2. Two
Two
T he breakfast with my family is going as well as I imagined. When I first sat down, I got the perfunctory Happy Birthdays, which lasted all of thirty seconds before the hard-hitting questions. Mainly from my parents.
Harlan and Victoria Loch are formidable people. They have walked the Earth for over two hundred years. They caused quite a stir when they mated, by refusing to procreate immediately. Instead, they took their time traveling the world, gaining skills in a myriad of sectors. That is why the Loch family is the third richest vampire family in existence. Only the Grand Master and his brother outrank us.
When they finally birthed a child, Harlan and Victoria became dedicated parents. We wanted for nothing. They showered us with love and affection. All of us are successful in our own rights, thanks to their tutelage.
It seems, though, that I am now letting the family down. Distress and frustration are rife between us. My parents want a plan of action. They cannot fathom why I haven’t made more of an effort to find my true love.
Perhaps they are right. Surely there should be a sense of urgency overwhelming me, but there isn’t. It’s possible I have accepted my fate. After my twenty-fifth birthday passed, it was as if something in me cracked. Any hope I once had faded. It’s possible that not all of us are destined to find our soulmates. There has to be a reason, I’m sure. That’s when I decided to simply live my life. Every member of my family may find my inaction frustrating. They may think I am willingly wasting my life by reading at home. It doesn’t matter. There is nothing I can do to change the outcome.
If it were as simple as an arranged marriage, I would have done it, but love is about free will and that internal fire that is stoked by the other half of a person. Love can never be feigned or coerced. Let’s be realistic, the planet has nearly eight billion people on it. I think anyone who successfully finds their mate is beyond lucky.
“Amelia, my love, please, you must make more of an effort.” Victoria, my mother pleads. It’s as if she thinks I’m being difficult on purpose.
“Mother, I cannot force a match,” I hiss. I have endured breakfast for half an hour and my usual calm is waning. Do they not realize that every time they pester, it is a vivid reminder of what will become of me?
“Amelia, please don’t speak to your mother that way.” Harlan, my father, interrupts. I get my quiet calmness from him.
“Sorry, Mother.” I take a few calming breaths. “Laurence and Marcus have already raked me over the coals—”
“We did not,” Laurence interjects. “We were simply stating what needed to be stated. You have to make an effort, Amelia. There is a mate out there, if you would only look a little harder.”
“And as I said in my bedroom, I will make the effort.”
“Yes, you will,” Lucille barks, “tonight, in fact.”
“Oh, are we having a night out?” Maria asks. She is the second youngest child. She and Lucas, the baby of the family, are close. Maria found her mate last year. A delightful vampire called Mitch. His family is respectable, and he loves Maria. That’s all I need to know about him.
“Yes, we are,” Lucille answers. “Tonight, the Loch siblings are out for blood,” she cackles. I roll my eyes. Lucille loves drama.
“Surely I should have a say about where and what I wish to do on my birthday.”
“Last year, yes. This year no. You’ve wasted too much time and now we are intervening,” Lucille replies, a devilish glint in her eyes.
“It’s a good idea, Amelia,” my mother adds. I will not win this fight. I nod in acceptance. How I wished I’d stayed in my room with the pancakes Laurence brought me.
“That’s settled then,” my father comments. “Time for birthday gifts.”
I smile gratefully, even though I want for nothing. My parents always give lavish gifts. I’ve had more cars than I can count. A house and expensive jewelry. In reality, my tastes are much simpler, but I won’t let on to them, not when their faces light up so brightly when they get a chance to spoil one of their children.
This year’s gift is a vacation to Hawaii. I’ve been several times already, and I love it there. For once, I’m glad they went all out. A break from the constant chatter will be a godsend. A full year of listening to each member of the Loch family harp on about my final months as a sane vampire is enough to send me over the edge before I turn thirty.
“Thank you, really, this is perfect.” I kiss both my parents.
“It’s open-ended so you can go when you please. Hopefully with a woman,” my father winks. I grin, but it’s fake. I will be going to Hawaii alone; I have no doubt.
“We all got you a new bike,” Aliah, sibling number four, chimes.
“A bike?”
“Yes, a Ducati.”
“It cost a fortune, so you better use it,” Lucille adds. There is always a tinge of anger in her words, especially when directed at me.
“Of course I will. In fact, I think I’ll take it out this morning.” My love of motorbikes comes from my mother. I have loved every single bike she has owned, even the ones I was too young to remember. There is an entire room dedicated to her passion in the house. I remember spending hours in there with her, poring over old photographs. Most of her machines are displayed in a garage she had specifically designed as a showroom.
