Chapter 70
Cafe
The next day, under a crystal-clear sky, I sat at the café waiting for Georgie and Sarah to arrive.
The dark wings of the birds were in stark contrast to the blinding blue sky behind them.
I was about as comfortable as a festering sore with a screw being drilled into it thinking about spending time with Sarah.
But Georgie had insisted I come, and I had no reasonable excuse not to.
So here I was, emotions buried under the rubble of pain, mask on, able, but not necessarily willing.
A young couple walked past hand in hand.
She looked doe eyed at him and giggled. Obviously, a new relationship, still stuck in that honeymoon phase.
My fingers tightened around my glass and I fought the urge to throw it at their heads.
Three older women dressed in tracksuits, power walked past, mouths moving as fast as their legs.
Across the road a lady who owned a local clothing store stepped out onto the pavement and looked up and down the street, shaking her head, she wandered back inside. Business must be slow.
Just up from the store, standing under the shade of a silver birch tree, was a lady wearing a long, hooded, beige trench coat.
Her attire was unusual given the warm day.
I couldn’t see the outline of her face but I was sure she was looking at me.
Was she the woman from the parking lot, or someone else?
An image of BJ tied to the chair, eyes wide and brimming with tears, flashed in my mind.
I tensed, ready to lurch from the table when the sound of the metal legs of a chair against concrete turned my head. I put my hand up to block the sun’s rays from my eyes, expecting to see Georgie. Instead, Caron slid in beside me.
She smiled, like she was a friendly neighbor. “Hello, Amelia.”
My whole body tightened. “Don’t you ‘hello’ me, you bitch,” I grated, reaching to remove my ring.
“Uh, uh, I’d leave that on, if I were you.” Her head flicked to across the road where three people lingered, pretending not to watch. The woman, I noted, was gone.
“Never use your powers in public, you put both yourself and others in danger. If you’re spotted and word gets out. Well, I’m sure Dahlia has explained what that means.” She spoke so smoothly the threat could have been missed, but it wasn’t.
I wanted to yell at her. To scream obscenities, but I couldn’t. My jaw clenched so tightly it began to ache.
She looked around casually, everyone was deep in chatter and paid no attention to us.
“I realize we didn’t get off to the best of starts, but you must understand we did what was necessary.
We needed you to realize what you are. We’re not the bad guys.
” She paused and studied my face as if taking my measure.
I simply glared. “Dahlia said your training has gone well.”
“Can I get you anything, ladies?” The waitress asked. She was a tall curvaceous girl with smooth olive skin and short spiky dark hair. Her name tag read Lisa.
“No thank you, Lisa, I shall be going shortly.” Caron smiled warmly. If I didn’t know any different I’d think Caron was someone’s sweet mother.
Lisa moved off to another nearby table. I kept my gaze on Caron.
Her blonde hair was swept up in a neat bun.
She wore black pants and a blue blouse that emphasised her eye colour, and a thick gold bracelet with a large blue stone covered her wrist. A three-layer gold necklace, each strand holding varying shades of a black oval crystals, hung from her neck.
“You stuck knives in my friend’s leg and you led three men like animals to the slaughter. You most definitely are the bad guys, Caron,” I rasped.
“To be fair, we didn’t kill those men. Karson did.
He could have let them live but he chose otherwise.
As for Benjamin, we do feel bad about that.
It was an extraordinary situation that required extraordinary circumstances.
And you do live with vampires after all, so in comparison.
” She fluttered her hand in a dismissive gesture.
I spoke through my gritted teeth, “What do you want, Caron?”
“I would like you to come and meet the rest of the coven.”
“Not interested.” I shot down the glass of water.
“That’s a shame. Many of us would love to meet you. We’re not always related, but we are family. When you’re ready, we will be there for you.”
Family? Where the fuck were my family when I was being dragged from foster home to foster home. They stuck knives I my friend’s leg. Terrified me, I thought we were both going to die. That was no family, certainly not one I’d ever be interested in meeting.
I snorted.
“There is so much more we’d like to teach you,” Caron added as if that might change my mind. When I made no response she leaned in so close I could smell a pop of peppermint on her breath.
“You know, Amelia, there’s no such thing as a good vampire, they only ever do what serves their own purpose.
They care about two things. Feeding, and themselves.
They are narcissists in every sense of the word.
They are not capable of love. If you think Karson cared for you, you’re fooling yourself. ”
My anger simmered. My hands shook with rage. I wanted to punch her on the nose. To curtail the urge, I folded my arms across my chest. “You don’t know either of them. You, of all people, don’t get to judge them.”
She stared at me with pity of her face. Pity. I was not someone to be pitied, ever, and certainly not by her, of all people.
She clasped her hands together on the table in a praying motion. The sun glittered on her bangle, the light bouncing puppets off to the ground. “Have you heard the story about the lion and the fawn?”
“No.” And I didn’t want to.
She dropped her hands down and the bangle clanked on the wood of the table.
“Once there was an African lioness who killed a doe. The doe had a young fawn. Instead of killing the fawn, the lioness took her in and mothered her like she was her own. She loved her and protected her from the other lions. When the fawn tried to get back to her herd, she would scare them away, rounding the fawn up and bringing her back. Eventually, the fawn weakened. She still needed milk to survive. Do you know what happened to the fawn?”
“Two monkeys, one whom wore extraordinarily bad makeup, stuck knives in her friend’s leg so she stayed with the lion.”
“Sarcasm is not a virtue, Amelia.”
“Neither is torture, and yet here we are.”
She ignored that comment and looked at me gravely.
“The fawn died. She was slaughtered and eaten. Whether it was by the lioness or the pride, we don’t know.
You see, if you play with a pride of lions it’s only a matter of time before one of them gets hungry.
