“Brooke!” Jamie screamed.
I stayed under for way longer than a human would. I didn't know why, but I was messing with him, trying to see if he'd rescue me. I watched him through the water as he struggled to see if I was going to come up, and also pulling his shirt over his head. I popped my head through the surface of the water.
“Hey, what's wrong?” I grinned and splashed some water at him.
“Oh my God, you're okay.” He paused with his shirt in his hands. His chest was well-muscled. Clearly, he was an athlete. There were tiny scars all over his skin that only I could see, but other than that, he was a perfect specimen. Just the kind of boy human Brooke would have gone for and had an unrequited crush on for years. Noctalis Brooke wanted him for other reasons.
“I'm fine,” I said, kicking my feet back so I could float. The water was probably too cold for him, but it wouldn't be fatal. I laughed, giddy with the feel of the water on my skin. He tried not to stare at my chest. It wasn’t much, but still. The bra I stole was too small, so my boobs looked more ample than they really were. It was all part of the look I was going for. Deadly force in a sweet seductive package.
Nine
Ava
Things calm down for a few days as we wait for the weekend and our guests from India to arrive. Most of the time I alternate between hope and terror. Hope that they can help us and terror that they'll say they can't, or that they'll turn out to be Di's second cousins twice-removed and have a binding promise with her.
Anything is possible.
I also consider telling Peter to change me. He says he will if I ask him. I find myself watching him and imagining how our life would be. What it would be like to belong to him. I already belong to him, but my soul would be his, as well as my heart. I open my mouth at least a hundred times to tell him I'm ready, but then an image of my mother flashes into my head. How can I have the audacity to seize immortality when she's dying? It seems like the most selfish, horrible thing I could possibly do. It feels like spitting in her face. So I shut my mouth and don't say a word.
I'm not going to tell Peter about it. The truth is I feel caught between betraying my mother and setting Peter free. I love him, but she comes first. There will be a time when that could change, but it's not right now. As much as I would give anything for him, I can't betray my mother.
Tex succeeds in her plan to get Toby fired and instates Viktor as his replacement. How she swung that with her mother, I never find out, but when I see Viktor at work on Thursday night, I find out why.
Tex's mom is as infatuated with him as she is. I've never seen Mrs. Hamilton giggly before, but I do, and more than once. That isn’t what made my jaw drop though. It is Viktor's behavior. He smiles, he compliments, he is helpful, and he flirts with little old ladies over knitting books. Viktor is the perfect employee, hands down. Who knew?
The flowers, casseroles and phone calls continue to flood in. The house smells so strongly of flowers that I almost can't smell Dad's blood. Almost, but not quite.
I wrestle with the want for blood all day, and being away from Peter doesn't help. I can't wait until it will be just the two of us, or just Mom and me in the garden for the whole summer. The bite on my neck fades enough so I can put makeup on it. No one seems to notice. I guess I'm really paranoid that people are always looking at my neck because apparently they aren't.
I try to get her to let me take some time off school like we talked about, but Dad shuts that down. He's been really quiet lately, always off in space or lost in thought. I even have Peter over a few times, and he doesn't even seem to notice. I vacillate between being relieved and worried about him. Aj emails me a bunch of times, asking when a good time for her to come up would be. I tell her Sunday, because the big meeting with Kamir and Rasha is on Saturday and I really don't want those two things to collide. Keep 'em separate, that's my motto.
All in all, it is a stressful week.
Friday night comes, and Tex and I decide it's time for Jamie to meet the boys, as we have come to call them. Noctali. Whatever. We ambush him Friday afternoon with plans to go to the movies that night. There's an action movie that Tex and I are all over, even though it's considered a dude movie. We figure it will appeal to all, so Tex and I double-team him and convince him to come with us.
“As long as it's not Dirty Dancing,” he says, glaring at Tex. Her face goes bright red and without warning she slugs him in the face.
He grabs his cheek and doubles over. “What the hell, Tex? What was that for?”
“Oh my God,” I say, going to see if Jamie's okay. Tex stands there, looking at her hands as if she's never seen them before. Shit.
“I'm so sorry! I don't know — I have no idea what happened. I was angry and then —” She shakes her head, as if trying to erase it like an Etch-A-Sketch.
“Are you okay? Let me see,” I say to Jamie, trying to get him to stop holding his face.
Luckily, we're hanging out in the parking lot and there aren't a lot of people around. If we'd been at lunch, Tex would have gotten hauled to the Head Office. As it is, there are a few people rubbernecking. I glare at them and they go about their business. Stupid nosy idiots.
Jamie turns his face up and I see that she got him right on the cheek. That angry red mark is going to turn into a lovely bruise soon.
“We should put some ice on it.” He flinches as my fingers prod the spot.
“No, I'm fine. I've dealt with a punch to the face before. It's fine.” Jamie shakes his head, too.
“Jamie?” Tex holds out her hands as if she's begging. Tears run down her face and she starts to fall. Before I can catch her, Viktor is there, coming out from behind a car at lightning speed.
“You're fine. It will be okay.” They sound like words he learned somewhere else, and not like things Viktor would say. They sound odd with his accent.
“What did I do?” Tex sobs, turning to put her face in Viktor's chest. He holds her close, whispering in her hair.
“Where did you come from?” Jamie says.
Oh, dear. Jamie would have to be blind not to have seen how fast Viktor moved. This kept getting stickier and stickier. We should just tell him what is up and get on with it. Tex and my mother took it well.
“I was just coming to meet Tex,” Viktor says, not really answering the question.
Jamie works his jaw, wincing. He's still looking at Viktor as if he knows something is up, but isn't sure if it is his mind playing tricks on him.
Tex is still mumbling into Viktor’s chest. She turns her head.
“I'm sorry, Jamie.”