36. Maria
Chapter thirty-six
Maria
Idrink another glass of warmed dark wine while the guys work on sleeping arrangements. I’m in bed by the time Chris returns.
He locks the door behind him and dives onto the bed, blanketing me with his body and wrapping me in his arms.
“Aren’t you going to shower first?” I sniff his hair. “You smell like cats.”
He takes a deep inhale of my neck. “And you smell like you and Zinnia. My two favorite scents in the whole world.”
“Oh, Chris.”
“I’m so glad to have you back. When you introduced Lehm, I thought we were over.”
“Never. Even if he hadn’t turned out to be gay, we would’ve found a way to work things out.”
Chris rises on his elbows. “You’re used to being shared by two guys, aren’t you?”
“It’s the only thing I’ve known.”
“Will you miss it?”
I glance at his face, and it seems like there’s more honest curiosity than worry. “No. I’ll miss the closeness I shared with Lehm. Of my two husbands, he was my best friend. Really good at listening and cuddling even if he wasn’t interested in sex with me.”
His brow furrows. “But he’s Zinnia’s father.”
“He is,” I say. “In retrospect, we only had sex to try for a child. It wasn’t…it wasn’t like it was with Gabriel. I see that now.”
A flicker of jealousy rises on his face, but then the look smooths out.
“If you need time alone with Lehm to be friends…I’ll adjust. My feelings flipped from grief to possessiveness once I knew you weren’t leaving me, so you might need to be a little patient with me.”
“You’re my family, silly goose.” The red streak of hair falls over his eyes, and I brush it back. “I’ll never leave you. Family, community—they mean so much to me. It’s all I’ve ever known. It’s how I’ve survived.”
He lets out a long sigh. “May I kiss you?”
“Always.”
I fall into the sleep of the dead with my fiancé’s lips on mine. When I wake, I discover he’s rolled me to my side and is wrapped around me again like an octopus from one of Zinnia’s picture books.
I push at his shoulder to get him off me. “You still need a shower.”
He laughs. “What do you say to taking a shower together?”
“I say yes.”
After a few luscious orgasms, we dry off and dress for the day. Zinnia is already at the dining table.
She’s ordering Lehm around, telling him how Daddy Christopher makes breakfast. “Zinnia Mae, mind your manners.”
She glances at me coyly. “Yes, Mommy.”
Chris whispers in my ear, “According to the book Ms. Kalina gave us on child psychology, behavior problems after trauma are to be expected. Zinnia’s trying to regain control of the situation after being powerless while kidnapped.”
I’m so proud of Chris. He really paid attention, and we’re only halfway through the parenting book that Zinna’s teachers gave us.
“Okay,” I whisper back. “We’ll go easy on her for a while.”
Both our comms buzz at the same time. Chris beats me to answering. “Yes, Tig?”
“Do you have time tonight to meet with the cavern vamps?”
The question makes me uneasy. I shake my head.
Chris mouths, I’ve got this, and kisses my cheek. “Look, Tig, not really. We have to get to the Tucson dome. I have a truckload of goods to trade for mortal blood. We’ve been living off a diet of clone blood for too many nights in a row.”
I sigh with relief that Chris didn’t have to lie. Trading goods is our priority. He told me drinking only clone blood can cause bleeding problems.
“How does this sound?” Tig asks. “You, Maria, and Lehm swing by here on your way to Tucson. Have a beverage, meet all your neighbors who are staying, get off to a good start.”
Chris looks torn. Tig has done so much for us.
I tap his shoulder to get his attention. “What about Zinnia?”
The intruder alarm immediately rings, and a familiar face appears in our living area. “Uncle Ari, here to babysit. Can you turn off that racket?”
Zinnia squeals and throws her arms around Ari’s neck.
Chris lopes over to the hallway wall and silences the alarm.
On his return, he stops in the kitchen and, laying one hand on Lehm’s shoulder, leans in close.
“Are you okay with visiting your old nest mates? It’s up to you.
Tig wants us to do a meet-and-greet with the ones remaining.
You don’t have to if it’s too traumatic. ”
I hear the conversation over the comm but say nothing. The answer is up to Lehm. I won’t let them force him if he isn’t interested. He’s been through too much already.
Lehm sighs. “I guess I should say goodbye to Diego.”
“You sure?” Chris asks.
“I’m sure.”
“Maria, what about you?”
Last night, I wanted them all staked. But now, after speaking with Lehm and learning about the horrible conditions the renegades lived under, having Zinnia and Lehm back calmed my anger.
