27. Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Seven
R olling over, I feel a cold spot where Erin should be. Cracking my eyes open gingerly, I silently wince. We drank so much whiskey last night, I’m surprised I’m not still drunk. Hungover, definitely.
“How’s the head?” Erin asks from the doorway.
“Not as bad as I expected,” I croak. My voice is raw from all the talking and laughing.
“You and Barty sure put a lot away last night,” Erin grins, padding over with a cup of coffee in one hand and a plate of fruit in the other. “Here, drink and eat this.”
“My savior,” I sigh dramatically, earning a pleasant scoff and eye roll.
“Your savior was the liters of red I had you drink before passing out.” My memory is foggy. I remember singing an Irish drinking song at one point, but it’s a blur after that .
“Sorry,” I wince again. I’m not sure how Erin feels about the whole drinking blood thing yet. Well, not for sure. She’s seen me a handful of times, but mostly I try to wait until she’s not around.
“It’s your liver you should apologize to. Now you have fifteen minutes to get up and get dressed. Dr. Mendhi should be finished with Barty and Anya by then.”
“What time is it?”
“Nearly eleven.”
“Eleven? Damn,” I hiss. I’m usually up and dressed by six, at the latest.
“You can’t be surprised,” Erin laughs. “We didn’t fall into bed until three. Anyway, it’s given the doctor plenty of time to do his tests. When you’re ready, we will join Barty and Anya in the gardens. It’s a beautiful day.”
Scarfing my breakfast as quickly as I can, I rush to shower and dress. Yesterday’s chat with the two vampires wasn’t as helpful as I’d hoped, so my expectations for today aren’t wonderful, but if Barty can give us any new bit of information, it’s a step in the right direction.
The chatter from the dining hall is animated. All the Lochs are in high spirits. Anya and Barty are absent, but I presumed that means they’re still occupied with the doctor.
“Ah, she’s alive!” Maria calls over the din. I give a small wave in recognition. The table is filled with food. “Have some brunch, that will cure you.”
“Drink this,” Lucille says, thrusting a glass of red into my hand. I chug it down, still feeling dehydrated from all the booze .
Erin sits next to Aliah and begins a conversation. I still love to watch her interact with my family. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to how wonderful she is.
Taking the seat next to my mother, I refill my glass. Most of my family have red in front of them. Aliah is drinking hers. Erin doesn’t seem to care.
“Are you ready for your talk with Barty?” Mother asks.
“I’m not sure how useful it will be, in all honesty honest. If Barty had any new information, he would have told us last night.”
“Maybe, but it’s worth hearing his story. And it will be good for you to have someone who truly understands what you’re going through.”
I nod and continue drinking my red. The tightness in my skull is easing with every drop. “What are your plans for today?” If I know my mother, she has organized something for the family to do.
“We’re driving back to Dublin for the day. Unless you need us here?”
“Thank you, but I think we’ll be okay. We can have a family meeting tonight to fill you in on any new information.”
Brunch continues for another twenty minutes until Barty and Anya join us. I can see the little wad of cotton held in place by medical tape on both of their arms. They wave to everyone, Barty looking no worse for wear. That man can drink whiskey!
“How are we all this fine morning?” Everyone answers in unison, causing a rise in noise that is unpleasant on the ears.
“Right, Lochs. Get your things together. We leave in ten,” Mother announces, scraping back her chair. Shooting me a wink, she embraces Barty and Anya as if they are old friends. I silently thank her for gathering the brood and clearing them out .
Erin and I continue to eat and drink as the family bickers and argues all the way out of the castle. My mother issues stern warnings every five seconds. I don’t envy her today.
“Well, they’re a lively bunch,” Anya laughs.
“Can you imagine living with them?” I say seriously.
“Shall we take a walk outside?” Barty inquires. I wonder if he is as keen as I am to get this talk over and done with.
The castle grounds are outstanding. Lush green grass, which has been expertly cultured, surrounds the entire property, only broken by the gravel walkways that snake in all directions. Rolling fields and dense trees are the castle’s only neighbors. I can see its appeal, especially for old vampires requiring peace and privacy.
“So,” Barty begins. Anya is hanging onto his arm as they walk. Erin has her hand in mine, clutching it tightly. “I suppose we should get down to it, huh?”
“Did everything go okay with the doctor?” Erin asks.
“Oh fine, just a bit of blood and other bodily fluids,” Barty laughs.
“It wasn’t too invasive, was it?”
“No, don’t worry. We said we want to help.” Anya reassures.
“I think the first thing is to dispel some myths you’ve no doubt encountered,” Barty continues. “I’m not the son of the first vampire and Anya is not the daughter of the first human. It’s all a bit too Adam and Eve for me.”
“But you are old,” I ask.
“Yes, we are. I’m close to The Big 4-0-0-0,” he laughs.
“Four thousand years old,” Erin gasps. “Wow, I mean, that’s old.”
“Babe,” I laugh .
“Sorry, I hope I haven’t offended either of you.”
