Chapter Eleven
The sun cast its warm rays on my face, and I had almost forgotten how good vitamin D felt. Wait. Why was I in the sun and not frying into a pile of ash? I sat up from the Adirondack chair I was reclining in and removed the sunglasses I wore to have a better look around. There was nothing but miles and miles of white, sandy beach. The ocean’s waves were gently rolling, and it was so clear that I could see all of the ocean floor and its inhabitants. I stood up to get a closer look at my surroundings and noticed I wore an unflattering, blue-striped one piece with a ruffle skirt. It was hideous. Yeah, this would not do. Right in front of my eyes, my bathing suit turned into a cute black bikini. What. The. Hell. Obviously, I was dreaming, but I didn’t remember falling asleep in the tub.
I heard a strong voice behind me. “Hello.”
Quickly turning around, I saw a sixty-ish looking man standing behind an empty tiki hut bar. He had shiny gray hair hanging down to his shoulders, and it was the same length as his silvery beard. His beautiful blue eyes sparkled with humor and amusement. Considering the ugly Hawaiian shirt he was wearing, I was glad to see he was able to be a good sport about anything.
“You have part fae in you,” the man said in an accent that I couldn’t quite place.
“Um, are you talking to me?”
He picked up a glass and started to clean it with a linen napkin. He repeated what I said a few times until he produced the perfect southern accent. Was this old geezer trying to mimic me?
He smiled at me. “You see anyone else on this beach? Of course, I’m talking to you. You looked confused, so I am clarifyin’. You have part fae in you. That is why you can travel between the planes.”
I must have gotten into some bad blood because I was tripping.
Nodding to an empty bar stool, he said, “Come, take a seat, and I’ll explain some things.”
Slowly moving towards him, I said, “And you are?”
“Your grandfather. Actually, there are a lot of greats in there, but who’s counting? All that matters is we share the same blood.”
This was crazy. “Of course, we do.”
“No, you’re not dreaming, but you’ll figure that out when you get back.”
“So for right now, I just need to roll with it?”
He cocked his head to the side. “Roll with it? Yes, I like that.”
I was pretty sure he was talking about my lingo, not that I was confident of anything anymore. “So, you are my granddaddy?”
He smiled, and it looked as if the heavens were casting down rays. I almost had to put my shades back on. “Granddaddy. I like that even better, but with this drawl, it will take forever to say. Why don’t you call me Pops?”
“You would think my subconscious would have picked someone older, especially if you were a… however many greats you are.”
“Oh, but you don’t get to choose how I look, even if you had requested this meeting. I am who I am, and that will never change. My appearance is accurate and since I’m fae, I don’t age normally. This is actually my setting,” he said, gesturing to our surroundings. “I have been knocking on your door literally for some time, but you have just now relaxed enough to answer, and since I asked for the meeting, I chose the background.” He smirked. “Obviously, you didn’t like the bathing suit I picked out for you. Guess it was a little too grandfatherly.”
I looked down at my bathing suit. It was the one that I had salivated over in the new issue of Vogue.
“So, you are saying that if I didn’t like something, I could change it… while I’m here. Wherever here is?”
“Yes. Unless it’s my physical appearance and like I said, what you see is what you get with this old timer.”
While concentrating on my surroundings, I imagined a different scenery. Before my eyes the white sand changed to a pink hue. I had once seen these pink sand beaches on a brochure advertising a coastline on Komodo Island in Indonesia.
“See? You are a natural, kid. Must take after me.”
I slumped down on the barstool, studying his features. This was me, rolling with it. “You are fae, and you have wanted to talk with me because?”
He looked sad for a moment before putting the whiskey glass down. “Because my line has been so diluted with the intermingling of humans, I haven’t been able to talk to any of my children’s children. It’s pretty depressing being able to watch your family go through success and heartache, but never being able to reach out to them.”
“But you can talk to me?”
“Yes, dear granddaughter, I surely can. Thanks to the vampire blood in you. It has strengthened the fae in you, and that is the answer to the question you asked your young vampire.”
He thought Stephan was young? I didn’t even want to know how old he was.
“My question?”
“Granted your fae blood was very diluted, but since it’s still there, you would have lost the extra fat that you carried once you came into adulthood. Which was just a couple of months away, correct?”
“Um, yeah. My birthday is soon. What does it mean that I have fae in my bloodline, other than I can, um, travel to here?”
He tugged on his beard. “How about if you visit your Pops every once and a while, I’ll teach you all about the fae?”
I was pretty sure that none of this was real anyway so why not. “Sure. I’ll visit every night.”
His eyes got round as saucers. “I would love that, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Your vamp would go insane.”
“He’s not my vamp, and why would he care?”
“When you come to a fae plane, the time operates differently than it does in the real world.”
I shrugged, because hey, this was me rolling with it again. “Of course, it does. What can you teach me while I’m here?”
“I could state the basics, such as fae are known for their ethereal appearance because they come from fallen angels, or I could answer some of the questions that are burning inside of you.”
