"Neither of you would have a problem finding a husband," Alice said anyway. "You could get married, start a family, have children."
Chloe felt her face flood with color. She didn't know what to say.
"We can do that anyway, Mom," Brittney said. "If we wanted to get married, we could. And we could start a family, if that's what we wanted. But we're not there yet. You promised you'd keep an open mind. Is that why you invited us here? So you could tell us that we should be marrying men and settling down?"
"Of course not," Craig said. "Alice, that's enough."
Alice reached across the table and took Chloe's hand. Chloe had to resist the urge to yank it away.
"Chloe, dear, don't you want what's best for both of you? It isn't easy being a lesbian. You'll be discriminated against. People will always be judging you. Is that what you want for my daughter?"
"I love your daughter very much," Chloe said softly.
"Mom," Peter said. "It's not the eighties anymore. Nobody cares if you're gay."
"People care," Alice said.
Harper cleared her throat. "They're happy together, Mrs. Conley. Brittney's happier than I've seen her with any of the other men she's dated."
"Well, it's clear we didn't raise her right," Alice said indignantly.
"Mom!" Brittney and Peter said at once.
Chloe stood. "Maybe I should go."
"Yes, we're leaving," Brittney said. "Let's go, Harper."
"Thank you for the lovely meal," Harper said.
Craig walked them to the front door. "She'll come around," he promised Brittney. "I'll talk to her again. Chloe, it was wonderful to meet you. I hope to see you again."
"Thank you," Chloe said softly.
Once they were all out in the SUV, Brittney clenched the steering wheel hard with both hands. "I can't believe them. I can't believe either of them."
"Your father was alright," Chloe said.
"He should have told my mother to shut her stupid mouth," Brittney said. "Come on, let's go back to Afterlife. We can get drunk on margaritas."
Before she could start the car, there was a rap on the window.
Brittney rolled down the window and saw a police officer standing there. "You're parked in a no parking zone," the woman said.
"What?"
The woman gestured at the fire hydrant. Brittney let out a curse. "I'm sorry," she said. "I used to park here all the time. It must be new."
"That's not an excuse," the officer said. "I'm going to have to give you a ticket."
"Please don't," Brittney said. "I won't park here again, I promise."
The woman ignored her. "I need to see your license and registration please."
Chloe and Harper exchanged a glance while Brittney dug out the necessary paperwork and got out of the car to hand it over.
"I can't believe she treated you like that," Harper said. "I'm sorry, Chloe. I have no idea what came over her. Mrs. Conley has always been like a second mother to me. She's not usually so vicious."
"Maybe she just doesn't like me," Chloe said.
"I'm sure that's not true," Harper said. "She just has this idea for who her daughter should be, and you don't fit that bill. She always expected Brittney to go to law school, become an attorney, practice for a few years, get married, and have a couple of kids. Maybe get a dog."
Chloe smiled a little. "Well, she has the dog."
"Speaking of Ash, maybe we should stop by the house and check on her," Harper said. "She's been acting up all day. She's probably chewed up the entire house. Do you mind?"
"Not at all."
"Good."
Once Brittney was back in the car, ticket in hand, she frowned. "Well, looks like I'll be getting my own car. My father said if I got another ticket, he'd take away my SUV. Good news is that I love shopping and I've never been car shopping."
"Well, we've decided to go back to the house," Chloe said. "Harper wants to check on Ash."
Brittney sighed. "Yeah, Ash probably could use a walk. He didn't looked too well earlier. Maybe he's sick."
When they got to the house, the door was standing open. The three of them jumped out of the SUV, and Brittney yanked out her gun. They went inside. The entire place looked ransacked. Nothing appeared to be missing but cupboard doors were open, desk drawers were pulled out, and their clothing laid on the floor in piles. Both laptops were open, though password-locked.
Ash was waiting in the guest room, looking scared. When she saw Brittney, Harper, and Chloe, she ran out, wagging her tail and licking frantically at their hands.
