I can’t imagine the look of disappointment on my parents’ faces. I should have been there for my family. I shouldn’t have run. But I didn’t know what else to do. There was no way I could have sat through another dinner or stood anywhere near Boz during the awards and kept myself together.
Boz is a vampire. Boz is a freaking vampire! Vampires are real! All I can think about is that image of him sucking the life from that guy. On the other hand, I can’t stop wanting to be near him. The pull feels like it’s coming from a part of me I didn’t even know existed. It’s needy and hungry. But only for him.
That’s why I left. That’s why I had to put as much distance as possible between me and Boz. The conflict is tearing me in two.
How can I want someone who utterly terrifies me? I just can’t see it working. I can’t see our two worlds coming together in a way that could ever make me happy. I love my family. I love sunshine and fresh air. I love coming home to the smell of Eliza and Mabel’s latest baking creation or to an enormous puddle of Sadie’s drool on the floor and the sound of my parents stealing kisses in the living room when they think we can’t hear. My life might not be perfect, but it’s warm and filled with light. I’d hoped to add to it one day with children when I found the love of my life.
But Boz? He’s…he’s…an eight-hundred-year-old vampire! He’s the night. He kills people and drinks blood.
My fingers longingly reach for the spot on my neck where his fangs gave me the most incredible orgasm of my life.
Really? Really, Stella? I berate myself. You’re willing to overlook all of the bad stuff just because of an orgasm?
“I’m hopeless!” I sigh, feeling like my head is about to explode. I need a hot bath, a toothbrush, and a long nap. Tomorrow, my parents should be home. Neli and Boz will likely arrive with them. As soon as I see him, I have to tell him the truth. There is no us. There is no future I can see with a man whose love would require me to become a vampire.
I can’t ever see him again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Stella
The next morning my family is back. And lucky them, they did it without a strip search. Not that they needed one to feel down. Everyone is putting on a brave face, talking about what a great trip it was, but I can read between the lines. We all know the ribbon isn’t enough to save Stellariva. I don’t see another way around declaring bankruptcy. My parents will lose everything they’ve worked so hard for, and it’s doubtful anyone would approve loans for the twins to go to culinary school. I’ve failed them.
My sisters volunteer to go to the grocery store after breakfast, which gives me the chance to talk to my parents alone. They’re sitting at the kitchen island, sipping coffee, and talking in hushed tones. I take in my mom’s ratty old beige cardigan and my dad’s faded chambray shirt—signs of financial distress I should’ve noticed. They probably haven’t bought anything for themselves in years. Everything was for me and my sisters. My throat clogs with emotion.
“Mom, Dad, I’m so—” my voice chokes “—so sorry. I failed you. I did everything I could think of with marketing and the labels and blends.” I wipe tears from my eyes, overwhelmed by the past couple of days. “Everything you worked so hard for…it’s just—”
“Stella,” Mom says, rushing over to hug me, “none of this is your fault.”
My dad peers at me, hovering over Mom’s shoulder. “We know you tried your best. We never should’ve put so much on your shoulders. We’re the ones who failed you. This was supposed to be your inheritance.”
“No, Dad, you gave me a legacy to be proud of, but now…”
My dad wraps his arms around both of us. “My girls, we’ll be okay.”
I sniffle as we break apart from our family hug. My dad always says we’ll be okay, but I just don’t see how.
Mom puts her arm around me, guiding me to one of the island stools. She pours a cup of coffee for me.
I wrap my fingers around the white ceramic mug, comforted by its warmth. “What are we going to do?”
My parents exchange a look, and I tense. They’ve been keeping secrets from me again. “What? Just tell me.”
Dad speaks in a soothing tone. “First, just know that your mom and I love what we’ve created here. We’ve loved raising a family at a vineyard. It’s given us so much freedom and the opportunity to be part of your lives. We both got to see you girls growing up. Something we would’ve missed out on if we had to commute to a job.”
