Everything was as it should be, everything was right in the world. And even though my heart was still and every breath I took was unnecessary, I wouldn’t have changed anything about my life. I couldn’t. I was forever linked to my best friend, my lover, and my one-day husband. My life was truly everything I wished it to be.
AS THE IMPROMPTU group hug in my grandparents’ kitchen ended, disbelief and excitement rippled through me in ever-increasing waves. Gabriel, that genius of a vampire, could continue Henry’s work; he could safely make mixed vampires. A few weeks ago, I’d only been hoping to save my girlfriend’s mind, but now…the possibilities were limitless. I could transform her, then we could take Gabriel’s shot until we were the age we wanted to be for the rest of our lives. We could have an eternity together. If she wanted it. And given enough time to fully consider the option, I was sure she’d want it. Time. It had felt so scarce before, but now we had endless amounts of it. But instead of hoarding it or wasting it, I was going to cherish every second of it. I’d been too close to losing everything to do anything else.
While I was still lost in a sea of wondrous futures, Jake and Simon entered the happy room. With a detached sense of curiosity, I noticed them craning their necks, searching the room. Then, oddly enough, their gazes settled on me. I looked around myself in confusion, but it was definitely me they were interested in. Why?
As they approached, trepidation began filling me. I pushed the feeling aside and met them with my chest proud and my chin high. I had faced much worse than an ex-vampire hunter and his mixed vampire son. Much worse. Besides, I was pretty sure they weren’t going to hurt me after everything we’d been through together. Well, Jake wouldn’t hurt me at any rate. Simon would probably still try, if he thought he had a snowball’s chance.
Arianna was standing beside me. She held my hand tighter when Jake stepped directly in front of us. Simon was clearly uncertain as he stood beside Jake; both of them seemed apprehensive, almost nervous. I had no idea why.
“Julian…I don’t know how to ask you this…” Simon’s gaze shifted to his feet. He looked thrown and humbled, all at the same time.
Flicking my eyes between Simon and Jake, I slowly said, “What’s going on?”
Even as dread started icing my veins, Simon softly said, “I’d like your blood…please.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help the reaction. Simon wanting anything from me was ridiculous. Simon wanting my blood was absolutely absurd. “What in the world do you want my blood for?” I asked.
Both Mom and Dad turned away from my grandparents to look our way. Dad tilted his head as he considered Jake and Simon, then he walked over to join our group; Mom followed a step behind him. “Jake…Simon,” Dad said with a cordial nod. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but what do you want my son’s blood for? I was under the assumption Simon would complete the conversion process just fine with Jacen’s blood.”
Dad’s words got everyone’s attention in the room. With everyone silently watching and waiting, Simon seemed even more uncertain…and nervous. “You’re right, technically…I don’t need Julian’s blood. But I…I acted rashly when I thought I needed to save my father. I see now that he was never in any actual danger…” Simon sighed and shook his head. “I did the procedure without really thinking about the consequences, and now…I’m stuck like this. I don’t want to be a vampire, but it’s permanent, and there’s nothing I can do. Nothing but keep taking Gabriel’s shot for the rest of my life. At least I’ll be able to live and die as I was meant to that way.”
His eyes watered as emotion filled him, and I was shocked to see how affected he was by this. “If I have to,” he said, “I can come to terms with being like this for the rest of my life. But…if there’s a way to be just a little more…human.” He swallowed a rough knot in his throat while Jake put a hand on his shoulder. Simon smiled at Jake before continuing. “Gabriel said that doing another transfusion was an option…if the donor was willing. He said he could make it work with your blood, and that your blood has even fewer side effects than Jacen’s. I know you have a million reasons to say no, but…if you’re willing to spare some of your blood for me…I’d be forever in your debt.”
Clarity immediately flooded me. Right. I was the most human mixed vampire in the family. Simon might have temporarily wanted the benefits of vampirism to save his father, but he had no desire to be one of us. He wanted a normal life. As normal as possible, anyway. I could understand that. And since what had happened to Simon was in large part my fault, and I was the one who actually owed him a debt…my answer was an obvious one.
Dad looked like he was about to object on my behalf, but before he could, I told Simon, “Okay, I’ll do it.”