"Some kind of guard dog you are," Brittney murmured, scratching behind her ears. "Harper, call the police."
"I don't think that's a good idea," Chloe said. "Didn't you say there were officers investigating you?"
"Our house has just been broken into!"
"Your laptops are here, your television is here, and I bet your jewelery is here too," Chloe said. "Whoever did this didn't come to steal anything. My guess would be some sort of demon, looking for information on you. Do you really want to get the police involved in that?"
Harper let out a curse and Ash whined at her. She took the puppy from Brittney and sat on the couch, cuddling the dog. "Great, so they know where we live."
"They've always known that," Brittney pointed out. "That's how Brian Moser found us. If humans who need us know where we're at, it stands to reason that demons do too. We're going to have to get a security system setup and right away. Do you think they do late night calls?"
"I'm staying the night," Chloe decided. "We'll call first thing in the morning."
"And if they come back?" Harper asked.
"Keep your gun on you," Brittney said. "I have one for Chloe too. We'll take shifts. It wouldn't hurt to call the others either."
Chloe nodded and pulled out her cell phone. She called the others on her contact list, but Conner didn't answer. The others agreed to come and help clean up and keep an eye on the place. Once everyone showed up, Sarah morphed into her panther form and stayed near the door. Ash wouldn't go near her.
"Alright, girls, go get some sleep," Alec said. "There's no need for guard duty. This is the time I'm awake, remember?"
"I'll stay up with you," Harper said. "I'm too hyped up to sleep."
Chloe glanced between the pair and then followed Brittney into her room.
"Sarah, take the guest room, get some sleep," Alec told the panther. "If we need you, you're only a few feet away."
Sarah nodded and padded back into the guest room.
Once Chloe and Brittney had some privacy in Brittney's room, Chloe rubbed her eyes. "This has been a horrible night."
"Well it's over now," Brittney said. "And the important thing is that we're together. Chloe, it doesn't matter to me what my mother thinks. I want you to know that. You make me happy, and I think I make you happy. Do I?"
"Yes."
"Then forget them," Brittney said, and kissed her. Chloe had one last thought for what Wren and Mikael had to say and then she was kissing her back and it mattered little that Brittney wasn't fey, because she loved her, and that was all that mattered.
EIGHT
Alec and Harper sat on one of the couches, staring at each other.
"So, Conner broke up with me -- but you already know that," Harper said.
"Yes," Alec said.
"Alec, I want to be with you."
"We've been over this, Harper," Alec said. "And you saw what happened with Sarah and Samuel. Even they knew it couldn't work out. I'm a vampire. You're a human. We don't belong together."
"I don't care," Harper said. "And you didn't mind that night in Phoenix. I know you care about me, Alec. That's what's important. When you have someone you care about, you hold onto them. That's what's important. You didn't hold onto Ileana, and you've regretted it your entire life."
"Harper..."
Harper ignored him, and leaned over and kissed him. His lips were icy cold, but he put an arm around her and yanked her close
r. Their kiss turned more passionate, and she felt his fingers tangling themselves in her blonde hair. It was right, and it was everything.
She fumbled for his shirt, and had it off in no time at all. She studied his bare chest. There were scars there, and she traced a long one with a finger. "Where'd this come from?"
"An angry succubus," Alec said. He leaned forward and kissed her again. "God, woman, you're warm."
"And you're cold," she teased. She leaned in and kissed the scar. "Let's be together, Alec. You and me."
"No," he said.
"No?" Harper asked.
"No," Alec repeated.
He pushed her gently away and put his shirt back on. "Not now. Not right after Conner. He's one of my closest friends and he cares about you so much. If he sees us together, it's going to hurt him, and that's the last thing I want to do."
Harper considered this for a moment. She realized she hadn't given any thought to Conner. "You're right," she said. "We have to wait. We have to give him time to heal. But then..."
"I'll think about it," Alec said.
"That's all I'm asking," Harper said.
