Darkness (28 page)

“You are very lucky Delaney. Oliver is a very worthy male. He has proven himself to be very committed to our race and he has made a magnificent addition to our coven. I would imagine that he will make a glorious mate as well.”

This was the weirdest damn conversation I’d ever had. And the strangest compliment I’d ever received. My cheeks were burning with embarrassment.

Oliver finally came out of his room. You know, right about the time the conversation was about to take a tailspin into super inappropriateness. I could just imagine where she would’ve gone next…

“Well Amber, it would seem that your brother has exciting news to share with you,” Oliver said.

Her face lit up even more. “Oh, I am just so delighted! He cannot get here soon enough!” She rose gracefully from her seat at the table. “I shall depart so that you may return to what business you were attending before my arrival.”

I felt my face turn three shades of red.

She took both my hands in hers and I stood. “It was splendid speaking with you Delaney. Oh, my.” She looked down at our hands. “You have great power flowing through you, don’t you dear?”

It took everything in me to keep my eyebrow from rising up and giving away what a raging cracker basket I thought she was.

She dropped my hands and glided to the door and let herself out. I saw her differently now. She wasn’t so much fascinating as she was crazy. Was that a trait among female vampires? I’d be keeping a close eye on Zoey now.

I was still standing by the kitchen table feeling a little stunned when Oliver crossed the distance between us and kissed me good and slow again, obviously ready to pick up where we’d left off before Professor Amber’s arrival. I, on the other hand, was starving. Not that I couldn’t be persuaded back into the other.

“I didn’t think so.” I had my fingers in the back of his hair and was bringing his mouth to mine when the door swung open with a thud and Carter came trudging in.

He tossed his keys on the coffee table and flopped onto the couch. Then he grumbled, “I got a job.”

Chapter 37 - Chicken Suit

God it felt so good to laugh, and my stomach hurt from laughing so hard. Carter was standing in front of me wearing a giant yellow chicken costume complete with red frill, orange feet, and tights. He had the head on, beak and all, and said, rather muffled, “I’m gonna need stronger deodorant if I have to wear this thing.” My eyes were watering from all the laughter and I could barely breathe, but I was able to choke out, “To Wal-Mart, chicken man!”

I’d begged him to wear the costume, but to no avail he slid into my car in jeans and a T-shirt.

It had been an interesting few days. Carter’s family had fully cut him off, wouldn’t even talk to him. Well, his dad wouldn’t let anyone talk to him. Felix had gotten everything set up so that Carter had a new bank account and ATM card. Carter had gotten a job as a busboy at the locally owned diner, Shakes. He would also be spending some time on the corner shaking a specials sign trying to get passersby’s attention. Hence the need for the chicken suit.

Oliver was gone for the day. Off to the state capital to pick up Professor Amber’s brother. Felix had been in and out of the apartment a few times that morning and I got the feeling he was trying to give us some space. He seemed to understand that, after being cooped up at Julz’s place for a few weeks, we needed our freedom. You couldn’t help feeling major respect for someone like Felix. He seemed to get things. But I guess when you’ve been around however long he’s been around, you tend to pick up on things. I’m sure it helped that he was able to sneak into people’s heads too.

Kiera seemed to be a little irked at me. She didn’t understand why I was being so nice to Carter after what he’d done to her. I tried telling her that, although I didn’t agree with what he had done, he was still my friend and he needed me too. She argued that she needed me more and I couldn’t really explain to her how wrong she was. It wasn’t my place to tell her what happened between Carter and his family. Dang, I was beginning to sound like Oliver.

We pulled into a spot in the Wal-Mart parking lot and headed for the entrance. I noticed a girl handing out flyers as people were leaving and was curious what it was about; she was visibly pregnant and distressed.

Our trip through the store was a quick one. Carter was paying while I stared up at the wall of missing persons photos, wondering where they’d all gone. One caught my eye and I could’ve sworn that it looked like a clean-cut version of that twitchy minion of Oscar’s who had grabbed me in the bushes a while back. I stared at it for the longest time trying to decide if it was or wasn’t him. There was no way for me to know for sure so I dropped it. Tried to anyways. I was sure it would creep back up at a later time.

As we left Wal-Mart the pregnant girl I’d seen when we arrived shoved a flyer at us. “Have you seen this man?” she asked in a choked voice. Then added, “He’s my boyfriend and he’s missing.” Her dark eyes were full of tears that she was visibly trying to hold back. Her hand settled on her swollen belly.

I took a quick look at the flyer and said, “I’m sorry, no.” I kept the flyer and tugged Carter’s arms as I rushed away. I hurried us to the car and got in quickly.

“Oh my God,” I breathed as I stared down at the flyer. I was staring at a picture of Justin, the guy who had given his life so Oliver and I could escape the werewolf.

As I listened to his phone ring, I watched the soon-to-be mother of Justin’s unborn vampire child desperately trying to find answers.

“Hey you,” he said when he answered and I went right into the details of the flyer, and that it was Justin’s girlfriend who was passing them out. “There’s really nothing I can do for her,” Oliver began and I added, “Oliver, she’s pregnant.”

“Oh. That changes things.”

“I feel so bad, Oliver. He had a family and he gave his life for us.” Carter patted my leg trying to comfort me and I gave him a weak attempt at smile. I was trying not to cry. That poor girl.

