CHAPTER SEVEN
Ipractically jumped out of bed once the sun was down.
My first night and day in California had passed without issue.
No one tried to kill me. Alexius didn’t need to rescue me.
Nothing. I gamed for the night on my safe laptop, one I didn’t keep anything work-related on, then passed out.
With the sunset, I was jumping up, well rested and ready to get to my brother’s condo.
I took a shower and did my hair, making sure I was presentable and not a mess. He would fret if I looked like a disaster. I didn’t do much for makeup, purely because I had never been one to put too much of it on. I wore a tee and jeans with a loose hoodie, casual and simple.
“I feel like I’m overthinking this,” I said as I looked at myself in the mirror. “It’s my brother of all people. Sure, we haven’t seen each other in person since…” I sighed, the memory assaulting me out of nowhere.
We hadn’t seen each other in person since Mom’s funeral, when I had been desperate for him to leave the state to be safe. He’d had no idea what was really going on, and I couldn’t tell him, or he’d try to stay and help.
But he couldn’t have helped. He would have just gotten killed. I protected him. At the cost of myself, I had protected him and gotten justice for Mom on my own.
While I was now an immortal vampire, more powerful than I could have ever been as human, that didn’t mean I hadn’t lost something.
I had lost everything, really. I wouldn’t go to my brother’s wedding unless he was willing to do it at night.
I wouldn’t grow old with someone. I wouldn’t have children. I wouldn’t be able to do a lot.
And I knew, with certainty, I’d do it all over again the exact same way because it had been worth it.
Declan had never wanted to stay in the world of the supernatural.
He’d been fine with Mom and me being close to it, been fine with our uncle, but he didn’t want it in his day-to-day life.
I certainly wasn’t going to let it kill him.
One of us deserved the life our parents dreamed for us.
I took a deep breath to calm myself, and nodded into the mirror, telling myself I was ready for whatever the night would bring.
Whatever this month would bring. If it was going south, I could always ask to head home before Alexius.
He’d put me on a plane without question.
I grabbed the ring in its little box and shoved it into my pocket, keeping it close until it was time to hand it over.
When I reached the kitchen, he was already there, preparing the blood once again. He held it out to me once it was ready without a word. Neither of us spoke until after I took my first drink.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, leaning on the counter.
“Good,” I said, swirling the glass between swallows. I drank fast, finishing the glass before continuing the conversation, and he waited, not pushing or prying. When I put the empty glass down, he immediately grabbed it and started cleaning.
“Would you like more?”
“Oh, no. I’m full,” I said, lifting a hand.
I wasn’t sure how vampires drained anyone.
Sometimes, I felt like I would burst if I had a pint, much less the several needed to drain a human.
I felt great, really. I was about to see my brother and witness his human life up close.
It had been foreign to me even while I was human since we lived on opposite coasts.
Once I had shaken the bad vibes off, I was committed to not letting them come back.
“If you get hungry at all, call it a night and get home to feed,” he said, staring me down.
“Of course. Just like in Savannah. I don’t like feeding off people. Don’t plan to eat my brother or one of his neighbors.”
“I know…” He tapped his fingers on the counter. “If he gets a cut or anything, leave the room to make sure you have control.”
“And don’t go back in until he’s fully taken care of it and cleaned up,” I said, nodding. “I know, Alexius.”
“And don’t get too worked up. Or show off your abilities. You don’t want to burn through what you’ve had and get hungry too early.”
“Alexius…”
“I just want to make sure everything goes well for you,” he said, huffing.
He was fretting. I didn’t say anything as he continued to grill me, making sure I had plans for anything.
He was worried, and I indulged him. This was the first time I was going out on my own, and he couldn’t stalk me to make sure it would be okay.
He had places to be on his own. But nothing ever happened in Savannah, and if something happened here, it wasn’t going to be my fault. I fully believed in myself.
“Do you believe in me or not?” I asked, sharper than I wanted.
“I believe in you,” he answered, leaning back and finally relaxing. “I’m sorry. You’re ready for this. But please call me if anything happens.”
“Don’t break your phone, and I will,” I said, breaking out into a smile. “I’m heading out now. See you for a check-in before sunrise?”
“Certainly.”
