made love to me. It used to excite me, now it only pissed me off.

  “No. I can’t sleep,” I said and stormed out of the bedroom back into the living room. I flung myself onto the couch and lay on my back, looking up at the ceiling.

  “Ugh,” I groaned to the dark, empty room.

  Half of me wanted Miles to come and check on me. The other half wanted to be left alone. Either way, I was irritated and agitated. A state I wasn’t used to.

  “Stop being so dramatic,” a dark voice whispered.

  Khalan.

  I sat up and looked around, searching for his large figure in my house.

  “Are you ready to talk?” he asked.

  I glanced over at the corner of the living room. The bright moonlight cast a glow over Khalan’s large frame. He stepped forward, and his smell hit me.

  “Jesus. You can’t just come into my house w
henever you choose. It’s called breaking and entering,” I hissed through my teeth.

  I looked around to make sure Miles wasn’t coming down the hall.

  “How the hell did you get in here anyway? You gave me my keys back.” I glared.

  “I had a copy made,” he stated in his usual bored tone.

  “You can’t do that. It’s illegal. For a vampire who’s been around for a while, you certainly don’t know a lot about etiquette or the law.” I narrowed my eyes.

  “And for someone so eager to stay in your old life, you do a whole lot of bitching.” He took a step closer and glared.

  “Well, you make a shitty vampire,” I shot back.

  He said nothing as he arched a brow. When I saw that he wasn’t making an effort to leave, I sighed and then walked over to open the French doors that led out to the backyard.

  I motioned with my hand for him to follow me. I carefully closed the door and then froze.

  “The alarm didn’t chime when I opened the door.”

  “I turned it off,” he said simply.

  “How did you turn it off…never mind,” I huffed out. I crossed my arms and looked at him. “You can’t just walk in my house like that. It’s rude.”

  “I needed to talk to you. I figured you would be on your second bottle of wine by now, drowning your sorrows because of your cheating husband.”

  My heart clenched. His words found their mark.

  “I need you to come with me,” he said.

  “How do I know you won’t try to hurt me?”

  “Because I’m your Maker. A Maker would never hurt their progeny, unless…” His words trailed off, and he looked off to the side.

  “Unless what?” I asked.

  “Doesn’t matter.” His gaze drifted back to me.

  I stared into his eyes. The color had changed to deep blue. Something about the color held me captive, and try as I might, I couldn’t look away.

  “Come.” The words fell out of his mouth. A shiver ran through my body, and an erotic image of me naked on the ground with my hand between my legs flashed through my head.

  I gasped. Had Khalan put that image in my mind?

  “What?” He frowned.

  I could tell from his expression that he hadn’t.

  “Nothing.” I rubbed my hand over my collarbone and pressed my lips together. “I guess you expect me to follow you without any idea of where we are going.”

  “That’s exactly what I expect.” He leaned close to me, and his smell caught me off guard. It was different. This time, he smelled like gym socks and pine needles.

  I opened my mouth to argue but was too caught off guard by the pull of his eyes.

  “I get the feeling you’re doing something to me,” I said quietly.

  “I am. I’m compelling you to follow me. I don’t have time to stand here and argue,” Khalan said and turned.

  I wanted to stand my ground, but my feet had a mind of their own. First, my left foot, then my right until I was a few feet away from Khalan, following him out of the yard and into the dark night.

  “You’re an ass. I can’t believe you are using your evil mind control on me,” I spat.

  “It’s not evil mind control. It’s called a glamour. And it has nothing to do with evil.”

  “Do all vampires glamour their victims?” The cold hit my face, but it didn’t bother me.

  “You act like I’m luring you to your death.”

  “You probably are.” I glanced down at my feet and sucked in a deep breath.

  “What is it now?’ He glared at me over his shoulder.

  “I don’t understand.” I held out my arms to my sides. “And I’m only wearing my pajamas. It’s got to be around thirty degrees out here, and I’m not even cold. I’m usually freezing when the temperature is below sixty.”

  “That’s because your body is acclimating to being a vampire. You’ll grow to love the night and the cold and hate the day and the sun. After you fully turn, you’ll only go out at night.”

  “What do you mean I can only go out at night? I can’t do that. I have girls who play soccer. They do that during the day.”

  “Make them quit.” He spoke without looking over his shoulder.

  “Are you crazy?”

  “Not that I’m aware.”

  “I can’t make them quit. They love playing soccer. They’ve played ever since they were little.”

  “And I suppose they’ll die if they can’t play.” His sarcasm wasn’t lost on me.

  Anger curdled in my gut. “You obviously have never been around children.”

  “I make it a point to never be around humans of any age. Unless they’re food.” He opened the back gate, walked through it, and moved into the woods that backed up to my house.

