He looked at me and then looked down at our feet crunching along in the perfectly white sand. “Sometimes, people are just bad, Emma…whether human or vampire.” I clenched his hand and laid my head on his shoulder as I thought about how true that was. The world was just a messed up place. He sighed and I looked up at him. “Personally, I think he was just curious what would happen…to the baby, I mean.”He shrugged his shoulders. “It’s too late now. We can’t ask him.”
“Oh, did he run off and leave her alone?” For some reason, that sounded worse than him turning a pregnant woman. I’d think being a new vamp would be scary, especially all alone. Teren surprised me by laughing.
“No…not exactly.” I looked over at his eyes with scrunched brows. He explained. “Great-Gran kind of staked him. She was a little…angry.”
My mouth dropped wide open. “She staked him! A little angry…”
“Okay, maybe a lot.”
“Remind me to never piss her off.” A shudder passed through me and if it were possible, I was now even more terrified of the teenage-looking vampire.
“That would be best…” Teren nodded and smiled. He obviously saw a side of Halina that I didn’t, and he found part of her highly amusing.
“What happened to her husband? Imogen’s father?”
“He died…around the same time.” His smile left and his tone went flat.
Realising that the vamp that turned her had probably killed him, which would explain the anger and the subsequent staking of her creator, I turned the conversation. “So, you really can be staked?”
“Sure. We heal most everywhere else, but…the heart – destroy that, and with anything, not just wood, and you destroy us. We don’t know why, but it’s the one human thing we really seem to still need.”
I squeezed his hand. “That’s nice.” Now he looked down on me with scrunched brows. “Something we’ll still have in common,” I explained.
Holding onto his arm, we walked along the beach in silence. I watched him discretely as we shuffled along the sandy slope, edging down to the breaking waters of the Pacific. His tan skin wrapped around my slightly paler skin, his black hair shining in the sunlight, the slight rise and fall of his chest, as the breeze compressed his shirt tightly to him, his pale eyes watching his pup frisk back and forth from the surf to the dunes. He was so alive. It was so hard to picture him any other way.
“Maybe the change won’t happen with you. Maybe you’re different…maybe you’ll stay human?”
He looked down on me. His eyes looked wistful for a moment, before he shook his head. “I can feel it, Emma. It’s coming, I’m already changing.” He stopped and put his arms around my waist. “I’m sorry…but I will die.”
I looked down and willed my eyes to not water; if he could handle this, then I could. I felt his hand on my chin and I looked up at him. The very edges of his lips curled in a smile and then he brought those lips to mine. For a moment, as the sea breeze tickled our skin and the heavenly scent of him, mixed with the faint residue of salt in the air, I forgot that things would change. That they already were changing. I took my one moment in the sun with my vampire, and forced out all the rest.
I spent Sunday night at Teren’s again, so Monday, I had to wake especially early so I could go home and change into work clothes. Teren worked earlier then I did, so he was nearly ready to leave himself, when I finally got my slow body out the door. He gave me some coffee in a travel mug and kissed me softly as we said goodbye at my car, which hadn’t moved from his driveway since Friday night.
I was all smiles and giggles as I drove home. I was all contented sighs as I got dressed and styled my hair into loose waves. I was all doe-eyed goofiness as I walked into work and merrily said good morning to Clarice, who grunted some sort of response. And I was reminded just how much had changed, yet again in one weekend, when a familiar blonde cautiously peeked her head over my cubicle wall.
I shut the drawer from where I was stuffing my still overly full purse when I saw the top of her blonde head. I smiled and laughed at her apprehension. “Hi ,Tracey! Good morning.” My voice was all happy and light, darn near rainbows and sunshine.
She poked her head up all the way. “Hey. You seem in a better mood.” She narrowed her eyes. “You were really out of it Friday. I thought Clarice was going to random drug test you.” She furrowed her brow and raised an eyebrow at that, like maybe she thought Clarice should have.
I giggled in my happiness. “I’m not on drugs, Tracey. But I am happy.” I stood up and leaned over the wall with her. “Teren and I got back together. Everything is…” I sighed like a lovesick dork, “wonderful.”
She hesitantly smiled, maybe remembering my many mood swings last week. “That’s great, Emma. If that’s what you want…then I’m happy for you.”
I frowned. “What do you mean, if that’s what I want? Of course it’s what I want.”
She frowned too. “Well, you obviously broke up with him for a reason, and there are plenty of other fish out there. Just don’t feel like you have to…settle.”
I pulled back from the wall and made my way to my desk to turn on my computer. “I’m not. Nobody…settles for Teren Adams.” I flicked the screen on and watched it come to life. “He’s amazing, Trace…the best.”
I looked over my shoulder and she made a movement liked she shrugged. “I’m just saying. I don’t want to see you get hurt again.” I smiled at her concern, and then she left that train of thought and hopped right on another. “Coming to class tonight? Lita’s back teaching, but Ben’s going to take the class with me…like my own personal trainer.” She winked at me.
I laughed. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”