Page 20 (1/2)

Marisa was seated at a corner table when Kelly entered the restaurant She was a pretty woe suit and white silk blouse

"Meeting for lunch was a good idea," Marisa said, slad you called"

"I&039;m sorry I&039;m late" Kelly spread her napkin in her lap "Did you order already?"

"No I&039; sometimes, aren&039;t they?" Kelly said wistfully

Marisa nodded "Indeed, they are And getting longer as the season wears on I&039; forward to summer at all Shall we order?"

Kelly nodded Marisa ordered a Chinese chicken salad and iced tea; Kelly ordered a turkey club sandwich and lemonade

When the waitress left the table, Marisa leaned forward "I have a feeling there&039;syou?"

"I&039;hed "I&039;ve never heard anyone call hirinned self-consciously "I don&039;t call him that out loud, but that&039;s how I think of him" She placed her hand over her heart "In here"

"Does he feel the same about you?"

"I don&039;t know I hope so"

"But?"

"He scares ent "He&039;s so unhappy being a vaori told me"

&039;&039;It ful" She shuddered with the memory "I found him in the cellar I was sure he was dead His skin was horribly burned, and" She broke off

"And you&039;re afraid he&039;ll try again?"

"Yes But what really scares me is the way he seems to need my blood He says it soothes him Why should my blood be any different from anyone else&039;s? And what if someday he can&039;t stop? What if he ?" She couldn&039;t say the words out loud

Marisa covered Kelly&039;s hand with her own "I don&039;t think Edould ever hurt you, deliberately or otherwise He&039;s a strong man As for why your blood soothes him, I&039;m sure it&039;s because he loves you And the need for blood lessens as vae, if that&039;s any coori? Are you ever sorry you married him?"

"Happy, yes Sorry, no"

"But what about children?"

"That&039;s difficult I alanted a big faori with all ine a life without him And someday"

&039;&039;Someday what?&039;&039;

"I&039;ll becoether forever"

Kelly&039;s eyes widened "You want to be a vampire?"

"Not really, but it&039;s the only e can truly be together forever"

"I think it would be wonderful to be a vampire," Kelly confided "Oh, not the blood part I&039;row old, never to be sick I could live without the sun I&039;ve always been a night person, anyway But the blood part" She shook her head "I just don&039;t think I could do that"

Marisa drew her hand away and leaned back in her chair when the waitress arrived with their order

Kelly grinned at Marisa when the waitress left the table "Do you think she heard ere talking about?"

Marisa laughed softly "I hope not You know, I read up on vaori It&039;s no wonder no one believes in them I mean, one book said that you could become a vampire if a cat jumped over your corpse, or if you were the seventh son of a seventh son Who would ever believe such nonsense?"

"Well," Kelly said thoughtfully, "I suppose superstitions were a lot stronger in the past I think people found ways to explain the unexplainable the best way they could"

"Yes, I suppose so"

They ate in silence for a fewwhat people would think if they knew she was in love with a va here, in a cozy restaurant, it seemed impossible

She lifted a hand to her neck, felt a warht before She had a suddenin the cellar, trapped in his deathlike sleep

"Have you ever asked Grigori what it&039;s like for hi the day?"

"Of course He toldthe day He also toldvampires are helpless when they sleep He said he could sense the presence of others I know there were times when he are I was in the room He can stay awake a little after daybreak, and he can rise before the sun sets now He toldinstinct for survival" Marisa paused aon "He&039;s also told me that the blood in Edward&039;s veins is very powerful"

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Edas brought across by Grigori Grigori was brought across by Khira Both of them are very old and very powerful And he also has the blood of Alexi Kristov It&039;s a powerful coine he will soon be able to remain awake after sunrise and awaken before sunset And as I said, the need for blood lessens as they grow older"

Kelly looked thoughtful for a moment "So," she mused, "if Edere toas he is?"

"I would think so"

"How long are you going to wait until you let Grigori - what&039;s the ter to do it this year, after Christmas, but I think I&039;ll wait a few more years I want to spend as much time as I can withMy folks have a cabin up at Big Bear, and ays spend a part of the suo up there for Easter, too, and sometimes for the Fourth, or for Christmas That&039;s especially nice, with the snow and all"

"Sounds like fun," Kelly said wistfully "I don&039;t have any faot osh, must be four or five years"

"I&039;m sorry You&039;re welcome to come up to the cabin with us this summer"

"I don&039;t think so I&039;m afraid to leave Eddie alone, you know?"

Marisa nodded "Another time, maybe, when he&039;sfamily?"

"Not really Besides my mom and dad, there&039;s just my brother, Mike, and his wife, Barbara, and their four kids But we&039;re close And ays have a good tiether"

Kelly nodded enviously Her only family was her mother and her father, unless she counted her mother&039;s three ex-husbands and her dad&039;s two ex-wives "Is Grigori going with you?"

"If he does, he won&039;t stay with us at the cabin It&039;s a little difficult to explain why he sleeps all day"

"I guess it would be," Kelly said, grinning "Of course, you could always tell them the truth Who would believe it?"

"I don&039;t know," Marisa said, her expression somber "Maybe no one But if just one person believes, well, you have to be careful, Kelly The word vampire is like the word shark People panic at the uess that&039;s true But sharks are a real threat No one believes in vampires these days"

"I do," Marisa said "You do"

"Good point"

"Did Edward tell you that there&039;s a vampire hunter in town?"

"A va in Dracula?"

"Yes, and he knoard"

"He didn&039;t mention it to me"

"I&039;m sure he didn&039;t want to worry you Kelly, don&039;t be afraid to love Edward He needs it ht about Marisa&039;s words while she drove home While she cleaned the house While she showered and brushed her hair She dressed in a silky green blouse and black jeans and then went downstairs She tried to read the paper while she ate dinner, but she saw Marisa&039;s words in the newsprint, heard them while she did the dishes and put them away Don&039;t be afraid to love Edward He needs it ain She lit a fire in the hearth, then curled up on the sofa to wait for Edward to rise

She loved hiether She had already adjusted to his lifestyle Perhaps

She felt his presence in the room, turned slowly to face hiazed back at her A flaer that went beyond desire, beyond need

He glided toward her, soundless, a predator on the scent of blood Her gaze ori Grigori looked like a vampire should look, with his black hair and eyes But not Edward Dressed in a white sweater and gray slacks, he looked like the angel she had once thought hi in her ears, as he sat down on the sofa beside her "Edward" His name slid past her lips, hardly more than a whisper

"Don&039;t be afraid of me," he said

"I&039;m not" It was a lie, and they both knew it

"I will not hurt you; I swear it"

She offered him her throat, closed her eyes as he bent his head toward her His breath arainst her neck, his hand cool on her arm There was no pain this time, only waves of pleasure that were oddly sensual

"Kelly?"

Her eyelids fluttered open and she stared up at hietting better at it," he muttered

"I love you, Eddie"