“All of the above, please.” His bushy eyebrows rose. “Would you like a drumroll?”
“You get your attitude from my late wife. She was so feisty. All right, we will start with the easy stuff. A long time ago, some angels were cast out of heaven for their wrongdoings. They found themselves not able to fit in with those on earth, but no longer welcome in heaven. Most grew lonely and started intermingling with the humans in a romantic sense. Of course, the relationships were doomed from the beginning because the fallen angels never age, so they had to watch their loved ones, including their children, grow old and wither. The fallen angels’ children were a new breed called fae.”
“So, fae are mortals?”
“Yes and no. If they live on earth, yes. If their blood is not too diluted by human blood, then they can live their lives in the fae plane where they will become immortal,” Pops said. “Now, on to more juicy stuff. You, my granddaughter, are the only one of your kind.”
“Maybe you should be a little bit more specific.”
“Your body is made up of three different beings.”
“Three?” I yelled. “What the heck? Vampire, fae, and what else? If you say troll, so help me, I will imagine a bridge and then go jump off of it.”
Pops chuckled. “No, Tandi there is no troll in your body, but what I’m about to tell you is worse. Just remember you have been demanding answers from that vampire of yours.”
“Again, he does not belong to me.” I crossed my legs, swinging the top one. “Spit it out, Pops.”
“Ghoul.”
It took me a moment to find my voice. “Ghoul? As in the things that killed me? I have a part of them in my genetic make-up?”
“No. It’s complicated.”
“Well, then un-complicate it for me.”
“This is all kind of an anomaly. No one has ever died from being attacked by ghouls with vampire blood in their system. Not to mention the fact that you carry fae blood as well.”
I thought of the ghouls that attacked me. Th
ey were hideous beings made up of rotten flesh that seemed to give them a more zombie appearance than anything. My voice shook as I asked, “Will I turn into a ghoul?”
“No, you will not end up looking like a ghoul, but you do carry their poison in your blood. That’s why that rogue vampire died when he bit you.”
I thought back to the night the vampires attacked us. I had assumed that Dani killed all the vampires. Maybe that is what the secretive looks between brother and sister were all about. “My blood is poisonous to all vampires?”
“To all creatures, I would imagine. But again, this is uncharted territory, and I can’t be positive. There are so many unknowns.”
“You said that whatever fae blood I have in me is very minimal, so other than playing a part in my appearance, is there anything else I should know about?”
“Oh, but your fae blood will continue to get stronger and stronger if I am not mistaken. Over the years, I’ve seen humans with small traces of fae in them be turned by a vampire only to have the fae in them grow. That means that you will hopefully be able to wield some of the powers that most low fae can wield, and if we are fortunate, then you might have some similar powers of the high fae.”
“My parents came from old money and were all about wielding the power that came from it over the lesser folk’s heads. If they knew this, they would be ecstatic to learn they might become more powerful. Not that they would use their power for good, because I can promise you they wouldn’t unless it paid. But I’m not like them. I just want to be a normal vampire, so I can try and fit in a little better.”
I could sense his indecision a moment before he produced an intricate, hand-held gold mirror in his hands. “Tandi, look into this mirror, and tell me what you see?”
“Um… is this a trick question?” I asked, as I gazed into the mirror.
“You’re as gorgeous as any fae I’ve ever laid eyes upon. Your hair is the color of wheat in the sunshine, and your eyes are as green as fresh cut grass. Your face is perfectly symmetrical.”
My eyes met his across the bar. “Thanks?”
“Your parents, describe them to me.”
“Well, Dad worked for a—”
“No. I want to know what they look like.”
I scrunched my forehead in thought. “Well, my dad is an ordinary man. Average height, receding brown hair, and brown eyes that are always behind a pair of glasses, which constantly slip on his nose. He’s slightly pudgy. My mom is pretty short and has similar coloring. Except her brown eyes are darker, and her hair is lighter, thanks to all the highlights she puts in it.”
Pops nodded. “Would you say that there is anything that stands out about them in a crowd?”
“Their money set them apart. The fancy way they dressed, their mannerisms, and the fact that they always thought they were better than everyone else because they could trace their ancestors all the way back to the Mayflower. But I guess if you took away their money and their lineage, then, no, there is nothing about their looks that would make someone stop and take notice of them.” I laid the mirror down on the bar with a thunk. “What exactly are you trying to get at, Pops?”
“How could two people like that have someone that looks like you?”
“Are you saying they aren’t my real parents?”
“Of course, those aren’t your real parents. No offense to you, but those people you call parents are a disgrace to parents everywhere. This might come as a shocker, but be thankful that you don’t carry their blood. Your real parents died in a car crash when you were three weeks old.”
Neither one of us said anything for several minutes while I tried to wrap my brain around what he had just said. The ones who raised me had lied to me all of these years. I waited for the feeling of rage to come, but instead I felt ashamed. Ashamed that I felt a loss from never meeting my real parents and was relieved the people who raised me shared none of my blood. They had always treated me more like a trophy than a daughter. The gardener taught me how to ride a bike, the cook taught me how to bake cookies, and one of my nannies gave me the birds and the bees speech.
