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“Never heard that one,” Mum said.
“It’s a good thing you’re married to a man old enough to recognise tunes from the 1970s.”
“You’re old enough to remember tunes from the 1770s,” she teased, and I grew irritated because they weren’t taking the creepy singing flowers as seriously as they should be. Then, a memory surfaced. This was the song that played in the car on our way to Indigo. Vasilios wasn’t just trying to send some twisted message; he was trying to remind me of the short period when I’d considered him a friend.
“Why is the demon warlock sending you flowers bespelled with a song like that?” Dad questioned, a single eyebrow raised.
I knew exactly why, but I didn’t precisely want to discuss it with my parents. They continued to wait for an answer, and I heaved a reluctant sigh. “So, he might have some misplaced affection for me.”
“Oh,” Mum said, sharing a concerned look with my father. I wanted to crawl under my bed and disappear.
Dad cleared his throat. “I’ll call the warden at the prison and have them increase the security around Vasilios. The prison’s magic should’ve prevented him from being able to send you these, but it’s obviously not working as well as it should.”
“Tell him Rita and I will take a boat out in the morning to reinforce the wards and shields,” Mum said, and Dad nodded, leaving my bedroom to make the call.
Mum put her arm around my shoulders, and I savoured the warmth and affection. “Whatever fondness he believes is between you, it isn’t real, you know that, right? People like Vasilios aren’t capable of that kind of emotion, and if he’s anything like Theodore, then he certainly isn’t someone you want to form an attachment to.”
I drew away from her. “Mum! Give me some credit!”
“All I’m saying is, I know he became a friend to you when he was pretending to be Nic, but that wasn’t a real friendship. It was an act.”
“I’m well aware of that.”
She nodded. “Good, because Peter is a wonderful boy, and he cares for you a great deal.”
“I care for him a great deal, too.”
Her eyes crinkled with affection as she squeezed my shoulder. “I’m so happy that you found someone like him,” she said before she went to pick up the vase of roses. “I’ll do away with these.”
“Thank you,” I said, relieved to see them go.
I was still a little shaken up as I went to retrieve my make-up bag and continue getting ready for my night with Peter. Then, something white caught my eye. Mum had forgotten to take the note. I picked it up, scanning the message once more, my mouth tightening in anger. Why couldn’t he just accept his prison sentence and leave me alone?
Frustration and annoyance warred within me, but there was another emotion, too. One I didn’t want to entertain, but I couldn’t help it. I was curious, curious to remember the lyrics of the song. Letting out an irritated growl, I pulled out my laptop and put on my headphones. I typed the title of the song into the search bar, and it came up right away. Hating myself, I hit play.
I listened to the first minute, getting angrier and angrier before I slammed my laptop shut and ripped off my headphones. No. I wasn’t giving that psychopath a single extra moment of my attention. I tore up the note and threw the shreds in the bin before focusing on getting ready.
At eight on the dot, the doorbell rang. I peered out the window and saw Peter standing on the front step. My chest filled at the sight of him, getting all fizzy and excited for the night ahead. All I had to do was look at Peter, and I forgot all about Vasilios and his creepy flowers.
He wore a black shirt and tie under a worn leather jacket. It even looked like he’d gotten a haircut. I gave my appearance one last glance in the full-length mirror before heading downstairs. Irritatingly, my dad had beaten me to the door, and he was currently asking Peter a million questions about what we were doing and where we were going.
“Dad, leave him alone,” I said, shooting him a narrow-eyed look as I grabbed my coat.
“Just making sure Peter gets you home at a decent hour,” Dad said.
“I’ll have her home by midnight, sir,” Peter said with a respectful nod.
“Bloody hell, we’re not humans, son. My daughter is half vampire. Have her back here an hour before dawn, and we’ll be good,” Dad said, looking pleased with himself. I shook my head at him before giving Peter a quick hug. Then I hurried him out the door before my mother decided to appear and embarrass me further.
“You look beautiful,” Peter said as we stepped out onto the street.
