“What did your dad do?” Dustin asked.
“He was rubbing my back, and when I looked at him, he was crying, too. It was the only time I ever saw him emotional like that, and it was for me. Later they told me they’d tried for babies for so long, but I was meant to be theirs. Meant to change their life. Except I’m pretty sure it was them who were meant to change my life. If I would’ve aged out of the orphanage in Russia, I would’ve had no opportunities. I would’ve had to work the streets, become a mail order bride, or something else terrifying because who was I? A six-year-old with a hearing impairment and no family, no support system, no future. So my something real is I hate when people say bad things about vampires. Sure, some covens are bad, but some crews are bad. Humans have their own villains, too. But nobody says all humans are bad, or all shifters are bad. It’s like there is this understanding that only a small part of the population are idiots. With vampires, though, there was never a time where I explained who my parents were and didn’t get pitied or fear-filled looks. Never. Not once. All vampires are bad according to everyone. But for me, I got to see the other side. The one where my entire coven, twelve strong, stayed together through all the hard times, fought like a normal family and made-up, spent holidays together, and were strong when one of us struggled. I’m proud to be from the Four Devil’s Coven.”
“Then why are you trying for the Blackwings? If you’re planning on Turning anyway, why leave the family you love? Because let me tell you, if I found that kind of security growing up, I would never leave it.”
“It was my parent’s suggestion. They said the same to my adopted siblings, Lauren and Enrique. My parents wanted us to experience the sun before we made the decision to Turn.”
“They want you to Turn?”
“I thought so, but no, actually. They are the least selfish people I’ve ever met. Before I came here, my mom sat me down on my bed, held my hands, and told me if my future is in the sunlight, she would be so happy for me. She made me promise to give the Blackwing Crew a chance. She told me if it was up to her, I would stay human or turn shifter so I could have a normal life.”
“Normal,” Dustin murmured, his sandy-blond brows knitted in confusion.
“Being a shifter is normal to vampires. You get to sleep at night and do all the fun, normal stuff humans get to do during daylight hours. You don’t fear the sun, won’t burn to ashes in a stray sunray. You can find normal jobs, make normal friends, and not have to explain yourself every single time someone finds out you’re a shifter. She made me promise to give this a chance, so here I am, giving it a chance. And if my hearing wasn’t ruined, it would be an easy choice for me.”
Dustin looked up from the jeans he was folding with a startled look in his blazing eyes. “What would it be?”
“Now for the make-believe one. You would tell me the mountains of secrets you’ve kept because you trust me. You would date me, fall hard for me, and someday, you would make love to me and know it was right and claim me. I would claim you back, right before the wolf took me. I would sing at a bar in town at nights, all my own songs, and you would watch from a back corner where you would wear this soft smile because you loved the way my voice sounded. We would be happy here, settled, maybe have a couple of cubs, one who looks like you, and one who looks like me. We would raise them in the crew, give them a good support system, and pray to God they didn’t turn out like the other werewolves, but like you instead. Caring. Smart. Empathetic. And every night we would go to sleep in each other’s arms, and we would both be happy, even though our starts in life had never pointed us in that direction.”
Dustin swallowed hard. He wouldn’t meet her eyes. His voiced sounded odd as he said, “Why is that the make-believe part?”
Emma shrugged sadly and folded the final T-shirt. “Instinct. Even us humans have it.”
Dustin got really quiet after that. He helped her finish folding laundry and then popped the popcorn in the little microwave above the mini-fridge. He settled under the covers and pulled her close against him, his lips lingering in her hair. He was shaking ever so slightly. She loved the affection. But she hated it because something was wrong, and he wasn’t telling her what his body did—that he trusted her.
Lights off, television playing a movie neither one of them cared about, he rubbed her back in gentle circles. On and on Dustin caressed her until her eyelids grew heavy and her body relaxed completely.
And just when she slipped into the space of dreams, surrounded by Morning Glory meadows and saturated sunlight, a voice whispered to her on the wind. “I’ll love you for two thousand years until I see you again.”
Chapter Fifteen
Dustin peeled his shirt off as he made his way to the office. John was sitting with his legs crossed at the ankles on top of the small desk. “Hey Dustin, what can I do you for?”
“John, don’t ask questions, but you need to get into one of the motel rooms, lock yourself in, and don’t come out no matter what you hear.”
John laughed and then frowned, as if he was waiting for the punch line.
Dustin flipped off the light switch, dousing them in darkness. His eyes were probably glowing like a demon’s right now. “If you want to live, John, leave. Now.”
John dropped the romance novel he’d been reading and bolted for the key case, chose a set he wanted, then jogged out the front door.
Dustin watched him cross the parking lot and disappear into a room on the end of the L-shape. The asphalt was streaked green and blue, reflecting the neon welcome sign at the entrance of the motel. The ground was wet from the storm that had blown through earlier, and the clouds covering the sky churned with warning. Fucking perfect weather for the hell that was going to go down tonight.