We returned to our game, and she seemed to remain calm. It wasn't until Duncan suddenly showed up unannounced that she reacted. He knocked on the door and peeked inside, and that was when I heard her gasp.
"That's just Duncan," I said. "He's my special friend."
"Hi there. Just wanted to pop by and see how my favorite girl is doing?" he said and walked inside.
I walked to him, and he pulled me into a kiss. I closed my eyes and enjoyed my taste of his soft cold lips.
"So, how is she?" he asked, looking deep into my eyes. I could get lost in his. "My favorite girl?"
I smiled shyly. "I'm good, thanks. Just hanging out with my new best friend."
He let go of me and approached the girl. "You must be Veronika," he said. "Robyn told me about you."
He stepped closer, but Veronika pulled back with a shriek.
"It's okay, Veronika," I said, puzzled at her reaction. "He's my friend."
Duncan smiled and reached out his hand for her to shake. She stared at it, then backed up further.
"You'll have to excuse her," I said. "She's in shock. She just lost her parents."
He nodded, then backed up. "I'm sorry if I scared her. I'll leave you two to your game." He winked at Veronika, but she gave him nothing but an angry look.
"Still on for Friday?" he asked and kissed me again.
"Of course," I said.
When he left, I turned to look at Veronika. She was still whimpering. The clock on the wall behind her was spinning out of control.
"What's wrong, Veronika?" I asked and came closer. "Why did he scare you so much?"
And that was when she said her first words since I had gotten to know her. Hearing her voice completely threw me off.
"Bad man," she said with this deep voice and a heavy Russian accent.
I stared at her, not knowing what to say to her. "Him? Bad man? Duncan?"
I shook my head and grabbed the dice. "No, you have that all wrong. Duncan is very sweet, and he loves me very much."
"He will hurt you," she said, determinedly. "At a party for Halloween. Bad man will kill you at Halloween party. Blood everywhere."
I stared at her again, then shook my head. "Nonsense," I said and rolled the dice, but not without feeling my stomach clench into a huge knot.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
She knew it was going to happen. Yet, it somehow still caught her off guard when they came.
The next morning, three police cars rolled up in front of Jazmine's house and out jumped a handful of officers, Jayden's dad leading the way.
Jazmine felt a shiver run down her spine. She was glad that Jayden had lived up to his promise, but it still filled her with a great sense of guilt to have betrayed her own mother, the same mother she had listened to crying all night in her bedroom.
Jazmine looked into the cul-de-sac and spotted the neighbors staring from their yards, or glaring at her house while getting their mail, walking their dogs, or just peeking out from behind their curtains.
There was a knock on the door, a hard one, and then someone—probably Jayden's dad—yelled:
"POLICE. OPEN UP."
Jazmine's mom was still in her bed, so it was Jazmine who opened the door. Her eyes met those of Jayden's father, and she sensed a deep sadness in his, or maybe it was pity. He opened his mouth to speak, but she spoke before the words left his lips.
"She's upstairs," she said. "In her bed."
Ben nodded. He put a hand on her shoulder. "We're just taking her in for a few questions."
"I know," she said. It was strange to have them come here to her own house and take her mother away, and secretly wishing that they would keep her. Secretly, she was hoping they had evidence enough to put her in jail. The guilt was unbearable. How could she think like that? About her own mother? Her own flesh and blood?
She's a killer, Jazmine. Don't forget that. You saw her. She almost killed one of your best friends.
The officers ran up the stairs and came down with Jazmine's mother. They had let her get dressed, and all she had found to wear was a pair of jeans and a shirt that had a stain on the chest. Her hair was a mess, and her face had a lost look to it. It seemed highly humiliating for a woman who always dressed impeccably, and whose hair was always neat.
"Jazmine?" she asked when she came down the stairs, flanked by four police officers.
"I'll be fine, Mom. Don't worry," she said, finding it hard to look her in the eyes. Tears were piling up in Jazmine's, but she was holding them back the best she could.
"Ben?" she said addressed to Jayden's dad. "What's going on here?"
"We're just taking you in for some questioning," he said. "That's all."
"Questioning? About what? I don't understand this, Ben." Her voice was shaking with anxiety. "I don't understand?"
He sighed. "I'm sorry. But I have no other choice."
Jazmine bit her lip to stop herself from crying. As her mother disappeared into a police car with the officers, Ben walked past her, his police cap between his hands. She stopped him, reached out her arm, and handed him something. He took it, then looked down at the earring, the one matching the one they found on the body of Sam Walters.
"I hope this helps," she said. "To put her away."
Ben lifted his eyes from the earring, a surprised look on his face. "I…"
"You're sorry. I know. It's okay. It needed to be done," she said.
"Do you have any family?" he asked.
Jazmine sniffled and nodded. "An aunt."
He swallowed, putting on his cap. "You might want to call her once I’ve gone."
She nodded. "I know."
As she closed the door behind him, Jazmine finally dared to let go of her tears. They rushed across her cheeks as she fell to her knees, hiding her face between her hands.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
On Friday, Duncan picked me up at six o'clock sharp. I had dressed up for him and was wearing the blue dress that I knew he liked. I stood by the full-size mirror in my room when the limo drove up into the street. Veronika was right behind me, watching me.
