B0089ZO7UC EBOK (12 page)

“I think maybe I’d do better with something more serene, like a florist.” Ashley remarked, then spoke to me like I were a guilty child.
 
“Spit it out.”

Asking for help was never easy for me.
 
“There’s a small amount of emergency cash locked in the safe in my office.”
 
I told her the combination.
 
“I need you to take it and buy a sexy looking dress, matching purse, shoes, and some decent jewelry.”
 
She was surprisingly quiet as I told her everything I needed.
 
“Also…I need my medical bag and all the blood thinning medication we have at the clinic.
 
Oh!”
 
I called out, having almost forgotten.
 
“Bring me those diet drinks that are in my mini-fridge.”

The line was quiet for several moments before she spoke.
 
“I’ll help you, but you have to make me a promise first.”

“Sure.” I said, trying to sound nonchalant.
 
Anyone would think what I asked for was odd, but if I made a big deal about it, she might balk.

“This may be shocking, but you are my best friend.”
 
I could hear her younger children fighting in the background.
 
“I know you’re in trouble and I also know that you’re a vampire.”
 

After hearing her revelation, I had to excuse myself to pick my jaw up off the floor.
 
How would she have any idea about me being a vampire?
 
“W…what?”
 
It was the only thing I could say.

“Now isn’t the time to get into details about it.”
 
 
There was a crash and I could hear her yelling at the children.
 
“The promise is that when life gets back to normal, you will help Fate with some supernatural issues she has been having.”
 
Fate was her oldest daughter, almost eighteen.
 
I knew her well enough, but I’d never sensed anything out of the ordinary.

“Okay, of course, but…” I heard footsteps and then there was a knock at the bathroom door.

Ash was speaking on the other line.
 
“I hear him.
 
I’ll be discreet when I deliver your items.
 
Talk to you later.”
 
The line went dead and I slipped the phone into one of the dress pockets.
 
I owed her, probably more than I’d ever be able to express.

“Are you okay in there? “
 
Marcus called from the other side of the door.

Relationships are difficult, but I was about to go mad from being in lockdown and babied every moment.
 
“Yes, just a minute!”
 
I flushed the toilet and washed my hands so he wouldn’t think I was hiding in the bathroom.
 
When I opened the door he wasn’t hovering in the doorway as I expected but in the kitchen.
 
There was a bag of Chinese food on the counter.

“Sorry, wasn’t trying to be in your business.”
 
There was grease on his forehead and I smiled when he spoke.
 
Despite my frustrations, the boy made me happy.
 
“I figured you’d be hungry since I was.
 
It…scares me to leave you alone for too long.”

I headed over and climbed onto one of his pub style bar stools.
 
“I know.
 
I’m scared, too.”
 
As he got a fork for himself, I pulled chopsticks out of the bag for me.
 
“We’ll be okay.”
 

He just nodded and grabbed a few drinks from the fridge.
 
We ate for a while in relative silence.
 
The food was to die for after feeling sick for so long.
 
“Do you need to feed on blood as well?”
 

“No, I don’t want you to be weak.
 
We’ll wait a few days.”
 
I’d drained probably half a pint from him.
 
I only took that much because I needed to feed so desperately.

It was hard to tell, but I think he was disappointed.
 
Out of the corner of my eye I saw him lightly rub the nearly invisible bite marks on his neck.
 

“Don’t feel weird or be afraid to ask.”
 
He said.
 
The rest of our dinner conversation was normal.
 
 
I’d asked if he’d been able to get any work done and he went on about a bike he was restoring for a friend of his and that it was coming along great.

I made sure to savor our time together.
 
The new stage we had taken the relationship to was an adjustment, but it was wonderful.
 
I didn’t want to admit my time with Marc was limited.
 
As soon as possible, I was going after Dante.
 
In my mind, the only way to resolve this standoff was by one of us dying.

A few days had passed when Ashley delivered the items I asked for.
 
She packed it all carefully in a gym bag.
 
If anything, she was inconspicuous.
 
My first concern was the state the dress would be in after being stored like that.
 
It’d have to do either way.
 

“I’ll leave you two alone.”
 
Marcus kissed my cheek and went downstairs.
 
The regulars to his shop were happy to have him back to work so business was good.
 
This was great for me since I had quite a few things to figure out before going after the ancient vampire.

Friendships with other women had always been hard for me, but when she started showing me everything I had asked for I hugged her tightly.
 
I held her close until I felt sure that I wouldn’t cry and then pulled away and smiled.
 

