It’s an incredible feeling to know I brought these back to life.
And the fact that they’re still alive means that Solon hasn’t been on my floor, let alone any other vampire.
I stop on the staircase and look up to where his room is. But as persistent as I have been with him, I’ve been telling myself I need to back off. I’ve been in pursuit of him recently, and I think I need to leave the ball in his court now. He knows how I feel about him. He knows that very well.
Instead, I head down to the kitchen to see Yvonne puttering about. She pours me a cup of coffee and then opens the blinds, making me flinch as the sunlight streams in.
“Sorry,” she says. “You don’t mind, do you?”
I stare at her through pinched eyes. “Not at all,” I say dryly.
“You know, Mr. Stavig told me that since you’re only half-vampire, you’ll adjust to things much quicker,” she says, sitting down across from me with her own cup of coffee, a plate of cookies between us. She flicks the plate with her finger, moving it closer to me. “Eat,” she demands. “I suppose since your mother isn’t here, I have to be on you to make sure you’re taking care of yourself.”
I hesitantly reach for a cookie, my stomach growling a little. “I think I have a steeper learning curve than the others. At least with a full-on vampire you know exactly what to expect. I have no idea. I don’t think anyone else does, either.”
“Well,” she says after a moment, swallowing her coffee, “that may be true, but there are half-human, half-vampire hybrids. Maybe there will be some at the party you can talk to.”
The mention of the party brings a wave of nausea over me, but I swallow it down.
I stare at Yvonne over my mug. “So, you have to tell me. How did you and Amethyst get roped into all this business?”
Yvonne gives me a quick smile. “It’s a long story.”
“I have all the time in the world.”
“Yes, but I don’t,” she says. “This house, these boys, it takes up more time than I’ll ever have.” Then she sighs, sitting back in her chair, tapping her nails on the oak table. “I’ll keep it short. Perhaps if you find me with some gin some evening, I’ll tell you more.”
She takes a cookie and nibbles on the end thoughtfully. “I’ve always been very open-minded. My mother practiced witchcraft, but she wasn’t a hereditary witch. Just a normal person who had success with herbal remedies and the like. A kitchen and garden witch, if you will. Such a common thing these days. So when Amethyst told me that there were vampires, not just in the Bay Area, but in the world, it didn’t feel impossible to me. If anything, I was worried. I forbade her from going to Dark Eyes, no matter how safe she said it was. She was so fascinated, you see. She didn’t let them feed on her, but she just wanted to be a part of…this life. Your life.”
She goes quiet for a moment, her grey-blue eyes growing cold. “She was walking home late one night from here, we lived just up on Laurel Heights, and she was…attacked.” I gasp. She notes my expression and quickly adds, “Not by a vampire. But by a human predator. She was…assaulted, almost killed, but then…Mr. Stavig showed up. He has a sense, you see, for those in danger. He saved her. He saved my daughter. And for that, I am forever in his debt.”
Whoa. That is a lot to take in. Poor Amethyst. No wonder they’re both so devoted to him.
“That’s awful,” I say. “What happened to the attacker?”
Yvonne gives me a measured look, as if to say, what do you think happened?
I nod. I have a feeling that asshole’s skull won’t be in Solon’s locker.
After that, Yvonne gets back to work, and with my curiosity about her and Amethyst somewhat satisfied, I go into the library for a bit, looking for more books, and secretly hoping that Absolon will find me.
When he doesn’t though, I take the books to my room and decide to try some magic up there. I have zero idea what I’m doing, and the texts are all so old that a lot of it isn’t legible. There are pictures, but they don’t help, and you’d think a book about magic would have some magic in it, at least sense that I’m a witch and try to help me out a little. Aren’t they supposed to dance around by themselves and come to life?
Eventually though, Yvonne comes by with some gazpacho for a late lunch, telling me that Solon will be by my room at eight p.m., so I should be ready by then. To my surprise, Amethyst shows up a few hours later to help.