Mom nods. “It was a gift to have this family time together, living and working on this beautiful land.”
“And now it’s over,” I say flatly.
Dad sighs. “You girls are grown. The twins only have a year left to graduate, and they’re both so independent. Maybe it’s time for us to move on.”
“Bankruptcy,” I say softly.
“Actually,” Mom says, “we thought if we sold the house and the land, we could avoid bankruptcy. After we pay off our debt, we may have enough to get the twins to culinary school.”
The breath whooshes out of my body. Sell Stellariva? It never occurred to me they’d give up our home. The rolling hills of beautiful California wine country that I thought would be my view for the rest of my life—gone. I swallow hard over the lump of emotions lodged in my throat. This house, this land holds so many memories. I can’t imagine never being able to return to it.
“Stella, it’s the only option that makes sense from a business standpoint,” my dad says. “Surely you see that.”
Panic takes hold. “What if you sell it to someone who turns it into a parking lot or a shopping center? Or cookie-cutter suburban homes or a gas station! It could be anything. You don’t know what they’d do with it.”
Mom holds up a finger. “Or…maybe another young family looking to run a vineyard could buy it.” She doesn’t sound convincing.
I press my lips together. The land will be bulldozed. Everything ruined.
Dad squeezes my shoulder. “We’ll be okay. You have a degree. Start sending out résumés. I’m sure an employer will snap you up in no time.”
“And what will you two do?” I ask.
“We’ll downsize for sure,” Mom says. “Probably rent an apartment nearby so the twins can stay in the same school district. After they graduate, well, we’ll have to move somewhere cheaper.”
“I’ll start sending out résumés too,” Dad says.
I worry my lower lip. My parents are in their fifties now after working more than two decades here. I’m not sure the job market will be that easy for them to get back into.
“We’ll survive,” Mom says with a note of steel in her voice. “Don’t worry about us, okay?”
I nod and sip my coffee, but I know I’ll worry. Worse, I can’t stand for them to sell this wonderful land and house. It means too much to them, to all of us. There must be something I can do.
“I asked the twins to pick up some flowers to give Neli and Boz as a thank-you for everything,” Mom says. “It’s just a token, I know, but how can we ever repay all that they did for us?”
My gut does a slow roll. We owe Neli and Boz so much. I know how I could repay them both—agreeing to be his mate, setting Neli free—but I can’t. It would mean stepping into a supernatural world that scares me. Yet something pulls at me, a need to talk to Neli. I want to understand their world. I hate feeling so conflicted over Boz.
I stand, taking my coffee with me. “I’ll text her to see when’s a good time to stop by and bring the flowers myself.”
“Don’t go yet, Stella,” Dad says. “Let’s just enjoy this quiet morning together.”
My eyes sting with unshed tears over what he’s not saying—it’s one of our last times together here in this house looking out over our vineyard. I don’t think it will take long for a sale. There’s new vintners popping up all the time, and this is prime real estate in Napa Valley. Even if it takes months to sell, it’ll never be enough time.
I take my seat again. “Of course.”
&n
bsp; My parents gaze silently out the wide kitchen window to our vineyard. I do too, trying to memorize everything about this moment before we have to say goodbye forever to the land we love.
Neli didn’t answer my texts, so later that day I decide to walk over to deliver a nice bouquet of fresh summer flowers. Her phone’s probably charging after the long flight. If she’s sleeping off jet lag, I’ll just leave them at the front door. There’s a small card attached that we all signed. I cross the road and make my way up the long front walkway to the castle. I know it’s cowardly of me to stop by during the day, when Boz sleeps, but I’m not ready to face him. (I really hope he doesn’t sleep in a coffin like in that movie I saw. Creepy.) The truth is, I’m both attracted to and terrified by the man. The vampire, not man. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around that and all his lies. So many damned lies! Oh sure…he works nights because the customers are overseas, I mock inside my head. I know it’s weird to get hung up on that, but he and Neli were so good at lying straight to my face. How will I ever be able to trust either of them?
