“That’s it? Then why did he look so disappointed when he saw me?”
“He has a thing for slender blondes,” Rayna admitted.
“And you told him—”
“I didn’t tell him you were slender or blonde. He just assumed you were and I admit I allowed him to think that without actually saying it.”
“Why?”
“I know what I did sounds bad, but I knew you were prefect for him.”
“He didn’t agree.”
“Maybe not at first, but he obviously changed his mind at some point and realized he liked you. He’ll be drawn to you.”
“I don’t think I want to see him again.”
“I know this is a lot to process and you were afraid, but he wouldn’t have done any lasting physical damage. Please don’t make any hasty decisions, Brandi. Just think about everything I’ve said. Please remember to factor in how much you have to gain if you can forgive him and bear with him until he’s back under control. Then you’ll see the real Adrian Redwolfe.”
Despite her anger, hurt, and confusion, the thought of
Adrian
feeling a quarter of what Rayna promised excited her. How could it not after her having experienced both his passion and his tenderness? “I can’t promise anything except that I’ll think about everything we’ve discussed.”
“That’s all I ask. And when you see him and he’s not quite where you need and want him to be, just think of how magical things will be when you know you’re his blood and he’d do anything to make and keep you happy. Imagine how incredible, special, and loved you’ll feel when he first calls you his blood.”
Would that ever happen? If she were so important to him, why hadn’t she heard from him yet?
“I’ll be back home as soon as I can book a flight out of here.”
The last thing Brandi needed was Rayna back in Philly trying to pressure her in person. “Don’t cut your vacation short on my behalf. I need some time alone to think.”
“Ok, but if you need help or if you want to talk or have questions, Uncle Conner is a good listener. And he and Uncle Adrian are very close. He’ll be able to…reason with Uncle Adrian if that becomes necessary.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“And please consider canceling your weekend with Doug. Uncle Adrian won’t miss your birthday and—”
“I’m not going to change my plans for my birthday to suit something
Adrian
may or may not do.”
“Brandi—”
“I’ll talk to you when you return, Rayna. Bye.”
Chapter Thirteen
Brandi spent the next few days after her conversation with Rayna torn by conflicting emotions. Part of her longed to believe
Adrian
was in blood with her and wanted to forgive him.
The saner, more rational part insisted she had to forget him and give her relationship with Doug another chance.
When she considered the possibility that she might be pregnant she was even more conflicted. While she’d always wanted kids and had fantasized about vampires being real, she’d never imagined she might end up having a child with a Native American hunk who just happened to be a vampire. The implications of having a child with vampire blood dismayed and excited her.
She spent most of her free time reading Cherokee history and scouring the internet for vampire lure before she decided she needed information she could rely on. If she called Rayna, she'd have to hear
Adrian
's praises sung. After his behavior and silence she wasn't in the mood for that. She called Conner on Thursday after lunch.
“Brandi! What a pleasant surprise. How are you?”
His warm greeting reassured her. “Confused. I have a lot of questions.”
“I’ll be happy to answer any questions I can. Would you like to have dinner tonight? Do you like jazz?”
“Yes to both questions.”
“Great. I’ll pick you up at six-thirty.”
She arrived home at five-forty-five which gave her less than an hour to decide what she should wear. Should she dress to impress him? Or go casual?
She decided to go casual. She took a quick shower and dressed in a two-piece peach skirt set which fell below her knees and had a scoop neck with long sleeves.
Conner arrived wearing a black suit and grey shirt without a tie. He looked so much like
Adrian
that for a moment Brandi was hard pressed not to rush forward and throw her arms around him.
He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Hi, honey.”
“Hi.” She stepped away from him.
“Sorry. I know it must be difficult to see me.”
She closed her eyes briefly and turned to face him. “No. I’m sorry. You’ve been nothing but kind.”
“Do you still want to go out for dinner?”
She nodded.
“Good.” He smiled and offered her his arm.