Simon, Jake, and Dad stared at me, shock clear on their faces. “Why would you do that for me?” Simon whispered, astounded.
Flicking a quick glance at Arianna, I told him, “If I’d handled things differently at the party…been less jealous of your relationship with Arianna…not blown up in front of everyone…or not even had the stupid party to begin with…then you wouldn’t have found out what we were. You wouldn’t have run away from us to go save your father. Maybe if I’d just talked to you at the party, I would have realized who you were, and we could have reunited you and Jake a lot more easily. Then you wouldn’t be…the way you are now. A little blood seems like a small price to pay, to try and repair the damage I caused.”
Jake smiled, Simon gave me a small nod, and Mom and Dad were practically bursting with pride. But then Dad frowned. “It’s not a little blood, son. It’s a lot. And it will have to be taken out a little at a time, so your body can recover.” He glanced up then, at where Starla and Jacen were resting in the bedrooms above us. Drained almost to the brink, they hadn’t been given that same consideration. Returning his eyes back to me, he added, “And when the transfusion does happen, you’ll be forever bonded to Simon.”
Damn. I’d almost forgotten about that side effect. Even still, it was the right thing to do. And besides, it wouldn’t be like my bond with Nika had been. Simon and I wouldn’t be sharing emotions…just locations.
Feeling the weight of responsibility resting heavily on my shoulders—bearable, for once—I nodded. “I know what it entails, Dad, and I’m ready.”
“All right, Julian,” he replied, pride returning to his voice.
And so began the process of me heading out to the ranch to have some blood drawn every few days. I felt a little lightheaded afterward, but it wasn’t bad. And it was for a good cause. Arianna thought I was a hero for doing it, but I wasn’t the only hero in the family. Dad was sitting through treatments with me, getting his blood drawn for Olivia. Dad didn’t want me to have to go through two transfusions, so he’d volunteered. And unlike Simon, Olivia didn’t have a problem with having a few more vampire side effects. She was loving her enhanced life.
“Thank you again, Teren,” Ben said as he watched the ruby-red liquid filling up the blood bag one afternoon. “I wish I had enough vampire juice inside me to do this for her, but Gabriel says I don’t. He said she wouldn’t survive a transfusion from me…” He glanced at Gabriel, who nodded in confirmation. Ben sighed, then returned his eyes to Dad. “You stepping up and doing this for my family…you have no idea how much it means to me.”
Dad clapped his shoulder with a warm smile on his face. “You’ve helped me with my family more times than I can count. I know exactly what this means to you. And besides, now we’re finally even for that whole trying to wipe your mind thing.”
Ben looked like he was about to protest, but then he closed his mouth and nodded. “Yeah. We finally are.”
While I watched my own bag being filled up with blood, Ben turned to Gabriel. “When should we do Olivia’s transfusion?” Being undead, Dad had been donating a lot more blood on each visit, so Olivia almost had enough to begin the process.
Removing Dad’s full bag, Gabriel placed another in its spot. “We could do the procedure anytime, although…”
Pausing, he gave Ben a serious expression. “We should wait to see how Starla’s conversion goes. There might be…unexpected side effects. Or it might not work at all, and if it doesn’t, there is no point in even doing the procedure. Olivia could simply continue to take the shot.”
“I know,” Ben sighed. “And I know she has to take the shot for the next several years anyway, until she’s old enough to decide if she wants to…kind of die…but I’d like to give my daughter a chance to survive what’s been done to her. The sooner the better.”
Gabriel nodded. “Starla’s conversion could happen any time now, and once it does, we’ll know so much more.”
Hearing that Starla had refused to take Gabriel’s miracle shot that had been keeping her alive all these long years had shocked the hell out of me. I knew she wasn’t thrilled that she was still aging while her boyfriend stayed forever young, but if it didn’t work, she was going to die. Seemed a really big gamble to me.
“You’re all set, Julian,” Gabriel said, disconnecting me from the machine. “You may lie down here if you feel queasy, or you may go upstairs. I believe Imogen made cookies.”