I’m being silly. I know I am. They can’t very well run around introducing themselves as immortals. Still, the entire thing is just…well, it’s a lot.
My steps falter as a wave of dizziness comes over me.
I bend at the waist, taking a few deep breaths, waiting for the dizziness to pass. Okay, better now. Just focus on Neli, your friend, who’s completely normal, except for the majordomo immortal thing. At least she doesn’t have fangs!
I straighten, feeling slightly insane at my twisted reasoning, but continue on in my mission to thank her (and, from a distance, Boz). I probably won’t be around much after this, anyway, since I’ll be on the job hunt. I need to wrap everything up, even though it kills me to even think of leaving the only home I can remember.
I square my shoulders and cross the moat, taking in the castle with new eyes. It’s real. A medieval castle from Transylvania. My mind conjures Prince Bozhidar in that long-ago time, ruling over the castle and the people on his land. Powerful, commanding, but also fair. Neli said he took care of her when she was a vulnerable child.
She also said I could never have children if I was his mate. What if he didn’t turn me into a vampire? Then could I have children? I could still live in the light and have my family. But wouldn’t that make our children half human, half vampire, never fitting into either world? Why am I even thinking about this? I swear I’m going crazy. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
I lift the knocker on the ancient wooden door and bang it a few times. No response. I wait a moment, listening for movement, and bang it again. Maybe she’s sleeping off jet lag. Though I’m a little surprised. She’s so energetic, I thought she’d bounce back from the trip and get right back to work. I pull out my phone. Still no response to my texts. She’s usually a quick responder. I hope she’s okay.
I leave the flowers by the front door and head home, my limbs heavier with every step.
Boz
I am back at Castle Sangria, which appears to be vampire-hunter-free now. My sweep of both properties upon my arrival revealed that all is quiet. No sign of the mercenaries, and Stella’s attic is spotless save for some old boxes of family photos and broken glass on the wood floor.
Oops. I had a bit of trouble with that sticky window.
Otherwise, Neli has done a great job dealing with the issue. Very good news because I must prepare to make the grandest of gestures to woo my mate. It is all my doing, not Neli’s. She left France before I could get her assistance with my gesture, letting me know by text that she was worried about Stella, so she went home ahead of our party to check on her. I appreciate the fact that Neli takes my mate’s protection seriously.
Speaking of Neli, where is that girl? She has not been answering the Summoner, and I’ve checked her rooms and the kitchen. Perhaps this is like the last time she didn’t answer my repeated texts. She wants me to have alone time with Stella to accomplish my gesture on my own. I don’t need my Neli, I mean, my…servant to speak for me.
I know it is wrong, but I cannot let Neli go. We are family.
But now I must secure my mate before she closes her heart permanently against me. First, as is proper, I must go to her father to ask for her hand in marriage. Then I will go to Stella and seduce…no, I will express my love and my sincere desire to share a future as equals as per issue No. 62, 1973, of Psychology Today. I am fully prepared to love a modern woman as a modern man (with centuries of experience). Yes, let’s not dwell on my age. It is just a number, after all, according to many informative internet articles.
I dress in my white collared shirt—the modern one—that brings a healthy glow to my skin, my favorite black leather pants, and my finest black leather shoes. Just a spritz of fresh pine scent, and I am prepared to take the first step toward my destiny. I refuse to believe Stella will ruin me as the curse says. No one as sweet as my mate could ever do anything but worship and adore me unconditionally for eternity.
It is dark as I approach her family’s house. The light is on in Stella’s room, so I know she’s home. In my eagerness, I speed to the front door and knock three times for luck. Not that I believe in luck. I create my destiny.
Her bloodhound raises hell from somewhere inside the house, her old claws scrabbling on the hardwood as she races to the door. I was careful to rinse my mouth with fine wine after my evening snack, but bloodhounds can sniff out blood almost as well as vampires. I should have brought a distracting bone.
