I stared through her, cocking my head as I listened. I wasn't sure why, but I was having a reaction to whoever was approaching. It wasn't Teren, he was still miles away in San Francisco, and it wasn't my mom or Tracey, they were both at their jobs. I suppose it could be Hot Ben, but something inside of me, knew that it wasn't.
I closed my eyes, listening harder, but other than Jack asking Alanna what was wrong, Ashley breathing heavily, and the two fast and fluttery heartbeats inside me, blending with my own, the house was deadly quiet; all of the awake vampires were listening just as hard as I was.
As the tires stopped and the car shut off, I set down my roller, the harsh smell mixing unpleasantly with Ashley's fear. "What is it, Emma?" She looked around the room, like something creepy was going to come through the walls. For a second, I wondered if that had been how I'd looked to Teren, when I hadn't been in the know and he'd heard strange noises.
I tried to throw on a casual smile, to ease her quickly panicking face. "Someone's here. I'm sure it's just Peter or a friend of Jack's." Ashley nodded and set down her roller. She knew that the ranch had help come in sometimes, and she'd met the man who led them, Peter, at my wedding. The family had been holding off on bringing anyone here, until my situation was resolved, but Ashley didn't need to know that.
Look at me, being the secretive one for a change.
Swallowing, I tried to push away my discomfort at not being completely honest with my sister. True, I wasn't sure who was here, but my body knew it was a potential threat, and that sort of ruled out any ranch hand.
As calmly as I could, I walked to the door, Ash close behind me. I paused in the doorway and looked down to the other end of the hall, where Alanna was similarly paused in Imogen's door. Imogen behind her was blinking in the faded, hazy light in the hallway, even those weak rays causing her pain. Jack stepped past the two of them and held his hand out for his wife. As Alanna took it, Imogen whispered that she wanted to see who was here, but Alanna told her to stay in her room, that we would check it out. I nodded at Alanna after she said that and then started down the hallway towards her and Jack.
Ashley behind me, not having heard any of that, grabbed my arm, slinging hers around mine as we walked together. Hearing one set of light footsteps outside, casually strolling up to the door at an unhurried pace, I looked down at Ashley attached to my arm. "You should stay up here with Imogen," I told her.
Ashley looked at me blankly. "I thought it was just a friend." I bit my lip, too late catching my error. Ashley noted my reaction and stiffened her stance as we reached the stairs. "I'm with you, Emma." She shook her head, the half with hair dangling around her shoulders. "I'm not leaving your side."
I sighed and then stopped as Alanna caught up to us. Locking eyes with my sister, I realized it was pointless to argue with her. She was a Taylor after all, and we had a tendency to be...stubborn. Sighing again, I nodded over at Alanna and Jack beside us. "Stay behind us, then."
Ashley nodded as we all started walking down the stairs. Outside, I could hear the person calmly standing in front of the door, waiting. I could even hear their smooth, steady heartbeat. I knew, it being broad daylight and all, that they would be human, but still, the thumping rhythm was reassuring.
Shifting her stance so she was holding my hand, Ashley and I stepped down to the front door, right behind Jack and Alanna. Not sure who was here, my tension got the better of me and my fangs dropped down. Ashley's eyes widened at seeing them, the image still a little shocking to her, and I breathed out slowly, gaining control again and retracting them. The human outside, may or may not know about us. I didn't want to accidently tip off a could-be hunter.
That person silently waited, still not even knocking, and Alanna closed her eyes for a brief moment. Slapping on a farm boy smile, Jack stepped forward to open the door. I held my breath as the warmer outside air hit my skin, the scent of the ranch coming with it. Even with all that was going on, my body could sense the blood in the air. Somewhere out there, a cow was bleeding. Sickeningly, my hormonally revved up body desired it. Desired it so strongly, that I had to clench Ashley's hand to stop myself from blazing across the fields to find the wounded beast. I clenched my mouth shut, fearing that I'd lose control on my teeth while I fought off the urge.
Seeing the person who'd managed to rile up a house of vamps, helped quench that desire. It was a short, tan, blonde, Valley girl, or so I'd imagine. She had a shaggy crop of ridiculously over styled hair, and sunglasses so dark and round that they sort of resembled bug eyes. She started smacking on a piece of gum, the smell nearly pushing me back a step, and smiled brightly at us. Dressed in high heels and a designer dress, she looked very out of place here. Clutching her Prada bag to her side, she extended a hand out to Jack before he could even say hello.
"Hi-ya, I hear you're looking for me." She said that brightly as well, her voice saccharinely sweet.
Jack opened and closed his mouth, not sure what this head-to-toe manicured woman, who had clearly never shoveled cow poop in her life, wanted with him. As he mumbled an, "excuse me?" Alanna stepped around him to stand beside the girl outside.
She turned her head to Alanna, still smacking her gum like one of the cows smacked on grass blades; the sound was loud to my sensitive ears, and annoying. She calmly took her glasses off, shoving them in her pricey bag. Shifting back on one hip, her gaze locked on Alanna's, and it then became perfectly clear that she wasn't here for Jack.
Still bright and cheery, she said to her, "You've been causing quite a stir, looking for me, so I thought I'd come find out why."
