Chapter Nineteen
Verity had never been one for sleeping in a man’s arms, but as she woke the next night it was all she could think about. Normally she’d wake up, hot and sweaty, and desperate to wiggle free, but not with Theo. With Theo she slept like a baby, wrapped in his cool embrace. She could get used to that.
But as soon as they woke, Theo attempting to climb over Verity without waking her, the distance returned. He readied for work early, skipping breakfast and taking Verity home in time to get ready for work at the cafe.
He didn't bother hiding the fact he didn’t like her working there.
He grumbled about Elliot’s contract being too much if Cora needed to rope her friend in to help, but Verity told him to get over it.
“Good,” had been his one word reply when she messaged to say Cora had a couple of interviews set up for staff. Grumpy bastard.
His argument was that “full-time” donation was, in fact, a full-time job, so she shouldn’t be exerting herself when she needed to rest and recover so that the blood loss didn’t affect her health.
But Verity didn’t care. It was hard work, harder than she expected, but it felt good to be busy, needed, and it felt even better to see the smile on Cora’s face when the cafe hummed with customers.
It wasn’t until Verity climbed into bed that her mind returned to the previous day’s conversation, to what she’d learnt about Cliffhaven.
Burning docks and rebel groups, the very idea of it was insane.
The powers that be ruled Havenshire with a firm vampiric hand; for that to slip was unthinkable.
One article was all it took for Verity to be frozen out, but these people, the crimes they were committing, what would their penance be?
Punishment in Havenshire was swift and without mercy.
Minor infractions resulted in community service, more serious ones in labour, months or even years spent working the land beyond Havenshire’s protective walls.
But serious crimes, murder and rape and treason?
Banishment. A life in the Wilds, fending for yourself.
Never to return. What happened when that option was off the table?
The only option left was obvious, but she didn’t dare consider it.
More importantly, how were the innocent surviving the turmoil? Were there water and power? Were children being fed? Was it just the area around the docks that this band of New Albion fanatics was operating in or the whole city? The suburbs? Were those with the Flu getting the treatment they needed?
She wanted to know more, to see Theo and squeeze out everything he knew. He was holding something back. Things weren't adding up. What he told her had been bad enough, she couldn’t imagine much worse, but her gut wouldn’t let it lie.
The light from her phone illuminated her room as she texted him.
You home?
Verity rattled her brain for an excuse to see him but came up empty.
Yes. Are you okay?
Have you eaten?
You should be asleep
She rolled her eyes. Gods, he loved telling her what to do.
I'm trying. Can't stop
thinking about yesterday
It took a moment for him to reply. The usual quick fire messages always faltered when she asked him something he didn’t want to talk about, but how could she sleep knowing what was happening in Cliffhaven?
Me too
Well, that didn’t really help matters.
Truth. That’s all she wanted, but maybe Theo knew that once she learned the extent of Cliffhaven’s plight she’d fight to tell the world.
Because she would. That town was already wracked with illness, quarantined to protect the rest of Havenshire, and now this too.
People deserved to know. It would take some serious persuasion to keep her quiet. First though, she needed facts.
We both know there's more Theo
I wish you'd be honest with me
Maybe she could guilt the truth out of him. Rolling over in bed, she watched the screen, watched as he typed, and typed, and typed. Long message? Was he going to tell her more, or was he just rewriting, trying to come up with a convincing lie?
When the message finally came through, Verity read it over and over until the words sank in.
Of course there's more. The moment
I met you I knew there was more,
but I don't think it's a good idea
to explore that while Abe's still
a problem
Her thumb shook as she typed her reply.
And once he's gone?
She re-read the messages. She meant Cliffhaven, she couldn’t stop thinking about Cliffhaven. And he meant her, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
Her heart fluttered, a stupid grin spreading across her face as she read.
Once he's gone we can talk.
Talk?
Try?
If that's what you want?
Of course, that’s what she wanted! What she’d been begging for these past weeks. To try, that was all she could ask for.
Sounds like a plan
Good
Go to sleep
She stared at the screen, grin plastered across her face. Sleep? How was she supposed to sleep now? Her heart was racing, her mind spinning with possibilities. They were going to try. Actually try. Not pretend, not for show, real.
