The soft knock at the bedroom door was followed by Toran. “Are you all right?” he asked and took a seat on one of the chaises. “The others said that you seem a bit disgruntle. Do I need to put you on a ‘keep Tanis away from guns and clock towers’ watch?”
I snorted. “You must be joshing. You are well aware I do not play with heaters,” I scoffed. “Did you mistaken me for Declan?” I snorted, rolling my eyes—comparing me to that mouthy, drunken pikey was an insult and a half.
He chuckled. “Yes, I am joshing, and it is impossible to mistaken you for Declan; you use much less profanity.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “I surely hope it is more than me refinement and ability to speak without desecrating the English language which keeps you from confusing us.”
He smirked with a shrug so I threw a pillow at him causing him to roar with laughter. “The others said you seem distracted,” he conceded, now that he was done thoroughly annoying me. “However, it is in my experience that starting with a joke alleviates tension, thus I went with the postal vampire clock tower-comparing you to a foulmouthed Irishmen thing.”
Toran was not nearly as funny as he thought he was.
“I am distracted,” I admitted, ignoring his juvenile attempt at humor.
That was a good way of wording it: distracted.
“Would you like to talk about it?” he pressed, going into father-mode.
I had known Toran since my first day of embracing the dark gift. He wasn’t my sire by venom, but he was in a matter of speaking; siring was more than just creating, it was nurturing and rearing. I hardly remembered my biological parents; the memories had faded over the centuries. It was disheartening, however, I eventually accepted it. Through Toran’s guidance I learned that with everything in life it was a give and take. I was given immortality and my human memories were taken as a result, and that way of thinking planted the seed of acceptance in me.
Misinterpreting my silence, Toran sighed. “Tanis, I know you are upset because we had to leave Paris in a hurry...think of this as a new beginning. It was only a matter of time before we had to relocate. We were in Paris for more than a decade and that was pushing it. I brought you and the others to Lummi in order to clear your head…and Sam was unexpectantly at the other estate,” he quickly mumbled the last part under his breath, looking away from me and I made a face before shaking my head—that was all I didn’t need; to deal with Sam after a hasty relocation. “Everything will work out,” he assured me when I didn’t say anything. “Maybe after a couple of years we can go to Moscow or Amsterdam again. It will get better, I promise.”
The guilt the man harbored for everything that was beyond his control was truly admirable, but irritating at the same time.
“That is not it, Toran. I met someone,” I explained.
“Huh?” he choked, his eyebrows shooting upward in surprise.
“I met someone, a human. She is...what is the word I am looking for?” I asked; that was a good question. How would you describe Jay Dee?
“Beautiful?” he offered.
“Beyond words,” I instantly corrected and he nodded his understanding. “Toran, it is more than that,” I assured him. “I am not like Romeo. The face of an angel can devilishly guise the most horrid demon. She is...” I paused, trying to find the words but they eluded me for the first time in my life. “Honestly, she is even more beautiful on the inside; smart, modest, content, happy and caring. However, nearly every person at that school talks nothing but shite about her. I do not know if it is because she is white or what it is. She knows they do not like her. She may know the reason, unfortunately the stubborn bird did not elaborate, either way, it does not faze her in the least. She takes it with a grain of salt. Someone so accepting of such treatment is interesting to me. I would have lost my temper and killed everyone by now,” I admitted with a chuckle.
“Interesting,” he said and leaned back, looking at me curiously. “But you didn’t. You kept your temper in check, which is a first and much appreciated.”
“It would have been rude if I had not.”
“Are you trying to impress this girl?” he asked.
Ugh, why am I talking to him about this?
“The bird is impossible to impress. Because of her acceptance of everything, and how unbelievably humble she is, nothing would impress her and she would not accept anything of value even if I tried. I nearly had to throw her over me shoulder to give her a damn ride to work so she did not have to walk in the rain. Oh, did I fail to mention that she is quite possibly the most stubborn creature I have ever met?”
Talking about Jay Dee, even after only knowing the enigmatic creature for less than ten hours, mentally exhausted me.
“This is wonderful!” Toran clapped his hands together and a smile consumed his face. “I cannot wait to meet this petite, dark haired beauty who has so easily bewitched you.”
That wasn’t embarrassing in the least.
“Um,” I said and chewed on my lip. “Well...I mean...huh.”
Toran sat up. “What is it, Son?” he asked, concern and amusement washing across his face.
I shrugged. “It is nothing,” I assured him. “But she is tall and blonde.”
