Plopping down on the end of her bed, Vanora shrugged. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not.” Alisha sighed, tucking her hands into the pockets of her skinny jeans. “I was really wrapped up in talking to Sheila and just totally spaced the time. I’m sorry.”
Though her feelings were hurt, Vanora shrugged. “It’s okay. The concert was kinda boring. Trey kept trying to flirt with me and it was annoying.”
“I thought you had a crush on Trey.” Alisha sat next to Vanora and cocked her head to watch her sister’s expression.
“I did. Then I found out how stupid he is.”
Plucking the comb from Vanora’s fingers, Alisha began to run it through the long, pale blond locks. “I hate to break it to you, but most boys are stupid.”
“I guess.” Vanora sighed. She didn’t feel like talking about boys. The private school she attended had small classes, and she had known all the kids for years. The only boy to show any real interest in her was her best friend’s older brother and he was a bit of a jerk. One of her most painful experiences was when a boy she liked told her that he might ask her out if she ever dyed her hair, got a tan, and started looking normal. She had never shared that with Alisha and Roman and wasn’t going to. Her siblings insisted that her albinism didn’t detract from her, but Vanora knew differently. She saw all the hostile looks, she heard the snide comments, and she knew that people saw her as a freak.
“So you spent some time talking to Armando?”
“A few minutes,” Vanora admitted.
Alisha grinned. “You still have a crush on him, huh?”
“Shut up!”
“He is good looking.”
“Shut up!”
“Okay, okay! I have to tease you a little bit. You can’t be around him without getting all glowy.”
“I do not get glowy! I’m just…naturally…uh…Oh, shut up!” Vanora scowled.
“It’s okay to have a crush as long as you know it will never work out. He’s four hundred and you’re about to turn seventeen.”
“God, Alisha! I know! Okay!” Vanora suddenly felt like crying and it made her angrier. “I know I’m sixteen and that I’ve never been kissed or been on a date!”
“I didn’t--”
“I lie to my girlfriends and tell them I don’t date because my family is super-strict and Catholic, but they know it’s because no one has asked me! Ever!” Vanora leaped off the bed and prowled around her room. She was furious at her own frustration and the utter sense of helplessness that enfolded her.
“You’re just a late bloomer.” Alisha watched her with a sad expression on her face.
“No, Alisha. I’m ugly! I’m a freak. I look like a ghost! I can’t be in direct sunlight for long, I have to wear these stupid glasses—which I don’t need! I look like a freak! So…what if I have a crush on some old vampire? At least he doesn’t look at me like I’m ugly!”
“You’re not ugly! You’re gorgeous! Don’t let stupid people upset you. People who can’t appreciate you for who you are!” Alisha stood up and put her hands on her hips. “Gawd, Vanora, you’re so beautiful it makes my heart sing. You’re like a gorgeous swan.”
“I’m the ugly duckling and that’s not going to change.” Vanora stalked back and forth before her sister. “I’m so tired of people telling me I’m pretty when I know I’m not.”
Alisha snagged her arm and stopped her. “Vanora, stop it. Right now.”
Angry tears made it hard to see. She felt so lonely and lost.
“I know it’s hard for you because of me and Roman being what we are, only living by night, and now the new vampires are here. Maybe I’m not being the sister you need and I’m so sorry if I have been failing you. But I don’t want you to take out your frustration on yourself.”
“I just…feel lonely,” Vanora admitted. She wrapped her arms around her sister, resting her head on her shoulder. The tension in her body dissipated as Alisha embraced her lovingly. “I just miss how it was.”
“I know you do. Sometimes, I do, too.” Alisha kissed her forehead tenderly.
“You do?”
“I do. The new vampires are amazing and they really do make me feel less alone, less afraid, but I miss our quiet family times.”
“Me, too.”
“I’ll talk to Roman later. Maybe we can carve out some more time to spend with you. Maybe not have the vampires over on the weekends.”
Vanora smiled at the thought. She’d love to go back to their late-night movie marathons, or finally finish their Monopoly game. “I’d like that.”