That doesn’t mean I want to see them again.
“Tig, you’re asking me to socialize with the people who kidnapped my daughter. ”
“I guarantee these vamps weren’t involved in the kidnapping.”
“Maybe. But how am I supposed to forget they terrorized Zinnia and held her hostage? How am I supposed to act like everything is fine?”
“Look, Sunshine, I know this is hard.” Chris wraps me in his arms. “They didn’t ask to be turned and left in this hellhole any more than you did.
Tig is right. They were desperate. Reminds me of immigrants when I was a child.
They escaped from a bad situation and into a place that didn’t want them.
They needed help. So do these guys. At least the ones Tig’s allowing to remain. ”
My shoulders slump. “I guess I’m fine with visiting them.” The reluctance is still in my tone.
“Tig? Did you hear that?”
“Yes.”
Chris glances at his watch. “We need time to dress. See you in an hour.”
“Wait. If you have any party favors you could bring, we’ll need twenty-one.”
I cringe. So that’s how many survived the culling.
Chris nods. “Yeah, we can figure out something.” He disconnects the signal and makes eye contact with me. “You sure you’re okay with this, Sunshine? You look apprehensive.”
I don’t want to be away from Zinnia for a second. But I don’t say that out loud. I don’t want my anxiety to affect her. “I’ll go. As long as Ari stays here the whole time.”
The man in question salutes. “Yes, ma’am. Anything you say, ma’am.”
“Oh goodie,” Zinnia says. “We can play the race car game.”
A virtual reality video game they’ve played before. “She needs to catch up on the schoolwork she missed. So only an hour of video games,” I say.
“Buzzkill,” Ari grumbles.
“Come on, folks.” Chris heads to the hallway, while Ari stays behind with Zinnia. “We have clothes and gifts to find. I’m thinking stainless-steel vacuum bottles. Guaranteed to keep blood fresh and warm for hours. I have a couple of cases at least.”
I furrow my brow. “That’s your idea of a party favor?”
“For vampires, it’s a favorite.”
We take the elevator. Lehm’s lips tighten, and he alternates between squeezing and relaxing his fists. I guess I’m not the only one who hates the elevator, even though I’m getting accustomed to the sensation of leaving my stomach on the first floor.
When we stop, Chris guides us to women’s clothing. “What would you say to a cotton summer dress and sandals?”
“I’d say that sounds lovely.”
He picks out two dresses in my size—both sleeveless in vivid colors that accent my eyes.
What a choice to make. I select the V-neck with a rucked waist and large blue and turquoise flowers. I’ve never owned a dress this lovely.
“For Lehm, this way.” Chris motions to follow him. “Pants or shorts?”
“I’m a thirty-four by thirty-four. But shorts sound great. The underground caverns can feel cooler than the surface, but we’re not gonna be there long, right?”
I feel so proud he’s brave enough to return after what he’s been through, and I give him a hug. “We’ll only stay as long as you’re comfortable. Say the word, and we’ll make our excuses and leave.”
“Maria’s right.” Chris pats Lehm’s back.
“So shorts it is.” He holds up a tan pair.
“These should look good on you. May be a bit tight in the butt—that’s the way they’re designed.
” Chris adds underwear to the pile. “T-shirt or collar?” He holds up one of each.
“I think the blue button-up would look good on you. The fabric is a light weave and should be comfortable in the heat.”
Lehm tries it on over his white t-shirt.
“Fits just fine.” Then he looks at me, eyes wide.
“Why is all this stuff in such great shape? We could find clothing in old stores and homes—but anything with elastic in it was worthless.” He stretches the underwear’s waistband.
It pops back into shape instantly. “If I found these in the wild, the elastic would be shot. We’d have to thread a drawstring through to keep them up. ”
I laugh. I felt the same shock when I first saw the warehouse. “Chris told me climate control and other preservation techniques keep everything frozen in time.”
Chris nods. “Yes, but less talk, more action. We don’t have much time.”
We get changed into our new clothes then head for the garage.
Chris loads two huge boxes into the back seat. “The insulated cups.”
I take the passenger seat and start braiding my hair. I didn’t have time before we left.
Despite my temporary excitement over a new dress, anxiety gathers in the pit of my stomach.
A party. Neighbors.
The neighbors who kidnapped my daughter.
Then I correct myself again. These aren’t the vampires who directly kidnapped her. They just participated after the fact, using Zinnia to get what they wanted.
How am I going to get through this?