Chapter 39 – Luna
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Luna
The next day I probably could’ve done with some sort of sitz bath, but I made do with ibuprofen and waited impatiently for the vampires in my life to wake up while moving as little as possible. I was pleased when Zach showed up with beer, though, right before sundown.
“We need to make some life plans.”
He squinted at me. “But I thought you were dying?”
“I am—but—someone has to keep an eye on them while I’m out. And—someone human needs to help Jack hold Dark Ink down during the day. He’s good at soft skills and tattooing, but kind of shit at computers.”
“You do realize we can hear you?” Jack asked, from the darkness of his bedroom.
“Shh,” Paco chastised him. “I want to hear my all flaws.”
“You don’t have any,” I said with petulance, as the two of them emerged.
“Is there a rush?” Jack asked. His hair was askew, and he looked like he could use a shower—in fact he already had a towel around his waist in hope.
I’d only been waiting seven years of my life for this—what was another thirty minutes?
“Sure,” I said, crossing my arms, and then shouted “Hey!” as Paco followed Jack into the bathroom.
“I want to brush my teeth, Luna,” he complained.
“Hanky-panky can wait ’til after I’m dead!” I called after him, and then heard muffled laughing from behind the bathroom door.
But both of them came out of the back relatively quickly, much cleaner then they’d gone in, dressed and handsome, and they sat by Zach on the couch to look at me.
Waiting, I realized, for instruction.
Vampires.
Men!
“Okay—do you still have a job, after gallivanting off with us for five days?” I decided to start with Zach since he was easiest.
Jack leaned forward. “Wait, what the fuck day is it now?”
I ignored him, and Zach winced. “No—my boss fired me after my second no-show.”
“All right. Well, you live just down the hall, so moving your stuff over here will be easy—after I have died,” I said, putting a hand to my chest, and then I looked to Jack. “And I assume you’ll hire him to replace me and sort out Dark Ink again?”
“For the third time, sure,” Jack said, although I watched him blow air through pursed lips, seeming daunted.
Paco gave all of us a mildly irritated look. “You all act like I’m not financially solvent.”
“We’re not used to that,” Jack told him.
“Oh, I am—I’m just not used to vampires sharing,” I said. “But don’t think I didn’t notice your black Amex when I was in your wallet.”
Jack turned to look at him, a little wounded.
“What?” Paco said. “It’s not like I could ever take you out to dinner or a show.”
“Nothing,” Jack said in return. “It just would’ve been nice to know I was dating a rich guy.”
“You came over to where I lived, Jack,” Paco protested—and then realized Jack was having him on, when Jack cracked himself up.
“I came over there more than once,” he said, heavy with innuendo, snickering, as Paco reached over to shove his shoulder, and Zach laughed.
“And back to the business at hand!” I said, with a dramatic clap for their attention. “If no one in this room is going to starve while I’m not here personally providing for them for three days, then I’m ready to become a vampire.”
The rest of them looked to Jack, and he looked at me. “Is there a ceremony?” he asked.
“Usually.” I’d only seen one once, when Rosalie turned Tamo.
It was pretentious as fuck.
Jack made a noise and squinted. “I’ve watched The Exorcist a hundred times. I can fake some Latin,” he teased, and then recovered. “But for real, Luna. Tell us what you want, and we’ll do it.”
I looked between him and Paco, and felt unfamiliar butterflies in my belly. “Honestly? I think I just want to get it over with.” The whole concept felt a little bit like losing my virginity—like it probably wasn’t going to be that fun until I was on the other side.
“And who do you want to go with?” Paco asked.
I gawked at him. “I hadn’t realized I had options.”
“I just watched you manage up a fallen angel for most of a week. It makes me really sad you want to become a vampire—although I get your reasons why—because if you were staying human? I’d hire you in a second,” Paco told me—and the butterflies in my stomach rose up into my heart.
Rosalie had held the knowledge of my imminent demise over me like the pendulum over the proverbial pit, but things didn’t have to be like that, and both of them were living proof.
“I feel emotionally indebted to you,” I told Jack, then I looked at Paco longingly. “But you seem so much more responsible.”
“Can’t you do both of them?” Zach asked.
The vampires looked at each other, and then at me. “Kind of like a vampire baby?” Jack asked.
“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” I said.
Paco shrugged. “I mean, I’m not averse.”
“I’ll be right back,” Zach said, then went for the door.
“If we do this, you do get that I won’t actually be your child though, right? Like—you won’t both be able to boss me around?” I asked them.
“True. But . . . just think of the fact that if anything bad happened to you, you’d have two really angry vampire dads to kick some ass,” Jack said, seeming enamored with the idea.
“Like I would ever need ass-kicking help,” I said, rolling my eyes, but on some level I’d never admit aloud, I was charmed.
Zach returned quickly, with a solo cup, and set it down on the coffee table in front of the other men. “It’s red,” he announced, and when none of the rest of us caught on, he continued. “You know, for blood,” he said, then looked at me. “Don’t worry, I washed it out.”
“Well,” I said, picking it up. “Let’s get this party started, shall we?” I firmly handed the cup over.
It only took a second for Jack and Paco to fearlessly bite into their own wrists and milk a few tablespoons each of blood out for me—Jack first, and then Paco—and I took the cup from him.
“Aren’t you going to ask me?”
He shook his head at me with a smile. “No—you know you’re ready. And it’s none of my business besides.”
“Bottom’s up, Luna,” Jack said.
I took my last human moment to look into the cup. “About time,” I said, and then slugged it back, like it was a shot of tequila. Jack stood and took the cup from me, bringing me in with an arm to kiss the top of my head.
“See you in three days, Moonchild,” he told me.
And “Oh, that name is not going to—” were the last words that left my mortal lips.