5. Five
Five
T he moment Erin spots me, I want to break out in laughter. The airy fun Erin disappears in a flash and the angry hellion appears once more. I wonder what she is going to do. Will she try to evict me? Maybe call security?
“At least you figured out which side of the bar you should be on,” Erin snaps as soon as she lands in front of me.
“It’s not too busy this evening, so I don’t mind waiting to be served this time.” I know I should put an end to the games, but she’s too much fun to play with. Plus, I want some time to… okay, this will sound creepy, but I need to smell her.
Cherries. She still smells like cherries. How is that possible? Who is this woman, and how the hell am I supposed to find out if she’s a vampire or a human? Claire must know, surely. Yes, I’ll ask her. Now, I’ll continue to irritate my new playmate.
“If I see you approach this side of the bar again, I’ll have you thrown out. Do you understand?”
“My, my, you are a feisty one. What’s so special about your bar?”
“Listen, lady. You might dress fancy and think you are God almighty, but when you step into this club, you are a customer. Do you know what could happen if you had an accident? Insomnia is insured for workers only. You do not step behind this bar. Please don’t make me call security on you this evening.”
Wow, I’m wet. This woman is all kinds of hot when she’s on her high horse. Holding up my hand in a scout’s honor, I promise not to go behind the bar ever again. “Can I have a glass of water, please?”
“Water? That’s all you want?”
“Yes, please.” Watching Erin walk away is a lovely sight to behold. Claire has spotted me and wanders over.
“Wow, twice in twenty-four hours. What’s the occasion?” I know the game is up now. I can’t continue playing with Claire hovering, so I decide she should be the one to let the cat out of the bag. Erin returns with my glass of water. She is looking between me and Claire, obviously trying to work out what’s happening.
“Thanks, Erin,” I say when she sets the water down.
“How do you know my name?” She asks. I smile. Claire is looking confused.
“Of course she knows your name. Amelia knows every employee.”
“Oh, so you’re a regular?” Erin asks innocently.
“Erin, Amelia is the owner.”
“No, she’s not.”
I burst out laughing at Erin’s indignation. The mere thought that I, the pain in the ass customer who has riled her up to perfection could be the owner of this fine establishment is unthinkable.
“Erin!” Claire admonishes .
“Claire, it’s fine. I’ve been playing with her a little.”
“Oh, Amelia,” Claire whines.
“I’m sorry. Erin, that goes for you, too. Please let me introduce myself properly.” I extend my hand. “I’m Amelia Loch.”
“Erin Hanson,” she replies robotically.
“I’m sorry, but how the hell did this happen?” Claire asks, so I recount our meeting last night.
“Shit, Erin, that’s on me. I should have introduced you. We were just slammed.”
“No, it’s on me. I’m sorry, Ms. Hanson, really.”
Erin is clearly torn between wanting to tear me a new asshole and being a respectful employee. I kind of feel bad now. “It was nice to meet you, Ms. Loch. I need to get back to work, please excuse me.”
“Oh shit, she’s pissed,” Claire laughs.
“I was only playing. I didn’t mean to make her that angry.”
“Erin is a tough nut to crack. She doesn’t take shit, and she doesn’t enjoy being made to look a fool.”
“What should I do?” Suddenly, making Erin happy again is the most important thing for me to do.
“Nothing, she’ll cool off. Anyway, it’s not like you’ll be around here much longer.” The barb stings. Claire is a brilliant manager, and she’s my friend. I haven’t been a very good one of those recently.
“I know. I’m a shitty friend. Forgive me?”
Claire rolls her eyes. “Obviously.”
“Hey, by the way…” My voice trails off because I’m not sure I should ask my next question, but I need to know. “Is Erin a vamp?”
Claire furrows her eyebrows and stares at me like I’m stupid. “No, of course not. Can’t you smell her? ”
Shit! Erin is human. And I couldn’t tell. Oh, fuck, it’s starting already. I’m changing. “I…”
“Amelia, you couldn’t smell the difference?” Claire’s eyes betray her concern.
Looking from Claire over to Erin, I weigh up how much I should say. “I… she smells different.”
“What do you mean?” Claire whispers, leaning closer to me.
“She smells of cherries.”
Anyone would think I’d just taken a swing at Claire the way she reels back, her eyes bugging out her skull. What the hell did I say?
“Amelia…”
“What?” I’m panicking now. Does Claire think I’m already starting to fall into madness?
“We need to go. Come on.”
She leaves no time for a reply. Claire scurries off, speaks to Erin before rounding the bar and grabbing me forcefully by the elbow.
“Claire, what the fuck?” I protest, but it falls on deaf ears. Claire is on a mission. I’m stuffed into the back of her car. Claire tells her driver to take me to my parents’ house. That’s when I know my fears are coming true. For whatever reason, my descent into crazy town is being accelerated.
My head is pounding, and I can’t organize my thoughts to produce a coherent sentence. Claire has tapped her heel the entire journey and I’m about ready to tear her leg off but thankfully we arrive, and she whips open the car door dragging me out.
My parents look equally shocked as I do when Claire tears into their home, calling for the Loch family to gather. My siblings must hear the panic in Claire’s voice because they all come running. We are standing in the kitchen and I’m pretty sure I’m going to vomit .