Her face turned to me as Ashley and I stepped down to stand on her other side. Her eyes were a blue-green, and seemed older than the twenty something she appeared to be. As I scrunched my face, confused, and Ashley whispered, "Who is she, Emma?" the woman dropped her smile and stopped smacking on her gum.
Her entire demeanor changing as she stared at me. She tilted her head and narrowed those blue -green eyes. "What do you want with me?"
Taking a step back at the sudden viciousness in her tone, I sputtered, "I don't know, I don't even know who you are."
The woman sighed and looked exasperated. "Well, god, with the stories I've heard, you've knocked on every nest, in every state in the southwest, looking for me." Putting her hands on her h*ps as my eyes widened, she gave me a crooked smile. "I was expecting to be expected."
My already wide eyes opened comically wider and Ashley beside me gasped. I vaguely registered Alanna muttering something to her mother and Jack saying, "I don't believe it," but I could only gape. The tiny debutante in front of me had a pair of perfectly white, and on her, perfectly dainty, fangs, just visible inside her wry smile.
I stupidly looked up at the sky, at the sun. She laughed at my maneuver, finding great humor in my surprise. "Yes, I'm mixed...just like you," she looked back to Alanna when she said that.
My eyes watered and I nearly wanted to hug the girl. We'd been looking so long, Teren had risked so much, and now, here was one just showing up on our doorstep. A hand flew to my mouth as I held in a cry. Ashley beside me slung her arms around me and I heard her sniffle.
The woman seemed confused as to why we were so emotional over her arrival. I wasn't sure what Teren had been telling the vamps he'd run into, but this woman didn't seem to realize who I was, and what we needed from her. She only seemed to sense that the heartbeatless Alanna was a mixed. She didn't know I was too...for now.
Cocking a pale eyebrow at me, she repeated, "What do you want with me?"
I reached out for her arm and she hissed at me and backed away. I paused; she may be playing at casualness, but she was wary of this group of mixed, knocking on vampires' doors to find her. I didn't blame her, I would be too. I held my hands up, in a gesture of peace. "We just want to talk to you. To know...if you know, how to help me. I've been changed, a few weeks ago."
As I said that, I rested my hands on my stomach, clearly outlining my pregnancy, and relaxed the hold on my teeth. They dropped into place and this time, her eyes widened. "Holy hell," she exclaimed. Turning to Alanna, her tan face flushed, she bit out, "What did you do? Why would you try and turn a pregnant woman." She stepped up to a startled Alanna, putting a hand on her cool arm. "Don't you know how dangerous that is? Were you trying to kill them all?"
I stepped up to the woman, relief that she seemed to know something about this, winning out over caution. I released myself from Ashley and grabbed the girl's shoulders, twisting her to face me. Her eyes widened at me being so close, but mainly, she just looked pissed off. "She didn't do this. I was attacked." I shifted my head so my dark hair fell away from the scar on my neck. "My husband tried to save me...by doing this."
Her eyes locked on my scar, her face softening in sympathy. She looked back up at me as I relaxed the grip on her arms. Tears in my eyes again, I whispered, "I'm going to die soon...and if I do, they do. Can you help us?" My voice warbled as the tears finally fell down my cheeks.
She sighed again as she looked over my face. Finally pulling back from my grasp, she extended a hand out to me. "My name is Starla." She cocked an eyebrow at me. "I think I should meet your husband."
I bobbed my head, excited that she hadn't just flat-out told us no. "Of course, yes. He's in town, working, but I can take you to him." I shook my head, my smile so wide I was sure I looked slightly medicated; I hadn't even retracted my fangs yet. "He's so eager to meet you."
Her face fell into a disgruntled expression. "Yes, I know."
My sister came up to grab my hand again, watching Starla curiously, as Jack moved to stand beside Alanna, not looking as if he was convinced this was a welcome development or not. At Starla's words and tone, I dropped my head, remembering everything Teren had been doing lately. My sweet, generally gentlemanly husband, had been acting anything but gentlemanly lately. All to protect me of course, but to an outsider, that was of small significance.
When I was about to apologize for his behavior, she continued, "The last nest I heard about, happened to be an acquaintance of mine." She tilted her head as I peeked up at her. The last nest Teren had gone to, had involved him almost shoving a stake through a woman's heart. "If my friend hadn't had nice things to say about the pure vampire in your midst, our meeting today would be a much different one."
Her blue-green eyes turned to ice and, for a moment, the Valley girl looked quite menacing. I felt a growl rumbling up in my throat, but forcefully shut it off. She did have a point. I exhaled softly and nodded to her, pulling my teeth back up. "He's been under a lot of stress lately. He's very sorry for hurting your friend."
She started smacking on her gum again, looking casually perfect, and flicked her hand dismissively. "One of the guys was my friend." She spun on her high heel, turning to head back to her car. Over her shoulder she added, "The girl was a snotty little bitch. He should have staked her."
As she sauntered back to her car, I clenched my jaw to not speed off after her. She may be mixed, like most of the Adams, but I still didn't know her. Looking over at Alanna and Jack, I watched as Alanna shifted in the sun uncomfortably; she was already needing a break from it. She looked at me with heartbroken eyes, "Emma, I can't go with you." Jack squeezed her waist, urging her to go back in the house.