I wiped my tears away. “No. God no, Eri. I’m so happy for you,” I assured her. “You just caught me off guard, that’s all. It makes me realize even more that I need to figure this thing out with Vance and Leo fast. I can’t keep stringing them along. I know it’s not fair to either one of them, I just have no idea how to choose.”
She hugged me. “I know it’s hard, sweetie, but you’ll figure it out when the time is right.” She stood and started walking towards the door. “I really have to go. I’ll call you as soon as I get back, okay?”
I nodded. “Sure.”
And out the door she went, off to start her married life.
Four
I stayed home all day on Wednesday contemplating my dilemma. If Erica of all people could make a commitment as big as marriage, I should at least be able to choose whom to date. Okay, let’s face it. Dating was a very mild word for it. I could never “date” either one of them. But it’s not like they were asking me for a lifelong commitment. Well, technically they’d both told me that they’d happily spend eternity with me, but they’d never actually asked me to commit to it. Not yet anyway. So, what was I so afraid of?
I’ll tell you what I was afraid of. I was afraid of losing them. Either one of them. And I knew that if I chose one, then the other would be too hurt to stick around. And I wouldn’t be able to blame them for leaving. Being just friends would be next to impossible. I would have probably said sayonara much earlier if I’d been in their shoes.
So, how was I to choose? They both offered a life full of completely different possibilities. Leo was a sexy, sophisticated, wealthy entrepreneur. He was mostly mild-mannered, and he treated me like a queen. He’s a vampire though, which means that we could never have children together. It’s not like my biological clock was ticking or anything, but it was nice to know that I’d have the option. I supposed we could adopt if we really wanted to, but whenever I’d envisioned myself having kids, it had always been a little mini version of me or my husband…like a product of our love for one another. I could never have that with Leo. Plus, he had a
dark past that I wasn’t entirely comfortable with. Leo was a different man for many years before I met him. A violent, opportunistic man at times. He had killed people in his past. Like, actually caused their deaths. On purpose. Okay, so one could technically say the same about me, but I’d killed Roxy in self-defense. I still didn’t have all the details about Leo’s past, but what I knew was not good and certainly not something I could easily forget. I knew he had changed, and truly regretted his actions, but the facts were still the same.
Vance on the other hand, was equally gorgeous and could offer me a family if I wanted one someday. My problem with him was that he was short-tempered, a bit brash at times, and could piss me off like no other man I’d ever met before. I knew life would probably be much easier if I chose Leo, but this little voice inside of me kept telling me that Vance might possibly be my soul mate, if such a thing exists. I don’t even know if I believe in the Fates, but I do know that I lived my entire life feeling like a piece of me was missing until I met him. I couldn’t decide if that was because he’s the only other Fae that I’d met besides my parents or if it was something bigger than that. Not to mention the fact that I could share sunshine with Vance. That may seem silly, but I loved the sun. The feel of it on my skin, the way things look when it’s shining brightly in the sky. I could spend days at a time just lounging by a pool basking in it.
I couldn’t just ignore the fact that I was inexplicably drawn to Leo though. I always have been. It seemed like something so much more than just the way of the cosmos. When all was said and done however, the fact remained that they both evoked more passion than I would have ever thought myself capable of, good and bad. They simultaneously brought out the best in me, the worst in me, and the most in me. Now do you understand why I was so confused?
*****
I kept myself busy running errands the next day until it was time to head to work. My shift at Pixie Dust started out like any other. I mixed drinks over the first few hours thinking that I might actually get through a whole evening without some sort of emotional turmoil or drama. Oh, how utterly naïve of me. In retrospect, that should have been my first clue.
Around midnight, a tall, beautiful woman sat down in front of me. All of the men in the bar were definitely taking notice...and even some of the women. Her short, red dress hugged her tightly toned body. She had a light complexion, with flawless ivory skin and pale blonde hair down to her waist. She was striking... major supermodel material. Something was off about her though. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but she made me nervous.
“Hi,” I said. “What can I get for you?”
She smiled. “A Bloody Mary would be great. Extra spicy.”
She watched me carefully while I prepared her drink. I sent out my feelers, and found a lot of curiosity coming off of her, with maybe a hint of malice. Yeah, that didn’t help ease my anxiety at all. I decided I needed to figure out what her deal was. “Are you here on vacation?” I asked.
She leaned on the bar, making the Swarovski crystal reflect brightly off of the huge diamond pendant around her neck. “You could say that.” She took a sip of her drink, looked at my nametag, and pulled back with a smile. A fangy smile. “Karli, you make one helluva drink. This is the best Bloody Mary I’ve ever had.” She laughed. “It’s almost as good as the real thing.” I suddenly got a quick flash of her standing in a dark room with blood dripping from her mouth.
Damn, my imagination was going into overdrive. I shook it off. “Um, thanks.”
I tried walking away from her but she started talking again. “I can’t believe how much Vegas has changed!” she exclaimed. “I haven’t been here in almost thirty years.”
“What brings you back?” I asked.
“I’m here to see…an old friend. I heard he’s had quite a lot going for him lately and I wanted to see for myself.”
“An old boyfriend?”
She licked her fangs. “Oh, he was much more than that.”
Chad walked up to the bar before I could get more information. He was clearly interested in the beautiful stranger. Being a human-demon halfling, his irises darkened and enlarged when he was aroused. Right now, I could hardly see the whites of his eyes.
“Hey, Kar, can I get a Corona?”
“Chad,” I said in acknowledgement as I grabbed a bottle from the fridge.
He gave the blonde an appreciative gaze. “Who’s your delicious friend?”
“Um, I’m sorry I didn’t get your name,” I said to her.
She stood up, returning Chad’s appreciation, and offered her hand. “Chad, is it? It’s very nice to meet you. I’m Maria.” She turned her head towards me, giving me a terribly intense look. Her eyes sparkled with malevolence as she added, “Maria…Alexander.”