An uncomfortable silence followed. At last, Sly followed up with, “I didn’t believe vampires existed until I saw one with my own eyes.”
“I’m with you there.” Merry shook her head as if clearing it. “So, what happened? To Mom, I mean?”
“It was too late to save her. They took you by C-section—and just in time. You were going into distress. As it was, you were amonth early. You had to spend a couple of weeks in the hospital in an incubator. It gave me time to think about what kind of father I’d be.”
“You thought about keeping me?”I wasn’t rejected.
“I wanted to, believe me. I wrestled with the decision. You were all I had left of your mother, and I loved her dearly.”
“You must have! You were willing to become a vampire to try to save her.”
He nodded. “When I realized I’d never be able to drive you to school on a sunny day or attend any of your daytime events—and you’d have to grow up in a dark home with a father who might be tempted to snack on you in desperate times…”
She snapped to attention. “You wouldn’t!”
“No, I wouldn’t. But I didn’t know what to expect back then. I didn’t know what I was destined to become. Some vampires are pure evil, and who knows why?”
Merry settled back into her chair. “I’m so sorry. I mean, about what happened to you and what you had to go through all these years because of a selfish, uncaring… Well, you know.”
“Yes, I know. As it turns out, vampirism doesn’t make a man an undead asshole. It’s the illusion of power and omnipotence that does. Very small people, when they get a taste of power, seem to abuse it.”
Merry nodded. “That makes sense. But you’re not an asshole. Um… are you?”
Sly laughed. “Depends on who you ask.”
“You sound well-educated. What did you do, before the, uh… incident?”
“I had an engineering background and founded a small company. Without me there to run it every day, my partner took over and kicked me out on my butt.”
“But that’s awful!” Merry realized she had already formed an alliance with Sly. Here she was, taking his side in an argumentthat had nothing to do with her and happened long ago.Uh-oh. Don’t be gullible, Merry. His story might be horse shit.
“Look, Allison…”
“Call me Merry.”
“Do I have to?”
She sighed. “I know, it’s kind of a weird name—especially if I’m in a shitty mood. People who don’t know better will use it as a reason why I should be cheerful absolutely all of the time.”
“What about the people who do know better? What do they do?”
“They stay out of choking reach.”
Sly laughed with a hearty resonance that warmed her. “I can see a lot of your mother in you.”
“Really? What was she like?”
“She was a spitfire. Full of piss and vinegar, as they say.”
“Euwww. Who says that?”
He shrugged. “It’s just a saying. It means she spoke her mind, and nobody used her for a doormat. She was passionate about everything she did. She stood for good causes. She believed in doing the right thing, even if it wasn’t the easiest thing.”
“You mean she was some kind of an agitator? Or zealot?”
“No. She wasn’t the militant type. Far from it. She was a social worker—more of an advocate. If there was an underdog who needed her help, she was there. If there was a cause that needed a sign to be carried, your mother was there, waving it.”
“I advocate for my patients and their families all the time.”
