Tainted Blood (18 page)

After a quiet ride back to the cemetery, Oliver waited while I got into my car and drove away. I’m pretty sure that he followed me home, keeping a few cars between us, and once I pulled into my spot in the apartment parking area, I was almost positive that I saw him speed past as he headed off to Sacramento to deal with whatever had happened there with Levi. If it were true that he followed me, which I’d have bet money it was, I was feeling a little irked.

Did he not trust me? Or, was he worried about my well-being? As much as I wanted to believe the latter was the cause, I was almost positive it was the former, and that hurt.

Okay, so I had recently done a couple of stupid things. But, still…

I stomped up the steps feeling slightly irritated. I passed my apartment and headed down the path to Oliver and Carter’s place. All of my essential items currently resided at Oliver’s, and apparently so did I.

Even though I was feeling rather frustrated with Oliver’s possible lack of trust in me, I had no desire to go stay at my own place. I knew my frustration would soon pass and I did my best to push it aside while I got ready for what was sure to be a very interesting evening at the Blake house.

I didn’t wear anything fancy, just a pair of jeans and a nice top and some slip-on flats. The others were dressed in the same casual manner and it was obvious that Carter and Kiera were nervous. Breaking this kind of news should be exciting, not terrifying, but Kiera’s parents would most likely not approve of this engagement. Mostly because their only daughter was still very young. But I imagined that they would have many excuses for why they did not approve.

We took my car and I let Carter drive. After picking up Zoey, we headed out to Kiera’s parents’ house. Many things filled my thoughts on the way to the Blake house. I wondered what Oliver was doing, and what Levi had done to warrant Oliver making a visit to the Capital. I wondered how much trouble Phen got into for meeting me at the cemetery and if I’d ever get a chance to see him again. I also thought about how weird it was that I got that same comforting feeling from him that I got from Lola.

I then replayed Julz’s crazy request for me to promise to take care of Hayden in the event she couldn’t, and how absurd that was for so many reasons.

What weighed on my mind the most was wondering how angry Felix was going to be with me for meeting Phen again after he had explicitly told me not to.

I then turned my thoughts to my stomach and focused on how starved I was. Kiera’s mom was a fantastic cook. It had been a long while since I’d had a really good, home-cooked meal and I was looking forward to it. The conversation, not so much.

Carter parked in front of Kiera’s childhood home. Zoey and I watched from the backseat as Kiera and Carter had a quick pep talk. Zoey gave me a look and as the four of us headed up to the front door, she said to me, under her breath, “This should be interesting.” I responded with a quick smirk and nodded.

Mr. and Mrs. Blake welcomed the four of us with open arms and ushered us inside to the front living room where we found Mr. Wienie in a doggie bed that was so big it looked like it was consuming him. He immediately began barking and growling up a storm that seemed to be focused on only Carter, as usual. Mr. Wienie, while still barking and growling and trying desperately to escape his dog bed so he could get at Carter, was rescued by Mrs. Blake. She quietly scolded him and put him out the back door into the garden. Mrs. Blake slid the door closed, muffling Mr. Wienie’s tirade, and she apologized for his behavior as we all took our seats.

Carter and Kiera sat squished together on one end of a loveseat, their hands linked. Zoey sat in the center of that same loveseat and I took my place on the other end, crammed in with my friends. Kiera’s father sat in one of the two lounge chairs opposite the loveseat, a large round, wooden coffee table centered between us, and Kiera’s mother lowered her small frame onto the arm of the chair beside Mr. Blake, her hands folded in her lap.

They both smiled at each of us in turn, and after a long, uncomfortable silence with too much smiling, Mrs. Blake, Jane, said, “So, you have something to tell us?” She splayed her hands out in a “go ahead” gesture.

Kiera and Carter exchanged a quick look of encouragement and then Kiera swallowed hard and said, in a rather shaky voice, “Well, um, we’ve got some news.” She did her best to keep her voice steady as she smiled brightly. Her parents kept their gaze on their daughter and I saw their smiles waver as she continued.

