Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
ION
As I got out of the shower at Mari’s house, where I’ve been staying, it occurred to me that it’s not only Lori’s daughters who should be informed of our new status. I pull on jeans and a hoodie and text Mari and Tilda.
Ion:
If you have a few minutes, I’d like to call a quick family meeting.
Mari:
Is everything alright?
Ion:
Fine. Good, actually.
Tilda:
I’m in town buying a few things. I can be at your place in twenty minutes.
Ion:
Great. Mari, does that work with your schedule?
Mari:
I’ll be there. Should I bring Sam?
Ion:
That would be nice, but if he’s busy, you can relay the information.
Mari:
I head to the kitchen and consider whether wine would be appropriate. Vampires don’t get drunk or even buzzed. We do, however, enjoy the taste of wine. Instead, I opt for a pot of coffee.
Mari arrives first. Her long dark hair is swept up and knotted at the back of her head. She’s in all black and wearing a veiled hat to protect herself from the sun. Once inside, she removes the hat and leaves it on the bench near the door. “You should feel free to redecorate, Ion.”
“Perhaps, at some point, I’ll purchase this house from you. Though I might need something bigger.” I pour each of us a cup of coffee.
She raises an eyebrow. “Indeed? Have things escalated with Lori?”
“Don’t ruin my news.” I laugh. “Where is Sam?”
“He’s knee-deep in building me a meditation tower in our backyard.
Last week, he spent endless hours building the nursery.
That man is always working.” She sips her coffee and smiles into the cup.
Nearly six months pregnant with a creature that will certainly be half-giant, she shows a bump bigger than a human baby would at this stage.
We don’t know if the child will be born a vampire as well. Her pregnancy is a first for our kind.
“There’s nothing wrong with a man wanting to make you happy.” I sit on the stool next to her.
The doorbell rings, and then Tilda enters without waiting for me to let her in.
She’s dressed in a light-gray sweatsuit, and her hood is pulled over her head.
She puts several bags on the floor near the door, pulls off her hood, and her pale blonde hair tumbles around her shoulders. “I called Max, but he’s back to work.”
I rise and kiss her cheek before pouring her a cup of coffee. “It’s good that it’s the three of us. You can inform your mates later.”
Once Tilda is seated and both of my granddaughters are looking at me expectantly, I stand on the opposite side of the counter island and lean on my elbows with my coffee between my hands. “I’ve started dating Lori Manning.”
Mari grins. “I knew it. That’s wonderful news.”
“And you are compatible?” Tilda’s voice is more pensive.
“Are you asking if I have bitten her?” It takes a small effort to hold my temper. Surely, Tilda knows I’d never harm anyone.
With a slight blush, Tilda says, “Forgive me. It’s none of my business. I only know that it is natural for me to bite my lover during sex, and Lori is only human. She’s fragile and the mother of two…” She trails off as if there’s more, but she closes her mouth.
Mari grips her sister’s hand. “Ion would not harm her.”
I’m gratified by the fact that at least she has faith in me.
Still, I hold no judgment. The fact that Tilda is concerned for Lori’s well-being is not a bad thing.
“I have not bitten her beyond a scratch. I am old enough to be able to control myself even if she allows such intimacy in the future. I hope this will be the last time we have this conversation.”
“I apologize.” Tilda stares at the counter.
Reaching across, I take her hand. “There is no need. I understand your concerns for Lori and for the twins.”
“Is it serious, Ion?” Mari’s voice is soft and direct.
My heart pounds twice. “If she has the same depth of feeling for me as I have for her, it will be very serious. I would make her mine for the rest of her life.”
“Which is very short compared to ours. Are you sure this is a good idea?” Tilda gets up and pours herself more coffee. She offers to pour for me and Mari, but we both decline.
I’m surprised by this change. “You were both in favor of a relationship last time you spoke of it.”
Mari cocks her head. “True. I’m still happy for you. At least giants and Sasquatch like Sam and Max will live several hundred years. If you love Lori, if she’s your mate, how will you go on when she leaves this world?”
“She will only live another seventy years or so. That’s nothing in a vampire’s life,” Tilda adds and sips from her mug.
This is the difficult part of why I wanted to speak to them. Looking hard into Mari’s eyes, I say, “I think you probably already know the answer.”
Tears well in her eyes, but she doesn’t let them fall. “I hoped there was another option.”
Tilda looks from me to her sister then back to me. “You cannot mean to end your existence when Lori, a woman you’ve known for a few months, passes.”
