Flutter (My Blood Approves #3)(96)
“We just need two, three more days tops, and then we’ll be out of your hair forever!” Mae insisted desperately. He had his back to her, seething. “Ezra, please! If you love me, you can give me three more days! Please!”
“Fine,” Ezra said grudgingly. “But if you stay one day longer, I’ll take care of her myself.” He walked back towards the garage. “I’m going to the station now to deal with the car. Don’t wait up.”
“What happened to you?” Mae gasped, noticing us for the first time. We were all tattered and bloody, and Bobby had scratches and bruises.
Milo started explaining the night to her, but I brushed past him. I thought I knew what was in her room, but I had to see it for myself. Mae tried to pay attention to Milo, but I felt her watching me as I walked by. I pushed open her bedroom door, and it was exactly what I thought.
In the soft mass of Mae’s bed, a small girl twitched. Her blond curls were sticking to the sweat on her forehead. She was pale and sick, but she was still adorable. She looked like a pint-sized version of Mae, with cherub cheeks.
She was still in the first phases of the turn, and the worst of it hadn’t hit her yet. Matilda ran past me and jumped onto the bed next to her, licking the little girl’s clammy face. She smiled a little at that, and Matilda settled down next to her.
“She really likes Matilda,” Mae said from behind me. She walked over to the child. Jack stood behind me, taking the whole thing in, but he didn’t say anything. “I’d like you to all meet my great-granddaughter, Daisy. I’m going to be taking care of her now.”
“Oh, Mae,” I looked at her sadly.
“No, don’t do that,” Mae shook her head. She sat down on the bed next to the girl, pushing her hair back from her forehead. “I did the right thing, and I know I did. I had to save her. After Jane left, I realized I wasn’t upset about her. I had to save Daisy.”
“Well, Jane is fine, by the way,” I sighed. “But… you did what you had to do.”
“I did. Isn’t she precious?” She looked adoringly at the child, and I could see that there had really never been any choice for her. Even if she had to give up Ezra and everyone else, that child meant so much more to her.
“You’re not taking my dog,” Jack said finally. “Come on, Matilda.” Reluctantly, Matilda jumped off the bed and followed him out of the room.
“So you’re leaving?” I asked.
“It seems that way,” Mae said wearily. “I thought Ezra might change his mind when he saw her, but… It’s alright, though. I already have a plan.”
“What’s that?”
“Australia,” Mae smiled at me. “I’ve never been. Vampires don’t like it there because it’s warm, but it’s comfortable enough, and there’s plenty of uninhabited outback for us to hide away. There’s active blood banks in places like Sydney, though, so with a drive, we can get stocked up.”
“So, the two of you are gonna spend the rest of existence hiding out in the outback?” I raised an eyebrow. I had always wanted to go there, but it just seemed like a horrible scenario for this.
“For awhile.” Mae nodded and went back to staring at her bundle of joy. “But we won’t be alone, at least not at first. Peter is going with us.”
“Peter?” I hadn’t realized that Peter really wanted that much to do with Mae, but then again, he did like running away from me and suicidal missions, like caring for a child vampire.
“He offered a few days ago,” Mae said. “We’ll be okay, love. Don’t you worry about us.”
She might’ve been talking to me, but she was looking at Daisy, and I think that was all meant for her. The second she got Daisy, the rest of us really ceased to exist for her. I watched her for a moment longer, fawning over the child, but I had somewhere to be.
When I went upstairs, Jack was already taking a hot shower. I was desperate for one myself, so I got undressed and climbed in with him. He smiled at me, but I just wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed my head against his chest. There was nothing sexual about it. I just loved being that close to him, his bare skin on mine, his heart beating in my ear.
He kissed the top of my head and held me to him. After everything the night had brought, I couldn’t help but cry. Out of sadness and exhaustion and relief. I had never seen anything as brutal as what I witnessed tonight, and I hoped to never see it again.
“It’s going to be okay, Alice,” Jack assured me, rubbing my back gently.
“How can you say that? After what happened tonight?” I looked up at him. His soft blue eyes were full of nothing but love and optimism, and he smiled at me.
“Because you’re here with me,” Jack said. “Any night that ends with that can’t be that bad.”
“I can’t argue with that logic,” I admitted, and he laughed, sending delighted tingles all through me. I held onto him tighter, pressing my head against his chest, and relished the feel of his arms around me. There was no place in the world I’d rather be.
# # #
Read an excerpt from the fourth installment in the My Blood Approves series:
Wisdom – available August 2010!