Page 80 of My Road Trip with a Vampire: Season One
“Was she… your daughter…did he honor his side of the bargain?”
He sighs, and a ripple of sadness swims up through the bond.
“Yes, he was true to his word,” he says. “I know you’ll worry if I don’t tell you; she lived a good life with a nice happily ever after. I had to watch her grow up from the shadows, so she never knew it, but I made sure she was ok.”
“Fuck. I’m so—”
“Don’t be. Nothing can change the past. Agnes’ family would have never allowed me to be a part of Fiona’s life—vampire or not.” He unwinds himself from my body and sits up. “But we need to get moving. The sun will be going down soon.”
I’m thrown by the abrupt shift in his behavior, but I try to remember that I did just drop a bombshell on him. He might be acting calm, but I suspect he’s shutting down for a good reason.
I shower fast and come out in my towel. I need to check the weather and take my meds.
“Do you think he might have been on to something?” Dennis asks whoever he’s talking to on his cell phone. He leans against the wall in his boxer shorts. There’s a sharp flare of attraction when he notices me, but it’s subdued by the weight of our conversation.
I make myself busy looking for suitable outfits to wear for our drive tonight.
“We’ll be there,” he says and tosses his phone aside.
He joins me in front of the suitcase and sifts through the neatly folded pile of fresh clothes, pulling out sleek black pants and a fitted t-shirt for himself. He touches my waist, shaking his head at the tattered jeans I’ve chosen.
“Change of plans. There’s a colleague who might be able to help me with something important. You’re going to need a special outfit.”
* * *
“I don’t think a mini-skirt and this lacy little thing are meant for Wyoming’s fall weather,” I grumble, fiddling with the flimsy strap of the black lace top Dennis chose for me. He slings our bags over his shoulders while I zip up my jacket.
“We won’t be out in the cold for long, lovely,” he says. “And you’ll fit in dressed like that. You’ll look like you know what you’re doing.”
“You just want an excuse to dress me up in something skimpy.”
He pulls a half-smile, but it drops away.
“That’s partially true, but I can’t have you looking like you have no experience with vampire social settings,” he says. “They’ll pick up on it, and there’s nothing vamps love more than fresh blood.”
“I’ve met plenty of weirdos at Bob’s bar. How much harder can it be to get through one night at a vampire club?”
He wraps his arm around me, squishing the downy material of my jacket.
“Vampires are different,” he sighs so quietly against my hair that I have to strain to hear the words. “Put enough of us in a place where we're allowed to fuck and feed from the guests, and there will always be a few who get off on sniffing out the most vulnerable people in the crowd.”
I’ve handled rowdy nights before for sure, but this place sounds wild. My palms are sweaty, and the waffles I ate at the airport diner are sloshing around in my stomach.
But a part of me is excited. I’ve always wanted to find new places to explore, and now I get to see something I didn’t even know existed a couple of weeks ago.
“The club sounds charming, although I still don’t get why we had to shift our entire schedule around to come here.” I pause, hoping he’ll give me a solid explanation, but he’s as tight-lipped as he was on the flight. It’s been hard to read him since we left the hotel. The bond between us feels numb, and I should be ecstatic that it’s evaporating so quickly, but I think I might miss it. “Anyways, I’ll act like I know what I’m doing and try to behave.”
He grunts.
“One more thing,” he says, stepping in front of me so he can see my face. “I’m not exactly known for being friendly among vampires. I might act like an asshole while I’m there, but I need everyone to know you came with me. That you’re not up for grabs. It might seem like I’m being more possessive than usual. If it’s ever too much, you can use the safe word.”
I frown. I’ve felt small bursts of jealousy through the bond, but Dennis has always controlled his vampire urges around me. It’s hard to picture him being super territorial.
“Do you remember the word?” he asks when I don’t respond.
I nod.
“ButBobmight be hard to slip into a conversation, so let’s usemoistas a backup.”
