In Darkness We Must Abide: The Complete First Season: Episodes 1-5 (24 page)

“What were you doing? That was like twenty minutes,” Viktor teased.

“I’m a man. I have man-sized shits!”

Everyone groaned, which made Uncle Nicolau grin.

Another round of hugs, more kisses, more promises to see each other soon, then they were all gone.

Once the door shut, Alisha turned around, her eyes slightly widened. “Did you have an amazing weekend or what?”

“It was fun,” Vanora admitted.

“Tell me everything!” Alisha grabbed her hand, dragging her toward the family room.

Vanora noticed how cold her sister’s fingers felt against her wrist. Far different from the warmth of her aunt’s touch.

*

Later that night, while brushing her long white-blond hair, Vanora watched her brother as he paced around her bedroom. He’d occasionally pick something up, not really looking at it, turning in it in his hands, before depositing back in the same spot he had picked it up from. Vanora listened to him prattle on, but really didn’t take in the words. She was more interested in observing him. Roman rarely looked so flustered. Alisha was in shorts and a tank top, slouched at the end of the bed, inserting a word or two into Roman’s long discourse about Vanora moving to Austin and her first year at the University of Texas.

“So you’re on target to graduate early in December of this year due to the credits you received from doing those extra courses in the summer, which is good, but it has brought up some issues. Are you sure you don’t want to take summer classes and finish up early?”

“Rhonda and I want to graduate together,” Vanora said, annoyed. Her only friend was also going to be moving to Austin and they had been planning their early graduation since their freshman year of high school.

Roman nodded somberly. “Very well. Your trust fund doesn’t officially kick in until you’re eighteen, but Alisha and I can move money around to pay for your first semester of college.”

“Can it help me pay rent on an apartment?” Vanora asked hopefully.

Roman shook his head adamantly. “We discussed this previously. Living with your uncle and aunt is wise for this first year. You’re still young, even though you’re graduating high school.”

Vanora scowled. She had hoped he would change his mind so she could get a place with Rhonda. Most likely Rhonda would live in a dorm the first year.

“It’s good for you to be around your cousins, too. It will give you a more well-rounded life experience,” Roman continued, obviously noting her displeasure.

“Did he just say life experience?” Vanora asked, raising an eyebrow.

Alisha nodded. “Yep. He’s in full speech mode.”

Roman ignored them. “Though Austin has a decent metro bus system, and has a lot more bike lanes than it had before, I’m not comfortable with someone so young traveling about using those modes of transportation.”

Vanora rolled her eyes.

Alisha yawned.

“There are seedy characters in every city. Houston can be quite dangerous at times, but we live behind stone walls. Uncle Nicolau lives in a good part of Austin, but for you to get around town by bike or bus, you’ll be traveling outside the parameters what I consider to be a safe area.”

Vanora pretended to load a gun and shoot herself in the head. Alisha mimed picking it up and shooting herself, too. They both flopped over dramatically.

Roman ignored them. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but you’re still very young, Vanora, and you don’t know how cruel the world can be.”

“My brother and sister are vampires.”

Alisha high-fived her.

Roman scowled.

Alisha rolled her eyes. “Just get to it, Roman!”

“Fine, Alisha! I’m trying to make her understand why we’re going to give her a car.”

“A car!” Vanora hurled herself off the bed and into Roman’s arms. “A car! I’m getting a car!”

Roman grinned down at her, snuggling her against his chest. “An older model, but a reliable one.”

“But a car! Just for me? In my name?”

“Well, Alisha will also be on the title, but, yes, it will be your car. I already have my eye on a few I saw online and Ryan will be checking them out for me.”

“Can I go with him? Can I pick it out?” Vanora squealed, hopping up and down.

Roman laughed with delight. “Of course. I would go with you, but…”

Vanora saw the brief flicker of remorse in Roman’s eyes, but she refused to let him feel sorry that he couldn’t go with her to get her first vehicle. She grabbed him about the neck and pressed kisses to his scruffy cheek. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! You’re the best dad ever!”

Vanora didn’t know vampires could blush, but Roman did. His grin and the sparkle in his eyes were a lovely sight.

“Well, I’m your older brother technically.”

“Brother slash father,” Vanora corrected him. “You’re so old and stuff. You could totally be my dad.”

Roman rolled his eyes, but was still pleased.

“Well, your sister slash mother wants some love, too!” Alisha protested.

Vanora flung herself into Alisha’s arms, kissing her cheek. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

When her brother and sister finally left her bedroom, Vanora texted Rhonda with the news before sliding into bed. The full weekend and unexpected gift of a car had her high with excitement. The next evening, on her actual birthday, Roman and Alisha planned to drive to the far side of Houston to take her out to dinner and shopping. Roman was growing out a beard to disguise his appearance, though Vanora thought it was probably unnecessary. Alisha and Vanora had already decided to claim Roman was another uncle. The Socolis did tend to strongly resemble one another. People were more likely to believe Roman was a lookalike family member than a vampire.

Snuggling under her covers, Vanora closed her eyes and tried to sleep.

*

Though it was nearly midnight, Vanora still couldn’t sleep. The next day was her true birthday and Alisha had offered to call the school to leave a message that Vanora wouldn’t be in class, but Vanora had declined. With her siblings asleep, she’d just end up wasting the entire day sitting on the sofa in a mindless stupor watching the morning talk shows followed by unhealthy amounts of soap operas and reality TV on cable. Now she was reconsidering that decision. She was going to be exhausted in the morning if she didn’t sleep soon. Yet a strange excitement filled her, keeping her vividly awake.

