Page 4 of His True Beloved

She was talking about having babies with his man! Was my mom still young enough to do that? She was pushing fifty while this guy looked to be my age! Mom pulled my hands away, putting the paper bag over my mouth, and the laughing turned into hyperventilating.

If I hadn’t had the shock of my life just three days before, I think I could have handled this. I could have powered through and not needed the bag, but damn it, my life was a mess. Breathing in deep, my mom led me to the couch. Justin just watched, albeit very concerned, as he stepped away for Mom to take care of me.

That’s right, you stay over there.

After sitting on the couch, I felt a cool cloth put on my head. Justin stared down at me, now noticing the red eyes flickering. “Eyes,” I blabbed. “Red.” I pointed like some two-year-old.

How the hell did he get a rag and back to me so fast!?

“There, there.” Mom patted my shoulder. “You’re doing great.”

After twenty minutes of breathing into a bag, I had the courage to look at the couple on the opposite side of the room. Mom held such admiration toward the vampire that it made me question not just my sanity, but hers too.

“How old are you?” I whispered. It was so low I swear he wouldn’t be able to hear it, but lo and behold, he turned to me, kissing my mom’s hand.

Gross.

“Three hundred and eighty-nine.” His face went back to my mom. All right then, he wasn’t a cougar chaser.

***

Laying in my childhood bedroom, I stared up at the ceiling fan, contemplating my life.How in the H-E-double-hockey-sticks did I end up here?My mom was finally leaving my sperm donor after years of verbal abuse. I couldn’t be more ecstatic for her, but now I was dealing with a vampire stepdaddy wanna-be.

Grabbing the oversized stuffed corgi, I hugged it to my chest. “What am I gonna do, Bob?” I whispered.

Mom and Justin explained about beloveds in great detail that I really didn’t need to know. They were soulmates, as Justin put it. The Moon Goddess deemed their souls a perfect match, and once they found each other, unbelievable things happened. Something about chemicals in their body, the fire touches, the insane amount of sexual attraction. It sounded like a bunch of crap to get in my mom’s pants.

That is until they said they were moving in together. Yup, moving. Not just to any place, but a place with a bunch of vampires and humans, like a transition development compound. Oh, that got me panicking again. That poor paper bag had seen better days.

Mom was going to change; she was going to become a vampire. Her skin would revert back to the youthful appearance, their souls tied together once he freaking bit her, and she would live forever. There was no way I was going to be able to talk her out of it. I couldn’t show my distaste because she was too dang happy.

I can’t wreck her happiness, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t stay around to watch her, make sure she’s safe.

I groaned, rolling in the bed on top of Bob. He squished down, his frowny face squished further into the mattress. Five boxes of my things were already put away. Since I had come home early, Mom said we could move into the Black Raven coven a whole three weeks early.

Mom knew me so well. She knew I would come with her. There was no way that I was leaving her alone after knowing Justin for only five days.

Yes, five days of‘utter bliss’,she said. It wasn’t like I had a job lined up, anyway. This way, I could move into this ‘community’ and see what all the fuss was about. I was moving into my own little house with several other roommates who were going through the same thing I was.

A parent becoming a vampire.

They had counselors—yes, counselors—for those who had to transition to the idea that their parent or guardian was to be a beloved to a vampire. Not only that, but there were also classes and support groups. Seriously, this place sounded like a cult.

Bring on the Kool-Aid. Just make sure there’s vodka in it.

“Honey, are you okay?” Mom knocked on the door, and it creaked as her slippered foot padded across the floor.

“I’m fine.” I grabbed the paper bag beside me and held it in the air. “I got my bag. You aren’t going to drop anything else on me, are you?” I chuckled, scooting over on the bed to make room.

“No, honey, I’m not.” Mom’s tender voice had instant guilt fill me. She was happy. She had never been one to do something so rash. Maybe this was good for her, but until I knew she was safe, I wouldn’t let my guard down. Justin might have said he won’t drink my blood, but who was to say this coven would adhere to those rules and try and drink from my mom and me? They were the definition of an apex predator.

“It is a lot.” She rubbed my hand lovingly. “I am glad you are coming with us, even though I know you are doing it for my sake.” I hummed, burring my face into Bob the corgi. “Maybe you can get a dog now.”

Sperm donor hates dogs.

“Depends on my roommates,” I mumbled. “You sure I can’t stay with you guys?” Justin explained the process of Mom changing. Once we arrived, he would be biting her, connecting their souls together, but then the changing bite would happen shortly after. The bite, his venom, would change her. She would need at least a year to control her thirst for blood, and having me in the house while I’m human would be suicide for me if she woke up with a blood fever some new vamps can get.

Scary.

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