“What?” he asked, all the mirth and concern stolen from his face and his complexion became slightly paler than it was before.
“Blonde, fair haired, nearly white blonde hair, and she’s nearly as tall as I am! And petite, not even close! She has this round arse that apparently feels the need to tease me with each step she takes...and her thrups are huge. Arse over tits, I know, right? I like tiny, dark haired birds. Talk about arse backwards.”
He swallowed hard. “Indeed.”
“And her eyes,” I said with a heavy, longing sigh. “They are so beautiful: deep, dark and mysterious, and yet they sparkle like precious gems in the sun. You do not want to get me started on her lips,” I warned him, trying not to think about her lips myself.
“Tanis,” Toran interrupted, “I do not think that it is wise to rush into something, especially since we are new to the area. This is a very small community with a strong, established werewolf pack. It could cause problems if it ended badly.”
I sat up and looked at him with wide eyes. “I beg your pardon?” I scoffed, completely appalled and insulted. “End badly? Do I look like me git sister? I have not taken a human life from feeding in centuries, and even then it was purely accidental! You know as well as I, that my control is freakishly strong and that I would rather sink me fangs into a banoffee pie than a neck! I though you of all people would be glad that I stopped being a narked bitch and accepted this small town shitehole you moved us to,” I hissed.
He put his hand up to stop me. “I am well aware of your control, it has always brought me great pride to boast about my son and his mastery of control over the thirst, and I am very appreciative that you stopped being a pissed off bitch...though you are being rather pissy and bitchy at the moment,” he amusingly pointed out and I rolled my eyes. “Tanis, your control and thirst was not what I was referring to... Son, I cannot stand to see you get hurt. You are a lucky man, and an even luckier vampire, but you are not lucky in love. I wish that you would think of Kai...her,” he said, catching himself and I cocked an eyebrow, “of the young woman and how it might affect her first. The last time you found interest in another it did not end well for anyone involved.”
I opened my mouth to argue with him, to tell him that he was wrong and that this wasn’t like last time, or the time before that, or the time before that, and that Jay Dee was different, but the words weren’t there.
“Just give it some time,” he said softly, as if he could read my mind and understood my qualm, “and help me convince the others to keep to the inconspicuousness that small town life requires, regardless of how temporary it may be. Can you do that for me? And I promise we will join the others in a few weeks, a couple of months at most. Okay?”
Toran was hiding something, I could tell, but I was too preoccupied with the haunting onyx eyes surrounded by thick, black lashes, and the puckering, pouty, pale pink lips in my mind to think about it.
“Tanis?” he asked.
I looked at him curiously. “Aye, I will see what I can do. However, I make no promises,” I said.
He nodded. “Thank you. The others are going strolling around seven-thirty, are you joining them?”
I looked at my watch: five-thirty.
“No, I have to see a mechanic about a phantom noise coming from under my hood.”
“Um, okay?” he said, sounding even more confused than he was before.
“It was nice talking to you.” I hurried to the closet and threw on a white dress shirt with a black tie and suit jacket. Jeans and boots would work, casual but nice.
“Do not wait up!” I called out, hurrying from my room and down to the garage.
Why am I doing this...going to see a bird that obviously does not fancy me in the least? Jay Dee was very nice and sweet while playing football. She always apologized when she hit one of us and made sure we were okay before talking shite. And she kept the werewolves in check, arguing with them when they would deliver a cheap shot to one of us. I thought she was going to rip the head off of the lad that cheap shotted me! The look she gave him…it made me want to apologize for him! And more than once she called both sides to order. It was very parental. However, she did not show any interest in me other than that of a mate. Damn it!
The lights went out at the shop right at six, and Jay Dee locked the front office door. She looked around for Yahto but he wasn’t there. However, she saw me, scratched her head in confusion, then crossed the street to where I was parked and knocked on the passenger window.
“Are you stalking me?” she asked when I rolled the window down.
“Not that I am aware of,” I answered honestly, though I was pretty damn sure that it constituted stalking in the States.
“Okay. Do you hang out in the shadows outside of garages often?” The way she said it was ominous yet fully saturated with sarcasm.
I chuckled; she had a point. “No. I was uncertain if you needed a ride, and if you did, perhaps you could give me a tour of town in return.”
It was give and take with her.
Jay Dee made a face. “Okay, you got me. You’re a smart one; I’ll give you that. I have to wait until six-thirty-one to make sure that Yahto doesn’t show up, which he won’t, but I have to give him the benefit of the doubt.”
