House of secrets, p.15
House of Secrets, page 15
The fear that had radiated from my gut into every part of my body and soul that night flooded back to me. His giant body engulfing mine, the smell of sweat on his skin, and my fury and rage as I pushed, clawed, and kicked at every part of him. My breath escaped me as I shuddered. Then my mind went to Andras and his golden eyes, which had been full of death and rage as he’d appeared out of the darkness. His handsome face, framed by parted mauve lips, revealed unnervingly white teeth and razor-sharp fangs.
How did any of this happen? Was I going crazy?
The car in front of me swung out of its parking space into the road, engine roaring as their black SUV disappeared out of sight. And now, directly in front of me, of course, sat Bethany’s giant white SUV.
Not now.
A bell rang. The large glass doors of the school swung open. Two administrators pushed and held the double doors open for the students pouring out in a sea of blue, green, and white uniforms. Ria and Liv were among them, their wild curls bouncing as they walked together, holding hands, surrounded on either side by elementary school children of every size, color, and character. Some of the children sang, laughed, played; some wore somber expressions, weary from the day; and others rubbed the sleep from their eyes. Liv bounced, her mouth moving quickly as she prattled on to Ria, who stared straight ahead, her eyes sweeping the car line then settling on mine. I turned off the car and got out. My lips parted and curled up at the corners as they padded towards me.
I dropped to one knee, arms open. “My girls!”
“Mamma!” Olivia beamed.
“Hi, Mom,” Ria said, flatly, “did you comb your hair today?”
I shrugged off her tiny insult, pulled the girls into a hug, and asked if I could kiss them on the cheek. They nodded, and I kissed them both, then sat back on my haunches, arms dropping to my side for balance.
“What was the funniest thing that happened today?” I asked as I rose to my feet, taking each girl by the hand and leading them toward the car.
“Jasper farted,” Olivia howled.
“Ew,” Victoria scoffed, but her mouth pulled up at the corners.
I opened the car doors, bouncing from foot to foot as they clicked open and up. Parents turned to watch.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the blonde heads of a grown-up and a child moving toward the white SUV and did my best not to make eye contact. To my surprise, the girls climbed into their seats easily and did themselves up, something that almost never happened with Liv, who I still had to bribe regularly in public, to my chagrin. I walked around the car, just as Bethany opened the door to her SUV and began to climb in. She saw me and stopped, bringing her leg back down to the road.
“Hi, Danny.” Her lips peeled back in a wide smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Bethany,” I mumbled. I nodded to her and started to get into my car when she stepped towards me, her mouth open to speak.
I paused. “What is it, Bethany?” I ground out, not at all trying to hide the irritation.
The smile faded from her face, and for once, her eyes softened. She actually looked genuinely decent for a moment.
“I just wanted to ask if you’re okay. I heard what happened—the break-in. News travels fast. I’m sorry—truly. And I’m glad that you and the girls are okay.”
Totally caught off guard, I stared at her for a heartbeat. I blinked.
“Thank you,” I said, studying her face, “But why?”
“Our families don’t like each other, Danny, but it doesn’t mean that I want you to die, Jesus. And I certainly don’t want anything bad to happen to the girls. I'm not a monster.”
I chewed on my lip. Did I believe her? Not really. Sorta? No.
A pause. Then her eyebrows lifted, and the serpentine smile returned like she’d just thought of something.
“Oh, and while we’re chatting,” she said, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder, “I should tell you that someone sent me a photo of you coming out of a big white colonial-style house recently. A night or two ago, maybe? And the man Kim saw you with at the bar, the really cute one, owns it, I guess?”
“What man?” Victoria demanded from inside the car.
“Nobody,” I said, reaching into the car to turn on the radio.
Nothing had happened. I had no reason to feel the rising wave of guilt. But Andras was, well, a fucking vampire, and the last thing he needed, or I needed, was for Bethany and the rest of her cunt club to be acting like some kind of neighborhood paparazzi.
