Forever Forty Chapter 2
For a moment I thought the young-looking vampire had come in with my daughter, but as she approached us with her easy smile, he moved to the rear of the store where we had a greenery section. This warm humid section of the store had a variety of orchids, and I kept my eye on him as he inspected the flowers.
His features were attractive as all vampires were, but he also displayed the over-pale light-blue eyes with the slight darkness beneath that was indicative of his race. I had never seen a vampire with red eyes and his fangs exposed, but I heard it was pretty scary. There were some experiences that were best left unknown. “May I help you, sir?”
The vampire flicked his hand negligently, but didn’t turn toward me. “Just looking for a bouquet for my mother. Give me a moment to decide.”
Deanna arched her eyebrow at me. Having just said no vamp would grace our store, I felt like a bit of an idiot, but like my partner had said, their money was as good as ours, and they had a lot more of it. “Sure, take your time. We don’t close for another hour. ”
He moved from the orchids to the section of roses. They were by far our most popular flower and one I could grow myself, so they brought the most profit. They came in a variety of colors, but the vampire seemed intent on the red long-stems.
Deanna waved the twenty bucks she took from the till. “Jana, do you want some dinner? Your mom is having salad, but I am grabbing a cheeseburger. Do you want anything?”
Jana put her hand to her stomach. “I just had some of Dad’s Jolof rice. I had to drink a quart of milk after, but it was so good.”
“Your grandfather was a bit of a jerk, but he did teach Isra how to cook. I need a half bottle of antacids after I eat with him, though.”
“He made Puff Puff too. Those doughnuts are so good. They helped tame the spiciness.”
Deanna glanced between us. “You realize you are speaking another language.”
“No. Nigerian food is just spicy. Isra’s mother was Canadian, so he makes a mean lasagna as well.”
Deanna shook her head. “The man that got away.”
Jana laughed. “Not really. Mom left him. Not the other way around.”
Deanna grabbed her purse from behind the counter. “Really? I just assumed that he left you because he was gay.”
I didn’t get a chance to respond as the vampire approached the front with a bouquet of a dozen roses in his hand. They were bound together in a clear cellophane wrap with sprigs of baby’s breath accenting the crimson color. “I will take these, please.”
Deanna waved as she beelined for the front door. I loved my friend and business partner, but she wasn’t one for confrontation and no witch wanted to deal with a vampire. My daughter smiled pleasantly at the vampire, and he smiled back as his eyes roamed over her thin, athletic physique .
He motioned to the store. “This place is nice. I am visiting from out of town. You have an excellent selection.”
His being new explained why he didn’t realize this was a witch-owned store. I doubted he would have come in otherwise, but he had followed my daughter in, and she was a human without magic. I wasn’t sure a vamp could tell the difference between me and a mundane, as my powers were so low, but he should have noticed Deanna’s power. “Thank you.”
I had to admit I was proud of my store. Deanna had help from the council, as her power was rare, and they wanted to be able to utilize it when necessary. So she had the down payment needed when we wanted to acquire the shop ten years ago. Isra had lent me the money and wouldn’t have made me pay it back. But I was adamant about running my business on my own and had paid him back in five years.
The vampire winked at Jana. “You are very attractive. Do you live in town?”
Jana laughed. She grew up with vampires and wasn’t afflicted with my prejudices. I was thankful for that, in a way. Everything I knew about the vampires had been from the teachings of the witch coven and had learned the hard way they weren’t always honest. “So are you, but then all vamps are sexy, aren’t they?”
He chuckled, and I hated it. “I suppose we are. Have you taken the test? You would make a stunning vampire.”
“Do not even think about it,” I snapped.
Jana sighed. “Don’t mind my mother. She is a witch so the chances of my blood being compatible are pretty slim, even though my dad is a mundane.”
He arched an eyebrow at me. “One of my friends has a witch mother and a human father. He was compatible. Most humans have an empowered in their family tree. You never know until you try.”
Jana smoothed her long black hair. With her light tan skin, she looked like a goddess, and I could understand the vampire’s interest in her. “No thanks. I want to age gracefully and have children one day. They will swarm over my father and steal all his dresses.”
“Did you say dresses?” the vampire asked.
“My father is Isra Nasir. He owns Club Spice. If you’re open-minded, you should check it out.”
