Mom’s jaw tightened, and then she saw me. “What are you doing here?’
Not hello, not even bothering to call me by name. “It’s a family dinner, isn’t it? And Dad invited me.”
Aunt Janice turned and squinted at me. “You look different than the last time I saw you, Alena. Did you dye your hair?”
“Yes.” I wasn’t going to explain I’d been turned unless I had to.
I backed up, bumping into Remo. He put his hands on my arms, steadying me. “Are you going to introduce me?”
Oh dear. I nodded, manners taking over. “Of course. Aunt Janice, this is my”—I swallowed and forced the word out—“boyfriend, Remo.” Oh my God, I felt like I was in high school again. That is, if I’d ever brought a boyfriend home from school. Which I most certainly had not. The only saving grace was that Aunt Janice was not a Firstamentalist.
Aunt Janice stared at Remo, and her throat bobbed as she squeaked out, “Hello.”
He took her hand and gave it a quick shake before turning to my mother. He smiled at her, and I knew there was no way she could miss the tips of his fangs.
Mom raised a single eyebrow at him and then glanced at me. “Really? When you aren’t even divorced yet? I raised you better, Alena.”
Sucker punch to the gut. I should have expected her to say something like that, yet it still hurt.
Remo laughed and held a hand out to her anyway. “Well, you can’t blame her, can you? The court system says she’s dead, so technically she’s widowed. Which makes her free and clear to do”—he glanced back and winked at me—“what she likes.”
I flushed, heat racing all the way up my face to my hairline. Much hotter, and I’d be able to finish cooking dinner on my cheeks.
Mom crossed her arms and raised herself up as if she could somehow look down her nose at Remo, who stood at least a foot taller than she did. Probably more. Yet she still didn’t seem intimidated by him.
“If she is a widow, then she should at least give herself time to mourn. I think that would be far more acceptable than prancing around in inappropriate clothes and dating men with piercings in their face like they are some sort of gang member.”
Oh, God. That was the thing that bothered her the most about Remo? Maybe she hadn’t seen his fangs after all.
I touched Remo on the hand. “Let’s go find Tad and Dahlia.”
“Alena, there isn’t enough food for extra guests,” Mom called after me. “You and Tad were not asked to bring a guest each.”
Remo laughed, but there was a tired edge to it. “Do not worry, both Dahlia and I ate before we came. We were unsure of the hospitality.”
Mom gasped, and my jaw dropped as I struggled not to splutter. Aunt Janice smirked and her shoulders shook. I managed to point a finger at her. “Not a word.”
“Or what?” She put her hands on her ponderous hips.
“I’m not the only one with secretsss,” I said, my tongue hovering a little too long over the last s.
Aunt Janice paled. “You wouldn’t.”
I snapped my fingers at her, turned, and walked away. I glanced at Remo as we walked down the hall. “I am so sorry.”
“No need. You’ve met my brother. If you recall, he tried to kill you not once but twice. At least your mom isn’t swinging a knife at my head.”
I laughed before I thought better of it and then looked at Remo. He smiled, his eyes soft. “See? Your family isn’t that bad after all.”
That’s what he thought. I wasn’t so sure.
We were in the main living area, and anxiety cut through me as sharp as any kitchen knife. Something was wrong; I felt it in my belly like I’d eaten too many sweets.
“I think we should go,” I said softly.
Remo tipped his head. “Are you sure?” Not “Why,” not “We just got here,” but was I sure.
I nodded. “Yeah, this was a bad idea.”
I had no idea just how bad it was until the door swung open as we approached it. Like a weird twist in an even weirder, cold medicine–induced dream.
Roger stepped inside, Barbie right behind him. His eyes were on something in his hands, so he didn’t see me right away. “Beatrice, I brought the papers for you and Clark to sign . . .” He trailed off as he raised his eyes and saw Remo and me. Roger was all but shoved into the house from behind, Barbie barreling in behind him.
“Oh, you were right, this is nice. You should have asked for more money for the house if they’re living out this way.” Barbie all but cooed the words as she stared around my parents’ home.
Remo’s hands were on my shoulders, and I didn’t understand why at first. I leaned toward Roger as my breath hissed out of me.
“You . . . what are you doing here?” I snarled.
Roger held up a stack of papers as his face turned as white as a crème br?lée prior to being lit on fire. I kinda wanted to light him on fire and finish the job.
Everything happened at once. Dad, Tad, and Dahlia stepped into the room from the far side of the house. Yaya and Uncle Robert burst in from the back porch, Samantha and Everett trailing them. Remo and I stood in the center of the room, him holding me back from physically going after Roger. To say the room thickened with tension as everyone took me and Roger in would be like saying dry ice is a tad bit cold.
“I think you were right; it’s time to go,” Remo said, tugging me back to his side and slipping an arm around my shoulders.
“No, don’t go, Alena,” Yaya pleaded.
My mother glared. “This is a family dinner, and we are all going to sit down and act like a family. Roger, you’re here, so why don’t you stay?” Why the sudden change of heart? Auntie Janice, no doubt, if her smirk was any indication. Looking to cause trouble. I could just imagine her implying that Mom was less than hospitable. So now Mom would go over and above to prove her wrong.
Why was my family full of a bunch of crazies? How did I get so lucky?
“Are you out of your mind?” I couldn’t help it. “You want me to sit down to dinner with my soon-to-be ex, his gold-digging girlfriend”—Barbie shrieked, but I ignored her—“and Dad’s side of the family, who isn’t exactly human? You have lost your mind, haven’t you?”
Mom’s face paled. “What do you mean ‘isn’t exactly human’?”
Tad groaned and then laughed. “Oh, here we go.”
There was a soft knock on the door, and a masculine throat cleared. “Have we come at a bad time?”
I spun back to the door and looked past Roger. I was seeing things. I had to be. Because there was no way in heaven or hell that Theseus had shown up for dinner.
I didn’t realize I’d said the words out loud until my mom answered me.
“Not Theseus, dear, this is Tim, a new neighbor. He has no family, so I thought it would be nice for him to join us for dinner, to make him feel welcome.”
I closed my eyes and leaned into Remo. “We should have left.”
“Maybe this will be fun,” he murmured.
I blinked up at him. “Fun?”
He gave me a quick wink. “Just watch.”
Oh dear Lord, what had I gotten myself into this time?
CHAPTER 15