“Bethany,” I said, straightening my spine, “this is creepy on so many fucking levels. Do you think that it’s okay to film and photograph people while they’re going about their lives? What is it that you want from me? Ever since we were kids, you’ve been like this. Is the goal to be a fucking twat in perpetuity? That’s so boring.”
Her candy-pink mouth fell open. A few parents leading their kids to their respective cars looked at me sidelong as they ushered them past.
“As I said,” she spat, “we don’t like each other. And honestly, I was just trying to warn you. But you’re being a real bitch, so maybe I’ll forward the photo on to Steven.”
I shook my head and tsk-ed at her, then climbed into my car and turned the radio up while my ridiculous doors descended and clicked into place.
A pop song filled the car, and I turned back to my girls, “I love you both so much!” Then I spread my arms and shook my shoulders, kicked my head back, and belted out the tune with Ria and Liv as I pulled away and shot forward past Bethany.
“Burning down the HOUSE.”
***
When we got home, I was surprised to see Steven’s car there and a little excited to see him, too. We felt like friends again, and it was nice. Victoria and Olivia rushed into the house with backpacks in tow, squealing and screeching, “Daddy! Daddy!” Steven leaned down to hug and kiss each of them before asking them to go put their stuff away in their rooms. He and I watched them run up the stairs, their boots stomping and thundering as they disappeared out of sight.
“They’re so crazy,” I huffed, laughing.
Steven turned to me, crestfallen.
“What’s the matter?” I took a step forward to close the distance between us.
He didn’t say anything, just flipped his phone over on the counter so that the screen was up and gestured for me to look at it. I squinted at the blurred image of me in running clothes, leaving Andras's house. My throat felt tight.
“Is this where you went the other night?” He asked with eyes that were utterly dead, unfeeling, empty.
“I went running,” I said, and it wasn’t a lie. I had gone running first. “Then I stopped by to chat with our neighbor because he had some art he wanted to show me.” Also true, technically, and who says that fangs aren’t a work of art? It seemed like a smart idea to leave out the part where he’s an old as fuck non-human who nearly killed the man that had attacked me in our living room. Steven’s eyes raked over me. Then his lips quivered.
“You’re not already moving on? I know we’re…not together. But…”
“No. No, I’m not moving on…not yet. But honestly? It’s none of your business anymore,” I said, quietly.
He nodded reluctantly.
“I mean, who else would put up with you?” he said, chuckling.
I blinked.
“I have to pee,” I said, turning to walk away but then stopped cold. I spun around and reveled in his confusion.
“A lot of people would put up with me, Steven, in fact, a lot of people would even go as far as to fucking enjoy spending time with me. You dick.”
Closing the bathroom door, I sat on the edge of the tub and breathed deeply. Who else would put up with me? Prick. And Bethany? What was I going to do about Bethany? My hands curled into fists and I breathed, and breathed, and breathed.
FAE SMUT
“Can’t believe you went to that guy’s house without me,” Jess reprimanded, referring to Andras.
“In retrospect, I’d probably wait for you if I had to do it again so it doesn’t look like I’m fucking him.” I sighed.
“I hate Bethany,” Jess grumbled, taking a huge bite of her strawberry croissant, pausing for a heartbeat to scan the coffee shop from the table where we sat. “And I hate that she’s so awful that I have to hate her. Women supporting women, and all that, but it’s impossible with her. I didn’t think she was all that great back when we were kids, but I swear, puberty made her actually evil.”
“I blame her parents. Mom and Dad were bonkers, but they never tried to turn us against anyone.”
Jess raised an eyebrow, “Mom and Dad?”
“Okay, they did, but her parents must have held a brainwashing meeting that included a ten-year plan for all the ways she should terrorize us.”
I exhaled and rolled my shoulders back. The barista, a pretty blonde woman with a nose ring, set a latte down in front of me. I nodded a thank you.
“I feel like I’m being stalked,” I said, taking a drink from the blue mug, savoring the vanilla-flavored foam of the oat milk. “And actually, I keep getting this feeling that I’m being watched. Even before the break-in.”