  “Yet, here you are with me,” I snarked. “You picked me up off the road and brought me to your house. Odd behavior for a vampire who hates humans.”

  “I didn’t bring a human to my house. I brought you to my home because you were roadkill.”

  The only sound in the woods was my angry breathing and his heavy footsteps on broken twigs.

  “Has anyone ever told you what an ass you are?” I was staring holes into his back.

  “Only you. But, like I said, I try to stay away from humans. Animals are much more pleasant to be around.”

  “They probably think you’re an ass, too. But they can’t tell you because they can’t speak.’” I felt my face heating. I wasn’t sure why he was pushing my buttons. I didn’t even know him.

  “No, they don’t.” He shot a glare over his shoulder. “Animals like me. And I like them.”

  “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

  I glanced around the forest and noticed how silent everything was. I’d never been out in the woods, and certainly not at night. It was out of my comfort zone.

  “Here.” He stopped suddenly and turned to me. “Wait here.”

  “I have better things to do than stand out in the woods at night with a stranger.”

  “Actually, you don’t.” His bored tone pissed me off.

  I clenched my hands to keep from hitting him. Not that I could inflict much—if any—damage. He was as wide as a professional football player and outweighed me by at least one hundred pounds. Not to mention, he looked like he was made of pure muscle.

  “There.” He pointed toward the base of a large tree.

  “Where? I can’t see anything?” I squinted.

  “Try harder,” he insisted.

  I narrowed my eyes and, surprisingly enough, my vision began to change. I could actually see clearly in the dark.

  I looked at him. He smirked. “It’s your vampire-enhanced vision.”

  “But…” I shook my head.

  “You can try to keep pretending you’re not turning into a vampire, but that won’t change the reality.”

  My heart sped up. I didn’t like him telling me this.

  “So, why am I out here again?”

  “I need to show you how to take blood.”

  “Take blood? Please tell me you mean from a blood bank.”

  He snarled. “You need to learn how to take blood from a human so you can survive.”

  “But I thought vampires didn’t die.”

  “There are certain things that can kill a vampire.”

  “Not getting blood is one of them?” A shiver ran through my body.

  He turned around and faced me, giving me his full attention. “If you don’t get blood, you will certainly want to die. You’ll become so consumed with bloodlust that you will attack anything with a pulse.” He narrowed his eyes. “Even your children.”

  “No. I would never do that.” I shook my head and wrapped my arms around my chest. I wasn’t cold, but his words had me shaking.

  “You are young and naive. But once your body has fully turned, you won’t retain any of your humanity. What you are now is not what you will be when you’ve fully converted.”

  “No. I will always be the sam
e person I am now.” I dropped my hands to my sides and fisted my fingers. I refused to be a monster.

  He snorted and turned back to the tree. Without looking at me, he grabbed my hand and pulled me forward until I was standing by his side.

  “Look over there by the tree.” He nodded.

  I sighed and looked over by the large pine. The breeze ruffled the needles on the low-hanging branches. A large, dark object sat at the base of the trunk. I thought it looked like someone had bundled some clothes up and left them on the ground. Until I saw it move.

  I gasped and took a step back. “Is that a person?”

  “Yes.”

  “What the hell is wrong with him? You didn’t hurt him, did you?” My blood turned cold in my veins, and my eyes went wide.

  “He’s not hurt. Just glamoured.” Khalan turned and looked at me. “Go over to him and tell him to give you his neck.” He glared at me. “Make sure you look him in the eyes when you speak.”

  “I’m not doing that.” I stepped away from him.

  He lifted his chin and stared hard at me. “Do you want to survive? To stay with your children?”

  I nodded.

  “Then you will need to learn how to take blood.” He looked at the guy. “Do it, now.”

  “Fine. But I don’t think we have the same power. I’m not like you.”

  “Thank God for that.” He snorted.

  I bit my lip before I could return a blistering comment. Right now, I needed to get this done so I could get back to the house before my family woke up to discover me gone.

  “Fine.” I clenched my hands and slowly made my way to the tree. I stopped about two feet away from the man and looked down.

  He was propped up against the base of the trunk with his knees tucked under his chin. He didn’t even look up when I stopped in front of him

  “Did you drug him?” I cut my eyes to Khalan.

  “Of course, not. That would make the blood taste bad.” He let out another long sigh and then walked over to me. “As I said, he’s glamoured.”

  I wasn’t sure I trusted Khalan; after all, he did turn me into a vampire. Or so he claimed. For all I knew, I could be experiencing some kind of psychotic delusion after seeing my husband in bed with another woman. At the moment, I was more concerned about the stranger in the woods behind my house.