“I know Laney. But you need to understand that Justin was doing his job. He knew the risks involved. Give the flyer to Felix and he’ll take care of things. I’ll call him and give him a heads up.”

I hung up my phone and stared out at the poor girl and her swollen belly. How sad. She had no idea that she had spoken to one of the people her boyfriend gave his life to save. She had no idea he was killed by a…werewolf.

Carter took my hand. “Let’s get back so we can give Felix this flyer.” I smiled pathetically again. I wasn’t the only one who’d lost someone she loved. I wasn’t the only one who was carrying around a pain in her heart. At least I knew what happened to my aunt, as gruesome as it was; at least I knew. This poor girl had no idea where the father of her unborn child was. My heart ached at the pain she was going to feel when she found out he was gone. I fought back tears as we drove back to the apartment.

Felix sat down in one of the kitchen chairs when I handed him the flyer. He made the seat look like a child’s chair and it groaned under his weight.

“We had no idea there was a female with child. Justin should’ve had this information documented.”

Carter and I took a seat at the table too. “Is it possible that he didn’t know?” I asked.

His beautiful sky blue eyes lifted from the picture of Justin to meet mine. “Not a chance. Only a bonded male can reproduce. He may not have known about the pregnancy, but he knew he was bonded and that should have been recorded.”

After listening intently, Carter finally spoke up, “When you say recorded, are you saying that all bonding activity has to be added into a log of some sort?”

“Correct. We keep detailed records of all our vampires. Any bonding of any kind is recorded.” He stared down at the flyer again. “I don’t understand why Justin wouldn’t have followed protocol and listed his mating…” He stood abruptly and the movement was so quick that it startled me. “You said you saw her outside the Wal-Mart store?” I nodded. “I will take care of this. She and her young will be cared for. Although, if she lacks a vampire line, she will unlikely survive the birth.” He was at the door when he turned to us and said, “I am trusting the two of you to behave yourselves while I deal with this.” We both nodded and he was gone.

Carter crossed his arms in front of himself, resting them on the table and leaning forward. “Is this what you want?” I looked at him fully confused about what he was implying. The scar across his face made him look a little intimidating when he focused his deep blue eyes on me. “This? Do you want to be that girl in front of Wal-Mart desperate to find out where her baby’s daddy is?”

“Do you think he wanders around with a clipboard all day? No, he’s out there fighting and in danger of leaving you just like that girl got left.”

I was glaring at him now and I got up to leave the room.

He exhaled and said, “I’m sorry Laney, I just don’t want to see you get even more hurt than you already are.”

I stopped and turned to face him. “And how would you recommend I prevent that from happening? Would you suggest I leave him, so I never have to deal with losing him? How does that make sense? Oh, well considering who I’m talking to, I guess it makes perfect sense.”

He jumped to his feet and knocked the chair backwards. “I did what was best for her and you know it! She’s sweet and she’s innocent. I don’t want her having to deal with any of this shit, ever!”

“She may be sweet and innocent but she’s not stupid and her heart is broken. You and I both know she would accept you no matter what happens. This isn’t about my future and risks of getting hurt. This is about you and you’re afraid you’ll hurt her! Well I’ve got news for you, you already did!”He scowled at me and was breathing heavily. “Truth hurts doesn’t it? Now stop pouting and go put your stupid chicken suit on and I’ll take you to work.”

He sulked off to his room and I went into Oliver’s and had a mini panic attack at the thought of my future with a vampire who fights for a living. Amber had referred to him as a warrior. Was that what he really was? It’s like being a military wife, I told myself. Their spouses go into battle everyday not knowing if they’ll ever see their families again, and those wives know what they’ve signed up for. As did I. Doesn’t mean I liked it, it just came with the package.

Carter lightly knocked on the bedroom door when he was ready. “I’m sorry,” he said when I opened the door. “You’re right about some of what you said, but I do feel I did the right thing by letting her go. What if I turn into some hideous monster when the moon is full?”

“Then we’ll deal with that when the time comes.”

A little smile picked up at the corners of his mouth but his eyes still held a world of sadness. “I miss her,” he said quietly.

I hugged him in his big yellow chicken costume. He wrapped his wings around me and even though I should’ve been comforting him, I started laughing so hard I snorted. I was hugging a giant yellow chicken. How was that not hilarious?

Chapter 38 - Chicken Wings

Carter and his chicken winged arms fumbled with the car door trying to get out when we got to Shakes. I was still giggling. I mean, I just drove across town with a giant yellow chicken in the front seat of my car. I wiped the tears away and reach over him to let him out of the car around the back side of the diner. He stumbled out and from behind the muffled beak he said, “Felix is picking me up tonight. I’ll see you when I get home.”

I imagined what this would look like to a bystander and started laughing again.

He pulled the head off and I about died. “Whatever, Laney. You’re a jerk.” He turned to go and stumbled again on his big chicken feet. He caught himself on the back door and righted himself in his orange tights.

I knew he really wasn’t mad at me. I caught the little smile on his face before he went through the back of the diner. I pulled my car around front and parked. I had called Zoey earlier in the day to see if she wanted to have an early dinner and I figured, since I was already dropping chicken boy off at Shakes, we’d just meet there. She was already inside, I saw her through the large glass front as I stepped out of my car. I realized at that moment that it was the first time I’d been alone out in the open since before we’d been chased all over town. Although there was still quite a bit of sunlight left in the day, an eerie feeling crept over me and I hurried into the diner.