“You are being stalked. These bitches have nothing better to do than meddle in everyone else’s lives. And the funniest part is that it’s not like Bethany’s life is picture perfect–fuck, we know that better than anyone growing up across the street from her,” Jess shook her head. “None of them have perfect lives, so they’ve got some nerve judging everyone else.” She pressed her lips together tightly for a beat. “Do you know who took the photo?”
“I mean, there’s only one person it could be. Kim is the only one who lives in our neighborhood–everyone else lives on the hill.”
“Kim, huh?”
“Kim,” I shrugged. “Such a bummer, too. She didn’t seem so bad.”
“People will do crazy shit to be accepted, Danny. I mean, not us–we seem to enjoy being outcasts. But everyone else likes to be liked.”
I huffed a laugh.
Jess cocked her head, her glossy bob glistening under the cafe lights, “It’s true, you know,” she added, adjusting her blazer.
“You look nice,” I complimented her. My sister was forever a beauty, timeless but modern and quirky all at the same time. She’d basically worn a uniform all her life, first in Catholic school, and then she created a sort of business casual uniform for the rest of her life: blouse, blazer, and slacks–what she had referred to as Queer Professional in high school. And damn, did she make it her brand and pull it off every day for a decade.
“Thank you. I like your outfit, too.” She said, eyeing my jeans and sweater, “especially the oxfords with the ankle socks.”
“Mersi,” I said, thanking her in Persian.
She winked, then asked, “What’s the plan for Bethany?”
“I don’t know. Hex her?”
“Hasn’t worked in the past,” Jess said casually.
I frowned, “Can’t tell if you’re joking or not?”
She shrugged and popped the last of her croissant into her mouth, and I wondered what in the hell she’d tried to do to Bethany. Jess glanced at the clock on the wall and stood up, gathering her keys, wallet, and phone into her leather tote bag. She leaned down to kiss me on my cheeks: right, left, right, three times, the way Persians do.
“Meeting with a professor about my dissertation, gotta run. Then I have a date,” she bemoaned. “But I’m sorry again, about everything. I know you’re going through so much right now, and I’m here for you. Always.”
I waved her away, “I know. Love you.”
Pulling a spicy novel, which could easily have passed for Fae porn, from my bag, I got cozy in my chair. I should have been grocery shopping, cleaning, and completing all manner of menial adult tasks while the girls were at school, but I’d decided to take a half day to have coffee with my sister, whine about the assholes I’d had the recent displeasure of dealing with, and read for pleasure in this cozy coffee shop. I cracked the spine, leaned back, and let myself be swept into a magical world that no longer seemed all that far-fetched. If vampires were real, all bets were off. For all I knew, this godsdamn book in my hands full of fae lords fucking their partners to the hilt might not be fiction at all. Could be a High Fae memoir. “Rhysand, Unveiled.”
The book hooked me right away, pulling me into its action-packed plot of shadows, romance, and fate. I didn’t notice the man standing next to me with arms crossed, simpering, until he tapped me lightly on the shoulder. I whirled in my seat, eyes snapping up to Andras looking down at me with eyebrows raised. I exhaled loudly, my shoulders relaxing a little.
“Good book?” he asked. “Do you mind?” He reached over and turned it to see the cover. He pressed his lips together, trying to stifle a laugh.
“I see.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Yes, it has plenty of that in it.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s very good.”
He flashed a knowing smile.
My curiosity was piqued.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, I can’t remember if I told you or not, but I edit books. Mostly nonfiction, but commercial fiction and such, too. I’m friends with the woman who edited this particular book” he tapped the cover with his finger. “She said she had to commit herself to many cold showers to get through it. And apparently, she broke more than one vibrator. So, naturally, I had to read the entire series. Big fan.” He smirked, “You’ll be surprised to find out who the main character ends up with in the end.”
The man never ceased to surprise me and I couldn’t help but love that about him.
“Well, I guess we have Fae smut in common. And it sounds like I have a lot to look forward to,” I said, tilting the book to examine the girth.
“May I sit?” he asked, chin dipping towards the empty seat at my table.
