AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What sort of understanding?”
“She never harms the people I care about.”
I drum my fingers on his chest. “Then who does she harm?”
“What?”
“Who does she feed on? You said you adhere to a strict code of conduct. You said you never drink from the same person twice, that you only take the bare minimum you need to survive. Is Veda so charitable?”
He flounders, and I sense that he’s hiding something. “I don’t know what Veda gets up to these days, but when she was with me, she followed the exact same code of conduct. She respected human life. What she does now is no business of mine. I told you, we no longer have that type of relationship. We lead completely separate lives.”
“Before today, when was the last time you saw her?” I ask.
“Oh, five or six years ago. Veda doesn’t frequent London often. It holds too many painful memories for her.”
I hesitate. “Why does she look so bad? I mean, she’s a vampire, right? Why doesn’t she look normal like you do? She used to be beautiful. Why is she…so monstrous-looking?”
“Bitterness,” Nick says simply. “After Coppélia died, Veda went mad with grief and she never got over it. Over the years, her bitterness has manifested on her face, and now it’s etched there forever.”
I close my eyes and try not to think of Veda. I can’t believe how calmly he talks about her, like she’s a normal person. The evil I saw in her eyes is something I’ll never forget, and no matter what Nick says, I’m still afraid of her and know there’s things he’s hiding from me. There was something he said earlier that bugged me, something about hoping he’d laid the past to rest, and how no good deed goes unpunished. What exactly did he mean by that? And what about Count Karlock? Is he still lurking about somewhere, attacking people and spreading misery? There’s so much I want to ask, so much I want to know, but now is not the time. It’s already taken a lot to get this much out of him, so for now, I’ll drop the subject.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
New Beginning
A little after two pm the next day, we pull up outside my house. The snow has stopped, but the air still retains an icy chill. For a moment, I sit silently in the passenger seat, my hands folded in my lap. Nick kills the engine and looks at me.
“Are you ready?” he asks softly.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
He reaches over and squeezes my hand. “Thank you for agreeing to do this. I know we’re doing the right thing.”
I smile warmly. Nick’s right, of course. This has been a long time coming. I’m a grown woman of thirty-six and it’s about time I started behaving like it. Even so, I’m a bag of nerves as we make our way up the drive towards my front door.Am I really going to say goodbye to this place forever?Silently, I let us in the house and head straight to my bedroom. Nick remains downstairs and starts assembling the flat-pack boxes.
Biting my thumbnail, I collapse on my bed, feeling kind of emotional about everything. Numbly, I gaze around my bedroom one last time, taking in every last little detail. Pink and pristine, nothing much has changed in twenty years. Stacks of books and DVDs line the walls, as do expensive display cabinets containing my precious Disney memorabilia. Stuffed toys from theMuppet Showdominate the bed. Judd Nelson and Molly Ringwald’s eternally youthful faces gaze down at me fromThe Breakfast Clubposter, along with images from all of my favourite movies:The Goonies,Princess Bride,Labyrinth, andThe Never-ending Story.
I let out a low sigh of anguish. This room has been my whole world for so long, it’s difficult to imagine leaving it behind and starting again elsewhere. For what seems ages, I sit frozen on the bed, my mind racing over all the good times I’ve had here. Then, with a lump in my throat, I pull out my phone and dial my dad’s number.
“Hello, my dear. Did you have a good Christmas?”
“Yeah, it okay.” I tuck a hair behind my ear. “Um, listen, Dad, when are you coming back home?”
“Mike’s planning to drive me back tomorrow. Why?”
“There are a few things I’d like to discuss with you.” I flounder, trying to find the words.Sod it!“Okay, so basically, I’m moving in with Nick.”
The line goes quiet. I can hear my mother’s voice in the background, asking to speak to me. Dad ignores her. “That’s wonderful news!” he crows. “I knew this would have to happen one day. So my baby’s all grown up and getting married, and this is the obvious next step. When are you moving out?”
“Today, actually,” I reply sheepishly. “We’re at the house now, clearing out my room.” I pause, my throat clogged with tears. “But listen, I’m still going to support you financially. Nick has got this great idea that we’d like to run by you tomorrow.”
“My dear, I’m old enough to take care of myself. Please don’t worry about me. Just enjoy this new chapter in your life and—”
“No, Dad. Iwantto do this. You’ve always been there for me every step of the way, and now I want to be there for you. Now, we have a proposal that we’d like to discuss with you, so we’d like to take you out to dinner tomorrow. Please say yes.”
“All right, yes.”
“Brilliant! Can’t wait to see you. I’ll text you the restaurant details later.” I hang up and run my fingers through my hair. I don’t know why I’m getting so emotional. Maybe it’s because this feels like the end of an era; the start of something new and scary. But at the same time, I find it greatly liberating. Finally, at the ripe old age of thirty-six, I’m going out into the world to stand on my own two feet.
