Page 77 of The Curse of Eternity
My eyes squeezed shut as I exhaled a slow breath, and rested my right elbow on the door frame. Damn it, I was already on the verge of tears. Just remembering my promise to be back in a few days was gutting. The cool familiar hand that covered mine helped to ground me, and I blinked fast. Beside me, Drake’s compassion shone behind his usual stoicism. His palm caressed my knuckles until my fist unclenched. I hadn’t even realized I’d been so tense.
His brow furrowed. “Will you be alright?”
“Yeah. Eventually. Once I get this over with.”
The left turn onto Don Fernando Avenue had my heart rate back into gymnastics-mode. Past the park I’d grown up playing on, we seamlessly transitioned onto Don Quixote Drive. My church’s steeple rose above the surrounding suburban roofs like a beacon of hope. So why did it feel like I was about to become lost at sea?
“You can stop here.” I gripped Drake’s hand in mine as he slowed to a stop three houses down. Loud reverberations from the car’s idling drowned out my pulse beating in my eardrums.
“Would you prefer that I come inside with you? I could attest to the truthfulness of your story.”
It wasn’t the first time he’d offered, but now more than ever, I was tempted to accept. Instead, I shook my head. It wasn’t whether or not my family believed me that I was worried about. Actually, I wasn’t totally sure what had me so scared, but the image of Drake walking in with me only to be attacked by a group of highly trained hunters didn’t put me at ease.
“I need to explain things first. Give them a chance to process it all before they meet you.” My hesitation at the prospect of introducing my undead boyfriend to my family of monster hunters seemed to make Drake’s small, barely-there smile return.
“That is most likely for the best. However…” He leaned in, his hand grasping mine only to pull me closer, and my breath hitched. “If you are ever in need of me, I will be there.”
“My own personal guardian vampire.” A grin tugged up my lips an instant before Drake kissed me.
The slow, subtle pressure of his mouth moving over mine managed to suppress the panic circling my heart, only to replace it with the kind of desperation that left me dizzy. As Drake pulled away, the sweet aftertaste of his tongue still tingling against my lips, I dreaded whatever fallout I was about to face.
Because the bombshell I would be dropping on my tight-knit family unit might have been explosive—the knowledge that vampires have remained organized despite Dracula’s defeat—but it wouldn’t compare to telling them about Drake. I didn’t care if they believed me about everything else, but the concept of a vampire with a morality complex was a hard pill to swallow.
Hell, I’d been skeptical, too. It took witnessing his actions to protect me, to save me time and again to finally get it through my thick skull. Air conditioning cooled my warm face, moving strands of my hair to tickle my chin. Drake caught the wispy curls like it was second nature, and I smiled.
Whatever happened next, I trusted Drake—with my heart and life both.
“I’ll see you later, okay?” It hurt to leave him, but the pull of home was growing by the second. Drake nodded before leaning back into his own seat, and my fingers paused on the door handle.
“I wish you luck,” Drake said, his smile more encouraging than a shot of espresso.
Steeling my resolve, I climbed out of the two-door car and started down the road toward the cul-de-sac. The engine to Drake’s car rumbled when he put it in gear, but I didn’t turn back to watch it drive away. As the white walls of the church loomed closer, I tried to focus on exactly what I would tell everyone.
Thankfully, I’d been able to get those ducks in a row last night during the four-hour long phone call with Everly. It felt good to get the raw, undiluted version out with someone who had only ever been understanding. I would have called Caleb after, but my voice had gone thin from all the crying.
At the chain-link fence surrounding our property, a loud bark startled me just as I touched the gate’s latch. Stake bounded around the side of the church from the back garden, and I grinned as the gate snapped shut behind me. Kneeling on the coarse grass in a pair of denim jeans that still needed some stretching out, I accepted every affectionate lick Stake had to give.
My face scrunched to avoid the slobber, but I laughed while patting our Jack Russell Terrier until he settled down. I managed a few scratches behind his ears, while his tail thumpedheavily, before the front door opened, and Johann’s broad frame emerged.
“What’s going on, Stake—” Blue-gray eyes locked onto mine, and I stared back at the man I’d inherited mine from. No matter how much I’d cried yesterday, and kept composed all through the flight, the waterworks started up before I managed to stand.
“I’m home.” Damn it, I was blubbering even before Johann raced across the front lawn.
Strong arms wound around my shoulders, pulling me in tight until I coughed through my sob. My arms barely made it around the bulk of his torso, and I inhaled the strong scent of sawdust mixed with lacquer coming off Johann’s gray shirt.
“Johann? I was wondering…” Aunt Susan’s voice cut off, and I peered through wet lashes to find my aunt standing in the doorway. Her mouth opened as she clutched the crucifix hanging from her necklace. “Oh, Maria! Thank the Lord, you’re back.” Aunt Susan practically leaped from the stoop to cross the lawn.
Johann took a knowing step back before I was wrapped up in Aunt Susan’s warm embrace. Her lean arms hugged around my neck, and I smiled as the sense of homecoming overwhelmed everything else. When she pulled away, her dark blue eyes narrowed in concern. Her delicately worn hands cradled either side of my tear-stained face, looking more closely.
“What happened to you?” Her whispered words were gentle, but I couldn’t find my voice for several seconds.
I swallowed hard. “It’s a long story.” Glancing down, I inhaled a stuttered breath a moment before Johann’s large hand clasped my back to steer me toward the church. I scrubbed at my eyes to clear my vision while crossing the threshold, and immediately locked gazes with Andrew, staring back from the family room couch.
“Holy shit, she’s back.” Without delay, he hopped over the edge and skirted the recliner to run for the door that led into the hall. Poking his head around the corner, he shouted, “Guys! Come into the living room—Maria’s back!”
“She’s back?” Olivia’s high-pitched shriek came before several heavy footfalls. Then her small oval face framed by short blonde hair appeared around the doorway. The messy tangle of her bangs had two curlers in place, but she ran for me without bothering to fix the one almost falling out.
A laugh crackled out of my chest right before Olivia reached my open arms. Her sturdy short arms squeezed me tight around the waist. With my arms over her shoulders, I easily saw over her head when Ethan strolled in from the hall. Uncle Alaric was only a step behind, his smile grand when he went to pat his older brother on the back.