“Oh, Gods. Uhm, shit. Sure, but I have to tell you something, and maybe you won’t want to stay long after.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound good,” he said, sliding elegantly into the chair.
“So,” I cleared my throat, “apparently someone saw me leaving your house, I think the same person who also saw us talking at Blotto that one time and blabbed it to everyone.”
I winced, “How pissed are you?”
“At them? A lot.”
“At me?”
“You? Not at all. It’s not your fault, Danny.”
“Hmm.”
“She sent the picture to this woman, Bethany, who is like my arch nemesis. It’s a long, boring story, but essentially our parents spent the better part of a decade suing each other over community guidelines in Cherry Hill. It’s some twisted, modern-day Capulet and Montague shit that I don’t even want to get into because it’s humiliating and gross. But Bethany sent the picture to my husband. Or ex-husband, or whatever. He seems to believe you and I are having an affair.”
Andras frowned. A pause while his jaw worked.
“Hmm.”
“Yeah.”
The corners of Andras's lips kicked up slowly into a wicked grin, “I mean, I’m not opposed to having an affair with you.”
My lower stomach fluttered. But I put on a big show of groaning and rolling my eyes, rocking back in my chair as the perfect picture of cool disinterest.
“I’m sure you have plenty of folks already warming your bed at night.”
“I do,” he said, flashing that cocky grin. “And yes, I know you’re not interested, and I don’t want to be beaten with a wine bottle again anytime soon, so…”
I put my hand on my chest in mock horror. He nodded at me as if to say, yeah, you, exactly. He inhaled sharply and tapped his fingertips quietly on the table.
“I don’t like someone watching my house and taking photos for obvious reasons,” he said flatly.
“Yeah. I figured as much.”
A couple of young women sat next to us, pausing their conversation briefly to stare, or rather gawk, at Andras. If he noticed, he didn’t let on, but I imagined that being drooled over was a daily sort of thing for him and probably had been for a long time. Fuck, centuries. Centuries! A part of me felt smug to be sitting with him, to even be friends (if that’s what we were becoming) with this striking man. I knew his secret, his world-altering, incomprehensible secret. I wondered what the young women would do if they knew the truth.
Andras rested his forearms on the table. He angled his head in question.
“You’re lost in thought again. Everything alright?”
“Yeah,” I breathed.
He studied my face for a moment, and I could have sworn he was scenting the air, too. He subtly perked up an ear as if he was trying to smell the lie, searching my body for telltale signs of upset: a racing heart, a chemical change. Weird. I’d ask him about it later when we didn’t have a table of fangirls hanging on his every word.
“So,” he began, “what are you going to do about this awful person?”
“I don’t know. Nothing. Something. What is there to do?”
A barista swung by and set down a mug of black coffee in front of Andras, who smiled up at him.
“Thank you,” he said, sincerely.
“Coffee, huh?” I asked.
“It’s not my drink of choice,” a wink, “but I do enjoy it.”
He took a small sip and set down the mug with preternatural grace.
“You could poison her,” he resumed. “I mean, that’s how important families used to settle this kind of thing back in my day.”
“Hilarious,” I deadpanned.
He shrugged.
For over a decade, I’d fantasized about myriad ways to get back at Bethany for her bullshit. Like when she told everyone in Miss Laru’s chem class that my dad haunted, yes haunted, our house after his death. Or when she told my ninth-grade boyfriend that I was a witch who summoned demons on the regular and had been possessed multiple times (laughable, when you don’t go to a private Catholic school), and he stopped speaking to me overnight. Or in seventh grade, when our poodle died, and she told everyone that my sister had killed Tom-Tom in a fit of rage. I’d daydreamed about getting even but never did. It just never seemed worth it. I didn’t really care what other people thought enough back then to take action, plus I had Jess, Samantha, and Sebastian to soften her blows. Now that I was in my thirties, petty gossip and revenge seemed absolutely fucking ridiculous and I couldn’t understand for the life of me how my parents and Bethany’s parents had spent so much time as adults plotting to fuck each other over. But Bethany had gone too far this time. Revenge would be had.
