her mascara in days. And as she stormed across my lawn and lunged at me, I could see that not only were her shoes muddy, but they didn’t match.
“How could you?” she demanded, slapping me across the face. “How could you do that to him?”
My cheek stung from the impact, but I accepted it. I was inclined to think that I deserved to be hit, whether I’d saved her son or not. I couldn’t bring myself to lift my hand to stop her, even as she shook me so hard my earrings clattered to the gravel.
This was just not my day. Night. Whatever.
“You killed my son!” she screamed, rearing back for another blow. Mr. Lanier stepped out of the truck. He was staring at Jamie, watching his son with a mixture of horror and uncertainty. I was yanked inside his head before I could stop myself. His thoughts were a dizzying tidal wave of love, horror, relief, regret, and overwhelming fear. He’d never thought he would see his son alive again,and, well, he wasn’t really, but he was moving and talking and staring right at them. And while he wanted to run to him and throw his arms around Jamie, he was struck still by fear. Would Jamie hurt them? Try to bite them? He knew that I was a vampire and that I’d never hurt anyone. But did that mean that his son was safe? Should he be moving closer to protect Rosie from us?
At this point, I wanted someone to protect us from Rosie.
Gabriel came rushing out of the house just as Rosie backhanded me.
“Mom, stop!” Jamie cried, grabbing at Rosie’s wrists.
“Rosie, please,” Mr. Lanier said softly, stepping closer.
Mrs. Lanier shook off Jamie’s hold. He let her shove him away as she seethed. “You killed my boy, you monster!”
“Mrs. Lanier, I’m so sorry. I didn’t have a choice.”
“Don’t you talk to me about choice, you murdering bitch!”
As she stalked closer to me, Gabriel stepped between us and took hold of the arm that she was swinging at me. “You need to calm down, ma’am.”
“Hey!” Jeff yelled. “Get your hands off my wife!”
“Gabriel, go inside,” I said in a low, even tone. He hesitated, but I leveled a “don’t argue” gaze at him. “I can handle this myself.”
“I’ll be right inside,” he said. He looked toward Mrs. Lanier and added, “Watching.”
“Mom—Mom, I’m standing right here!” Jamie cried. “Can you at least look at me?”
“Mrs. Lanier, you’ve known me since I was a little girl. Do you honestly think I would have hurt Jamie? Would I have bitten him if it wasn’t absolutely necessary?”
“I don’t know who you are since you became this thing !” she shouted at me.
“This thing is just like your son. Jamie’s the same sweet kid he always was, just a little different now. You have an amazing opportunity here. You almost lost your son, but you can still talk to him. You can still hold him. And tell him you love him. Can you honestly say that you don’t want that?”
“I don’t know!” his mother shouted.
“You don’t know?” Jamie and I chorused.
“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Jamie demanded. “I’m your son!”
“You’re a vampire,” she shot back. “You drink blood . You’re dangerous. We weren’t even allowed to know where you were until today, ‘for our own protection.’ Did you think we were going to bring you home with us? Did you think we’d let you near your sister?”
And by the look on Jamie’s face, I realized that yes, Jamie did expect to be taken home. Even though we’d explained that he was staying with us for the time being, he’d expected to go home with his parents. And he couldn’t comprehend that it wasn’t going to happen that night. It might never happen.
Suddenly, I realized that my mother was not so bad.
“Mom,” Jamie said, his voice dangerously close to a sob as he stepped forward and took her hand. “Please!”
“You stay away from us!” she yelled, stepping back toward the truck.
“You can’t just cut him off like that!” I
“How could you?” she demanded, slapping me across the face. “How could you do that to him?”
My cheek stung from the impact, but I accepted it. I was inclined to think that I deserved to be hit, whether I’d saved her son or not. I couldn’t bring myself to lift my hand to stop her, even as she shook me so hard my earrings clattered to the gravel.
This was just not my day. Night. Whatever.
“You killed my son!” she screamed, rearing back for another blow. Mr. Lanier stepped out of the truck. He was staring at Jamie, watching his son with a mixture of horror and uncertainty. I was yanked inside his head before I could stop myself. His thoughts were a dizzying tidal wave of love, horror, relief, regret, and overwhelming fear. He’d never thought he would see his son alive again,and, well, he wasn’t really, but he was moving and talking and staring right at them. And while he wanted to run to him and throw his arms around Jamie, he was struck still by fear. Would Jamie hurt them? Try to bite them? He knew that I was a vampire and that I’d never hurt anyone. But did that mean that his son was safe? Should he be moving closer to protect Rosie from us?
At this point, I wanted someone to protect us from Rosie.
Gabriel came rushing out of the house just as Rosie backhanded me.
“Mom, stop!” Jamie cried, grabbing at Rosie’s wrists.
“Rosie, please,” Mr. Lanier said softly, stepping closer.
Mrs. Lanier shook off Jamie’s hold. He let her shove him away as she seethed. “You killed my boy, you monster!”
“Mrs. Lanier, I’m so sorry. I didn’t have a choice.”
“Don’t you talk to me about choice, you murdering bitch!”
As she stalked closer to me, Gabriel stepped between us and took hold of the arm that she was swinging at me. “You need to calm down, ma’am.”
“Hey!” Jeff yelled. “Get your hands off my wife!”
“Gabriel, go inside,” I said in a low, even tone. He hesitated, but I leveled a “don’t argue” gaze at him. “I can handle this myself.”
“I’ll be right inside,” he said. He looked toward Mrs. Lanier and added, “Watching.”
“Mom—Mom, I’m standing right here!” Jamie cried. “Can you at least look at me?”
“Mrs. Lanier, you’ve known me since I was a little girl. Do you honestly think I would have hurt Jamie? Would I have bitten him if it wasn’t absolutely necessary?”
“I don’t know who you are since you became this thing !” she shouted at me.
“This thing is just like your son. Jamie’s the same sweet kid he always was, just a little different now. You have an amazing opportunity here. You almost lost your son, but you can still talk to him. You can still hold him. And tell him you love him. Can you honestly say that you don’t want that?”
“I don’t know!” his mother shouted.
“You don’t know?” Jamie and I chorused.
“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Jamie demanded. “I’m your son!”
“You’re a vampire,” she shot back. “You drink blood . You’re dangerous. We weren’t even allowed to know where you were until today, ‘for our own protection.’ Did you think we were going to bring you home with us? Did you think we’d let you near your sister?”
And by the look on Jamie’s face, I realized that yes, Jamie did expect to be taken home. Even though we’d explained that he was staying with us for the time being, he’d expected to go home with his parents. And he couldn’t comprehend that it wasn’t going to happen that night. It might never happen.
Suddenly, I realized that my mother was not so bad.
“Mom,” Jamie said, his voice dangerously close to a sob as he stepped forward and took her hand. “Please!”
“You stay away from us!” she yelled, stepping back toward the truck.
“You can’t just cut him off like that!” I
Similar Books