As she set her phone down, pulling the covers up around her smiling cheeks, exhaustion finally caught up with her.
And then she felt it, felt him, his cool arms around her, his steady breathing against her hair, the safety of his embrace.
An embrace that wasn’t the one off she had taken it for, but the first of many.
Maybe she could sleep after all.
“I need to get me some of that pep in my step,” Cora demanded as she slapped Verity’s arse hard enough that more than one customer turned their heads.
Verity flinched, snapping upright from the table she was bent over cleaning. “Ow,” she moaned, rubbing her rear. “What?”
Cora laughed. “You! In a world of your own! When do I get to meet him?”
Going back to cleaning, Verity searched for an excuse. Her friend had been asking more and more, and Verity’s insistence that they were taking it slow had been thwarted by the fact her mum had told Cora she'd stayed over again.
Pair of gossiping traitors.
“We just don’t want to rush things. It’s kinda like dating a colleague, with all the donor meetings and that. We want to be careful.”
Cora hummed. “If you say so. I just wanna meet the guy putting that dopy look on your face.”
“Don’t.” Verity scowled, but she knew it was true.
Waking up that evening, she re-read the messages, reminding herself that it hadn’t been a dream. They were actually going to try. She was still reading, wrapped in her duvet and sleepy contentment when another message came through.
Good evening angel, sleep well?
On anyone else, it would make her queasy: the lovesick puppy act. She felt like a teenager, heart skipping as her first crush admitted that he liked her back.
Disgusting, she told herself, trying to look neutral while finishing the tables and starting a list of what cakes needed ordering.
The rush was over, lunch done and the cafe winding down, just a couple of customers remained, nursing drinks as they worked or read.
More would return after work; but Verity would be gone by then. She had a donation booked.
Not that there would be any donating. They were going to see Birth of a God with Elliot and Marcy on Saturday, and she expected Theo might want to wait the extra night.
Verity was more excited than she’d admit.
She loved the theatre and when she asked if they would be okay, two vampires and two humans going together, he told her they would be in a box.
A box at the theatre! It might seem trivial to a vampire Lord like Theo, but Verity couldn't wait to see the grand box.
It was also the perfect opportunity to talk to Marcy, ask her how she felt keeping her relationship secret, lying to friends and family.
No prospect of marriage or children. Maybe it would be best to discuss that when Theo wasn’t around.
He’d said they would talk once Abe was gone, no doubt he would want to talk about things like that, the milestones she would miss out on.
But Marcy was happy: not everyone wanted children, not every relationship required marriage. What would any of that matter if they could be happy together? Still, she needed to think, to work out what she truly wanted before getting carried away.
The bell rang as a curly-haired girl with oversized glasses and rosy cheeks walked in, smiling at Verity.
“Hi,” the girl said with a little wave. “Are you Cora?”
Cora’s head poked out from the kitchen where she’d been washing up. “Kim?” she asked.
The girl nodded. “Nice to meet you.”
Kimberly Price. Cora had booked the interview yesterday. She was only eighteen and this would be her first job, if Cora liked her. Verity checked the time on her phone, charging by the till. 4:50am. Kim was ten minutes early. A promising start.
“I’ll finish that,” Verity said, taking the dish cloth from her so Cora could talk with Kim.
“Cute shirt,” Cora told her, eyeing the girl’s frilly sleeves. “You’d get it shit up working here though.” The girl’s eyes went wide, only laughing when Cora did. Cora made a pot of tea before taking Kim over to a table to chat and Verity set to cleaning the kitchen.
The bell rang again and Verity headed out to greet the new customer, only to stop dead when she found Abraham waiting at the counter.
If he wanted to blend in, he was doing a poor job.
Wearing a long coat and wide-brimmed hat, he looked as if plucked from a textbook of classic vampiric fashion.
He was taller than she remembered, hair redder, eyes darker.
No, not just darker, black. No iris, only inky darkness in eyes that crinkled as he smiled.
“Good morning, sweet Verity.”
From the corner of her eye, Verity noticed Cora’s sharp turn at the words.
Oh gods! He was at the cafe. Abe was at the fucking cafe with Cora right there watching, waiting for her reaction.
“Good morning,” she replied, words clipped, hand moving to her pocket before remembering her phone was by the till.