With her fingers still intertwined with Carter’s she announced, “We’re getting married.” Her smile never failed, but her parents’ did. Quickly.

Her mother spoke first, seeing as Mr. Blake appeared to be in some sort of shock. “You’re what?”

“We’re getting married.” She spoke slowly and held up her hand, the one that had a death grip on Carter’s. It was also the same hand that bore her engagement ring. Carter stayed silent but he kept his eyes on Kiera’s parents, only looking away to meet Kiera’s eyes for brief moments of reassurance.

Zoey scooted closer to my end of the loveseat, pressing herself against my side. I didn’t blame her; I also had the sudden desire to get as far away as possible from the rest of our party.

Kiera’s parents seemed to be processing this new information at a very slow pace. Mr. Blake had actually rested an elbow on the arm of the chair that his wife was not occupying and his head was pressed against his hand like he was suddenly suffering a migraine. Mrs. Blake was staring past all of us into nothingness, or possibly out the bay windows behind us, unblinking. Her back straight as a board, her dress wrinkle-free, and every strand of her blonde hair in place.

“Mom? Dad?” Kiera said softly.

Her mother’s eyes shifted to meet those of her daughter’s and Mrs. Blake said, a little too enthusiastically, “Okay! Who’s ready for dinner?” She added a bright, fake, smile.

Everyone followed Mrs. Blake into the dining room. Everyone except Mr. Blake. His head, with its thinning hair, still rested in his hand as we filed out of the room. He wandered into the dining room a few minutes after we’d all taken our seats and silently took his place at the head of the table. I was seated with Zoey on one side of the long, rectangular table, and Carter and Kiera sat on the other side. Kiera’s mother took her place opposite her husband.

The table was set, and as always, it was impressive. Place settings perfect, utensils in place, crystal water glasses filled, and fabric napkins which we placed in our laps following Mrs. Blake’s lead. A solid white cloth covered the table and a flower-patterned runner adorned the center. The delicious looking food was purposefully placed in elegant serving dishes. We waited for Mr. Blake to make the first move then the rest of us went to town filling our plates.

Lilly and I had rarely eaten this way. We would dish our food onto our plates at the stove and we usually ate in the living room while watching TV. The only time we ate at the dining table was when we had company, which was extremely rare.

As expected, the food was fantastic. The table was quiet as we stuffed our faces. Well, Zoey and I seemed to be the only ones really eating. Kiera and Carter appeared to be too anxious to really pack anything away, which surprised me because I thought Carter had the ability to eat non-stop no matter what. Kiera’s parents were silent as they picked at their food. I saw Kiera glancing between the two of them, and sharing a brief
look
with a very uneasy Carter.

It was uncomfortably quiet as I finished my salad. Zoey, who was sitting right beside me, sent me a text.

This is awkward…

Throwing her a sideways glance, I agreed with a nod.

Finally, Carter broke the silence. “Mr. and Mrs. Blake, I love your daughter and I am going to do everything I can to support her and make her happy.”

Setting her utensils down beside her plate, Mrs. Blake said in her usual singsong voice, “Dear, you work in a diner, as a busboy. You have very little education, you have no car, no family, and you are both
very
young.”

I knew there would be a list.

“He’s in school right now!” Kiera defended.

I really didn’t like the “little education” jab. Were they saying that those who do not have a college degree cannot support themselves? Oliver didn’t have a college degree. He hadn’t been back to a university since he’d been turned into a vampire, until now. And even now, he wasn’t there for the education… In my opinion, he’d done pretty well for himself without a college degree. Granted, I really didn’t think you needed a degree to hunt down rogue vampires, and whatever else it was he did, but still… And that “no family” comment. That was low, and it was gnawing at me. What did that have to do with anything, and more importantly, how did they know?