My stomach rumbled and I smiled. “I feel okay. I’m going to go eat.” Dad nodded at me and Ben waved as I left the room. Honestly, I did feel a little shaky on my feet, but I wanted to go upstairs and call Arianna. My girlfriend. After that one restless evening at my house where Dad had paced the hallway all night, making sure I didn’t sneak into Nika’s old bedroom where Arianna had been sleeping, she was never allowed to spend the night again. She was, however, openly called my girlfriend now—by her family, by my family, and by all of our friends. It was amazing to have that back, to have her back. And even though it had only been a few hours since I’d left her to come out to the ranch, I couldn’t wait to talk to her again.
Pulling open the large bookcase that hid the entrance to the secret underground levels, I stepped into the living room. The smell of fresh chocolate chip cookies was heavy in the air. The warm, sugary treats were waiting in the kitchen for me, but before I could get to them, I was bombarded by a faster-than-light eleven-year-old.
Long blonde hair pulled back in pigtails, Olivia had a solemn look on her face as she stepped in front of me. She put both of her hands up like stop signs, and I stumbled back a step to avoid running into her. “I forgive you,” she stated, her voice completely serious.
Looking around myself like maybe Simon was behind me or something, I asked, “Are you talking to me?”
Olivia sighed, then shook her head, like she thought boys were idiots. Or maybe just me. “Yes, I’m talking to you. I just wanted to let you know that I forgive you. For dating that…human girl. I get it. She’s your age. So no hard feelings, you know?” Her gray eyes suddenly sparkled with a devilish glow. “And anyway, I just found out that Simon is two months younger than you. That makes him closer to my age, and that makes him fair game.”
She squealed and zipped away as quickly as she’d come. Wow. She was obsessed with Simon now? Oh boy. Even if she weren’t a mixed vampire, I had a feeling Ben and Tracey would have had their hands full with her. I wished them luck.
The sound of light laughter turned my head toward the wall of windows along the side of the living room. Starla and Jacen were there lounging in the sunlight, and watching me with amused expressions. They both looked better now, more like their old selves. You’d never know something horrible had happened to them, except for the way they held hands a little tighter, joked a little less. There was a tightness in their jaws that wasn’t there before, a rigidness in the posture, and a hardness in their eyes. Some of their carefree spark was gone, some of their brightness dulled. Yes, they were still the same, but also completely different.
“Guess no love lasts forever,” Starla mused, her eyes shifting to where Olivia had streaked off. After she said it, her lips tilted into a frown. Now that I was studying her more closely, I could see that her hairstyle was softer than before, her makeup was lighter…everything about her seemed muted.
Jacen patted her hand. “That’s not true. Sometimes it does.”
Starla looked up at him and her small smile returned. I thought about leaving them alone since I didn’t know what to say to either of them, but instead of running away, I walked over to join them on the couch. “Hey, Mom,” I said with a smile.
Normally Starla would have groaned and asked me not to call her that when we weren’t pretending for the humans, but she only smiled at me, and then patted the cushion next to her. Wishing I could magically heal her scars, I sat down by her side. “Think the two lovebirds will make an appearance tonight?” she asked, her grin growing.
A scoff escaped me. She meant Nika and Hunter. They’d become almost unbearable to be around ever since Dad had grudgingly agreed to let them live together. And as Halina loved to tell us, when Mom and Dad weren’t at the ranch, Nika and Hunter’s bedroom door rarely opened. “If they don’t come out, Dad will drag them out.” He might tolerate the two of them, but only when he wasn’t around to see it.
Starla laughed once, then her humor died. Jacen squeezed her hand. Feeling a mixture of guilt and unease, I unintentionally fidgeted with restlessness. Starla noticed. “You can go, Julian. It’s okay.” Her eyes were soft. And sad.
Wanting to comfort her, I laid my hand over the free one in her lap. “I want to sit here with you.” She nodded, and we all three sat in silence for a moment. When the stillness got to be too much for me, I finally blurted out what had been going through my mind earlier. “Why did you choose to not take Gabriel’s shot anymore?”
