Page 11 of Risking Immortality

“Lucille,” Mother snaps.

“No, she’s right. If all the vampires who mated with a human still turned, I think it’s time to face the truth. I know we’re all scared, but this pretty much seals the deal, right? In twelve months, one of you will have to kill me.”

Another collective gasp. I’m too numb to react to my own words. Probably because the truth is finally sinking in, and I have to be okay with it. For their sakes as much as my own.

“It is not a foregone conclusion,” Aliah says forcefully. “We need more information. There is too much speculation to know completely.”

“Aliah is right. We will look into it. In the meantime, you, Amelia, need to get better acquainted with your mate.”

“She’s not my mate,” I reply through gritted teeth. “She’s human.”

“Oh Lord,” Lucille laughs. “Amelia, don’t be thick. Your dislike of humans is ridiculous. Let it go. So some of them hate us, big fucking deal. Most of them have no clue we exist.”

“And how, dear sister, do you think Erin is going to react to that? Hm? Oh hi, Erin, I’m your soulmate and a vampire. Care to get hitched?”

“Moron,” Lucille hisses. “Obviously, it will take time. The situation needs to be handled with delicacy, but it’s not impossible. The only thing in your way is you.”

Our tempers are flaring as they usually do. I’m ready to launch myself across the table and beat the shit out of her. Fighting Lucille feels like a good plan to me. I know it’s not right, and it’s definitely childish, but she irks me, and I need an outlet for all this pent-up rage.

“Will you calm down!” My father’s booming voice cuts through the din. We all fall silent, just like when we were kids, and pushed him too far. “Thank you. Now, I know this is a lot, honey. But please, Amelia, see it for the miracle it is. You have found your mate. This time yesterday, each one of us feared the worst. But we have hope. And we have a full year to figure this out.”

Once again, in my selfishness, I forgot how my parents would feel. Yes, I’m slightly horrified I have mated with a human, but on the other end of that is the light. The fact that I’m not broken or different from my family. It’s also given them the hope that I will be okay. I mean, not completely, because let’s be real. The odds don’t seem to be in my favor, but they are better than they were yesterday.

“Another slight hiccup,” Claire chimes in, and I know what she’s about to say.

“Now what?” Maria asks.

“Well, Erin isn’t exactly Amelia’s number one fan.”

“Is she even into women?” Lucas asks. Good question really.

“Yes, she is, but after what Amelia pulled, I’m not sure she will be into her.”

“She’s the bartender you teased?” Laurence sighs.

I stifle a laugh because it’s still funny. If only they could see how cute Erin is when she’s all fired up.

“Okay, the first job on the list is to get Erin to like you.”

“Ugh, hard task. I’ve known her all my life and I don’t like her yet,” Lucille deadpans. Yeah, I’m going to kick her ass.

Six

Considering I was only supposed to stay with my parents for my birthday and the day after, I’m a little shocked to still find myself here a week later. Ever since I smelled fucking cherries, my family has become obsessive.

My parents have spent every free hour talking to our elders and reading books. My siblings have been concocting ways to break the news to Erin that vampires exist. I have to say that Lucille’s idea is my favorite. Wait until Halloween, do the whole vampire family dress up thing and then casually drink the blood of a squirrel in front of her. Of course, Erin would just think we were a bunch of lunatics, but it would be funny.

For my sins, I have been trying my hardest to wrap my head around everything. The idea of loving a human repulses me because I know what they are capable of. What if sweet Erin turns out to be one of those assholes who believe vampires are a virus that needs wiping out? I could be exposing my family to danger. None of them have thought about that, though. Oh no, they are all on the train to Erinville. They think she is my savior, whereas I’m scared she’s my ruin.

Claire has been spending a lot of time at my parents’ home, trying to help in any way she can. It’s been nice to connect with her again. I hadn’t realized how isolated I’d become until this week. Clearly, I had already resigned myself to a brief existence because I’d effectively pushed away friends and family. So, maybe I’m less of a realist and more of a frightened child?

Tonight, I have decided to visit Insomnia again. Claire has provided me with Erin’s schedule. I need to see her again to figure out if she really is my mate. I’m struggling to come to terms with it. Yes, I felt something that night. Her no bullshit attitude was a major turn on, but being horny doesn’t mean we are destined to be together.

My parents spent a little time describing what it felt like for them. As did a couple of my siblings. Apparently, they all smelled fruit when they bonded with their mate. My mother described the same ability to track my father’s presence without looking, just like I had felt that night with Erin.

There is no doubt now that my body recognized Erin as being the other half of my soul. It’s my mind that cannot accept it. Another glaring problem is that each vampire is always looking for their other half. Erin isn’t, well, not that I know of. She has no reason to think I’m someone special to her. There is no guarantee she will ever feel anything towards me. Well, maybe anger. She displayed that emotion in abundance. What I’m saying is that Erin has no stake in this. Vampires’ bodies are wired to search for their missing piece. There has never been an instance where a vampire has been rejected by their mate. Erin could easily reject me.

With so much going on, I need to take a step back before I see her. My eyes need to be wide open for this to be a possibility. I have to connect with her and see if it’s reciprocated. If it is, and that’s a big if, I need to woo her. If I’d mated with a vampire, our bond would have solidified the moment we came together physically. For vampires to fulfill the mating need, they have to give themselves to each other emotionally and physically.

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