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“You think happiness is important?”
“One hundred percent,” I told her firmly. “Life’s way too short to be miserable, especially if you’re immortal.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Alicia sipped thoughtfully from her teacup and studied me for another moment in silence before she spoke again. “I know we just met, but I feel like you and I could be good friends.”
I wasn’t entirely sure I felt the same way, but I figured it was best to play along. “I feel the same way,” I replied.
“Do you know how hard it is to find friends you can really trust? Who’ll be there for you through thick and thin, the good times and the bad? Who will have your back no matter what?”
I thought of Amy and how it seemed that we’d recently drifted apart, and my throat tightened. It felt like grief, like I’d lost something very important, and I had no idea how to fix it.
“It is hard,” I said. “That’s why, if you’re lucky enough to have that kind of friendship, you need to hold onto it with both hands and never let go.”
“Exactly. Let me ask you another question, Sarah: do you like being a vampire?”
It wasn’t a question usually asked so directly, but I appreciated her bluntness. “Honestly? It depends on the day. It’s been a bit of a rocky road since I was sired, but…I mean, I have Thierry. I seriously don’t know what I’d have done without him.”
“You’re so lucky,” Alicia said wistfully. “Thierry’s a good man. I thought I married a good one, too, but Franklin…” She shook her head. “He was only looking for some arm candy to take to events, not a partner to share his life with. And it took me far too many years to realize that.”
“You live, you learn,” I replied. “And sometimes you move on.”
“True.”
“Is that why you’re here?” I ventured. “Because you’re moving on to…oh, I don’t know. Someone else?”
“Actually, yes. And—to be honest? Something else, as well.”
Now I was on the edge of my seat, but I knew I couldn’t push too much or she might clam up. “Now you’ve got my full attention.”
“It’s nice to have someone to talk to,” Alicia said, “Especially someone who understands the problems of vampire life. When I was sired, it was all very new and frightening to me. I didn’t have any movies, or novels, or television shows to reference—either the sparkling or the horror-filled ones. Just a wounded neck, a thirst for blood, and a million questions.”
I was disappointed she’d so quickly hopped to another subject. Still, I decided to follow her lead without trying to force the conversation too much. “I’d seen my share of vampire entertainment before I became one,” I admitted. “So, I was mostly bummed that I couldn’t turn into a bat. I mean, talk about a letdown.”
Alicia chuckled at this. “Would you really want to turn into a bat?”
I shrugged. “Is it wrong that I’d like the option?”
“I suppose not. But that’s just it; there are so many limitations to a potentially endless life. It’s made me question so many things that I’ve taken for granted all these years—about what I really want the most.”
“Have you come to any conclusions?” I asked.
“I have.” A wicked smile played at her lips. “I want what Franklin has. What Thierry has. What so many master vampires have that has been denied to me all of my existence.”
“Which is?”
“Power,” she said simply. “And it was only recently that I met a special someone who showed me the path I could take to…well, let’s just say, level up.”
And we’d officially arrived at our destination: evil boyfriend talk. I seriously deserved a shiny trophy.
Easy peasy. Thierry would be so impressed.
Time to nail down the details before Thierry returned, and we put Assjacket in the rearview mirror. “Let me guess, you want to be a Ring elder with this special someone’s help?”
“Oh, no,” she replied with a shudder. “Definitely not. I couldn’t imagine a more dreary career.”
“Absolutely no judgment here, Alicia, but I’m assuming you’re talking about a boyfriend? One that your husband probably doesn’t know about?”
“I suppose you could call him that,” she said, her eyes shining. “Oh, Sarah, he’s incredible in so many ways. He’s opened my eyes to a myriad of possibilities I’ve never even considered before.”
