1. NEW BEGINNINGS
LEESA NYLAND WAS AFRAID to open her eyes. Not because she was scared she might see something frightening—though god knows she had seen and experienced enough scary stuff her first few months at Weston College to last her a lifetime—but because she was afraid that if she opened her eyes she might discover she had merely been dreaming all the wonderful things that had happened.
She had every right to be worried about that, she knew. She had seen and done things in the last three months that few people would believe, or could even imagine. Maybe it all was just a dream. Maybe there were no vampires. Maybe she had never allowed herself to be bitten by the enigmatic Stefan as part of a bargain to save her brother Bradley. She almost reached for her throat, but pulled her fingers back. What if she found no twin puncture scars there? That would mean it was only a dream, and that Bradley was still missing. It would also mean that her mom was probably still a recluse, refusing to leave the house. Leesa did not want to return to that reality. No how, no way.
Most of all, though, she did not want to discover that the comforting warmth she felt against her cheek was nothing more than her electric blanket. No, she much preferred believing the magical heat radiated from her amazing volkaane boyfriend Rave. She snuggled her face more tightly against the warm cloth and sighed.
She could feel the hard muscles of Rave’s chest working beneath the material. This was no dream—no blanket or pillow would move like that. She opened her eyes and confirmed it, staring at Rave’s brown and purple flannel shirt, not her blanket. She looked up into his handsome face and smiled.
He carried her effortlessly, racing through the woods along old game paths at speeds that should have been impossible, his gait so smooth she felt almost as if they were flying. She loved it when Rave carried her like this, cradled snug in his arms. It more than made up for his people not using cars or any form of transportation other than their feet.
Rave carried her for another few minutes before setting her gently to the ground. Leesa sighed, wishing the journey was a longer one—a much longer one. They were just going to her aunt and uncle’s house for Thanksgiving dinner, and they were almost there. With no more trees to hide their passage, they had to walk the rest of the way. Leesa rose up onto her toes and kissed Rave on the cheek.
“Thanks for the lift,” she said, smiling.
“Anytime, beautiful.”
Leesa fluffed her fingers through her long blond hair, trying to work out the tangles caused by the rapid ride in Rave’s arms.
“This is far and away my favorite way to travel, but it does a number on my hair, for sure.”
“Does this mean you no longer mind having a boyfriend without a car?”
Leesa tilted her head and narrowed her eyes, as if in deep thought. “Well, I wish you could at least ride in one now and then, but no, I don’t really mind. I do wish you volkaanes would figure out some way you could use a cell phone, though.”
“Maybe Balin and I could figure something out. We would have to stop working on the kissing thing while we did, though.”
“Ha! Never mind. Number one priority: the kissing thing. Number two priority: the kissing thing. Number three priority:…”
“Let me guess. The kissing thing?”
Leesa laughed. “How’d you guess?”
Rave grinned. “Just a wild hunch.”
Leesa felt her stomach quietly rumble, reminding her she was hungry. Wanting to save plenty of room for Thanksgiving dinner, she had eaten only half a bowl of cereal for breakfast.
“Hungry?” Rave asked.
Leesa blushed. She couldn’t believe he had heard that, but Rave’s hearing was far more acute than any human. She shook her head—there were more than a few downsides to having a supernatural boyfriend.
“Yeah. I didn’t eat much breakfast. Aunt Janet’s a great cook, so I wanted to make sure I left plenty of room for dinner. And for Uncle Roger’s pies, too. They’re to die for.”
“Well, what are we waiting for, then? Let’s get a move on so we can get some food into you.”
Leesa reached out and took Rave’s hand as they headed down the street. As always, the warmth of his skin thrilled her. She smiled as her thoughts flew back to the first few times they had held hands, before he had revealed his magical nature to her. Back then, he had kept his gloves on so she wouldn’t notice his unnatural warmth. Thankfully, the days of gloves were long gone.
Nobody else in her life knew Rave wasn’t human, and that was how she intended to keep it, for a while, at least. Her mother and brother had suffered enough from supernatural creatures; they didn’t need to know she was in love with one. Rave could control his heat well enough now that a quick handshake would not give him away, so she expected no problems keeping his secret.
When they reached her aunt and uncle’s house, a pale yellow Colonial set back from the street, Rave gently grabbed Leesa’s arm and drew her to a stop.
“I think you should bring their dog outside to meet me before I go in.”
Leesa looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“How come? Max is a really great dog. He likes everybody.” A sudden thought flashed through her brain. “Uh, oh. Don’t tell me dogs don’t like volkaanes.”
“No, it’s not that. They like us just fine. Better than fine, in fact. Volkaanes have a special relationship with many animals, especially dogs. Max may act a little strange, though, until I introduce myself to him. I don’t think we want your family to see that.”
“Oh… okay. But what am I going to tell everyone when I show up at the door without you?”
Rave thought for a moment. “Just tell them I’m admiring their beautiful neighborhood for a few minutes.”
“Okay, I guess. They may think that’s a little weird, though.”
“Trust me, that’s much better than what they might think if Max meets me inside.”
Leesa did trust him, implicitly. She kissed him on the cheek. “Back in minute.”
She turned and headed quickly toward the door. Max came rushing to greet her before she even got the door open. The four-year-old golden retriever overflowed with the seemingly endless energy and friendly demeanor common to his breed. Leesa stepped inside the house and gave him a quick but vigorous chest rub.
Bradley and Uncle Roger were sitting on the couch, watching a football game. She didn’t see her mom or Aunt Janet, and guessed they were still busy cooking. The delicious smells emanating from the kitchen made her stomach rumble again. She smiled, wondering if Rave could hear it from all the way outside. She hoped his hearing wasn’t that good.