“Maybe I’ll tag along,” my mother adds. I smile widely for the first time today. Spending some quality time riding my bike with my mother is the best birthday gift I could ask for.
The rest of breakfast passes cordially. My family has finally stopped talking about finding a mate. Well, at least for now. I know this evening will be about my siblings throwing women at me, left, right, and center. Not that I’m going to complain. I won’t find my mate, but I might get a birthday fuck out of it .
The day is bright and warm, as is the norm in California. I take my time studying my new Ducati. It is beautiful. Matte gray with black trim. My siblings chose well. I’m not the kind of woman who likes flashy colors. My tastes must come from my mother in that department too. Her Yamaha pulls up alongside me. She’s dressed in all black like me. Her bike is dark blue with black trim. I chuckle to myself because we fit the human stereotype for vampires. Long dark hair, rather pale skin and clad from head to toe in black.
“Ready?” Mother asks. I place my helmet over my head, taking one last look at my new bike before straddling it. There is nothing like the feeling of 168 hp between your thighs to make you feel alive.
We pull off and my heart soars. I can feel the power beneath me, ready to be unleashed. But until we hit the coastal roads, I have to restrain myself. As we join the Pacific Coast Highway, I feel my body itch with anticipation. We can’t speed unreasonably, but we can let go a little. As if my mother has read my mind, she opens the throttle and takes off. I smile and follow suit. The ocean shimmers beneath the sun, reflecting like diamonds on a blue velvet bed. This is the best way to spend my birthday. Cruising along, forgetting about the doom and gloom that awaits me.
We have been riding for roughly an hour. Time means nothing to me, though, not only because vampires have more of it than most, but because pure joy cannot be caged by time. In this moment of euphoria, linear timelines dissolve into nothingness. I am one with my bike.
The lights and sirens of a police car interrupt my bliss. Instinctively, I check my speed. Yes, I’m a little over, but not by much. Sighing, I follow my mother, indicating and pulling over to the side of the road.
Taking my helmet off, I slowly climb off my bike and prepare my license. I know exactly who has pulled us over and I find myself amused. Officer Dana Brooks is a forty-year-old-looking vampire that I have had a few fun nights with. You might wonder how that works, seeing as she must have found her mate. Dana found her mate when she was sixteen. Dana and David are polyamorous. But no matter how many others they invite into their bed, they are soulmates.
The male of the species has never attracted me, so thankfully I got a one-on-one experience with Dana, sans David. It was a good time. My mother has also dismounted and removed her helmet. “Dana, good to see you,” she calls as Dana approaches. They hug. The vampire community is a tight-knit group. Nearly everyone knows everyone.
“Victoria, you look beautiful as ever.” Dana is an incorrigible flirt.
“As do you, Dana.”
Dana turns to me with a wicked smile. “Happy Birthday, Amelia.” Her embrace is tight, and she squeezes my ass. I laugh because she is terrible.
“Thank you. Is that why you pulled us over, to wish me a happy birthday?”
“Yes, actually, although you were pushing the limit back there.”
“Only a little,” I pout.
“Hm. Well, I’ll let you off this time,” she says before moving closer to me, so her mouth is just by my ear, “Only if you let me get you off later?”
My mother has taken a few steps away, seemingly interested in the ocean below us. “Are you going out tonight?”
“Maria invited me to your birthday bar crawl.”
“Then yes, I’d say there is a fine chance you will be getting me off.”
“Excellent,” she purrs and then bites my earlobe. “I’ll let you be on your way. Have a fun ride and please try to stick to the speed limit.” Her warning is soft but directed at both my mother and me. I’m not the only speed freak in the family.
We decide to turn back and head home. If it were up to me, I’d continue until we hit San Francisco, but alas, I have a birthday to get back to. The return journey is not as relaxing. All my thoughts turn to tonight’s festivities. Instead of having a fun night with my family, I’m going to be thrown in the middle of their meddling. Despite my repeated explanations that a match cannot be forced, they persist in their attempts to make it happen.
The house is a hive of activity when we pull up. Laurence and Marcus are playing with their children in the pool. Aliah, Maria and Lucille are sitting on the patio drinking, discussing which club we should go to first. Lucas and Jacob are in the kitchen cooking an early dinner for us all. My father is poring over papers laid out on the dining table. Considering they are in separate areas of the house; the Loch family makes a racket.
“Come on,” my mother urges. “Let’s go say hello.” She knows I want to go to the library and hide away amongst the books.
“Fine,” I mutter. I’ll have all the time in the world when I get home to read. Well, all the time that three hundred and sixty-five days provides. After that, my reading time will be the last thing on my mind.