“Not if she tells them the idea was hers to begin with. And I have a hunch she will. You always told me your sister was smart.” At his reluctant nod, I added, “Then why don’t you trust her to figure out a way to handle your mother? Maybe the board will still be stupid and shoot it down. But you’ll never know unless you let her try.”
He scowled but tossed the phone onto the mattress beside him in silent defeat. “As long as I get to tell you I told you so when nothing comes of it.”
“Agreed. Now why don’t you tell me what else you’ve been learning from this big ole book?” I scooted down to curl up beside him, draping an arm across his waist and resting my cheek on his shoulder.
Warmth began to radiate out from every point where our bodies made contact, and I sighed with relief as my always tense muscles finally began to relax. Why was it that I was only warm when touching Tristan? I didn’t even have to be this close to him, either. Sometimes I could swear just our holding hands made my low body temp shoot up several degrees.
“I looked that up actually,” Tristan murmured. “It’s called vasocongestion, where blood f low is increased in localized areas. It’s a physiological response to being, um, physically attracted to someone. It happens to humans, too.”
I burst out laughing. “Good grief. Does that book cover everything?”
“No. I found that stuff on the internet. This is more focused on genetics.”
I tilted my head back and grinned at him. “Have I ever told you how hot you are when you talk like that? Quick, say physio whatever again.”
He laughed. “There’s more where that came from.” He slipped an arm around me then f lipped open the textbook and began to read the introduction. I could tell from his thoughts that he meant it as a joke, but I didn’t stop him.
After a page, he quit on his own, his mouth slanted in a wry smile. “Had enough of my nerdy hotness yet?”
“Nope. Keep reading.”
“Huh. Could have sworn I heard you snoring there for a second.”
“Ha-ha. I do not snore.”
“You really want to hear this stuff?”
“Sure.” If genetics was the thing that f loated his boat now, why not learn about it? Not that I could really follow much of what he was reading. There were too many holes between my high school level science education and what his college textbook discussed. But clearly he was loving being the smartest one in the room for a change. Why not let him enjoy it for a while longer?
Besides, I really did love the deep rumble of his voice, and here was the perfect chance to hear it uninterrupted. And after such a long and stressful day, I couldn’t think of a better way to soothe my ragged nerves. If I closed my eyes, I could almost pretend we were back in the cabin on that Arkansas mountaintop, far away from the rest of the world and all its problems with us. Just the two of us, where things were so much simpler…
I fell asleep four pages into the introduction and slept soundly without any nightmares for the first time in weeks, completely clueless as to what I’d just done and how it would change all our lives forever.
CHAPTER 8
TRISTAN
For the next few days, we tried to settle back into a normal life. Every time Savannah and I were together, I caught her trying not to wonder if my mother was actually considering my synthetic blood idea for BioMed. I knew she couldn’t help the direction of her thoughts. But every time she slipped, so did I. Not that I needed her help.
Mom and the BioMed board would be idiots not to take the synthetic blood idea and run with it.
But when it came to vampires, Mom and the all-Clann BioMed board weren’t usually all that rational, logical or reasonable. I could all too easily see them barely even considering any idea I came up with, much less one that would help their archenemies.
I should have asked Emily to claim the idea for her own before telling Mom about it so at least Mom would hear her out before rejecting the idea.
If only they could see the huge political benefits to the Clann, as well.
But I wasn’t nearly as naive as Savannah. Neither BioMed nor any other Clann-held business would ever make anything that would help vampires, even if it meant curbing their bloodlust or need for real human blood.
So I let the idea go and tried not to care. I’d once dreamed of being free of all responsibility for the Clann or the family company. How could I complain now that I’d gotten that wish?
And once I let it go, I tried my best not to think about anything even remotely related to synthetic blood all week.
Until Emily texted me on Thursday at lunchtime just as I was sitting down in my new regular seat beside Savannah at her friends’ table.
Mom liked the idea & presented it 2 the board this morning. They like!
Though reading the text only took me half a second, I had to blink a few times before I thought to show it to Savannah.
Just as she squealed and started to grab my hand with a grin, my phone buzzed with another incoming text from Emily.
Mom wants to do dinner at the house. U free 2morrow night at 8?
I stared at the words, their meaning barely registering. Emily would never joke around like this, especially not about our mother with me.
Savannah either read the message or the thought in my mind. She froze then whispered, “You’re going to say yes, right?”
Two yards behind us to our right, the cafeteria doors banged open then shut again as someone entered the building.
When I didn’t immediately answer, she said, “Tristan, you have to go. It’s your mother. She and BioMed liked your idea. She probably wants to celebrate with you.”
“Or see for herself how different I am now.”
Savannah groaned. “No, she doesn’t. If she wanted to know that, she could just come over to our house for a quick visit.”
A house full of three vamps? My mother? I thought, pointedly staring at her.
“Okay, point taken. But still, she wouldn’t risk being alone with you if she were still afraid. So why else would your mother invite you over for dinner if not to celebrate and/or apologize?”
Sneakers squeaked to a stop on the linoleum f loor behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and scowled, feeling my pulse take off. Dylan.