The weekend had been a strange mix of wonderful moments and growing unease. Though she’d been excited about turning seventeen, the closer her actual birthday loomed, the more unsettled she felt. It was if she were waiting for something terrible to happen. Or maybe something marvelous. She was unsure. The emotional mess inside her head made her feel a bit crazy. Lately, she’d become woefully aware of the great chasm between the life she would soon lead and that of her siblings. Guilt ate at her as she made plans to move away and attend the University of Texas. She’d be leaving Roman and Alisha behind in their perpetual dark world. After living within it with them for so long, she was anxious to find out what life among other mortals would actually be like.

Flopping over onto her back, she stared at the filmy white organza canopy hovering above the bed. The fabric was ghostly in the pale light emanating from the small angel nightlight she always had to have on while she slept. She couldn’t stand to be in absolute darkness since the terrible night the disgusting old vampire had crept through her window.

Pulling her covers up to her neck, she tried not to think of the vampire who had destroyed their lives. The old toy chest had been banished to the attic long ago, but her eyes drifted to the spot where it had once sat.

A gentle rap on the window startled her.

Gasping, she sat up, clutching her covers to her neck.

Perched outside her window was a familiar figure. Dark hair and profile illuminated by the moon, Armando raised his hand to tap on the glass again. Sliding out of bed, Vanora waved at him, not wanting Roman or Alisha to hear. Excitement choking her, Vanora hurried to the window. Smoothing her hair back from her face and tugging down her pale pink tank top over her stomach, she resisted the urge to tug on the wedgie her pajama shorts were giving her.

Gritting her teeth, she opened the window slowly, trying desperately not to make any unnecessary noise. Roman was downstairs watching TV while Alisha painted in her studio. They most likely wouldn’t hear the window opening, but the fact that Armando was perched outside her room in the middle of the night was rather scandalous. She wasn’t even sure how to respond to his surprising appearance.

Armando flashed his wickedly handsome smile when she finished opening the window. The vampire was delicately balanced on the narrow windowsill. As always, he made even simple black jeans and a gray t-shirt seem elegant. The familiar scent of his cologne tickled her nose, and his curls shifted against his high brow as he slightly pivoted toward her.

“Happy birthday,” he whispered.

Vanora glanced at her clock before drawing over the stool from her vanity so she could sit next to the window. “You’re creepy.”

Armando lifted an eyebrow.

“I was born at 12:45 AM in the morning.”

Peering around her, Armando chuckled. “One minute late actually. So I assume I’m the first to wish you happy birthday on your
actual
birthday.”

Giggling, Vanora nodded. “Yes, you are. Is that why you’re creeping outside my window?”

Armando smirked with amusement. “Creeping?”

“Yeah, creeping.” Vanora couldn’t help but smile at him shyly. “Is this a vampire thing? Hanging outside of girl’s bedrooms?”

“Actually, yes. We wait until you’re asleep then compel you to open the window so we can do terrible things. It’s a tradition.” Armando was clearly teasing her.

Vanora narrowed her eyes. “The whole ‘I vant to zuck yer blood’ thing, huh?”

Maybe it was her imagination, but for a moment, his expression was quite devilish as his gaze dipped downward briefly. She swiftly crossed her arms over her breasts.

“That and other…things.”

“Are you flirting with me?” Vanora accused him playfully.

Armando promptly sobered, his smile vanishing. “Of course not! I’m just giving you a small history lesson on how terrible vampires can be.”

Disappointed, Vanora felt her joy at seeing him deflate just a little.

“I’m actually here because your brother has banned all vampires from the house during your birthday. And since you were gone all weekend, I had to find a way to see you and wish you a happy birthday.”

“You knew I was gone this weekend?”

“Roman told me you went to Galveston with your Uncle Nicolau and his family. Did you have a pleasant time?”

Vanora nodded slightly. “It was nice.”

To her relief, he flashed his charming, alluring smile, wiping away the seriousness that had fallen over his features briefly. “I’m pleased. You deserve happiness.”

The heat in her face was embarrassing, and Vanora tilted her head forward so her pale hair would hide her flushed cheeks. It was horrible how his mere smile could make her feel giddy and nervous all at once.

To her surprise and pleasure, Armando gently swept a lock of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear so he could see her face. Feeling more like a flustered fourteen-year-old than a maturing young woman of seventeen, Vanora swallowed and tried to keep her hands from trembling. She couldn’t fathom why Armando felt it important to wish her a happy birthday. Her mind was spinning out a thousand crazy theories, but they all seemed far too fantastical to be the truth.

As though to answer her unspoken question, Armando said, “I brought you a gift.” He reached into his pocket and extracted a small box wrapped expertly in pretty pink paper tied with a creamy satin bow. Gently, he rested the gift in her trembling hands. He briefly squeezed them, his skin cool against her fevered flesh. “I thought of you when I saw it.”

Where he’d touched her hand, her skin felt like it was on fire. “You really didn’t have to get me anything,” Vanora said, her voice quivering slightly. She hated how his golden eyes reduced her insides to so much quivering goo. He was so much older than she was, worldly, sophisticated, intelligent, and very, very undead.

Armando shrugged slightly. “But I wanted to.”

Carefully, Vanora pried the tape from the shiny paper lamenting her chipped pale pink manicure. Inside was a dark blue jewelry box. When she opened it, she instantly smiled. A silver charm bracelet was nestled against the black velvet. Tiny stars and the moon in all its phases dangled from an intricate chain. “Wow, it’s beautiful.”

“I thought it would look beautiful against your white skin,” Armando answered.

“Why moons and stars?” Vanora looked up at him through her white lashes.

Glancing briefly at the moon, Armando looked quite thoughtful. At last he said, “You’re a moon goddess. All that’s beautiful in the moon is reflected in your lovely hair and complexion. Even your lavender eyes remind me of the night.”