My brow scrunched even more. "Okay," I said slowly.
He exhaled forcefully and ran a hand down his face. "They want a baby before I die," he whispered.
I shot up off the bed that suddenly felt like it was on fire. "They what?"
He held his hands out, as if to placate me. "They just want to keep the line alive, and we can't have children once the human side dies, so they're putting a lot of pressure on me to...to..."
"Knock me up!" I yelled, looking around for a pillow to chuck at him again. Unfortunately, he had kicked all of the ones near me to the other side of the room. "Are you kidding me? We've been together a month, Teren-a month!"
I started pacing beside the bed again, roughly brushing past where he was standing. He stepped back and tried to grab me as I walked by. "I know, Emma. That's why I wasn't going to mention it." I blocked his hands and kept pacing. "That's what they want, not me." He successfully grabbed my waist when I passed by him again, and pulled me into his side. "Why do you think I never come out here? It was bad enough when I didn't have a girlfriend, but since we've been together, God, they've been badgering me nonstop!"
I beat on his chest while he held me. "You may have mentioned this while you were spilling your fanged guts out to me! Did you not think your impending death, and your family wanting an heir, might be important enough to mention!" I smacked him good and then his hands grabbed my wrists. I jerked away from his grasp and started pacing again.
"You're really mad, aren't you?"
I stopped at the crest of my pacing track and glared back at him with my hands on my hips. "No. Why would I be mad? Your family only wants you to impregnate me with your vampire seed. Oh wait, no...that's not even right. They want you to impregnate someone, not necessarily me, if I'm not...how did Halina put it? Oh yeah-willing!" He looked down guiltily and I continued pacing...and ranting. "And the whole dying part! Yes, we can't forget that any day now, you'll be the walking dead, so we better get your little buddies doing their job before it's too late-no rush or anything, because you know, you'll be dead!"
He stepped in front of where I was surely wearing a line in the plush carpet and grabbed my shoulders. "I know. I'm sorry. I just didn't know how to tell you any of this."
I inhaled a calming breath and resisted the urge to slug him. "Continually stressing how human you were to me was probably not the best way."
He ran his hands up and down my arms and squatted to look me in the eye. "I am really sorry. It's a hard thing to say all at once. I thought segments would be best."
Very dryly, I said, "Anymore segments I should know about?" He hesitated, and I felt my stomach drop, but eventually he said no. "You might have mentioned all of this before I started falling for you," I said quietly.
He brought a hand to my cheek. "You're falling for me?" His voice was soft and soothing, but nothing else about the situation was, and I jerked away from his tender touch.
"I said starting. I'll just have to see now."
Slight amusement in his voice, he told me, "Take your time. I don't think I'm dying today."
It was not in mine. "Teren, I know you wanted to stay until tomorrow night, but...I want to go home now."
He sighed and looked at the floor. "Is this the deal breaker? Is this the part where I lose you? Where you finally run away screaming?"
I wrapped my arms around his waist and blinked back the sudden tears. "Well, I don't think I'll scream...but you not having a heartbeat is something to consider, and I can't do it here. I need my things, my bed-my comforts. I need to process this and I need to process it alone."
He wrapped his arms around my body and I could feel his heartbeat quicken as my head pressed against his chest. He sighed again and kissed my hair, and an overwhelming sadness drifted over me. Regardless of what we had been, and what I'd been willing to accept of his condition, things were different now. His condition was much more severe than he'd led me to believe, and maybe his family was right about an heir. If I wouldn't supply him with one-and I couldn't even think about that yet-maybe he should find another girl, before it was too late. The very thought made me clutch him tighter though, and try as I might to hold it back, a tear did escape my eye.
After another comforting moment of silence, Teren pulled away and kissed my head again. "I'll pack up our things."
He started blurring around the room, getting everything back together. Suddenly feeling exhausted, I sat on the edge of the bed and watched what little of his streaking form that I could see. The memory of his strong heartbeat echoed in my ear, and I tried to wrap my mind around never hearing that again. It was such a foreign concept to me that I couldn't even process it. I realized then, that Alanna and Imogen, and Halina too, I supposed, were all probably heartbeatless. That made my stomach a little nauseous. Teren stopped moving at the doorway and I noticed both bags full and heavy in his hands. He looked back at me and I had to blink back another tear at the forlorn expression on his face.
"I'll tell everyone we're leaving. I'll meet you in the car in a few minutes."
I nodded, knowing full well that he basically just told everyone we were leaving. Well, I was sure his family had some comments to make on this new development. I was probably being voted off the island at this very moment. I could just hear Halina-"She's weak, Teren, replace her and move on, before it's too late." I thought maybe Imogen would grudgingly agree with her; whatever steps were necessary for her great-grandchild. Alanna...well, I wasn't quite sure where she stood on the subject. Maybe she would defend me, maybe not. I was pretty sure Jack was just going to keep his head down and steer clear of the whole mess-smart man, that one.