“Fair enough,” I said, trying to sound as nonchalant and indifferent as possible but I could tell she heard the excitement in my tone so I rolled up the window and she climbed in. “How was work?” I asked since small talk is what humans did and I was trying to appear human for the first time in centuries.
The things that damn woman reduced me to doing.
“Rebuilt a transmission,” she absently said while intently looking out the window. “How was your first day of school? Did any of those skanky bitches throw their bras or panties at you? Your cousin sure did look like a kid in a candy store. O’Romeo of Romeos thou is not,” she said with a chuckle.
“I suppose that is one way to put it,” I agreed with a smile; the shite out of that woman’s mouth was amusing to say the least. “He rather enjoys short term female companionship. That is the only way to properly explain it without straight out saying that Romeo is a slapper...a slut,” I explained when she cocked an eyebrow; bloody Americans.
“Like you just did,” she pointed out with a smirk.
I nodded. “Consider it a friendly warning.”
“Okay,” she said, sounding completely uninterested.
What did that mean? I wondered.
I opened my mouth to press the matter, to explain to her of just how dangerous Romeo could be...not to her in general but to my bigger plans, all of which involved her, even though I wasn’t entirely sure what those plans were just yet, but stopped when she softly sighed.
“What has captured your fancy out there, Miss Jay Dee?” I whispered, trying to follow her gaze out the window but there was nothing sigh-worthy out there, if anything, it was cringe-worthy.
“Huh?” Jay Dee turned and looked at me. “Oh, um….you’ll think it’s stupid, but Mr. Nelson, who owns the gas station, has a nineteen thirty-eight Ford for sale. I’ve been debating if it’d be worth it or not.” She started rambling so fast that I didn’t catch half of what she was saying, and the way her pouty lips formed each word captivated me and pulled my attention in the most perverse ways, but from the gist of what she was saying, the truck was a brass trap. “Six thirty-one, let’s go!” She smiled wide, a teeth-baring, face-consuming smile that was solely to make me laugh, and I did; her lightheartedness and carefree nature was refreshing, and being around her made it more than obvious that it was something that had been missing in my life.
I found myself getting addicted to it...getting addicted to her, neither of which would end well for me. That I was certain, especially after Toran reminded me of just how unlucky in love I am...not that I was in love with Jay Dee, but I could clearly see just how easily it would be to love her.
“What kind of name is Jay Dee?” I asked, pulling out onto the road; that particular question had been annoying me since first hour, and I was praying it would help distract me from the loving her thoughts.
“It’s short for Jane Doe,” she said, fiddling with the controls on the dash.
What in the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?
She looked over at me and laughed. “I was adopted,” she explained. “They didn’t know what my name was, and I didn’t know either, so the state called me Jane Doe. Eventually that turned into Jay Dee: J for Jane and D for Doe. I don’t like either name but what can I do? I’m surrounded by people with amazing naturey names that are spiritual and unique, and I get Jane. What in the hell? Me Tarzan, you Jane, it’s just gay,” she said the last part in a deep, manly voice that was rather terrifying.
I think I missed something here.
“I am rather confident that naturey is not a word,” I blurted out and she laughed; yes, I’m daft and now she was well aware of it. “You live on the reservation?”
Yes, an even dafter question. God, could I make myself look anymore thick if I tried?
Jay Dee nodded, her shoulders heaving with contained laughter.
This is the worst first...second impression in history.
“Is that why everyone at school gives you dirty looks?” I, yet again, accidentally blurted out, taking the awkwardness of the entire situation to levels that I never knew were possible.
“That’s one way to put it,” she amusingly agreed. “I’m a white girl, white white,” she tried to say in a serious tone but ended up laughing. “Sure I have a kick ass light golden tan, but I’m pale and pasty like you compared to my family.”
“Just because I am British does not mean that I am pale and pasty,” I argued for some reason, but I’m pretty damn pale compared to the Native Americans. “That really did not answer my question. Is that why they are rude to you?”
Jay Dee sighed and closed her eyes.
Lovely, now I am upsetting her. Way to go, Tanis, you daft arsehole.
“Who knows,” she mumbled. “It used to be tolerable until I got these,” she said and pointed to her chest.
“Store bought?” I blurted out.
“No,” she snorted. “I was the President and Founder of the Itty Bitty Tittie Club.”
I nearly drove off the road in shock.
“Seemingly overnight these damn things grew,” she continued, “and, well, they’re rather inconvenient. The boys started paying even more attention to me, but it wasn’t the kind of attention that I wanted, and it caused some problems...many, many problems, fights, arguments, and buried bodies. But what can I do? I’ve tried everything but they’re here to stay. I’m just thankful they stopped growing,” she huffed and flicked the side of her right breast and I fought the urge to whimper.