Alisha took Vanora’s face gruffly between her hands. “And no more about you being ugly! Stop that. You’re beautiful. Inside and out. Okay?”
Though Vanora didn’t truly believe her sister, she nodded.
“Now, go to sleep and tomorrow we’ll go do something with Sin, okay?”
“Okay.” Vanora relented to her sister’s wishes. The emotional storm was dying down inside her mind and her body was exhausted.
Alisha made a big deal out of tucking her in and kissing her goodnight. “I love you, Snow Pea. Tomorrow we’ll do something fun. You’re more important to me than anyone in the world. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Vanora whispered.
After the door shut behind her sister, Vanora turned on the lamp and slid the drawer of her bed stand open. Inside was a piece of paper that Vanora unfolded. It had taken her weeks to finally be satisfied with the image. After failing to capture a picture of Armando, she had finally drawn him. Studying sketch, she was pleased with how much she had captured his likeness. He really was handsome, and he was always so nice to her. Only when she was around him did she feel even remotely attractive.
With a sigh, she tucked it under her pillow, turned off the light, and closed her eyes to sleep.
28
February 2007
“So no more weekend dates, huh?” Sin scratched his underarm and stretched out his long, muscular body.
“Not for a while,” Alisha said, sighing. “Vanora is feeling ignored lately. She’s feeling the wrath of her teenage hormones.” Lounging nude on the bed in Sin’s art studio, she played with the edges of her blond hair.
“Being a teenager sucks balls. She probably needs to get laid.”
“Sin!”
“She’s a hot sixteen-year-old.”
“And about to turn seventeen.”
“Well, she’ll be technically legal in the state of Texas. She should be boning boys left and right. She’s a little hottie.”
Alisha rolled her eyes. “Perv.”
Sin grinned, his hands tucked behind his head. He had finally grown out his dreads and dyed his blond hair different shades of blue and green. Alisha thought he looked like a merman. “C’mon. You don’t think she’s not doing anything when she goes out with Rhonda? Rhonda has wild girl stamped all over her.”
Frowning, Alisha stared at a stray split end and made a mental note to get her hair trimmed. “Vanora doesn’t get asked out by guys. And the only one to like her is apparently stupid.”
“All men are stupid when it comes to women.” Sin rolled over and nudged her with his broad shoulder. “You honestly don’t think she’s having a crazy time behind your back?”
“God, I wish!” With an exasperated sigh, Alisha toppled onto her side and stroked his chin lightly. “Honestly, I hate to admit it, but I think her albinism really does hold her back. I’ve always stressed to her that her condition has no bearing on her as a person, but even I notice the weird looks she gets. I hear the shitty things people say to her.”
“Eh, I think she’s pretty. But then again, I think she resembles her older, hotter sister.”
Alisha smiled. “Flatterer.”
Sin gathered her up in his long, arms, his tattoos shifting over his hard muscles. Resting against the hardness of his chest, Alisha felt safe and warm. Sin always made her feel alive and human.
“I love you,” Sin whispered, kissing her lips.
“Love you,” she answered.
Snuggling her, Sin gently stroked her cheek, his blue eyes staring into hers. “I want to talk to you about something important.”
“That sounds…scary.”
With a slight shrug and a smile, he said, “Maybe. Depends on how you take it.”
“Okay.” Alisha eyed him warily.
“Let me talk and just listen. Don’t interrupt until I’m done. I’ve been practicing this for days and I’m nervous.”
The sincerity in his gaze and voice made Alisha even more curious and anxious about what he was about to say to her. “I’m listening.”
Taking a deep breath, Sin slowly exhaled. “Okay, we’ve been together for a while now. And it’s good. Really good. You’ve kept me in Houston for so long it kinda boggles my mind. I have serious wanderlust. I hate being in any place longer than a year max. But here I am! Because of you.”
That drew a smile out of Alisha, and she nestled into her pillow to listen to him ramble on.