Do you understand the gravity of what I’m saying? ”
I rolled my eyes. “Sledgehammer subtle, Caron.”
“Good.” She stood up, leaning down, and said in a quiet voice, “Perhaps you should ask yourself why would a vampire ask you of all people, to come live with him? I can guarantee you the answer is not because he cares. I do hope we see you soon, Amelia.” She turned to walk away.
“Caron,” I called out.
She stopped and turned back a smile and an optimistic expression.
“You don’t get to call me Amelia.”
The smile evacuated her face.
“And if you ever hurt anyone I care about again you will get to see, firsthand, how my training is going.”
She looked like she’d just swallowed a lemon.
She twisted her lips, and swallowed. She leaned into my ear.
Again. “I understand your anger and, as such, I will allow you some concessions. I will do what I can to help you, but you are a witch and playing with vampires is treason. They only have so much patience, and I can only do so much to protect you. You would do well to remember that.” She spun and strode away, leaving me bubbling with anger watching after her.
Treason?
I thought of Ethan. He’d asked me to move in because I needed help and he’d helped me.
That was what friends did. He didn’t even know what I was at the time.
I didn’t even know what I was. But the first time I’d used my powers there had been no surprise in his eyes, not even a skerrick.
I rub at an ache in my head. Even if he had known, it still meant nothing.
“Good afternoon.” The happy sound of Georgie’s voice snapped my attention back.
Georgie stood with Sarah. Sarah wore a pair of ripped jeans and a white tank top.
She still managed to look like she was ready for a fashion shoot.
I felt uncomfortable meeting her again. A boil on my ass, uncomfortable.
It was easier to hate someone from afar, make up stories about them in your head.
It wasn’t so easy when you get to know them.
I was secretly hoping to find something awful about her that would turn Karson off.
Like she . . . Jesus, I realized there wasn’t much that would turn him off.
She was physically stunning. I could only hope she was gay, or he turned her off with his acts of violence.
The chairs grated against the concrete as they sat down.
Sarah smiled warmly. “Hi.”
The waitress took our order and then left.
“Everything okay, Aims?” Georgie asked, smoothing her floor-length dress down.
“Yes,” I lied, faking a bright tone. “You’re early.”
“I know, I was so excited to see Sarah again. She hasn’t been home in . . . how long has it been?”
“Two years,” Sarah answered, the smile collapsing.
Georgie’s face paled, she reached out and touched Sarah’s arm in a comforting gesture. “Yes, oh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Sarah reached across and squeezed Georgie’s hand. She turned to me to explain. “My brother died in a car accident, and I left here not long after. It was too hard, too many painful memories around here for me to stay.”
I was beginning to understand how that felt.
“I’m so sorry, Sarah.”
“Thank you,” she gave a wan smile and recovered. “I have missed you.” She directed the comment to Georgie, changing her tone to a more upbeat pitch.
“You too,” Georgie agreed, “it just hasn’t been the same without you. So, tell me, where have you been? What have you been up to—any hot romances?” Georgie asked.
Lisa bought our order over and Sarah waited for her to leave before she responded.
“I was in LA for the past year. Before that I spent some time in Africa, volunteering in a women’s hospital.”
Great, Jolene not only looked like an angel, but she was one. I cleared my throat. “That’s a really kind thing to do.”
She took a sip of tea and scanned the road. “It was hard, the things I saw . . .” Her voice trailed off. She drew in a sharp breath. “But it’s a conversation for another time. I don’t want to talk about anything sad today, not when I haven’t seen you for so long.”
She nudged Georgie with her shoulder.
“Right. Yes.” Georgie smiled brightly. “Absolutely, positive vibes today only.”
“What have I missed in Church Heights?” Sarah asked.
“It’s Church Heights, so nothing.”
The both laughed.
“How long are you staying for, Sarah?” I asked, stirring sugar through my cup of tea.
Sarah ran a hand through her hair, the waves shimmering like autumn fire. “I’m not sure, I might stay for a few months. The hospital is short of nurses so I might help out for a while, and dad’s not getting any younger.”
Disappointment tightened the bottom of my stomach.
“What about you, Amy. You’re new to town right? Karson said you work at the bar?”
The tightening, twisted. “Yeah, I’ve been here a few months now.”
“She lives with Ethan.” Georgie’s voice soured.
Sarah’s blue eyes widened slightly. “Ethan? He’s still hot I noticed.”
She picked a bit of her muffin and ate it.
Georgie screwed up her nose. “He’s not hot. He’s an asshole.”
Sarah grinned. “He’s a hot asshole then. Am I right, Amy?”
“I don’t find him an asshole.”
She raises fine eyebrows. “I notice you didn’t say you don’t find him hot though.”
I shrugged. “He’s definitely hot. And definitely only a friend.”
She tilted her head to the side and studied me as if she didn’t believe me.“Anyone else caught your eye?”
“No,” I say quickly—too quickly.
“Okay, well I’m sure a pretty girl like you would have half the town after you?”
Georgie nodded and talked with a mouthful of muffin. “Yes, she does.”
I smiled but it felt forced. I sat back. I had a few eyes on me. But none are the only set that mattered. The two girls continued talking but it fell distant on my ears.
My mind was on Karson—more specifically, of them together. Panes of glass shattered over and over in my chest, until I felt like I was bleeding. My whole body dripping with red.
Somehow, I managed to smile at appropriate times and pop a few comments in here and there. But mostly I left them to talk.
By the end of the coffee date, as much as I wanted to hate Sarah, I couldn’t. She was nice, with a wicked sense of humor, and I could see why she and Georgie were such good friends.
If Karson had to move on with anyone, she was a good choice at least.
Still . . .