Sighing, I stood and replaced the numerous decorative pillows on the bed, hoping to make the room as perfect as we'd found it, and understanding a little more why we were placed in what I had only just now realized, was indeed the most romantic room in the house. Once the room was more or less back in order, I shut the light off and closed the door behind me, shutting out the good memories as well as the bad.
I trudged down the elaborate staircase and once I was at the bottom, I stared at the nak*d woman statue for several seconds. I dabbed away another stubborn tear and considered heading out to the car and disappearing from this house without even a goodbye. Sighing again, I turned towards the hallway that led to the dining room. I just couldn't be so rude as to not say goodbye. They may all have had a secret agenda in being nice to me this weekend, but they had still been nice, and I could be the same.
I stopped midway down the hall when I heard voices coming from the dining room. I crept a little closer, making sure that I couldn't be seen from the room. Once I was within earshot, I stopped and listened to what sounded like Teren having an argument with Imogen. I knew it was impolite to spy, but honestly, how often does a person get a chance to listen in on vampires discussing, well, anything?
"Teren, dear, I know you really like her but if she's not willing, maybe you should..."
"What if I'm not willing? What if I don't want this? Can't I just be with her, and have you guys happy that I'm happy?"
"Yes, of course we want your happiness but, you are the last of us. If you don't... We'll lose the line, Teren."
"Maybe that's a good thing, Gran. Maybe we shouldn't be continuing...this."
"Please, sweetheart...please?"
"Gran..." Teren sighed heavily.
I silenced my breath as I pressed against the wall. I felt figures shifting in the room, but no one spoke for a few seconds and I considered coming out of hiding. I was just about to make a move, when Teren's mother spoke up.
"Mom, I'd like to speak to my son...alone." Silence followed her statement and then she spoke again. "I think you should stay here with us, Teren."
"We've already been over this, Mom. I want to stay in San Francisco."
"You know the risk you are taking. You should be here, where it's safe."
Teren started speaking in Russian, which riled me a bit. I was really going to have to learn that complicated sounding language.
"You know I care more about you than a child...although, I would like to be a grandmother..."
Teren cut her off with the fast, fluent, foreign speech.
"She could stay here with you, Son. There's no need for you to be apart from her, but here is where you'll be safe, both of you."
More Russian, a little heated now.
"I know that is what you believe, but what if you're wrong? The risk is too high."
More Russian...quite a bit more, he seemed to be ranting.
"Of course I know it's your life. I'm not trying to control you, dear. I'm trying to help. If we were of a different mindset, we'd just come collect you, and you know that. But we've let you stay away...for now." Alanna's tone was starting to get as heated as her son's. I wasn't sure what they were talking about, but I was sure it probably wasn't good.
More insolent sounding foreign tongue. Interesting how arguing with your mom turns you into a five year old, no matter what language you're speaking.
"Of course I know she's listening, but I will not speak that language. She should hear this, Teren. She should understand."
Teren switched back to English and my face heated. Of course they'd known I was here-super ears probably heard every thump of my impossible-to-quiet heart. "This is why I don't visit more often-none of you ever listen to me!" And with that, I could hear him turn towards the hall where I was guiltily eavesdropping.
He grabbed my hand as he walked by me in the hall. "Come on, we're leaving."
He jerked me after him and, looking at the dining room entryway for a second before he literally dragged me away, I saw Alanna's youthful face watch her son leave. Her eyes were so pained, and almost scared, that it shocked the inquisition about their argument straight from my head. As he ushered me from the house, I couldn't even remember the bits of their disagreement that I had understood, I only remembered Alanna's eyes.
Teren opened and closed the car door for me, like a perfect gentleman, but his mouth was tight and he looked stressed. Maybe coming up this weekend wasn't the best plan after all; it had certainly changed things for me.
"Are you all right?" I asked quietly, as he pulled away from the house and screeched down the bumpy drive.
"I'm fine, just an old disagreement, rearing its ugly head."
"One you didn't want me to hear...you were speaking Russian again."
He looked over at me and I could see the debate in his eyes. Turning back to the road, he finally said, "This one is between my mom and me. It has nothing to do with you or a baby...I promise." His tone was soft, but it was also firm. I knew I would get nothing from him if I pressed him about it. I'd also had my quota for the day on difficult conversations, so I let him drop it.
"Why do you speak Russian? Beautifully, I might add."
Maybe reassured that I wasn't going to press him, he smiled and finally relaxed a bit. "Great-Gran was born there, spent her first ten human years there, so she speaks it and taught each of us." He pulled onto the main road and I let go of my death grip on the door handle, since the never-ending jarring bumps were done with.