Or kill them. I snuck a peek at Dad. He appeared as emotionless as ever.
“But you didn’t,” I said to him. “Why?”
Nanna smiled. “Because I made a charm for your mother that dampened his bloodlust when he was around her.”
“So you were actually okay with their being together?” I realized after the words were out how rude they sounded. Too late to take it back now.
Nanna shrugged. “Your mother’s always been hardheaded. It was either make a charm to ensure he didn’t kill her, or lock her up in a vault somewhere.”
“Okay. So then you can make a charm for me, too, right? Something that’ll prevent all those … those symptoms Dad listed?” Something that would keep me nice and normal and human. No blood drinking, no flying plates.
“Well, I could, but—”
“But that would be unwise,” Dad cut in. “It would be similar to giving morphine to a patient who has yet to be diagnosed. Charms would mask the appearance of any symptoms. We need to see what abilities develop within you. Then we will teach you how to control them yourself. Without magic.”
“So I’m supposed to … to just deal with it?”
“I know this is very difficult for you,” Mom said. “But I promise we’re all here for you, and we’re going to help you through this. And hey, it might not be a big deal, after all. You could just as easily not develop any abilities at all, or take after the Evans side and have only the magical blood within you. We’re going to take it one day at a time, and we’ll work through it as a team.”
A team. As if there was any “we” in this. There wasn’t. This was me we were talking about, not them; my life, not theirs, that might go insane at any moment. My life that had been one long series of lies and crazy family secrets.
“The important thing is for you to communicate openly with us,” Dad said. “If you begin to experience strange urges or abilities, you must let us know at once. I will also be calling you once a week to check in with you.”
Huh, right. I should just tell them every detail about my life. Like they did for me, keeping so many secrets from me for fifteen years.
“You must also stay away from all members of the Clann,” Dad warned. “Especially their leading family, the Colemans.”
“Uh, not that I’m exactly friends with any of them anyways, but … why?”
“The Clann’s powerful blood calls to vampires stronger than any other humans’,” he said. “The more powerful they are, the more attractive they appear to a vampire. Since the Colemans have been their most powerful family for the last four generations, it is reasonable to assume that they will tempt your vampire side first and more than any others in their circle. Also, there is no way of knowing if all of the Clann parents are aware of your … situation and adequately protecting their children with charms. They have assured us that they have many of their descendants watching you on campus at all times—I believe several of them are teachers. But even still, if your vampire side does develop and one of them is not protected, you could begin to experience the bloodlust around them. Especially if one of them is injured around you. Then even a charm might not help.”
Oh. Of course. So that was why I always felt so weird around Tristan. Because he was a Coleman, and I was a …
No. I refused to even think of myself as that word. Not yet. Not until I had to.
And then another thought hit me. Sweet Lord. No wonder the Clann kids all deserted me in the fourth grade. Their parents had probably warned them to avoid me like the plague. Because they were afraid I might try to kill their kids. Which meant Tristan must at least know I wasn’t normal. But how much did he know?
I clamped my lips shut so I wouldn’t say something that would give away my thoughts and get me into trouble. But inside, my stomach burned and rolled.
Mom patted my shoulder. “All right, hon, why don’t you go take that shower you wanted, while your Nanna and I make you something to eat? And later when you have questions, we’ll be happy to answer them.”
“Joan, I must go.” Something dark edged at Dad’s tone.
Mom must have noticed it, too; she jumped to her feet. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
“What now?” I demanded, more than fed up with the secrecy. “Whatever it is, don’t hide it.”
“I must report to the vampire council, and your mother is probably wondering if they will send watchers to Jacksonville to mark your changes,” Dad said.
Mom nodded, her hand tightening on my shoulder, though I didn’t think she realized it.
“Watchers?” Council? Good Lord, it was never ending. What else didn’t I know about my family, about myself, about the world I lived in?
“I do not think it is anything to worry about just yet,” Dad reassured us both. “Especially if you follow the rules and stay away from the Clann’s descendants.”
As long as I stayed away from Tristan. Who wouldn’t speak to me anyway.
Dad leaned down to kiss my forehead with icy lips I’d never thought to question before and a whisper of cold breath. Vampire lips. Breath as cold as death. And I might end up just like him. I suppressed a shudder. Then Mom walked with him out of the room while Nanna headed for the kitchen. A few seconds later, I heard the front door open and shut, followed by the revving of an engine in the front yard as my father left.
My vampire father.
Holy crap.
CHAPTER 3
Savannah
I took the longest shower our hot-water heater would allow, spending more time trying to wrap my mind around this strange new reality than I spent washing myself. Part of me still clung to the hope that it was all just a case of my imagination going berserk. But everything was too real … the slippery porcelain beneath my feet, the cold, wet tile wall holding me up, the hot water burning its way over my skin. And it wasn’t just anyone telling wild stories here. All this stuff about demons and vampires and witches was coming from my entire family, the three people I loved and trusted more than anyone else in the world.
When the water ran cold, I got out, dried off, then studied my reflection in the mirror. Was it because I was freaked out, or did I really look … different? My eyes seemed bigger, my cheekbones more pronounced. My upper incisors might’ve become a little pointier than they’d already been. I was definitely paler, but who wouldn’t be after being sick? And my hair seemed thicker and darker, less orange, more auburn. My imagination, too? Maybe.
I wondered if Tristan would notice, then banished that thought. He was in the Clann. Worse, he was the son of the Clann’s leading family.
And I had to avoid him at all cost.
“Mom?”
A few seconds later, as if she’d been nearby listening for me, she opened the door a few inches and poked her head in.
“Yes?”
“Why aren’t we in the Clann anymore?”
“Well, they weren’t too thrilled when I broke the rules and married your father. And when your Nanna didn’t try to stop us, they kicked her out, too. It’s a real no-no for vampires and witches to get involved with each other.”
“Because vampires tend to kill witches.” I sighed.
“They did before the truce. At one point, before even your grandmother’s time, it was an all-out war between them. But now they’ve agreed to avoid each other as much as possible. Which