Starla met eyes with Jacen before answering me. My cheeks flushed as I waited. I shouldn’t have asked her that. It was none of my business. With a soft sigh, she finally said, “I’m tired of waiting, tired of not knowing, and frankly, tired of aging. I’ve lived so much longer than I ever thought I would…I feel like I’ve already been blessed. But after everything Jacen and I went through…” Her voice trailed off and her eyes grew distant. Jacen kissed her head, returning her to the present. Glancing at him, she murmured, “I just want to know if I get an eternity or not. If we get an eternity or not. I’m sick of not knowing what my fate will be, and if it’s my time, then it’s my time. And besides, Gabriel thinks it will work. I trust him.”
Jacen’s eyes grew misty as he watched Starla. I was sure he’d tried to talk her into taking the shot for as long as possible, but when Starla made her mind up about something, she usually kept it. Kissing her head, he told her everything was going to be okay. And that was when everything suddenly wasn’t okay.
Starla grimaced, like she had indigestion, and then she rubbed her chest. Jacen instantly noticed her discomfort. “Babe? You all right?”
She opened her mouth to answer him, but no words came out. Clutching at the spot over her heart, her fingers started digging into her skin like talons. She grit her teeth tight, like she was trying with all her might to stop from crying out in pain; seconds later, she started shaking.
Jacen was on his feet in an instant. Hovering over her, he grabbed her shoulders. “Starla?” Still convulsing, she curled into a ball. Her mouth finally opened, and a tortured wail left her lips; it made my skin pebble and a shiver zip down my spine.
Jacen’s gaze snapped to the floor, to the levels beneath us. “Gabriel! It’s happening! Now!”
Knowing Gabriel couldn’t hear anything in his soundproof lab, I jumped up. “I’ll go get him.”
I wasn’t sure if Jacen even heard me, he was so focused on Starla. She was crying now, sputtering his name in between outbursts of pain. Jesus. Were all conversions this bad? Had Mom and Dad’s been like this? Would mine be…? Not wanting to think about it, I blurred downstairs and threw open the door to Gabriel’s sanctuary. Dad and Ben were still with him, still digging for information Gabriel didn’t have. None of us really knew if Starla was cured or not. But we would soon. We’d know before the night was out.
“It’s Starla,” I exclaimed, breathless. ?
??Her conversion is starting.”
Dad and Gabriel instantly looked up. I’d left all the doors open in my hurry, and painful sobs were echoing in my ears. If I could hear Starla, then they definitely could. Just when I couldn’t stand the sound of her torment any longer, everything went silent. Gabriel closed his eyes. “Only time will tell now,” he murmured, before blurring away upstairs.
Dad’s face was solemn, then he looked at me in concern. “You need to leave. You and everyone else still alive. If she wakes up…no…when she wakes up, she’ll be hungry. Very hungry.” I could only woodenly nod as Dad and Ben urged me out the door. God, I hoped she woke up.
An hour later, I was back at home with everyone who had a heartbeat. We waited for an eternity, or what felt like an eternity. Then Ben’s phone rang. “How is she?” he immediately asked.
I could hear my dad’s answer on the other side, and a long, heavy breath escaped me. Grandpa Jack’s gaze swung my way. “What did he say?”
Ben glanced at me and I smiled. “She made it,” I told him. “She converted just fine.”
Tension seemed to instantly evaporate from the room. “Thank God,” Grandpa muttered. “Thank God…”
THINGS FINALLY STARTED calming down over the next few months. Jake and Simon agreed to stay on and help with the Vampire League, although they refused to call it that. They also refused to let Hunter, Nika, and Halina continue to trance hunters to get them to see our side of things. Too much of a gray area.
The two of them took up residence in Hunter’s old house, where the league used to lure vampire hunters and convert them. Jake still had the occasional visiting hunter meet him there, so he could sit down and have a civil conversation with them about willingly changing every single one of their beliefs. To my knowledge, he had yet to convert anyone to our cause, but he insisted that it would work given enough time, that people would come around on their own. Halina thought he was an optimistic fool. I kind of agreed with her, but I was optimistic too, so I didn’t say anything directly to Jake. I really didn’t have time to anyway. Senior year had started, and it was kicking my ass. I was now positive that all my prior years of schooling had just been a rehearsal for this one. And if I wasn’t physically at school having my head crammed with copious amounts of information, I was at home studying with Arianna.