28. Living in a Vampire World #3
“You have no idea the dangers you were dealing with,” Julian continued, his tone cool but edged. “The forces you may have drawn to Grace. To Nicolette.”
Delia released a heavy breath. “I do know,” she said more contritely.
“The night Grace died, I went to the scene of the accident. One of the paramedics on-site contacted me—she knew I was a friend of your mother’s.
Of course I was devastated, but I had to make sure it was her.
And I’d been worried about her. She’d said .
. . she’d met someone.” Delia cleared her throat.
“Do you mean a man?” I stammered, my heart in my throat.
“A vampire,” Delia treaded carefully. “I never met him, but apparently he was a doctor. Someone who had the same passion she did for helping humankind. She seemed enamored with him.”
“Was my mom having an affair?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, but I had to.
“I don’t know,” Delia sighed. “I never asked. But something happened between them. Some sort of falling-out. She called me that night, saying she had made a terrible mistake. He wasn’t who he said he was. But she was going to make it right, and she would protect me.”
“Protect you from what?”
“I don’t know. Grace said she would call me later. But I never heard from her, and then she was gone. I just knew something was wrong. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw her body by the river and . . . she had two distinct marks on her back.”
I gasped. A hand flew over my mouth. “A vampire killed her?”
Delia nodded gravely. “It’s why I had to do the autopsy. I had to confirm it.”
“And protect yourself,” Julian snarled.
“Yes,” Delia admitted. “The venom in her and the bite mark would have been red flags. Too many questions would have been asked. After her phone call, I felt it best not to raise any suspicions. It was easier just to rule it an accident. But I knew the truth.”
“And you didn’t think to warn me?” There was no hiding the hurt and disgust in my voice.
“What if I were marrying that vampire?” I turned to Julian.
“Not that I think that.” I’d thought a lot of things about him the last couple of days, but I knew he didn’t kill my mother.
Not this man—this man who was willing to forgo his humanity for me.
He took my hand and brought it to his mouth, pressing a kiss to it.
Yep, the butterflies were back. I didn’t have time for swirly feelings in my midsection or even thoughts about my relationship with Julian.
“Please, Nicolette,” Delia pleaded. “You must understand, your mother and I spent most of our lives protecting my secret. The lengths we went to, you’ll never know.
I hate what I’ve become. I just wanted a normal life.
It’s all I ever wanted. And you’re a smart girl.
You seemed fine. Happy, even. You were glowing the other night at dinner. ” She was grasping at straws.
Julian jumped off the couch, his figure towering, menacing. The sudden movement made both Delia and me startle.
“Just admit you’re selfish,” he said, his voice low and clipped—far more dangerous than a shout.
“All you cared about was yourself. You must have realized whoever killed Grace might come after Nicolette. But you were more concerned with saving your own skin.” His jaw flexed, eyes darkening. “You sicken me.”
“She was dating you, and then you got married. I figured you would keep her safe,” Delia cried.
It hit me then: The last note had been all about my mother’s secrets.
“Are you the one sending me the threatening notes?”
Delia’s eyes, now rimmed slightly with red, widened; her brow shot up instantly. She looked genuinely shocked by my accusation.
“What notes?” Her voice shook.
Julian circled her, studying her—probably reading every shift in her physiology, every micro-reaction.
“Are you saying you don’t know?” he taunted, his tone deceptively mild.
“I would never. I had no idea,” she defended herself adamantly. “What do the notes say?”
“Never you mind,” Julian spat, throwing himself down next to me.
“Nicolette,” Delia whispered. “Please believe me. Please help me. You’re the only one who can. You are your mother’s protégé.”
I used to think so, but now I wasn’t so sure. She’d lived an entirely separate life apart from the one I knew.
“How dare you ask Nicolette for help,” Julian seethed. “She owes you nothing.”
“I know,” Delia whimpered. “But I can’t live like this. The bloodlust, it’s coming back. Even now I feel it getting stronger.”
I glued myself to Julian’s side. I didn’t want to be on anyone’s menu tonight. Even though it might be a good experiment. Would my blood neutralize her?
You know what? I could do without knowing.
The thing was, I had to help her. We had to know why the plasma treatment no longer worked for her.
But I had a question first. “How come you never had blue eyes?”
“I did when I used the plasma treatment. Your mother warned me to wear contacts or sunglasses, as the blue was so unique. But after taking the cure, my eyes went back to their normal hazel.”
Interesting. Also, I was going to be looking for colored contacts everywhere now.
“So you’ll help me?” Delia begged.
“I don’t know if I can,” I was honest with her. Even though I knew I would help her—for the good of Hart Labs, for the good of everyone. But given the circumstances, it didn’t feel wise to just agree. Julian was right: She and my mother were shrouded in mystery.
Deadly mystery.
“Please try,” she added.
“We’ll get back to you,” Julian quipped. “In the meantime, don’t do anything stupid. Hunt another human or betray Nicolette in any way and I will kill you myself. We will be watching you.”
He was so calm about it, it made Delia flinch and my pulse skitter.
Julian didn’t waste time seeing her to the door.
She wrapped herself in a long, dark coat and threw on a pair of sunglasses.
I just sat there, and the realization hit me. The vampire world was my world now.
There was no hiding from it.
No running.
No pretending I could go back to the life I’d had before.
I had to face it.
It was the only way to survive it.