Anya laughs, “Of course not. It’s not like we look it, right?”
“And that brings me to the next thing,” Barty adds. “I’m sure Amelia has filled you in on all things vampire, but I’ll say this anyway. We found that although the aging process halts on our thirtieth birthday, it can take a few years to fully stop. That’s why some vampires look to be in their late forties or fifties.”
“Amelia didn’t tell me that.”
“Sorry, I just wanted to keep to the facts,” I shrug.
“Also, the whole immortality thing is optional.”
I stop in my tracks. “I’m sorry what?”
“What I mean is, our molecular structure changes and our bodies become immortal, but that doesn’t mean we have to live forever. Some couples live a handful of lifetimes and have had enough. I can’t blame them sometimes after what we have witnessed over the years.”
“So you’re telling us, some vampires… kill themselves?”
“You could say that, or you could say they choose when they come to the end of their lives. Humans have a natural end to their time on earth. Vampires do not.”
“Amelia, did you know this?”
“No. It never even occurred to me to think about it. As far as I was concerned, every vampire is immortal, and that’s that.”
“It’s a common thought pattern. We’re so worried about finding our mate, we don’t think about the thousands of years ahead of us,” Barty states simply.
“Can I ask about you, Anya?” Erin probes. This is what we really want to know about. How the hell did human Anya become vampire Anya .
“Sure. I met Barty and felt this pull to him. I was only sixteen at the time.”
“But you look to be in your thirties now?”
“Indeed. We mated, but my change didn’t occur until my thirtieth birthday, just like Barty.”
“But the bonding process was carried out years before that, I’m guessing.”
Barty nods. “Yes. We bonded shortly after meeting. There was little knowledge about our species back then. Just like humans, we were learning about ourselves. For me, I fell in love with Anya and that was that. I had no clue about the repercussions. We learned later on that our mating was extremely rare, if not the only successful human/vampire mating.”
“Um… When you mated, did you have any adverse reactions?” Erin asks. Like her, I want to know if Anya seized or slipped into unconsciousness.
“Oh yes,” Anya chuckles. “Barty thought he’d killed me.” It’s strange that her sentence brings me comfort.
“I seized,” Erin states. “And then blacked out.”
“But you felt the euphoria, right? The connection which bound you to Amelia?”
Erin nods her head. “Then you truly bonded.”
“But is that enough to turn Erin?” It only then occurs to me that Erin might not want to become a fucking vampire. Jesus, Amelia, how self-centered are you? “Erin, do you want that?”
“I want to be with you.” She cups my cheek and looks me dead in the eye. “If I need to become a vampire to do that, then I will.”
“But what about your family and friends? You know what it will mean if you become immortal. ”
“Yes, and I can’t say I know how I will feel or what will happen when the time comes to say goodbye to the people I love. I can only tell you how I feel now and what I know in my heart. My life is with you, Amelia. From now until eternity. My heart is yours and I feel myself becoming a part of you a little more every day.”
Wow, okay! I need a second to swallow the lump that is wedged in my throat and will the tears to recede without falling. I don’t want to become a blubbering wreck in front of Barty and Anya.
Drawing Erin in, I hold her. The steady thrum of her heartbeat fills me with warmth. “If I could choose to be mortal, I would,” I whisper. It’s true. I would give immortality up in a nanosecond if it meant Erin didn’t have to change.
Erin finally steps out of my arms and smiles shyly at Anya and Barty, who are looking at us in complete understanding. “How long until you turn thirty?” Anya asks. I’m not sure which one of us she’s asking. Did I tell them my age last night? God, I hate getting blackout drunk.
“I have several months,” I answer. “Erin has three years.” Barty and Anya nod their heads in understanding. Even if everything goes off without a hitch on my birthday, we will have to wait years to know if Erin will change. Although, I’ve already decided, if Erin remains human, I will end my life when hers is done.
“Knowing that we’ve bonded, do you think Amelia will be okay?” Erin’s eyes betray how nervous she feels regarding my change.
Barty puffs his cheeks and wiggles his head from side to side in contemplation. “If I were a betting man, I would say Amelia will complete the change without a problem. Her soul has found and latched onto its other half. From what we know about our kind, that is all that is required for Amelia to become immortal.”
I’m certain now our bonding has ensured my immortality. I haven’t had a single dose of serum in well over forty-eight hours. I have no signs or symptoms, no bleeding or pain. I am whole.
“My worry isn’t for myself,” I say somberly. “I just hope Dr. Mendhi can give us some new information. I don’t want us to be living on edge for the next several years.”
“I wish we could have given you something concrete. Just know that we are here for the foreseeable future,” Barty smiles, placing his hand on my shoulder.
“How often do you move?” I ask.
“Every twenty years or so. Although we are secluded here, which is why we’ve stayed longer. No one pays us any mind.”
“Is that what we will have to do?” Erin asks me.
“Eventually. My parents had us all in LA, but we will have to relocate at some point.”