“I know when we first got together you had some…qualms.” Sin hesitated, shifting onto his hip and resting his head on his hand so he could gaze down at her. With some obvious trepidation, he plunged on. “The whole thing about your brother Roman was a ruse. I know that now. I found out Roman’s dead a while back. I thought it was weird how Vanora never mentioned him and would avoid answering my questions about him. So I did a little investigating and found out how he died.”
Alisha tensed, her stomach clenching. What did he know?
“At first I couldn’t figure out why you would lie to me about your older brother not liking me until I realized it was your safety line. Your way out if you didn’t like me.”
Alisha started to open her mouth, but then quickly shut it.
Sin gave her a somewhat wistful smile before flopping back on his pillows. “I also know there is something wrong with you physically. I’m going to guess it’s something to do with thyroid since your skin is always so cool. And I also suspect you’re bulimic. I do hear you throwing up after you eat.” Sin rubbed his face vigorously, drew in a deep breath, and kept talking. “But I don’t care about any of it. All I know is that you make me so damn happy. I feel energized when I’m with you. My art is fucking amazing. I’m crazily in love with you and I know if you would just open up to me, we can handle whatever you’re dealing with.” Rolling over, Sin cupped her face with one hand. “I want us to be together. Really together. You and me, living together, none of this leaving right before dawn shit. I want to wake up with you at my side.”
“Sin,” Alisha breathed, her throat tight and mind unable to fashion any sort of response out of her muddled, terrified thoughts.
“I got a call from a friend in LA. He’s refurbishing this old warehouse into apartments and it has great light. He says he can hook me up with a studio. I think we should both pack it up and head out there. You can get out into the sunshine and get a tan. We can start off a new life.”
“I can’t,” Alisha whispered.
“Look, I know you’re worried about Vanora. But she’s almost seventeen! She’s nearly an adult. You’ve been telling me for the last year that your uncle and aunt want her to move to Austin. Let her do that. Let her go be with her cousins and hang out in a town that’s made for young people. You’ve been putting your life on hold for your sister and, honestly, Alisha, I think she’s doing the same for you. It’ll be good for both of you.”
Alisha closed her eyes, her heart breaking into a million pieces. Sin’s kisses covered her closed lids, her cheeks, and her lips.
“C’mon, Alisha. Let go. Embrace life. Come with me to L.A.”
Opening her eyes, Alisha gently brushed her fingertips over his lips. A crazy piece of her wanted to say yes. It was as if a part of her was utterly insane and wanted to believe that all he said was possible. Yet, the growing, gnawing hunger inside her was the truth of the situation.
“I know you love me,” Sin said, grinning. “Admit it. You want to go with me.”
“More than anything,” she confessed.
“Then we’ll do it! We’ll move in June.”
Sitting up, she felt vulnerable in her nudity. The pleasant soreness of their lovemaking made her sigh.
Sin’s fingers were warm against her back as he slowly drew them up and down the length of her spin. Tangling them in her hair, he drew her into his arms, his lips soft and sensuous against hers.
Tears in her eyes, Alisha kissed him back, ignoring the growing hollow feeling inside of her.
* * *
Roman slouched further on the sofa, his brow furrowed, his hand tapping the armrest. He was watching the Astros on the DVR and he was annoyed by how the game was turning out. He was tempted to fast forward or check the internet to see what the final score had been, but he only sank deeper into the leather sofa and grumbled.
Clad in his pajama bottoms and a t-shirt, he looked nothing like the leader the local vampires virtually worshipped, but he didn’t appear exactly human either. His dark hair was mussed from him constantly running his hands through it as the Astros marched toward defeat. On the table was a wine glass that was a mixture of red wine and pig’s blood, a far departure from the beer and snack food he had once enjoyed. Since it was the weekend, he was determined to relax and enjoy the silence of the house. While Alisha had been out with Sin, he’d spent time with Vanora playing video games and watching cheesy horror movies. Now his youngest sister was asleep and he was growing increasingly concerned by his other sister’s absence.