She smiled and placed her hand on his arm.
He squeezed her hand but made no effort to assure her that things would work out with
Adrian
. Although she wanted to hear that, she was grateful that he respected her enough not to make promises for
Adrian
.
He took her to a jazz dinner club. They enjoyed the music while she ate. He ordered a drink and a steak, but didn’t eat more than a few forkfuls. Over coffee, she struggled to decide how to express her concerns.
“Don’t worry about phrasing, Brandi. Just ask whatever you like and if I can answer, I will,” he told her.
He was so warm and encouraging. Why hadn't
Adrian
been more like Conner? “Are you and Adrian alike?”
“Only in appearance, although I like to think I'm the better looking twin.” He grinned. “Don't you think so?”
“Not really.”
He reached across the table to squeeze her hand. “I'm very glad to hear that. Now what did you want to ask me?”
“Rayna told me about being in blood and I wondered what the implications would be for my possibly getting pregnant.”
“To you?”
“Yes. And the baby.”
“The baby would of course have
Adrian
’s blood as well as yours and could be anything from a human latent to a half-blood. Did Rayna explain those terms?”
She shook her head.
“A human latent would be faster and stronger than a normal human. A vampire latent would be even stronger and faster. A half-blood would be nearly as powerful as a full-blood with most of the needs of one.”
“Would the latents you mentioned need to ingest blood?”
“Some do. Some don’t. A half-blood would certainly have a strong urge to do so.”
“Would latents have sharpened incisors and have the ability to make their eyes glow?”
“Those are…abilities most vampire latents posses. Some human latents develop them over time. All would have a longer lifespan than a normal human. They also age much more slowly.”
“What are the chances of having a latent compared to a half-blood child?”
He shook his head. “I’m not really sure. We don’t have kids very often or easily so there’s not much to go on.”
“What about me? Will I be changed?”
“That depends on a number of factors. However, you don’t need to fear losing your freewill. We don't rob our lovers of their right to choose.”
Recalling
Adrian
’s refusal to accept her no, she arched a brow. “Don't you?”
He sighed. “It’s clear you feel as if
Adrian
stepped over the line, but please remember that he did eventually stop.”
“He told you what happened?”
He nodded. “We don’t really do secrets in our family.”
Great.
“I’m sorry you were frightened but had he taken away your free will, you wouldn’t have been in a position to insist he stop.” He paused and studied her in silence for several moments. “Are you going to be able to forgive him?”
“I…I don’t know. I feel as if he…he doesn’t care one way or the other.”
“You think that because you haven’t seen or heard from him?”
She nodded.
“I know you’re not exactly having a ball, Brandi but this is a difficult time for him too. I won’t add to the full-court press I’m sure Rayna gave you, but I just wanted you to understand that he’s not himself. And that he’s not indifferent to you or your situation.”
By situation she suspected he meant the possibility she might be pregnant. “So you think I’ll eventually hear from him?”
“Absolutely.”
“Why are you so sure?”
“We’re close and we’re twins. Much to both of our dismay, we usually know what the other is thinking or feeling—even when we wish we didn’t.”
Interesting. “Then you know how he feels?”
“About you?”
She nodded.
“Yes. I do.”
“So?” She prodded.
He shook his head. “That’s something you’re going to have to ask him.”
“How can I when I haven’t seen him since he stormed out and left me stranded?”
“He left you, but he also made sure you wouldn’t be stranded. I seem to remember stopping what I was doing to make a two hour drive to pick you up when he called me.” He reached across the table to squeeze her hand. “And I was just about to get…comfortable with my date for the evening. I left her and went to pick you up because he asked me to.”
“I didn’t know I’d ruined your—”
“You didn’t ruin anything, Brandi. I only mentioned what I was doing to illustrate that he’s not indifferent to you. If he were, he wouldn’t have asked me to pick you up and I sure as hell wouldn’t have come to pick you up until afterwards.”