Softening my gaze, I hope my expression shows how much her concern and passion warms my heart. “You have not known Max much longer, Tilda. Will you go on after he dies?”
“That will not happen for many hundreds of years.” Her voice is so loud it echoes off the kitchen cabinets.
I take her hand. “You are very young, and yet you are willing to leave this world in a few hundred years. Mari has already lived that long, as has Sam. One day, they will choose to move on from this world. Sam will grow old and force their decision.”
“But humans are so fragile.” Tears stream down Tilda’s face.
My heart aches at the notion of a world without Lori in it.
“They are. If Lori will have me, and that is a big if at the moment, I will stay with her for her lifetime. I have already outlived thousands of friends and lovers. My life has had everything a man or vampire could ever want. The only thing I have never had is a true mate. Lori’s blood sings to me, and I would be a very lucky man if she accepts the bond between us. Living beyond her would be a misery.”
“What if she gets sick and only lives a few years?” Tilda weeps openly.
Mari gasps. “Tilda, that’s terrible.”
I close my eyes and let the wave of horror pass. This thought is a nightmare for me. “I will see Dorothy and Olivia to adulthood, should the unthinkable happen.”
Tilda nods. “I’m sorry, Ion. The idea of a world where you don’t exist is painful for me to contemplate.”
“Thank you, granddaughter. I know adding a human to our family will bring sorrow to all of us, but that will not undo the joy we will share. For now, I have a human lifetime to enjoy this wonderful woman and her daughters. Love is not something that comes easily to vampires. I shall not waste a moment on regret.”
Both Tilda and Mari round the counter and hug me.
Tilda leaves quickly, tears still streaming down her cheeks.
Staying back a few minutes, Mari says, “I’m happy for you, Ion. I know Sam will be thrilled to hear your news. If all I could have was a few years with Sam, I would take them over a dozen lifetimes without him. Tilda will come around.”
When Lori answers the door, her smile is warm and inviting. The scent of tomato sauce and beef fills the house. “You look pensive.”
I kiss her cheek and let the scent of wildflowers and beeswax envelope me. “No. It was a strange day. I spoke to my granddaughters about our relationship.”
“They disapprove?” Her smile fades, and a crease forms between her eyebrows.
I cup her cheek. “No. They like you very much and adore the girls. They expressed concerns about the future. I hope we have many years before our worries will turn in that direction.”
Understanding dawns in her eyes. She draws a deep breath. “You can tell me about it after the girls go to bed.”
Dorothy skips over and tugs my hand. “You are Mommy’s new boyfriend.”
“I am.” I smile at the directness and the statement rather than a question. “How do you feel about that?”
She makes a similar face to her mother’s when in deep concentration. Her little forehead creases, and she narrows her gaze. “It’s good. Mommy needs a friend.”
Olivia arrives in the foyer more slowly. “Mommy must like you very much.”
“What makes you think so?” I can’t deny the small thrill at her observation.
With a shrug, Olivia says, “She never invites boys to dinner. And you don’t eat.”
Dorothy nods in agreement, and they look at their mother.
“Alright, go and set the table while I get Ion a glass of wine and finish cooking dinner.” A warm blush washes up her fair skin.
Once the girls have run to the dining table, I lean in.
“I don’t know if I’m happier to be called a boy or your boyfriend.
” I kiss her neck. Warmth with a flutter of her pulse beneath the skin creates an instant longing and also feels like something ancient and right.
Even though her blood sings to me, I’m not overwhelmed with hunger.
It’s enough to make me long for alone time while relishing the present.
She giggles. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“As am I.” I follow her to the kitchen. “May I help you with anything?”
Her grin at my question is captivating. She pours two glasses of Cabernet and points to a baguette sitting on a cutting board. “Will you slice the bread?”
The twins are arguing over where the forks go in relation to the napkins, Lori is stirring a pot of marinara sauce on the stove, and I’m supposed to cut bread to be served with butter.
This is everything I have ever wanted and never dreamed I could possibly have.
Emotions well inside me, and I swallow them down before they overcome me.
As a young human man, I thought I would marry farmer Smit’s daughter, but we were both very young.
I had a plan to make enough money and ask her father in a year or two.
She married someone else and broke my heart.
All the years of regret are washed away as I watch Lori go to the table and show Dorothy and Olivia how to set it properly.
Reminding myself that this is only the first day, and anything might go wrong, I let the image of a lifetime of this family’s acceptance warm me from the inside out. If I didn’t know better, I might think I was warm-blooded.