“You do not understand,” her mother said. Her father remained silent, but behind his glasses I could see in his eyes that the wheels were turning.

“Understand what?” Kiera asked.

I was pretty sure that Kiera was the only one who
didn’t
understand. Her parents knew. Somehow they knew about Carter and his heritage and they possibly even knew about the werewolf thing.

But how? How could they know?

Carter and Zoey both flashed me significant glances and I knew they were thinking the same thing. Few people knew these things about Carter and some of them shouldn’t. I could think of only one person who would be spiteful enough to tell Kiera’s parents this information in the hopes of ruining Carter’s chances with her.
Ashton.

Suddenly the room erupted with little chimes from all four of our cell phones. I pulled mine from my back pocket as the others reached for theirs. It was a text from Ashton, and by the looks on Carter and Zoey’s faces I knew they’d gotten the same message.

How’s dinner?

My friends looked alarmed when our eyes met, and I’m sure I did, too. Only Kiera was able to shrug it off, and I realized then that Ashton thought Kiera knew. He thought she knew everything the rest of us knew. I also realized in that moment that she needed to know before she found out from someone else.

None of us responded to Ashton, and after we finished our dinner, with much less enthusiasm, Zoey and I excused ourselves. We headed out into the backyard garden with a grumpy, smelly Mr. Wienie while the Blakes argued with their daughter and their soon-to-be son-in-law. It didn’t matter to Kiera if she got her parents blessing or not, she’d marry Carter regardless. I knew she wouldn’t let anything stand in her way.

It was dusk as Mr. Wienie followed us through the garden, the bunnies scattering as they saw him coming. Solar lights along the path were starting to glow in darker areas of the garden.

We wandered the paths talking about our theories on whether or not Ashton had told Kiera’s parents. We came to the conclusion that he had gotten the information to them, maybe not delivering it himself, but we were almost positive he’d told them something, somehow.

We continued to walk the paths, admiring all of the work that had been put into the elaborate garden with its many paths, extensive variety of foliage, and many other wonderful and beautiful attributes. We threw some food into the pond and watched the fish gobble it. Then we sat on a bench, watching as many chirping birds made their way back to their nests for the night.

The Blake garden had been one of my favorite places to come and clear my head in the past few years. Kiera and I had spent hours out there talking, hanging out, and solving each other’s problems—problems that had seemed so major back then. Little had I known that I would long for such petty problems in the future, and little had I known, the Blake garden was alive with paranormal activity.

In a cluster of rose bushes I found them, several pursase; the little fairy-type creatures which Hayden had introduced me to that resembled butterflies. I was able to get one to land on my hand and I showed Zoey, telling her what Hayden had told me about them. Zoey examined the small creature with wonder.

We were heading toward the back patio, which in itself was a beautiful sanctuary, with Mr. Wienie in tow, when Carter made his way out the back door. That damn dog erupted again. I wrangled the smelly little sucker and tossed him back inside the house. He stood at the sliding door, his pointy little nose pressed against the glass as he fired off round after round of barking fits.

Out in the garden, we stepped out of his view and he quieted down. Carter told us that Kiera’s parents had wanted to speak to her alone. He gave us an anxious smile, and we spoke quietly about Ashton for a few minutes before Kiera joined us.

Kiera and Carter had a quiet little chat just out of earshot, while Zoey and I patiently waited to hear what Kiera’s parents had had to say. We watched as Kiera and Carter shared a long embrace and a quick peck on the lips. Then Kiera took Carter’s hand and they made their way to us where Kiera said with an elated smile, “Hope you guys don’t have plans for Valentine’s Day, ‘cause we’re getting married!” She sang the last word and Carter smiled nervously from just behind her.

We all shared excited hugs then Kiera wrapped her arms around Carter’s neck and pulled him down to
really
kiss her. Zoey and I looked away for a moment, feeling a little uncomfortable with the show of affection.