"You look very pretty," she said.
Since she had started to speak, she had been very talkative, but only to me. When others were around, she still avoided looking at them and didn't answer even when spoken to. I was glad that she trusted me enough to talk to me, but still hadn't been able to get much out of her about who she was and especially who her parents were. Whenever I asked about it, she just shrugged and looked away. I sensed it might be too early for her to talk about them.
"Are you sure? You don't think I need a little more make-up?" I sighed when looking at myself. I didn't really think I looked that great in this dress. My hair was all wrong, and my eyes looked poofy. I felt fat in the tight dress.
"Maybe I should wear something else," I said.
"No," Veronika said, determined. "That dress is very, very pretty."
I smiled. "You think so?"
She nodded. I heard the doorbell ring and voices were coming from downstairs.
"He's here."
Duncan had told me he was taking me to some party with his friends from college, so I was really excited. I hadn't met any of his friends before. I was determined for them to like me.
Veronika's face grew serious. I put a hand on her shoulder. "It's gonna be fine. I promise you. I’ve been out with Duncan lots of times, and he always treats me nicely. More than that, he treats me like a queen. I know you are afraid of him, but I can assure you that he is not bad at all."
Veronika seemed to be contemplating what I said for a few seconds. Then she shook her head.
"Bad man."
I chuckled, then kissed her forehead. My mom was calling my name. "Now, will you be all right here alone?" I asked. "Remember to lock the door after I leave so no one can come in, okay?"
She nodded. I felt a pinch of worry as I grabbed my jacket and purse. Both my brother and my cousins had been circling Veronika lately, and I could tell her presen
ce was driving them nuts. I figured it was harder for them to control themselves since they were so new to being vampires. For a second, I wondered if I dared to leave her.
"You'll be fine, right?"
She nodded.
My mom called again, and I rushed out the door. I waited for a few seconds till I heard the door lock behind me, then ran down the stairs. Duncan was standing in the doorway, looking dashing in his suit and white shirt. He smiled wryly and held out his hand toward me. I placed mine in his, and he kissed the top of it.
"It still amazes me how beautiful you are, Sprinkles," he almost whispered. "You ready?"
I nodded and turned to face my mother. She pulled up my dress, spat on her finger, and removed something from underneath my eye.
"There. You had a little mascara on your cheek. Now, you're ready. As ready as you can be, I guess."
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Amy grabbed the old chewed up cow toy and threw it across the yard. Billie Jean barked, then stormed after it. She picked it up and ran back to Amy with it, her puppies following her closely, trying to bite down on the cow too. They were jumping for it, but most of them not succeeding. Amy laughed when one of them managed to cling onto it till Billie Jean finally shook the puppy off and it flew across the grass.
"Your tea is getting cold," Melanie said from the porch where she was sitting. It was a nice night, and they had decided to sit out there and watch the stars after dinner. There was supposed to be a meteor shower tonight, but so far, they hadn't seen any.
Amy sat down across from Melanie. She grabbed a brownie from the plate. They had made a batch earlier in the day, and Melanie had already eaten half of them. Amy chewed and sipped her tea. She wasn't much of a tea drinker. She preferred stronger stuff like coffee, but Melanie had suggested they try some herbal tea that she found in the cabinet that Amy's mother had bought mistakenly a long time ago. Amy grimaced. The tea didn't really taste that good.
"You don't like it?" Melanie asked and sipped hers. "I kind of do."
Amy's parents were sitting in the living room. They had been home for two days but had to leave again tomorrow. They were traveling more again, but it didn't bother Amy as much as it used to since now she knew they were actually out in the world saving people, helping people where they could, and it made her own suffering in their absence seem small and insignificant compared to what they were accomplishing. She was actually pretty proud of them.
"I haven't seen Kipp in a while," Melanie said, looking toward the house next door where he lived.
Amy grabbed another brownie and bit down on it. She shrugged. "I haven't been inviting him over," she said. "And I kind of told him I was busy the rest of the week."
"What? Why? I thought you liked him?" Melanie said a little too loud for Amy's taste.
Amy stared at the brownie in her hand. "I don't know…"
Melanie leaned forward. "But…you kissed?"
"Do you want the entire neighborhood to know?" Amy asked.
"Sorry, I’m just surprised. That's all," Melanie said. "I was so certain that you and he were…"
"Were what? Perfect for one another?" Amy asked. "‘Cause I just don't really see it."
"An item," she said. "I thought you were a thing. After you told me about him kissing you, I just assumed you both would be head over heels for one another."
Amy took another bite. "Yeah, well. As I said, I don't really see it happening. I don't think he really wants me. I mean…look at me. I'm not really in his league."
"Tsk," Melanie said. "You're throwing away something that could be good here. Just sayin'."
Amy decided to ignore her. She finished her brownie, then drank from her tea and made another face.
"All right, that's it," Melanie said and got up. "I’m making you some coffee."
Melanie left, and Amy sat alone in the darkness when she heard a sound from the yard next door. She held her breath.