Bradley popped up from the couch to greet her.
“Hey, pumpkin,” he said as gave her a warm hug.
Leesa thought her brother looked great. His color was back to normal, and he had gained some much needed weight. He could still use another ten pounds, but she expected Thanksgiving dinner would be good for a few of those, at least.
Uncle Roger followed Bradley’s hug with one of his own. As she wrapped her arms around his ample form, she wished she had some magic powers of her own, so she could transfer a few of Uncle Roger’s extra pounds to her brother. She was certain they would both go for that trade.
“Is that my beautiful daughter I hear out there?” Judy Nyland said, hurrying from the kitchen.
Leesa smiled. “Hi, Mom.”
They embraced each other tightly. Leesa couldn’t believe how much her mom had changed. Her pallid complexion finally had some color to it, and there was barely a trace left of the anxious, timid woman Leesa had grown up with. She had spent her entire childhood thinking her mom was crazy, but her story about having been bitten by a one-fanged vampire had turned out to be true. She was cured now, though, and she was becoming more and more normal every day.
“Where’s Rave, honey?” Judy asked when they finally ended their embrace. “I thought he was coming with you.”
“He’s outside, enjoying the neighborhood. I’m going to take Max out for a couple of minutes, and then we’ll all be back in.” She looked at her uncle. “Is that okay, Uncle Roger?”
Uncle Roger smiled. “Sure is. I’m pretty sure you won’t get any argument from Max, either.”
“Do I need his leash?”
“Not as long as you’re staying in the yard. He won’t go anywhere.”
“Okay. I’ll let you guys get back to your game. We’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Leesa opened the door, and Max raced outside. She watched as Max bounded down the stairs and galloped toward Rave. She had never seen Max so excited. She didn’t know what was going to happen next, but she was glad she had pushed the door closed so no one could see, just in case.
Rave held out his hand, palm up, and Max skidded to a halt five feet in front of him. Rave turned his palm down and lowered his hand. Max sank obediently to his belly on the grass.
Leesa was amazed. Max was an obedient dog, for sure, but he had never met Rave. She wasn’t certain even Uncle Roger could have gotten Max to stop his headlong rush so quickly.
She moved closer, watching as Rave walked over to Max and knelt beside him. He seemed to whisper something into Max’s ear and then petted him on top of his head. When he stood up, Max got to his feet and stood next to him, waiting. They looked as if they had known each other forever.
Rave smiled at Leesa. “It’s all good now. Max and I are buddies. We can go inside. He’ll behave normally.”
Leesa still wasn’t sure what she had just witnessed. “Wow. That was something. Max always has a lot of energy, but I’ve never seen him quite so amped up. I’m glad you thought to meet him outside. I’m not sure the house could have withstood that much Max.”
They went inside. Rave had already met everyone, so no introductions were necessary, just hellos. Leesa watched as Rave moved easily about the room. He moved with such fluid grace you wouldn’t notice unless you were watching closely, but he took care to remain a safe distance from anything electrical—the television, stereo, even lamps.
This time, Aunt Janet was able to pull herself away from the kitchen, so she and Leesa exchanged a warm embrace. Aunt Janet was four years older than her sister, but Leesa thought the two looked remarkably similar, now that her mom had lost the haunted look she had borne for so many years. The matching blue and white checked aprons both wore over their dresses didn’t hurt the similarity.
“Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes,” Aunt Janet said.
“Then it’s time for some of my special appetizers,” Uncle Roger said, hurrying toward the kitchen with a big smile on his face.
Leesa smiled, too, knowing what was coming. Uncle Roger owned a bakery famous for its pies.
Sure enough, Uncle Roger emerged from the kitchen carrying a platter filled with bite-sized squares of steaming apple pie. Toothpicks topped by red and blue foil streamers protruded from the center of each piece, making them easy to eat. He offered the platter to Leesa first.
The cinnamon-laced aroma of baked apples made her stomach rumble again. She grabbed a piece with each hand and plopped one into her mouth. The pie tasted even better than it smelled. The chunks of apple were soft and tangy, and the buttery crust simply melted in her mouth. Dessert first was definitely not a bad idea!
Dinner was just as delicious as Uncle Roger’s appetizers. The turkey was moist and tender, and Aunt Janet’s gravy was to die for. Side dishes included mashed potatoes, tender green beans sautéed with shallots and pine nuts, buttery sweet potatoes, cranberries and homemade stuffing made with raisins, almonds, celery and tiny bits of sausage.
Leesa ate healthy quantities of everything. Her hunger had long since been satisfied, and she was rapidly approaching the point of being stuffed. Reluctantly, she put her fork down, determined to save room for dessert.
She was glad to see Bradley reaching for a third helping of turkey—the more food her brother ate, the better she liked it. She noticed her mom staring down at her plate, slowly pushing a piece of turkey around with her fork, but making no move to eat it. Her face seemed strangely sad.
Leesa felt a pang of worry. “What’s the matter, Mom?”
Judy looked up. “Oh, nothing, honey. I was just thinking how happy you and your brother look. I’m sorry I never made a dinner like this for you two.”
“Mom, we’ve been over this. It wasn’t your fault.”
“We’re the ones who are sorry, Mom,” Bradley added. “Sorry we didn’t believe your story. Maybe we could have done something differently if we had.”
“Thankfully, all that’s in the past now,” Aunt Janet said. “This year we have so much to be thankful for. Let’s all remember that.”
“Amen to that,” Uncle Roger said as he reached for another helping of turkey.
“I can’t imagine anything better than this,” Leesa said. “Being here with all of you, eating this delicious food…and with dessert still to come!”
Everyone laughed, but it was her mom’s laughter that warmed Leesa’s heart the most. She truly had never been happier.