Pretty When They Collide (Pretty When She Dies 0.5)(16)

“Fuck you, Frank,” Aimee answered.

She was dimly aware of the vampire catching her when she fainted.





Part Two:

Home





Chapter 7: Memories Lost



Snagging the mail out of the battered mailbox, Cassandra headed up the walkway to her mother’s small house tucked behind towering cedar trees on a quiet street in a small town in Texas. The light spring breeze brushed through the branches, ruffling leaves and shifting the sunlight that dappled the flagstones. The colorful oleanders bordering the porch needed to be cut back, and Cassandra used her overnight bag to shove the pretty flowers aside.

Behind the screen door she could see the flicker of the TV and heard the voices of the morning talk show hosts chatting with the latest Hollywood rising star. The clink of dishes and the rushing sound of water indicated that breakfast was over and cleanup was underway. Knocking on the screen door, Cassandra quickly scanned her mother’s mail. It was a relief to see she hadn’t gone on any shopping network sprees.

The shadowy form of her mother hurried down the short hall from the kitchen and into the gloomy living room. Cassandra smiled at her mother through the mesh as Galina fumbled with the lock.

“Hey, Mom,” Cassandra said.

“I’m so glad you’re home!” Galina exclaimed breathlessly. Pulling the door open, she wrapped Cassandra in her arms.

Kissing her mother’s cheek, Cassandra snuggled against her. The scent of jasmine and baby powder filled her nostrils and she inhaled deeply. It was a comforting fragrance, and one she always associated with her mother. “Like I promised, I’m back safe and sound.”

Drawing back, Galina studied her thoughtfully. “Something happened?”

“Nothing to worry about,” Cassandra answered with a reassuring smile.

Cassandra knew she strongly resembled her mother, but she didn’t think she was nearly as beautiful. Galina’s blue-green eyes flecked with gold were heavily fringed with dark lashes and her lush chestnut brown hair fell in silky waves to her mid-back. Where Cassandra had a much stronger nose, Galina’s was delicate, but they shared the same lush mouth and Slavic complexion. Being a dhamphir gave Cassandra a much younger appearance than her thirty-five years, while Galina looked like a youthful early forty-year-old and not her actual sixty-five years of age. Her mother’s years as a blood minion to vampires had kept her preternaturally youthful, but regular infusions of Cassandra’s blood maintained it. People always thought they were sisters, not mother and daughter.

“You’re lying,” Galina said, her eyes narrowing.

“No, really. Everything is fine,” Cassandra promised.

She brushed past her mother and into the darkened living room. Her mother’s years living with vampires had instilled her with a healthy dislike of sunlight. The house was always dimly lit and the trees were rarely cut back. Cassandra wasn’t too fond of sunlight either. Her last girlfriend had always insisted on having the curtains open to let the sunlight stream in through the windows. Cassandra should have realized the relationship was doomed.

“I had such terrible nightmares,” her mother said, her voice wavering. Pressing a hand to her forehead, she sank onto the overstuffed pillows decorating the shabby-chic couch.

Cassandra tossed her bag on the floor and settled beside her mother. The look of confusion that often graced Galina’s features settled over her face. Another aftereffect from spending so much time with vampires was that her mother’s mind was quite fragile. Dr. Summerfield, the man who had helped Galina escape Austin and hide from Cassandra’s father, had explained that the vampires had often wiped her memories of their atrocities to keep her compliant and the end result was that it was difficult for her to retain memories or deal with unexpected events. Medicine didn’t help, but structure did. Galina lived quietly in the small house Cassandra had bought her and had a housekeeper who came to help her three times a week.

“You were gone for so long,” Galina said, her bottom lip trembling.

“I was gone for two days,” Cassandra reminded her.

“Did Felicity go with you?”

“Felicity broke up with me a month ago,” Cassandra answered. She gently took her mother’s hand and squeezed it. “Remember?”

“Oh, that’s right.” Galina’s voice was doubtful, but she didn’t argue. “She didn’t like your traveling?”

“She didn’t like me.” Cassandra shrugged, but the sting was still there. Felicity had left her for a woman she had met online. She supposed it was for the best. Felicity had been a very jealous and suspicious girlfriend. Cassandra couldn’t blame Felicity for being upset with her. Cassandra did keep secrets. They just weren’t the secrets Felicity thought they were. “She said I was keeping things from her and that she didn’t like being cheated on. So she cheated on me and moved to Phoenix.”

Shaking her head, Galina stared at the notepad on the coffee table that she usually kept close at hand. Picking it up, she pulled the pen she kept tucked into the spiral and made some notes. “I need to remember that I do not like Felicity.”

Giggling, Cassandra lightly stroked her mother’s hair. She loved her so much, but she often felt their roles were reversed. It had been that way since she had been a child. Dr. Summerfield, a vampire hunter and paranormal investigator, had arranged for Galina to have full-time help when Cassandra was a child because Galina would simply forget to do simple things like feed her daughter. When Cassandra had become old enough, she had started watching over her mother. She didn’t mind it though. Her mother was everything to her.