"You should go to bed before I do something stupid and forget all about my noble intentions when it comes to Conner," he said.
"I understand," Harper said. She got up and went to her room. She looked at Alec sitting on the couch, feeling frustrated. Then she closed the door and sat down on her bed. She took her locket out from beneath her shirt and held it in her hand.
"Ileana," she said. "I want to talk to you."
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then she was on the snowy hill overlooking the village. This time, she wasn't surprised that she was in her own clothing. This had happened once before, while they were in Phoenix. Ileana stood next to her, looking just as beautiful in her handmade dress as she always did.
"Harper Perseca," she said. She reached up and touched Harper's face. "My dearest great-grand daughter. How glad I am to see you again. It has been too long. You must have gotten out of the mess you were in."
"Yes," Harper said. "It was difficult, but we made it out."
"You truly are my kin," Ileana said. "You seem troubled though."
"The last time I came to talk to you, we talked of men, and you lectured me," Harper said. "You told me that my friends were in danger and that I was wasting my time deciding on who to love."
"And at the time, you were wasting your time," Ileana said. "Is anyone in danger right now?"
"No," Harper said. "Not that I know of anyway. Our house was broken into, though. Alec is standing guard and the rest of us are sleeping. Well, resting anyway."
Ileana smiled. "Alec is there to take care of you. Good for him."
"Ileana, I wanted to ask your advice about him."
"What is it?"
"Do you think we could have a future?"
Ileana was quiet for a moment, and Harper waited anxiously for the answer. She was cold on the hill, and wished she'd put a sweater on before deciding to commune with her great-grandmother. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.
"You love him," Ileana said.
"I do," Harper said.
"I loved him once too," Ileana said. "I would have done anything for him. I would have killed for him, if he'd asked me to. But Harper, love doesn't always mean that people are meant to be together. I know it hurts, but if Alec hadn't left me, I would never have met my husband. I would never have had children. You wouldn't exist."
Harper considered this quietly. "I know," she finally said. "I know. And I do want a family someday. I've thought about it a lot, and I do. But I also want him. It's not fair."
Ileana put her arms around Harper. "Dear Harper, love isn't fair, and neither is life. If I had to give you advice, it would be to move on. Find someone else that makes your heart sing."
"There was a love fairy," Harper said. "My friend calls them cupids. He told me that I'd find someone that I'd love, someone that could give me a family, someone that would make me laugh. I thought that might be Conner, but I used him."
"How?"
"I tried to replace my feelings for Alec with feelings for Conner and it didn't work. He broke up with me. He said he couldn't be with me while I was in love with someone else."
"Perhaps you'll learn to love him as you love Alec," Ileana said. "I don't know. I don't know what your future holds, Harper, just as I don't know what mine holds until I live it."
"There was this couple," Harper said. "They were married fifty-three years. I want a love like that, Ileana."
"You'll find it," Ileana said.
"Do you promise?"
Ileana laughed. "I promise," she said, and kissed Harper's cheek. "But for now, go home. Go home and be grateful for your friends because good friends are hard to find."
"Thank you," Harper said.
She was disappointed though she hadn't found out anything from Ileana that she hadn't already thought of herself. She knew when she woke up the next morning, she'd still love Alec, and she'd still want to be with him. How could she just replace him as though he were nothing?
She opened her eyes and stared at the locket in her hand. She slipped it back around her neck and tucked it under her clothing. She didn't bother changing into pajamas, but simply laid down on her bed and thought of Conner now. He deserved better than her. Would he ever find someone? Would she ever love him like he needed?
She just didn't know, and she wasn't sure she'd ever find out.
NINE
Conner turned off his phone and put it in his back pocket. He didn't feel like being interrupted. He'd found the perfect bar; it was far away from the strip and set in a dingy neighborhood where white collar workers came to drown out their worries.
He drank shot after shot of cheap rum and listened to country music that he hated because that's what the patrons wanted. It reminded him of his hometown, so he stayed despite the atmosphere.