I grabbed my set of keys and went into the garage to find the car left for us.
It was a sedan of a make and model I didn’t care about.
A sedan I could work with, not too big for me, not too small.
There was a larger SUV in the garage as well, which was certainly for Alexius.
I took note of it, wanting to commit it to memory if I needed to know later, then left.
The drive to my brother’s had more cars on the road than I expected, but I suffered through it and got to his building in thirty minutes.
“Okay, Everly. This is it. Time to see your brother,” I said, taking a deep breath. That deep breath was a habitual preparation that I couldn’t seem to break.
I parked in the guest parking outside his building’s garage, and he’d texted his code to get in the building during the day.
I just had to find the elevator, and that was easy.
He was on the fourth floor, and I could have easily run up the stairs, but there were probably security cameras that would catch me doing that.
No one was on the elevator, thankfully, and I went straight up to his floor without any stops. I hunted down his number and rubbed my hands together nervously before finally pushing his doorbell.
I heard thumping as he ran for the door.
It swung open, and I was ready for what was coming.
If I were still human, the hug would have hurt. He would have run me over with it, and I would have been bitchy about how he couldn’t be more careful.
Instead, I was firmly planted and refused to move as he barreled into me and ran into a proverbial brick wall. He didn’t pause at all, though. His arms were around me, squeezing tightly.
“It’s fucking good to see you, Everly,” he said.
I hugged him back, smiling into his chest, nodding.
“It’s good to see you, too, Declan.”
We didn’t move for a while. I was the one who had to break the hug and pull away.
“So, can I come inside?” I said, wiggling my fingers like an old movie monster vampire.
With a laugh, he gestured for me to enter.
“Absolutely.”
He lived well, my brother. His home was cluttered but clean.
He kept his computer on a desk in the living room, set to the side so it wasn’t too crowded with the couch and television.
His surfboard was leaning on the wall on the other side of the television.
His kitchen had a bar and was an open floor plan.
“This is nice!” I exclaimed, grinning back at him. “I like this.”
“Yeah, I was tired of renting, and with… everything that happened, I felt the need to settle down and get a home for me. Something that's mine.”
“Definitely. While I went the opposite direction.”
“Yeah…” Declan walked around me and sat on the couch. “Come tell me everything, sis. I know there’s been a lot you haven’t wanted to say. Seeing you… I can tell. You’re different, which I mean, obviously, but I’ve never known someone before and after. I can see it. I hope that makes sense.”
“It does,” I confirmed, nodding. I didn’t sit next to him. I claimed the one armchair in the living room instead. “You can say it, you know. We’re both… in. You know that.”
“You’re a vampire, and I can tell,” he said, almost like he had to dust off the word. We joked, of course, but he generally avoided in depth supernatural talk. It was easier while we hung out on calls or video chats. It was different in person.
“How?”
“Stillness. You walked in and froze. You were looking around, but the movement seemed… too smooth for you. You’d always been a little jumpy, and it’s not there anymore. You would probably seem like a controlled person to anyone else, but I know.”
“Yeah.” I nodded and leaned back, getting comfortable. I looked around, not sure what to say. When I finally looked back at Declan, he seemed sad.
“This is awkward now,” I said softly. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. It was easier online, right?
Why don’t you tell me about your boss? Or what home is like for you.
You said you switched with me. You sold your place in Maine, didn’t you?
I finally got my own place, a real career, and a long term relationship, and you sold off everything with your name on it and moved in with someone you barely know. ”
“Yeah, there’s probably never going to be anything to convince me to go back to Portland.
Everything we knew is gone. From the humans to the vampires, there’s nothing left there for me.
” I sighed, looking at my hands. “And I can’t really live alone anymore.
I won’t be able to for a long time. There’s so much I would need to set up for myself that it’s easier to live with someone who’s already done all the work.
Alexius has a blood supply, a secure home, and a staff to attend to the daytime needs.
I don’t have the resources to set all of that up for myself right now. ”
“Yeah, now you’re everything we saw Mom dealing with for years,” Declan said, nodding. “You need Mom, honestly.”
“I do,” I said, chuckling, both humored and deeply sad at the fact that I did need her. “I can still do my job as a vampire. If anything, it’s even better. Everyone knows we gamers and computer nerds like staying up all night to stare at bright screens.”