When Stephan had convinced my parents that I needed to study abroad, I knew they were happy for me to go and weren’t upset that they didn’t get the chance to say goodbye. I wondered what it would have been like if my true parents would have lived. Would I have still become part of the supernatural community? Would I have ended up right here sitting in front of Pops?
After I had worked out the different emotions going through me, I glanced up into Pops’ concerned eyes. “Thank you for telling me.”
Realizing that I wasn’t going to have a meltdown, he gave me a smile. His green eyes that were the same shade as mine twinkled back at me. “When you are immortal, time is irrelevant, but I’m sure that your young vampire is going mad looking for you.”
My eyes drifted to the pink sand and the crystal-clear waters before settling back on Pops. “I’ve been gone for a hot minute, and besides that, I’ve learned more in these past few minutes than I have the entire time I’ve been with Stephan. He’s infuriating, and I suck at being a vampire.”
Pops dared to chuckle at my self-pity. “This is all just theory, but I believe that you are getting worse at becoming a vampire because you are trying too hard. Let all three counterparts work naturally together and in your favor. You see by this point, a vampire should be a well-built, killing machine acting on instinct alone. When a vampire sees a source of food, they should get hunger pains just by hearing its heartbeat. The adrenaline should be pumping through their veins just from the excitement of the chase, but you, my dear, well, you just see a cute animal.”
Wincing, I asked, “So, you saw the whole deer debacle, or are we talking about the stupid bunny?”
He laughed. “I might have bared witness to the baby fawn. Unfortunately, I missed the bunny scene, but it sounds like it would have been interesting to watch.”
“Yep. I’m a total failure.”
“I think that you are looking at it wrong. You see when vampires are newly turned, it takes them a very long time—sometimes decades—before they can curb their appetite before killing anything weaker than them. The only thing that you have managed to kill, and unintentionally might I add, was a vampire that was by far stronger than you. I believe what is suppressing your need to kill, ironically, is your fae blood, which seems to be growing stronger. It’s not the fact that you are not killing anything that makes your fae blood strengthen, because you are still drinking blood, even if it comes out of a bag.” I could tell he was holding back laughter. “It’s as if all three different types of blood currently coursing through your veins are working together to make you a different type of being. You shouldn’t exist, and yet you do.”
“So, now that I’m more of a Rubik’s Cube instead of a huge disappointment, Stephan will lay off of me a bit? Well, that is if I can convince him of all this. If I tell him I met my fae great something or another grandfather in a different plane, and he told me why I’m not the perfect vampire, he might have my blood drained and have me mummified.”
His bushy brows furrowed. “Since he already knows all of this, I don’t see why he would doubt you about meeting me.”
“What do you mean, he already knows? That man has done nothing but be condescending and made me feel like I am lower than low just because I’m not the perfect vampire, and you’re telling me that he knows why I’m not performing at top speed.”
“That is not why he has been standoffish, and as far as the rest,” Pops said, shrugging, “while you’ve been gone, he’s made some discoveries. Try not to be too upset with him.”
My jaw dropped. He acted like I had been gone for days when I knew good and well that I just asked Stephan thirty minutes ago if he had any answers. “Try not to be too upset? I’m past that and am currently residing in the ‘I’m about to stake someone’ zone.”
“Just playing fae advocate here, but I’m sure there is a great reason for him not wanting to tell you.
If you would just ask him, then—”
“Listen, Pops, I appreciate the grandfatherly advice, but I think I’m going stick with staking him. It sounds more therapeutic.”
He leaned his elbows on the bar and released a long sigh. “I thought you would say that.” He laid a hand on one of mine. “I have given you a lot to think about, and I have immensely enjoyed getting to see your fiery spirit in person. Promise me that you will come see me again?”
I turned my hand under his so our palms touched. “I have enjoyed myself, too, and if I don’t wake up in a cold bath and realize that I have a very vivid imagination, then I promise that we will do this again. Besides, I sure do miss the sun.”
He squeezed my hand with a smile. “I’m going to say a word to send you back, and all you have to do is say the word in your mind or out loud anytime you want to come for a visit.”
At my nod, he said, “Teia.”
My eyes closed as the sensation of falling into blackness swept over me. I’d never met Alice, but I was positive that this was the way it felt when she fell down that dang rabbit hole. The more I fought it, the more I became nauseated, so I gave up and just relaxed.
Chapter Twelve
Satin sheets and the canopy from hell could only mean one thing. Total bummer. I liked the old man. After a quick stretch, I swung my legs off the bed to realize two things: I had excellent taste in fashion, and it hadn’t been a dream. I twirled part of the string from the bikini around on my finger. Hmm. So not only did I have a Pops that had been watching over me, but I had some answers to my questions. Which meant that I had every reason not to trust Stephan. He knew so many things and to withhold the answers from me was callous. We had a saying in the South, ‘That dog don’t hunt,’ and it was about time I let him know that this girl don’t play.
The Vampire Queen Page 8