"You look like you could use something stronger," the bartender said. He was an older man, in his sixties, with graying hair and giant spectacles. "That bar rum is watered down. Don't tell the others. If I served them top shelf stuff, there'd be at least a few fights a night and I just can't afford that kinda mess."
"I could use something a bit stronger," Conner admitted.
The bartender selected a new bottle, set it beside Conner, and put a shot glass next to that. "So what's the problem?" he asked. "Work? Girl friend?"
"Ex-girlfriend," Conner said.
"Oh, sorry to hear that," the bartender said. "You know, sometimes it helps to talk about it. I'm a great listener, and nobody's causing any trouble right now. I have an open ear."
"I'm in love with her," Conner said. "I thought that would be enough to make it work. I thought I could love her enough for both of us, but I was wrong. She fell in love with a guy she can't have, and I can't seem to get her to look twice at me. So I broke up with her, and I miss the hell out of her. The worst part is, we work together, so I see her all the time."
The bartender nodded. "That's an unlucky situation to be in. Can I tell you a secret though?"
Conner nodded.
"The best way to get over one girl is to get under another," the bartender said. He pointed at the back of the room. "See Colleen back there? She's the one with the black hair. Don't let it fool you, though, she's a natural redhead. For a price, she'll make you forget all about the girl you can't have."
"Oh, I don't know about that," Conner said.
"You can afford her," the bartender said. "I can tell that much just by looking at you. Go on now. Forget about your ex for a while."
Conner poured himself a shot, took it, and stood. "Maybe you're right."
The bartender nodded. "I'll leave the bottle out in case you come back."
"Thanks."
Conner made his way to the back of the room where the black-haired beauty was sitting. She had a glass of vodka in her hand and was sipping slowly at it. She wore a short dress that left almost
nothing to the imagination. Conner admired her legs; they seemed to go on forever.
"Colleen?"
"Yes?"
"Don't slap me if I'm wrong, but I was told you were someone who might help a guy get over a girl," Conner said.
Colleen laughed. "That's a pretty way of putting it, but you're a pretty boy. Yes, that's right. For the right price, I can make sure you spend your evening thinking of nothing but me. How does that sound?"
"It sounds pretty fantastic right now," Conner said.
"You pay upfront," Colleen said.
Conner could have touched her, employed his charm, and gotten her for free, but he didn't do that anymore. So he got out his wallet. "How much?"
"How long do you want to be distracted for?"
"I'd like to wake up in the morning, see you sleeping on the pillow next to me, and then sneak out before you wake up," Conner said. "How does that sound?"
She named a price, which he happily paid, and then she took his hand. She led him upstairs to a room that was locked. She fished the key out of her purse and unlocked it. It was a small room, but comfortable looking. The king sized bed took up most of the room but there was also a writing desk and a television.
Colleen sat on the edge of the bed. "So, handsome, what's your name?"
"Conner."
"I like that name," she said. "I would have taken you for a Sean, but Conner fits too. How do you want to do this, Conner? Do you want me to strip for you?"
"That'd be nice," Conner said.
He laid down on the bed, and folded his hands under his head. Colleen began dancing and as she did, she slowly lost more and more clothing. He was fascinated by her body. It was blemish free, young, and tight.
When she was down to nothing but her bra and panties, he held up a hand. "Stop please."
"Oh, you want to take these off yourself?" She asked as she crawled up on the bed, straddling him. "Go ahead. You paid for it, you can touch all you want."
"No," Conner said. "I can't do this."
Colleen shook her head. "You want to get over a girl," she said. "That's what you said. Let me help you. I can do things she never even would have thought of."
Conner put his hands in her hair, his fingers combing through the black waves, but all he could think of was Harper's strawberry blonde locks. He looked at Colleen's brown eyes, but all he could think of was Harper's brilliant green ones.
Trees in the Desert (Afterlife Book 8) Page 4