“You are the best friend a girl could ask for.”
 
I told her and I meant it.
 
The dress she had picked out was black with a high slit up the side and low cut in the front.
 
Matching high heeled leather boots were the shoes she chose.
 
It somewhat surprised me.
 
Maybe since I was a vampire, she figured I should dress like a gothic teen.
 
When I checked the jewelry I half expected to see a spider medallion.
 
Luckily, there was a simple white gold chain and small diamond stud earrings.
 
The purse was a white clutch.
 
It would work perfectly for my needs.
 
 
The extra cash from the safe was inside.

Ash had just asked me if the outfit was suitable when her eyes locked onto my left ring finger and the new addition around it.
 
“Is that an engagement ring?”
 
Her expression was incredulous as she looked from the ring slowly back up to my face.

All I could do was give a little shrug.
 
“Yes.”
 
Then we were both screaming and jumping up and down in excitement.
 
The world aligned briefly and nothing seemed out of place.
 
It was nice to feel human and talking about the proposal with my girl.

While I caught her up to speed on how the whole thing had transpired, I packed the clothing back into the bag.
 
I checked my medical supplies and the blood thinner.
 
The pieces were falling together and if it went as I hoped, I might actually be able to get married.

“Enough about me, though.”
 
I said after I had stashed the supplies in the closest.
 
“What going on with Fate?”

She waved a hand as if to say it was nothing, but she started telling me anyway.
 
I guess she needed me as much as I needed her.
 
“You know that I’m into the ‘hippie’ stuff.”
 
Her fingers curled into the quotation gesture when she said hippie.
 
When I nodded, she continued.
 
“It’s more than that.
 
Daniel was what we called a mystic.
 
I always tried to follow his lead, but could never get the same enlightenment.
 
Before he died, he was speaking with the dead.
 
Somehow he was walking with one foot in this world and one in the next.

“Wow…”
 
I shook my head.
 
The man was always different, but I didn’t expect any of this.
 
I’d heard of people who could speak with the dead, but I thought it was mostly a sham to get people’s money.
 
I wished I’d not made the assumption that he’d just smoked to much weed and dropped too much acid in his youth.

“His cancer was so aggressive.
 
I figured he’d just reached this level of being since he was so close to dying.”
 
She hesitated for a moment. It was still hard for her to speak of her husband’s death.
 
“Fate says her father told her that you were a vampire and that I should help you when you asked.”

“Seriously!?”
 
Being a vampire seemed relatively normal compared to speaking with the dead.
 
I doubted it seemed normal from their point of view, though.
 
“That is amazing….”
 
Of course I believed it.
 
She had no other way of knowing I was a vampire and she was one of the only people I didn’t think would lie to me.

Ash just nodded.
 
“Fate always rebelled against us somewhat.
 
She called us crazy old bohemians.
 
Ever since speaking with her father she’s been reading our books and meditating.”

“How do you expect me to help?
 
I don’t know anything about mysticism.”
 
I had no idea how she thought I could help.

“She just needs someone to talk to who’s different.
 
Someone that’s not her mother.
 
I don’t want her to get into trouble with her pursuit.”
 
Ashley was an easy-going parent who let her children make their own decisions.
 
It was a great showing of respect that she trusted my input.

I couldn’t help immediately but I promised her I would try to help.
 
“I just have to get out of this mess alive first.”

Her face looked grave.
 
“It’s difficult for me to even believe what I know.
 
Just call if you need me for anything else.”
 
She stood up and walked to the door.
 
Her smile didn’t cover the worry but it was sincere.
 
“Besides, I have to be your maid of honor.”
 

I laughed.
 
“Getting married will be more terrifying than any of this.”

“Maybe, but it may also be the best thing you’ve ever done.”
 
She gave me a wink before leaving.

Around two in the morning a week later, Marc and I were awakened by a few loud bangs at the door.
 
We were both nervous, but I doubted any attackers or kidnappers would knock first.
 
I pulled on a pair of Marcus’ sweatpants to go with the t-shirt I’d been sleeping in.
 
He was already in pants and at the door before I made it out of the bedroom.

“Let us in.
 
We found someone lurking around out here.”
 
 
Janet, one of the guards, called out.

I gulped and nodded toward Marcus.
 
“A spy….”
 
If it was perhaps I could gain some knowledge to help me take out Dante.

He opened the door.
 
Janet was standing there retraining the small intruder easily.
 
I charged forward quickly toward them.