Should I tell them to put me down now? That would be best for everyone. Do the deed before I become something they don’t recognize.
“Amelia, repeat what you said,” Claire barks.
“About what?”
“Erin?”
“What about her?”
“Tell them what she smells like?”
“Cherries?” I answer, and there is an audible gasp. “What, what did I say?”
My mother rushes over and grabs my shoulders tightly. Her eyes are boring into me. “You smelled cherries?”
“Yes, why?”
“Are you sure?” my father asks.
“I know what cherries smell like.”
“It could have been her perfume,” Marcus adds.
“Unlikely, you know our scents can’t be masked like that,” Laurence says.
“What the hell are you all talking about?” I practically shout.
“Amelia,” my mother starts. “You’ve found her!”
“Found who?” I can’t process what they are saying.
“Your mate, dumbass,” Lucille shouts.
“No, you’re wrong,” I say with certainty.
“We’re not wrong,” Father replies.
“You could be,” Claire interrupts because, like me, Claire knows something they don’t. Erin is a human, and vampires cannot mate with humans.
“What aren’t you telling us?” Jacob asks.
“Erin is a human,” I say .
The silence that falls is deafening. My mother and father share a look, but it’s not the one I expected. I thought, for sure, they would regard me and then each other with sadness. My chance, slipping through my fingers, but that’s not what is happening.
The thing about being married for a couple hundred years is the ability to talk without using words. They’ve always had the ability to know what the other is thinking, and it is infuriating. Now more than ever.
“Why are you doing that weird, silent conversation thing?” Lucille asks, and I actually chuckle.
“Everyone sit,” my father calls. We follow his demand and take our usual seats around the table. Claire sits on Maria’s knee. They’re close friends too, so it’s not weird. “Amelia, this is going to sound…”
“Unbelievable,” my mother finishes.
“Okay.” I have no idea where this conversation is going.
“There have been a few cases of vampire-human mating.”
“Gross,” I mumble.
Mother ignores my childish outburst and continues. “Each time the… the vampire still fell into madness.”
“Wonderful,” I laugh mirthlessly. Basically, what I am being told is that my stupid body has mated with a species that is incapable of fulfilling what I need to become immortal.
“There are stories,” my father begins. “Stories that tell of a vampire, ages ago, who mated with a human successfully.”
“And are those stories based on truth or legend?” Marcus asks.
“We don’t know,” Father answers.
“So let’s get this straight,” Lucille interrupts. “Amelia has found her mate, but it’s likely she will still turn nuts. ”
“Lucille,” Mother snaps.
“No, she’s right. If all the vampires who mated with a human still turned, I think it’s time to face the truth. I know we’re all scared, but this pretty much seals the deal, right? In twelve months, one of you will have to kill me.”
Another collective gasp. I’m too numb to react to my own words. Probably because the truth is finally sinking in, and I have to be okay with it. For their sakes as much as my own.
“It is not a foregone conclusion,” Aliah says forcefully. “We need more information. There is too much speculation to know completely.”
“Aliah is right. We will look into it. In the meantime, you, Amelia, need to get better acquainted with your mate.”
“She’s not my mate,” I reply through gritted teeth. “She’s human.”
“Oh Lord,” Lucille laughs. “Amelia, don’t be thick. Your dislike of humans is ridiculous. Let it go. So some of them hate us, big fucking deal. Most of them have no clue we exist.”
“And how, dear sister, do you think Erin is going to react to that? Hm? Oh hi, Erin, I’m your soulmate and a vampire. Care to get hitched?”
“Moron,” Lucille hisses. “Obviously, it will take time. The situation needs to be handled with delicacy, but it’s not impossible. The only thing in your way is you.”
Our tempers are flaring as they usually do. I’m ready to launch myself across the table and beat the shit out of her. Fighting Lucille feels like a good plan to me. I know it’s not right, and it’s definitely childish, but she irks me, and I need an outlet for all this pent-up rage .
“Will you calm down!” My father’s booming voice cuts through the din. We all fall silent, just like when we were kids, and pushed him too far. “Thank you. Now, I know this is a lot, honey. But please, Amelia, see it for the miracle it is. You have found your mate. This time yesterday, each one of us feared the worst. But we have hope. And we have a full year to figure this out.”
Once again, in my selfishness, I forgot how my parents would feel. Yes, I’m slightly horrified I have mated with a human, but on the other end of that is the light. The fact that I’m not broken or different from my family. It’s also given them the hope that I will be okay. I mean, not completely, because let’s be real. The odds don’t seem to be in my favor, but they are better than they were yesterday.
“Another slight hiccup,” Claire chimes in, and I know what she’s about to say.
“Now what?” Maria asks.
“Well, Erin isn’t exactly Amelia’s number one fan.”
“Is she even into women?” Lucas asks. Good question really.
“Yes, she is, but after what Amelia pulled, I’m not sure she will be into her.”
“She’s the bartender you teased?” Laurence sighs.
I stifle a laugh because it’s still funny. If only they could see how cute Erin is when she’s all fired up.
“Okay, the first job on the list is to get Erin to like you.”
“Ugh, hard task. I’ve known her all my life and I don’t like her yet,” Lucille deadpans. Yeah, I’m going to kick her ass.