It was an hour until dawn.
Sipping his wine, he sighed, cradling it against his lips.
The sound of the side door opening and closing brought his frayed nerves relief and he tilted his head so he could see over the back of the sofa. Alisha strode down the hallway, dragging her feet. Her boots left scuff marks that he knew would bring down the ire of Miss Robbins.
“You’re late,” he said.
Alisha tossed her purse onto the coffee table and collapsed onto the sofa with a loud sigh. “Yeah.”
“You okay?”
“No.” Shucking off her boots, she tucked her bare feet onto the leather cushions and stared over her knees at him.
“What happened?” Roman immediately paused the game and leaned toward her.
Grabbing his drink, Alisha swallowed it in one gulp. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she stared at the bottom of the glass. “Sin wants me to move to L.A. with him and start a life together.”
“I see.” Roman wasn’t exactly sure what the strange sound in her voice meant. He knew there was no way that Alisha could leave with Sin, but he wondered if she realized it.
“By the way, he thinks you’re dead and that I was pretending you didn’t like him so I could give myself an out of the relationship. Also, he’s pretty sure I have a thyroid issue and that I’m bulimic. But all that doesn’t matter because he loves me.”
Lifting his thick brows, Roman said, “He knows I’m dead?”
“Yep. So you should feel really relieved that I didn’t blow your cover.” Alisha’s voice rose, becoming increasingly strident. “So, Sin has no fuckin’ clue I’m a vampire who has to fight the urge to bite his luscious meaty neck every time I’m around him!”
Roman shifted on the sofa to take his sister’s hands. “Alisha, you know you can’t go with him.”
“I know!” Tears that Roman hadn’t realized were on the verge of spilling rolled along the curve of his sister’s cheeks. “I know that!”
“Alisha…”
“I broke up with him!” Alisha sobbed. “I broke up with him!”
Roman closed his eyes, unable to see the pain in hers. “I’m so sorry.”
“I love him, Roman. I do!”
“I know.”
“You might hate him, but I love him and I can’t be with him.”
To Roman’s surprise, his sister curled up beside him, her head resting on his shoulder. Gently, he embraced her, trying to comfort
her. Their relationship was difficult. Not only were they siblings, but their age difference also imbued their relationship with a father/daughter dynamic. It had been a long time since his sister needed him in a fatherly role, but it was obvious she did now.
“Alisha, I am sorry. It hurts me to know you’re in pain,” he said in a tender tone.
Sobbing, his sister pressed her hand to her lips.
“If I could find a way to spare you from this, I would.”
“I know! I know!” Alisha wailed. “I want to be mad at you because you told me this would happen, but I can’t be, you know, because you were right. It was stupid of me to get involved with a mortal.”
Roman sighed, not answering, his hand gently rubbing her arm.
“A part of me was dying to run off with him. I felt a little crazy. It was like a piece of my brain was still mortal and I could even imagine it all working out wonderfully. And then there was the other part of my brain that told me I was getting hungry and that Sin would be a great meal!” Alisha wiped at her face with the cuff of her long-sleeved t-shirt. “I was such a moron to think I could have a real life.”
“Alisha, don’t say that.”
“What hope is there, Roman? I mean, really?”
The question bothered Roman. It was one he had asked himself when he had made the choice to not contact Norma after his resurrection. Even though he was now surrounded by vampires, there was a part of him that yearned for love. He would do anything for his sisters and he had sacrificed a lot to raise both of them instead of establishing a family of his own. Now that he was faced with immortality, he yearned to connect with someone. He couldn’t fault Alisha for desiring the same.
“There’s hope because we’re not alone,” Roman said at last. “There are others like us and maybe one day we will both find someone among our own kind.”
Alisha sniffled loudly.
“Which is probably what you don’t want to hear.”
“Not really,” Alisha admitted. “If this hadn’t happened to us, he would have been my forever, Roman.”
Vampire in the Night: In Darkness We Must Abide, #1 Page 17