The door opens to Stella’s mother. “Oh, hello, Boz, so nice to see you. Please, come in.”
I step inside, pleased by the reception. “I received your flowers and note. Thank you.” The dog growls at me, baring her fangs. I remind myself not to rise to the occasion. My fangs are much scarier.
“So sorry about Sadie,” she says, pulling her back by the collar. “I’ll just put her in my office. She’s extra protective since we got home. I guess she missed us.”
Stella’s twin sisters wave at me from the living room, where they’re watching the TV. “Hi, Boz!” they call in near unison.
“Hello, Mabel and Eliza. Is your father home?” I can’t tell the twins apart. Though they dress differently, they still look exactly alike. I will get Neli on that. It’s important I know Stella’s family members.
“Yeah,” one of them says. “Dad!”
Stella’s father appears at the top of the stairs and heads down to greet me in the foyer. “I thought I heard you, Boz. Would you like a drink?”
“That sounds good, thank you,” I say, following him to the kitchen.
Stella’s mother goes out the back door with Sadie.
“What can I get you?” her father asks. “We’ve got wine, of course, beer, lemonade—”
“Actually, while it’s just the two of us, I’d very much like to talk to you about a serious matter.”
He takes a seat on a stool at the kitchen island and gestures for me to take the seat next to him. “Of course. We’re so grateful to you and Neli for all you did for us. If there’s anything we can do to repay—”
“With your permission, I would like to marry your daughter.”
His mouth gapes open.
Has Stella not spoken of me? Of our fated bond? “I mean Stella,” I add, in case he’s shocked, thinking I want one of his young twin daughters.
“I see,” he says. “Sorry, I’m just surprised. I wasn’t aware you were seeing each other.”
“She is my destiny.” I wait for him to understand the way of things. His eyes are wide, staring unblinkingly at me.
“Have you spoken about this with Stella?” he finally asks, blinking again.
“I went to you first, as is proper. Of course, I am prepared to cover her dowry. It is my grand gesture to prove my sincerity. I would like to make an offer to buy your land and combine our vineyards in one large estate. Five million dollars.” This is above the market price because I take care of those my mate loves.
; At his silence, I continue, hoping he will see the greatness of my plan soon. “My award-winning vines could be planted here as well. If you would be willing to stay on as full partner in the entire operation, your wife and Stella included, I would greatly appreciate it.” It is the best way I could think of to preserve the family’s pride and dignity while saving what is clearly a failing business.
His mouth opens and closes several times, resembling a fish.
Stella’s mother returns. “I’m back. Will Neli be stopping by later?” She takes a seat next to her husband, suddenly seeming to notice the silence between us. I am waiting for an answer. Her husband appears to be in shock.
Is this not how it’s done in modern times? I should have read up on marriage proposals for the modern woman. Perhaps you don’t ask the father’s permission. He seems to be caught on that part, as he hasn’t granted it. By all that’s unholy, there’s only so much time in a night to research modern customs! Where is Neli when I need her most? Sleeping the night away. Again. I can only forgive such laziness for a short time. I’ve been too lenient with her.
“Are you okay?” her mother asks her father.
“Five million dollars,” he mutters. “Marry Stella.”
“What?” she asks. “You’re not making sense.”
“Tell her what you told me,” her father says, gesturing to me. He stands and pulls a whiskey bottle out of a cabinet, pouring a generous amount in a glass.
Her mother turns to me. “You want to marry Stella?”
“Very much so.”
She beams a bright smile. “Wow. I had no idea you two were serious. I mean, I saw the way she looked at you and vice versa, but…” She looks around. “Where is Stella?”
“I am waiting for her father’s permission before asking for her hand,” I say.
Her eyes go soft. “That is so nice. What a gentlemanly thing to do. You certainly have my permission.”
Fanged Love Page 18