“Anything more than a handful is a waste,” I accidentally said aloud, causing her to look at me with wide eyes and her mouth hanging open. “Oh shite, I did not mean to say that aloud. I mean...they are lovely thrups... I mean breasts... I mean, bloody hell. I am so sorry, that was rude. I...I am shutting up now.”
“I make you nervous, don’t I?” She smirked.
“Maybe,” I admitted; she had no idea of just how terrifying she truly was.
“Is it because of what I am?” she teasingly sang, swiping her hand at me as if she were a puppy.
Huh? Oh, a bird?
“No,” I said...it wasn’t entirely a lie. “I just blurt out whatever is in me head when I am around you.”
“And you don’t like that?” She surmised.
“No, would you? Usually I keep everything to meself, I find me very witty and charming.”
Jay Dee laughed loudly, holding her stomach in the process, her head lolled to the side towards me, and her warm breath washed over the side of my face and I fought the urge to lean over and capture her mouth with mine. “You are so full of yourself,” she teased, softly knocking her forehead into my shoulder before sitting up. There was something about her slightly raspy voice that was womanly, warm and inviting, yet seductive and perverse all at the same time.
It was very arousing to say the least.
“Would you care to get dinner with me?” I asked before I could stop myself.
Jay Dee looked at me and chuckled. “I didn’t know vampires ate human food,” she said.
I slammed on the brakes, sending her body slamming against the seatbelt.
How did she know? Did my eyes turn black? Are my fangs hanging out? Oh bloody hell, this is not good!
“Ow,” she complained. “What in the hell?” she groaned. “Was there a field mouse in the road or something? Yes, I’m a Washington girl and a tree hugger, and I’m all for protecting animals and all of God’s scurrying critters, but you’re taking it to the extreme, don’t you think?” she playfully complained but I wasn’t finding any amusement in her joshing.
“Vampire?” I asked through clenched teeth and scrambled to put together a sound argument, to find the words that would reassure her that I wouldn’t hurt her and that’d I’d never do anything to put her in danger. But, once again, they eluded me. “Why would you say such a thing?” I tried to ask cool and collective but it came out as a snarled demand that was anything but human sounding. “Do I look like some goddamn manic-depressive, queer as a clockwork orange, closet knob-jockey with bad taste in women, who is all sparkly in the goddamn sun?” I demanded.
Yes, pull the Twilight argument.
“No,” she assured me in a clipped, yet overly amused, tone. “But I’ll admit you have the whole emotional dickhead thing down.”
I couldn’t argue with her there.
“You did not answer my question,” I said, trying to figure out how in the hell she figured out that I was a vampire, but most importantly, why in the hell wasn’t she screaming bloody murder while trying to get out of the car?
Jay Dee rolled her eyes. “Need I remind you where I live?” she asked condescendingly, smirking at me.
She had a point, and I think I was being ridiculous, though I’m not entirely sure because this situation was completely new to me.
“Sure, dinner works,” she said with a smile. “I just have to call my parents to let them know.”
I handed her my mobile. “I am assuming you do not have one of these.”
“What’s dis dun cell fone ya dun speak of?” Her southern redneck impression was perfect and it made me laugh, loudly.
Jay Dee took the mobile and dialed, nervously chewing on her little finger while she waited for someone to answer. “Hey Daddy, I’m going to dinner with a friend.”
Damn it. A mate? That is rather disappointing.
“Yahto?” her father asked.
“No, he was supposed to pick me up from work and flaked on me as usual.”
“Who are you going with?” he asked, sounding suspicious.
“A friend from school,” she said and tried to keep from laughing. “I only have like ten bucks on me so we’ll most likely go to Bellingham to McDonalds or something. Is that cool?”
There was an awkward moment of silence on the line.
“Dad, is something wrong?” Jay Dee asked, concern washing across her beautiful face.
“No,” he answered softly and her head tilted to the side to regard his tone. “Call if you need anything and be home by ten please, it’s a school night. Love you,” he said in a gruff voice.
“Love you too, Daddy,” she said cheerfully—obviously his short, brusque tone was normal—and she hung up the mobile and handed it back to me. “Sorry about that. My parents, especially my dad, are really protective of their little girl.”
I would be as well. Jay Dee’s beautiful, smart, funny and would make a very agreeable companion...oh shite, I think I fancy this bird.
This is not good at all.