I loved that my daughter promoted both her parents’ businesses whenever she got the chance. She worked for her father, but she still lived with me. I loved Isra with all my heart and always had. When life broke me. He had picked me up and held my hand. Then gave me the greatest gift life had to offer: our daughter. Our story was unusual, but just as beautiful. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for Isra or Jana. They were my family. My life.
The vampire laid the flowers on the counter. “There are some distinct advantages to never aging. I never wanted kids, so that wasn’t a deterrent for me.”
I huffed. “Yeah, but the drinking of blood thing is a bit of a deterrent. Jana is the kind of person who tries to save a bird with a broken wing.”
The vampire’s eyes narrowed on me, and I was sure I saw a flicker of red before they returned to their pale blue. “Drinking blood can be quite sensual for a human and a vampire. Most check out the local blood club before they make a decision.”
Jana scrunched her nose. “No thanks. That’s not for me. I can’t even handle a hurt animal. I don’t want to see humans getting snacked on. No offense. I don’t have anything against vampires.”
His eyes roamed over my daughter’s form. “That’s too bad. I would love to taste you.”
I slapped my hand on the counter. “Back off, bloodsucker. This isn’t the blood club. My daughter is not on the menu. ”
The vampire smirked at me and continued to stare at Jana. This was one of the times I wished she didn’t take after her father. He was gorgeous, with his tanned skin and dark hair. She had inherited his athletic build and sunny disposition. She even loved men as much as her father did. “You can’t blame a guy for asking.”
Jana frowned, and I wasn’t sure if she was afraid or annoyed by the overly flirtatious vamp. She was used to male attention, though I doubted they got many vampires at the club. “Let me ring up those flowers for you.” My daughter knew how to run the till. When she was younger, she had helped at the store. Back when we wanted to limit her exposure to some of Club Spice’s activities. She punched the amount into the till, but the vampire seemed to freeze.
“Sure,” he said.
“That will be fifty-nine dollars.”
The vampire sighed before his arm snaked out and he grabbed the front of my daughter’s jumpsuit. The yellow fabric tore as his extended fingernails ripped through it. He yanked her forward as his fangs extended and his eyes lit in crimson fire.
My brain seemed to ignite all at once. There was no way to know if Jana could survive a vampire attack. Humans were thoroughly tested before turning and the process was supposedly painful and rigorous. The number one component was blood compatibility. Vampires were not allowed to go rogue and attack. Their own people would put them down. Sure, the newly turned could go into a rage. The vampires called it blood madness, and the humans had their PSO forces to combat a rogue if needed. So did the vampires and death dealers were the scariest of the lot. Even the PSO and the witch hunters avoided them.
The witches had their own forces. The witch hunters policed their own, as did every species, but this vampire had been conversational and engaging. There was no way he was newly turned and not aware of what he was doing. He was flat-out about to murder my daughter.
I grabbed the bouquet of roses and swatted him as hard as I could. While some of the roses were de-thorned, the one he chose had nice thick prickles, and he growled and released Jana as he pulled an embedded thorn from his cheek. The torn flesh dripped blood, but began to knit together as he turned to me.
“Run!” I yelled to Jana as I moved around the corner of my counter. I could hear Jana running through the storage area at the back and gave a silent prayer of thanks as the rear door opened.
The vamp was focused on me, which was exactly what I wanted. While there was a chance Jana could survive a vampire attack, it wasn’t one I could take. Unfortunately, there was no chance I would. Vampire venom was toxic to the stimulant in a witch’s blood that created our magic, and the moment his fangs punctured my skin, I would feel the pain. If he bit me, it was over. Witches didn’t turn. They died.
The vampire wiped the blood from his face with the back of his hand. Had he been human, the thorns would have taken his cheek off, but the damage was already healing. “You will regret that, bitch.”
“You will not be drinking my daughter. Leave now before the PSO calls your death dealers. I have never met one, but I hear they are not super understanding about vamps who break the rules.”
The vampire smiled and his eyes seemed to glow despite the bright store lights. “Cassara is about to have a rude awakening. All the death dealers are, but you won’t be around to see it. It all starts with your death.” He knew the local death dealer leader. I had heard of her. Everyone had, but nobody in their right mind crossed her.
He moved so fast that I wasn’t able to track his movements. He grabbed me by the shoulders and twisted me around before he bent me backward and his hand went around my throat. He was behind me, and I stared at the swinging back door, thankful my daughter had done as I asked her. “Go to hell bloodsucker.”
“You first,” he whispered before his fangs punctured my neck.