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Chapter Twenty-Four
Geoffrey was calling again.
It had been a week since he’d talked me into sneaking out to fight vampires with him. It had been a week since I’d allowed my lover to laden himself with guilt over the false assumption that he’d been controlling me. It had been a week since Nevi and I had a heart to heart talk about freedom and what it meant to me. Yes, I’d shamefully fallen into step with his assumption of guilt. I justified it by reminding myself that I was an independent woman and it wouldn’t hurt for him to realize this.
I felt awful about my participation in lie after lie after lie where Nevi was concerned. It had to stop. I just didn’t know how to stop it. I saw the anger, hate, and pain in Nevi’s eyes the night Geoffrey drove me to his doorstep and I heard the growling and shouting that went on behind closed doors the following afternoon. Grant it, when they surfaced from those closed doors they acted amiable enough. I knew i
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After pregnancy month number five, I decided to accept, as sad as it was, that my relationship with Nevi was over. Geoffrey remained persistent with his pursuit. I finally relented enough to start dating him. I’d admitted that, if Nevi hadn’t been in the picture, I would have been happy to date him and… well… Nevi was no longer in the picture.Geoffrey was surprisingly understanding as I processed the fact that I’d been left high and dry and pregnant. He sat quietly during outbursts that seemed to spring from nowhere. He held me when I needed holding and gave me the space when I needed space. This was a time when his telepathy sure came in handy. I didn’t complain.It was the fourth month anniversary of my doctor visit—the night Nevi disappeared—when I finally agreed to date Geoffrey. He was still pushing marriage, as were my parents, but I just didn’t feel it was the right thing to do. I didn’t love Geoffre
The Vampire, The Handler, and Me Chapter Twenty-Six
Robert Dugal Ewing was born a healthy, premature baby in the wee hours of a crisp fall morning. Although he needed to remain hospitalized for a week longer than I did, he eventually came home to the doting and loving arms of his family.I was thankful that I decided to remain with my parents until after the baby was born. The unexpected premature birth of my son sent me into a tailspin of worry, along with a little postpartum depression. I doubt I would have been able to cope though this time had it not been for my rock of a mother. She took over the care of little Bobby as if he were her own son, leaving me the time I needed to regroup and heal.I checked Bobby for signs of vampire on a daily basis in the privacy of my room. Since he was toothless, I had no way of really knowing. Geoffrey said he smelled of vampire. To me, he smelled of baby power and spit up. On an occasion or two, I’d picked up the faintest smell of Nevi. It was the scent he had after a night
The Vampire, The Handler, and Me Chapter Twenty-Seven
I explained where I’d been and what happened since I’d thought Nevi abandoned me. When I told them about Bobby, they looked at each other quizzically. It was then that I knew I could no longer keep who and what I was a secret. I came to the conclusion that, although Nevi may not be able to impregnate a human, I was not a mere human. Not only did I have an excessive amount of vampire blood in me, I was a handler. The truth needed to come out. Besides, since I’d lost Nevi anyway, I saw no reason to withhold it.Instead of being appalled by my being a handler, they were relieved. After a lengthy discussion, I learned that, although Nevi hated handlers, most good vampires appreciated them and often worked alongside them. Nevi was just holding a grudge because of what happened to his wife. Actually, the only handler Nevi hated was Geoffrey.Both Paul and Marie were given vampire blood years ago. I now knew vampire blood alone would elongate my life. Even i
The Vampire, The Handler, and Me Chapter Twenty-Eight
Marie barely waited for Paul to park the car before she hustled over to my car and took possession of my son. I didn’t try to stop her. This was an exciting occasion for Nevi’s fiercely loyal staff. They had not seen the innocence of new life come into the home in over fifty years. The fact that this new life was Nevi’s son and heir had to be thrilling for them.I learned that the entire staff consisted of humans who kept themselves alive by occasional tiny doses—every twenty-five years or so—of vampire blood. Marie and Paul were actually new comers to the mix. Many had been with Nevi since he discovered what his blood would do for a human in his early youth. He never imposed his blood on any of the staff. They willingly asked for his vampire blood in exchange for the gift of a lengthy life. He proved to be a fair, kind, and generous employer, which won the iron clad loyalty they had for him. They became more like Nevi’s family than his hel
