Page 106 of Once Bitten, Twice Mine

She took a deep breath. This was the hard part. “First, I need to tell you something. I’m in love with Lady Valeria. Valeria.” She reached for her vampire’s hand across the couch, and Valeria grabbed it and gave it a squeeze for support. “I started loving her when we were sixteen, but that love has amplified since she’s been here.”

Her mother’s eyes were wider than she had ever seen, and her father looked taken aback as well. Her heart raced as she waited for them to say something. Anything.

“Oh,” her mother finally said quietly. It wasn’t much, but at least she wasn’t crying.

“Obviously there are…obstacles to this. Besides the obvious, of course. That’s why I didn’t say anything yesterday when you were both kind enough to give me an out. I didn’t think this would be possible.”

“Which is why you married Edgar,” her father said, and she still couldn’t read his tone. “But what has happened to him? How did he die?”

She squeezed Valeria’s hand so tight she worried for a moment she was hurting her before she remembered she was a vampire with strength far greater than her own. A little squeeze from her wouldn’t do much damage.

“When Edgar was on his business trip to London, he got sick. I thought he got better after he returned home, but he was actually worse than I thought he was. Much worse. Which was why Valeria came back. She knew how ill he was and wanted to save me. So, that’s why he died.”

“What are you talking about? He seemed fine at the wedding?” Her mother’s brow furrowed, and her tone turned shrill. “If he died of some horrible illness so suddenly, are you going to get sick?”

“Let me help you explain this.” Valeria squeezed her hand and smiled again before sitting up straight and facing her parents. “Edgar was working for my family, and he was tasked with returning here and marrying your daughter, but then he was supposed to kill you both and then bring her back to The Count.”

Her parents stared at them slackjawed, her mother’s already pale complexion losing more color by the moment. Caroline worried she would faint.

“We aren’t doing a very good job,” Caroline sighed, scrubbing her face with her hand as she thought of what to say next. “Okay, Valeria and I carried out an affair while we were here in the house. Alone.”

“I gathered that,” her father responded dryly.

“Obviously, we thought we wouldn’t be able to be together. I still needed to get married, and Valeria had to do…other things. Edgar came back and…” Caroline trailed off as something clicked in her mind and she whipped towards Valeria. “Did The Count return with Edgar? Is that why you left that night? Without a word.” Her eyes narrowed.

“Yes, he came to fetch me when it was clear I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to.”

“So, you weren’t the one who let him out of the hospital?”

“No, that was Edgar. He waited until nightfall because his power is weaker during the day, and with the iron he didn’t have much power. He was furious Dr. Murnau caught him. He hasn’t been captured by a human in centuries.”

“What are you talking about?” Her mother screeched.

“Oh. Right. Well, see, Valeria is a vampire. As is The Count, and he…what did he do to Edgar, exactly?”

“He made him his familiar. It can last for years and is impossible for humans to fight. Edgar was compelled to kill you, except there wasn’t a timeline on it, so it could have happened at any time. Either tonight or twenty years from now. So I couldn’t let him live.”

“You killed Edgar?” Her father asked.

“Yes.”

Neither of her parents said anything, nor had an outward reaction. They only stared at Caroline and Valeria. She wasn’t quite sure what she had expected, but she thought there would be more of a reaction. For better or worse.

Finally, her father sighed and stood up, tightening the knot on his dressing gown. “I need to get my tobacco for this.”

“Will you bring me back a dram, darling?” Her mother said.

They remained silent even as her father returned with his tobacco and two glasses of whiskey. She supposed it was good that neither of them was yelling.

“So you two are in a relationship. Are you going to be together now?” Her mother asked carefully.

Caroline blinked. She was surprised this was what her mother was curious about instead of the vampirism. And murder. “Yes. Luckily, it isn’t difficult for women to live and travel together. We’ll be seen as companions in public and such, but…together in private.”

Her face burned with embarrassment, but it was important for her parents to understand. She never wanted to pretend to be someone else in front of them.

“It will be even easier now that Caroline is a widow. Many young widows decide to live with companions. Though I do want both of you to know that if it were possible, I would marry your daughter. I’m committed to her in every way.”

Caroline’s blush intensified even as her heart soared. It was nice to hear such sentiments from Valeria, not just spoken while they were in bed, but to her parents. As a promise, her intentions were as pure as she had made Caroline believe. Even if it was embarrassing to have her parents know they were together.