Was it Kipp? Had he heard them?
Oh, dear God, please tell me it isn't so.
Amy walked to the fence and peeked over it. The back door to the house slammed shut in the second she did. Amy sighed deeply. Did he hear them? He must have.
She was about to turn back around when she spotted a big tarantula rushing across the yard toward Mr. Aran's house across the street.
Chapter Thirty
She knocked on his door after they had finished dinner. Jayden went to open it and saw her standing out there, wearing a light summer dress, the wind moving it, her hair fluttering in the wind.
"Ruelle?"
Jayden breathed a deep sigh of relief. He had been so worried. He hadn't heard a thing from her since that night, and he was certain she had dumped him, especially after he told his dad what had happened. His dad had talked to Ruelle, and she had given him her testimony. After that, Jayden was certain he would never see her again.
But there she was. Looking every bit as gorgeous as ever.
"W-what are you doing here?" he asked, completely taken aback by her beauty.
"I thought you and I ought to go out and have some fun. It's Friday night!" she said.
Days of worrying and feeling down had made Jayden quite the hermit, and he had barely seen any of his friends. He definitely hadn't been out, except to go to work.
"Wow, yes, that's…that's a great idea. Let me get my jacket, and we'll go," he said and rushed inside. He grabbed his jacket and yelled at his parents that he was going out, then hurried outside where she was standing in the driveway, looking up at the sky.
"There's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight," she said. "How about we go up to the mountains and watch?"
Jayden swallowed. "Sure."
They both got into her car and drove off. Jayden couldn't stop staring at her as they rushed past the landscape out of town, toward the mountains surrounding them.
"So…you're not mad at me, I take it?" he asked cautiously.
"I got over it," she said with a light chuckle. "Luckily, my parents didn't ask any questions. They were just happy nothing bad happened to me. And, to be honest, I was kind of relieved when they told me they had caught her and asked for my testimony. You did the right thing."
Jayden leaned back in his seat, feeling proud of himself and his decision. He knew Jazmine had to be hurting badly, but she too knew it was the right thing to do.
"I’m glad you feel this way," he said.
Ruelle sped up the car and ran a red light.
"Whoa," he said.
"Sorry. I’m just so eager to get out there and be alone with the guy I love," she said.
Jayden stopped breathing. Had he just heard what he thought he did? Did she say that she loved him?
She laughed again. "Don't look at me like that, silly. Yes, of course, I love you. I did the moment I saw you. I knew you were perfect for me. I don't need any parents telling me that." She reached over and touched his skin lightly. "It's you and me, baby. Forever. And once we become wolves, no one can stop us."
Jayden couldn't stop smiling. For the first time since he realized what his destiny was supposed to be, he actually found the idea appealing. Living forever with the love of his life. What's not to be thrilled about?
Right?
Chapter Thirty-One
"So, what do you say, Sprinkles? You having a good time?"
Duncan leaned close to my ear and whispered the words, his cold breath tickling my ear and causing me to shiver in delight.
I looked around the table at the Italian restaurant where we had eaten dinner. All his friends were talking loudly amongst each other, being very passionate in their discussions. Some of them had brought girlfriends, but most of them didn't.
I nodded. It had been a nice evening. They all seemed very nice. All were college kids, so they were older than me. They belonged among the wealthiest families around, I could tell by the way they spoke and how they dressed. I hadn't expected to like them when I first saw them, but so far, they had been very nice and accepting of m
e. Especially one guy named Caleb, who was sitting on the other side of me at the long table, had been very good at taking me in. I got the feeling that he liked me.
"So…did Duncan ever tell you about the time we went to Peru?" he said leaning back in his seat.
"No," I said. "Duncan doesn't really tell me much about himself."
"There's no need to tell stories now," Duncan said.
"Why not?" Caleb said.
"Robyn doesn’t need to know about those things," Duncan said. "She's still…not eighteen."
Caleb nodded with a grin. "Ah…I forgot." He looked at me, sizing me up. "Well…you will be the most beautiful one once you do turn…eighteen."
Duncan grabbed my hand in his and smiled. "Yes, she will."
Caleb laughed. "So, do you really intend to stay with him that long?" he asked. His eyes were still on me.
"She does," Duncan said and put his arm around me. He pulled me closer and held me pretty tightly. It was slightly uncomfortable.
"Well, cheers to that," Caleb said, still eying me. He lifted his red wine, and they toasted.
Caleb then turned to look at the rest of the party. "To Duncan and Robyn," he said. "May they stick together forever."
"To Duncan and Robyn," the rest of the party replied, and glasses clinked against one another.
I looked at Duncan, trying to shake this odd feeling inside of me. There was something in the way Caleb said it that made me uncomfortable. I couldn't quite figure out what it was. Was it just the way they all seemed to look at me as Duncan's possession? Like a toy he had that they wanted because he had it? Or was it the forever part that terrified me?
I wasn't sure.
"I…I think I should get home soon," I said when someone turned up the music. We had the restaurant to ourselves since the guy hosting the party had paid them off to make sure no other people came in. Now that same guy was turning up the music, and several of the others moved the chairs and tables to the side, then began to dance.