“Dinner with your mommy?” he said, and I didn’t have to see his face to know he was sneering. It was all there in his tone. “You are the biggest idiot I’ve ever met, Coleman. Do you really think she’s going to welcome you back into the Clann just because you had one idea?”
I growled deep in my chest as my blood heated with the need to grab and smash something. Preferably Dylan’s face.
Stay in control, Savannah warned me. You know he’s just trying to get you to lose it again in front of everyone and prove you’re dangerous.
He should be thinking about how dangerous my fists are to his face, I thought. But I stayed in my seat.
“Get lost, Williams,” Savannah muttered. “And you can tell your dad I said he can get lost, too. Neither of you are going to get what you want. Not here, not now. Not ever. We’re not that stupid.”
“We’ll see.” Dylan walked away whistling an unrecognizable tune.
When he was on the other side of the cafeteria, I let out a long breath and stole another glance at my phone. Emily was still waiting for a reply.
I slouched in my seat, my left knee beginning to bounce beneath the table. I had no idea how to feel about this dinner invite. Or maybe I did and was just afraid to admit it to myself. How stupid would I have to be to feel hopeful that my mother might be coming around and ready to talk? She hadn’t called me, not once, or even sent one text message the entire five months I was in Arkansas trying to remember who and what I was.
And yet now I was supposed to jump just because she was finally ready to invite me over for dinner? A dinner she knew I couldn’t even eat?
Something else was up.
Savannah groaned again. Tristan, stop being so paranoid! This is your mother we’re talking about. She wan
ts you to come home for dinner. Maybe she wants to apologize for freaking out so badly about your being turned. Can you really blame her for reacting like that at first? Everyone knows how she feels about vamps. And then she was faced with her worst nightmare with no time to adjust to the idea, and the whole Clann was there breathing down her neck. She had just lost her husband and worked so hard to secure your leadership of the Clann, and then bam, her son switched sides and she did the only thing she could. She had to take over the Clann, which was no small thing all by itself. But on top of that she had all those descendants staring at her, waiting for her to make her first decision as Clann leader—
“Which was to kick me out!”
Everyone at and near our table stopped talking and turned to stare at us. I took a deep breath, crossed my arms over my chest, and made a point of clamping my mouth shut.
Sav, I get that she freaked out. But she went too far. She kicked me out of the Clann in front of everybody—
She was only doing what she knew they all expected her to. She had to prove her loyalty to the Clann first and you second—
Oh, and I guess that’s why she never called or texted me afterward?
She was probably afraid the other descendants were watching her too closely and she’d get caught. Besides, I’m sure Emily kept her updated on your status.
If Mom is so sure she’s being watched, why risk having me over for dinner tomorrow night?
Because for one thing, she can do spells to hide your presence at her house. And second, that would explain why she wants to meet with you in private instead of somewhere public. It would also explain why she had Emily send you the invite instead of sending it herself.
I scowled at nothing, making a girl walking by jump and scurry past a little faster. Savannah might have a point. But it still seemed pretty far-fetched.
You really think Mr. Williams would go that far?
It was Savannah’s turn to frown and slouch down in her chair. I wouldn’t put anything past him and his ambition. She sighed. Look, just go have dinner with your mother already. Then you can find out what she wants. If I’m wrong about her wanting to apologize, then I’m wrong. But at least we’ll know what this is all about.
My phone buzzed again. I glanced at it then looked again, sure this time I was either dreaming or Emily was drunk texting.
She said u can bring Sav 2.
Savannah heard me read the text in my mind. She sat bolt upright in her chair. “Seriously? She said that?”
“Apparently. Em wouldn’t joke about something like this.” I smiled grimly and arched an eyebrow at her. “Now how do you feel about Mom’s dinner invite? Still think it’s a good idea to go?”
Eyes wide, Savannah opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again and cleared her throat. She reached for her purse, suddenly intent on checking her lip gloss in a tiny mirror inside. “Um, sure. I guess I could find something to wear.” Though why she wants me there… she added silently.
I grinned, unable to resist the urge. Who knows? Maybe she just wants to get to know you. It could be fun. Maybe you’ll even become best friends by the time the night is over.
Yeah, right, Savannah thought then cringed. Sorry. It’s just… She took a deep breath. I can see her wanting to reconcile with you. But me? The girl who turned her baby boy into a vampire? She gave me a wry smile.
I reached for and held her hand, turning serious now. Or maybe she just knows I would never go without you.
Of course you would. She’s your mother. You have to go, even if she hadn’t included me.
If she can’t accept you, then she can’t accept me. I squeezed her hand while firing off a quick text with the thumb of my free hand to Emily.
We’ll be there.
CHAPTER 9
Friday evening, Tristan and I rode to his house in silence. Thanks to Charmers practice running late, we, too, were running late, which I knew was driving Tristan nuts and making him even more nervous, though he didn’t say anything.
He wasn’t the only one nervous tonight.
What if I said something stupid and ticked off Mrs. Coleman? She already had plenty of reasons to hate my guts, since I’d basically taken her son from her and the Clann when I turned him.