“Oh yeah, being a vampire is perfect for you then.” Declan rolled his eyes with a grin. “And your boss? Alexius?”
“He’s a good boss,” I said, shrugging. There was only so much I was willing to tell my older brother about the boss I wanted to sleep with.
The conundrum of a man who told me some things would never happen but then did things like adding me to a centuries-old protection spell that he didn’t invite literally anyone else to join.
The mixed signals were strong.
“Oh, that means it’s complicated. What’s going on?”
“We’re currently out of the job,” I explained, falling back on the easier explanation.
“I mentioned it before, how I couldn’t leave Savannah.
After something happened with a bunch of vampires, Isaiah asked us to stay home and take a vacation, and he’d let Alexius know when he could get back to work.
That was ten months ago.” I made a face.
“We’ve been going stir crazy stuck in Savannah, mostly just in the house, so when you mentioned me coming out…
Alexius decided he would deal with Isaiah later, and we could come out.
He’s doing something for Maria, and I’m here to visit you. ”
“Who are Isaiah and Maria?” Declan asked, curious.
Shit.
“The Tribunal vampires. The leaders of all vampires around the world who enforce all the rules,” I said, watching his eyes go wide.
“Alexius works really closely with Isaiah. They’ve known each other for a really long time.
Alexius, fun fact, Turned Jacob. He’s Jacob’s father.
That’s what everyone calls him, and honestly…
it’s not wrong. I never saw them together, but the way Alexius talks about Jacob…
the stories I’ve heard about the wise vampire who was doting on us as kids? Fantastic.”
“No fucking way. You couldn’t tell me all of this in a call?”
“No, it’s not really something I want potentially recorded.
Alexius was how I got out of Portland… as alive as I currently am.
He is… was Jacob’s father. I was going through Mom’s stuff and finally stumbled on a number that was to his people.
Well, also my people now. He showed up. Helped me.
Sadly, not much could be done to keep me human. ”
“You never told me any of the details.”
“I worked really hard for you not to know what was happening.” I had to admit that. “I couldn’t risk you after Mom died.”
“I could have—”
“If you say ‘helped’, I’ll kill you,” I said lightly. “Because you couldn’t.”
“I strongly disagree, but since it’s already happened, there’s really no reason to argue now, is there?
” He didn’t look happy with me. “And now I really can’t help you with anything.
The gap between us is… immense. I felt how…
solid you were when I hugged you. You could probably get hit with a car and walk away. ”
“Yeah.” I wasn’t going to deny it. “So, what are we planning for the evening outside of talking? Oh, and…” I reached into my pocket and pulled out the box with the ring. “I’ll be here for a month unless something happens, so plenty of time to meet her before you go off and propose to her. Here.”
Declan looked at the box but didn’t reach for it. Then he met my gaze.
“What if you keep it? Then it will always be in the family instead of lost by one of my descendants or something?”
“No.” I shook my head. “It goes to the first child married to propose to their partner of choice. That’s you. Mom and Dad were buried with their wedding bands. We were left with this to continue their love in our lives. You know that.”
“But if you get married, you could wear it for… forever.”
“Let’s be honest, Declan. I’m never getting married.”
“Never is a very long time for you.”
“Take. It.” I bit the words out. He held up his hand, and I pushed the box into it.
“I want you to live a normal life, Declan. This is part of it. Heirlooms and treasures of our family should stay with you. If in a century I need to hunt them down, I will. I’ll pay whoever is in the family for them or offer them safekeeping between the generations.
I’ll be around. I’ll be the aunt to your kids, like Henry was to us for generations.
Except I won’t disappear like him. I’ll guard the family as you pass down the treasures. Okay?”
Declan got up and pulled me out of my chair. Another hug, one I welcomed.
We decided on a movie, and it was only twenty minutes in when a knock was at the door.
“Declan?” a feminine voice called out.
“Oh, shit,” Declan hissed. “Lexi never comes over. We always hang out at her place. What is she doing here?”
“Did she know I was coming over today?” I asked back quietly, the movie still playing to cover our voices.
“Yeah… she must be thinking of surprising me and you, but now…” He looked at me.
I nodded.
“I can handle this,” I promised.