The Vampire, The Handler, and Me Chapter Twenty-Nine
We trained for another week. Marie created a tea for me to help dry out my milk. With all the demands placed on my body, we agreed that it was probably for the best. Besides, Bobby was starting to teeth and fangs were inevitable. I had little knowledge of babies, but I was sure he was teething early. Was there going to be anything normal in my life? Marie admitted that working with the human mother of a vampire baby was a new twist for her skills. This was one of the main reasons she’d sent for Keona.My body was becoming a lean fighting machine. More than once, I’d actually taken Justin down. His toothy smile of approval flooded me with confidence.I learned age-old techniques of fighting that I was certain Geoffrey was not aware of. Justin admitted he encountered Geoffrey a few years back at a hunter’s convention in Asia Minor and he’d thought the man a bit haughty. I could see where he was coming from with that remark and giggled my agreement
The Vampire, The Handler, and Me Epilogue
I didn’t have to wait long for Nevi to return home. Marie and Keona worked out a reversal for the witch’s protection the rogues enjoyed all those many months. My three hundred-year-old vampire’s strengths had been amplified by an enormous amount of handler blood and his wrath was unleashed. Combined with the allegiance of a thousand-year-old handler and a fifty-year-old, incredibly bitchy vampire and Frank and his cronies didn’t stand a chance.I made an anonymous call to the police on Geoffrey’s behalf. They reached him just in time to save him. I will probably wonder if it was the right thing to do for my remaining days.It took several days for Nevi to come down from his handler blood high, and even longer for Marie and Keona to cleanse him enough with their herbal concoctions so that his hunger was once again satisfied by vegetarian food; not to mention becoming tolerable company. During this time, the two women did their best to calm
The Vampire, The Handler, and Me Chapter One
The clock struck midnight. Finally. Time dragged far more tortuously than I could have ever imagined. I have no idea what possessed me to attend a New Year’s party stag. Adding to the emptiness of no one to kiss when the television showed the ball dropping in Times Square as the clock struck midnight, was the sting of not knowing a soul in the room. I felt completely out of place. My promise to myself to do something new on New Year’s Eve never failed me, until now. This party crowd was a cliquish and unfriendly lot. I didn’t belong here. I should never have come. I’m not bad looking. Although, this particular night I felt like an unattractive wallflower, standing alone and unnoticed. I suddenly understood the meaning of being lonely in a crowd. Well, the clock struck midnight. I’d brought in the New Year doing something new. I was surrounded by the new people I’d been sure I needed in order to bring new experiences into my life for th
The Vampire, The Handler, and Me Chapter Two
New Year’s Day. Groan. The effort of opening my eyes to face the trickle of sunshine peeking through my bedroom window was grueling. After a long cat-like stretch, I swung one leg over the edge of the bed and then forced the rest of me to follow. I’ve always disliked getting up in the morning. Today was especially hard. Not only was I hung over and worn out from my vomit inducing party the night before, but I knew I had to prepare myself for New Year’s Day dinner at my parent’s house. It wasn’t my parents I dreaded seeing. I loved them dearly and enjoyed spending time with them. It was my know-it-all sister, Lisa, and her equally know-it-all husband, Brad, who I dreaded spending time with. Lisa and I were born exactly two years apart to the day. She—being the elder—constantly bemoaned her fate at having to share her birthday with me… the freak. Not only were we born on the same day, but we were true to our Irish heritage by being St. Patrick
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- The Vampire, The Handler, and Me Epilogue
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- The Vampire, The Handler, and Me Chapter Twenty-Four
- The Vampire, The Handler, and Me Chapter Twenty-Three
- The Vampire, The Handler, and Me Chapter Twenty-Two
