chit-chatty place. I didn’t know what place we were at, but it felt cold and lonely. I was about to reach out and smack him in the mouth, when I caught Constantine’s gaze in the rearview mirror. His face looked drawn, but the understanding in his tired eyes shocked me.
He gave me a tight smile, and leaned his head against the window. “Alex, can you please shut up about the plunging mountain line and put some decent music on? We’ll have enough talking to do when we get there.”
Instead of snapping at him, Alex grinned and put on a CD. “Forgot you were probably around when the coastline formed, grandpa . ”
Constantine gave him a one-finger salute through the mirror, and rock music filled the car. I knew the song, but didn’t lip-sync to it, like I usually did to protect the innocent from my vocal grandeur. Instead, I let it act as white noise, allowing me time with my thoughts. And my worries.
I had gone along with the men’s plan because I loved Alex and wanted to do this for him. And I really loved the thought of seeing my parents again, after so long. On the ride, we came up with an amnesia story for why I’d fallen off the face of the earth for half a dozen years, but I wasn’t entirely satisfied with it. It didn’t explain why I didn’t go to the police, who’d have matched me to my missing-person file, or why I wouldn’t be able to visit during the day.
Right now, the best case scenario in my head had my parents ignoring my excuses, thinking I’d been kidnapped and brainwashed, and calling the police on Constantine and Alex.
Why had I waited this long to go back to them? Why had I followed the council’s stupid rules? They were my parents. They loved me. Even if I told them the truth, they’d accept me.
Would they?
“It’s all going to be fine,” Alex said, and let go of the gear shift to take my hand. “They’ll be ecstatic to see you. Just stick with the amnesia angle, and we’ll be fine.”
“If I hear the word fine one more time, I may scream.” I shook off his grip.
“It’ll be great. Wonderful. Amazing.”
I snorted. Sure it would. I’d say, “Mom, Dad, I’m alive. I was in an accident that nobody heard anything about, then had amnesia, and now I’m here in the middle of the night, to introduce you to my boyfriend and my ex—who really has no valid reason for being here.” Mom and Dad would hug me, and we’d all rejoice.
I sighed, and let my head fall back.
Constantine closed his large palm on my shoulder. “We’ll figure it all out. You deserve that.”
Where was the snark? Where was the jackass who’d cheated on me and tried to pass it off as only natural for our kind? Or even the pain in my butt who had a comment about everything I said or did under his roof?
Why couldn’t Alex and Constantine settle in their respective roles as doting boyfriend and calculating former lover, and stop messing with my head?
Because life would be way too easy, if they did.
“Either of you feel like a snack?” Alex asked.
“Not hungry,” I said. I was famished, but we might as well get it over with.
“What about you, Cee? Care to sample the locals?”
Now they were on a nickname basis, and Alex was joking about feeding on humans? I wasn’t sure I’d be able to wait till we were back to confront him.
“Nah. I’ll bag it,” Constantine said.
I turned to look at him over my shoulder, brow furrowed. “What did you say?”
He shrugged, and pulled a blood bag out of the mini-fridge. “My new protégés come with an entirely new vocabulary. I grow old ever learning many things.”
Protégés.
Not sex kittens.
Right.
Alex said something that sounded like ‘soul on.’
“Huh?”
Whatever explanation he gave went unheard. I was too busy wondering why it bugged me that while Constantine and I had been together, I’d been the only one doing any learning.
****
It was well after midnight, by the time reached my home town.
“Can you give me
He gave me a tight smile, and leaned his head against the window. “Alex, can you please shut up about the plunging mountain line and put some decent music on? We’ll have enough talking to do when we get there.”
Instead of snapping at him, Alex grinned and put on a CD. “Forgot you were probably around when the coastline formed, grandpa . ”
Constantine gave him a one-finger salute through the mirror, and rock music filled the car. I knew the song, but didn’t lip-sync to it, like I usually did to protect the innocent from my vocal grandeur. Instead, I let it act as white noise, allowing me time with my thoughts. And my worries.
I had gone along with the men’s plan because I loved Alex and wanted to do this for him. And I really loved the thought of seeing my parents again, after so long. On the ride, we came up with an amnesia story for why I’d fallen off the face of the earth for half a dozen years, but I wasn’t entirely satisfied with it. It didn’t explain why I didn’t go to the police, who’d have matched me to my missing-person file, or why I wouldn’t be able to visit during the day.
Right now, the best case scenario in my head had my parents ignoring my excuses, thinking I’d been kidnapped and brainwashed, and calling the police on Constantine and Alex.
Why had I waited this long to go back to them? Why had I followed the council’s stupid rules? They were my parents. They loved me. Even if I told them the truth, they’d accept me.
Would they?
“It’s all going to be fine,” Alex said, and let go of the gear shift to take my hand. “They’ll be ecstatic to see you. Just stick with the amnesia angle, and we’ll be fine.”
“If I hear the word fine one more time, I may scream.” I shook off his grip.
“It’ll be great. Wonderful. Amazing.”
I snorted. Sure it would. I’d say, “Mom, Dad, I’m alive. I was in an accident that nobody heard anything about, then had amnesia, and now I’m here in the middle of the night, to introduce you to my boyfriend and my ex—who really has no valid reason for being here.” Mom and Dad would hug me, and we’d all rejoice.
I sighed, and let my head fall back.
Constantine closed his large palm on my shoulder. “We’ll figure it all out. You deserve that.”
Where was the snark? Where was the jackass who’d cheated on me and tried to pass it off as only natural for our kind? Or even the pain in my butt who had a comment about everything I said or did under his roof?
Why couldn’t Alex and Constantine settle in their respective roles as doting boyfriend and calculating former lover, and stop messing with my head?
Because life would be way too easy, if they did.
“Either of you feel like a snack?” Alex asked.
“Not hungry,” I said. I was famished, but we might as well get it over with.
“What about you, Cee? Care to sample the locals?”
Now they were on a nickname basis, and Alex was joking about feeding on humans? I wasn’t sure I’d be able to wait till we were back to confront him.
“Nah. I’ll bag it,” Constantine said.
I turned to look at him over my shoulder, brow furrowed. “What did you say?”
He shrugged, and pulled a blood bag out of the mini-fridge. “My new protégés come with an entirely new vocabulary. I grow old ever learning many things.”
Protégés.
Not sex kittens.
Right.
Alex said something that sounded like ‘soul on.’
“Huh?”
Whatever explanation he gave went unheard. I was too busy wondering why it bugged me that while Constantine and I had been together, I’d been the only one doing any learning.
****
It was well after midnight, by the time reached my home town.
“Can you give me
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