I caught my thumbs drumming against the steering wheel and forced them to be still. Usually Tristan liked to drive my car, but tonight he had chosen to sit in the passenger seat instead. From the turmoil of his thoughts, I guessed he had too much to think about to want to pay attention to the road.
“It’s going to be fine.” I tried to reassure him yet again as we headed east toward his house.
He didn’t say anything. Nor did he smile. He just sat there, staring ahead at nothing, his left knee bouncing so fast it was a blur.
I sighed. I couldn’t wait to get tonight over with. Hopefully by the end of it, Tristan and his mother would have settled their differences, and we could all finally calm down and focus on the real challenge…getting through the daily life of being two hybrid vamps surrounded by humans and descendants in the heart of Clann territory. That was stressful enough without all this family angst thrown in on top of it.
I felt in my jacket pocket for my MP3 player, considering plugging it into the car’s stereo. But then I spotted the entrance to the Coleman property a few yards ahead. Too late for music. Maybe we’d listen to it on the way home. With a sigh, I left the MP3 player in my pocket and focused on slowing down the car for the turn.
As soon as we turned onto the Coleman property, we felt it. Someone was using power, and lots of it. The wroughtiron gate was already open, the code box beside it smoking and charred.
Tristan hissed out a curse, the rapid-fire thudding of his heartbeat filling my ears. “Hurry!”
Oh, God.
I stomped on the gas, the car’s back end fishtailing on the gravel before the tires caught and shoved us forward down the winding lane toward the Coleman mansion.
The two-story English Tudor quickly loomed into view. Once we reached it, I hadn’t even shifted the car into Park yet when Tristan was out and at the house’s front door, which, like the gate, someone had left wide-open.
I hurried to catch up in time to hear him calling out to his mother and sister as he entered the dark house.
The smoke hit me first, making me gag and my eyes burn and tear. From the stench of it, something seemed to be burning in the kitchen. Multiple smoke alarms pealed on both f loors, forcing me to clap my hands over my ears to save my eardrums from rupturing. Tristan and I ran in a crouch through the foyer, tripping over stuff along the way, until we reached the kitchen. He grabbed something off the stove that was filled with f lames and started to shove it into the sink.
I caught his wrist, stopping him just in time. “Use baking soda to put it out!” I had to shout over the screeching smoke alarms.
He left the saucepan in the sink to dart away somewhere and came back with a small box in one hand. When he poured it over the pan, the fire went out in a billow of powder.
Then we heard Emily scream upstairs.
“Emily!” Tristan yelled, running back toward the foyer while bent over to try to avoid some of the smoke. He disappeared up the stairs.
I grabbed the handrail to follow him. Suddenly a man dressed all in black appeared before me.
“Hello, freak,” he said with a leer. “So glad you could join the party.”
I glanced down at his hands. Each one held a stake.
So it was a staking party, huh?
My pulse took off, injecting my body from head to toe with adrenaline. The resulting rush was like nothing I’d felt before as time slowed to a crawl. Whole minutes seemed to pass between each of the man’s heaving breaths, plenty of time for me to think. And to plan.
Even at the battle in the Circle between the vampires and Clann, I hadn’t felt like this. I must have turned even more in the five months since then. Dad had warned that the evolution of my vamp side would increase every time I fed.
&nb
sp; Was this how he saw the human world around him all the time, or only during moments of danger?
Upstairs I could hear small thuds, curses and explosions. Blue f lashes of light like cameras going off lit up areas of the smoke overhead as, I assumed, Tristan and Emily fought their attackers.
I read my own attacker’s mind then gasped.
He was Clann.
“Did Mrs. Coleman set this up?” I asked him.
His face scrunched in confusion. “I don’t understand you, monster.”
I snorted. Speaking molasses slow, I repeated myself so his human mind could make out every word I spoke.
He grinned then made a tsking sound. “Nancy would be so offended. That is, if she were still alive.”
Oh, no.
I stepped in close to him, moving faster than he could blink. It wiped the smile off his face. “You’d better be lying, or I’ll be the least of your problems tonight.”
His right arm bent at the elbow, rising in slow motion. If not for the sinking horror filling my stomach with dread, I would have laughed at his stupid arrogance. He thought to stake a vampire?
I easily grabbed his arm and wrenched it behind his back, then caught his left wrist before he could move it, too. Leaning into his face, I said, “Better stick with your spells, descendant, if you want to take out a vamp like me.”
Sleep, I thought, shoving my will into it. Energy burst out of my hands into him, and he crumpled to the f loor, unconscious.
Then a second descendant tried to sneak up on me from behind.
Growling, I whirled to face him then darted forward and slammed my right palm into his chest, driving him backward into the entrance wall. The drywall cratered around him from the impact, and he was out. I let him drop to the f loor.
I had to find Mrs. Coleman.
First, though, I reached out with my mind and found Tristan on the stairs. The distance made the volume of his thoughts quieter, but the open doors in between us still allowed me to barely reach him with concentrated effort. I’m okay. Need any help up there?
No, he thought back. Emily and I’ve got them pinned. You okay?
Yeah. I’m going to look for your mom. She didn’t order this, by the way.