Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (161 page)

“
You know what that means,”
Kierra whispered to her brothers.

“
Just keep your mouth
shut,” Sam said.

“
But she has every right to
know.”

“
Do you want your head on
the carving block?” Sam retorted.

“
Jesse, she needs to know,”
Kierra said. “She’s been marked.”

“
What’s going on?” I asked,
crossing my arms and looking at them, not at all happy that they
were talking about me like I wasn’t there.

Jesse glanced toward the shore.
“There’s a legend that those who have been marked as a petal will
have a guardian to keep them safe.”

“
A petal? And why would I
need a guardian?” I asked.

“
Because you’ve been
chosen.”

“
Besides protection, the
guardians hand out blessings too,” Sam said. “You caught a
twenty-pound bass back there on your first cast. We don’t usually
catch any bigger than ten-pounders.”

“
What’s a petal?” I
asked.

“
Six petals form the flower
for the ceremony. It’s an ancient tradition, practiced every 500
years.”

“
Pssh.
That sounds like something off of
The X
Files
or one of those stupid SyFy shows.
It’s just a myth, like the bogeyman, Bigfoot, and aliens being kept
alive with strawberry ice cream,” I said. “But what’s this
so-called ceremony about.”

Jesse handed my fishing pole back to
me and rolled his eyes at his brother and sister. “Don’t let my
siblings scare you. Let’s leave myths in the books and concentrate
on fishing.”

“
I didn’t mean to freak you
out,” Kierra said. “I just got carried away, that’s
all.”

“
You had me worried there
for a minute. It was only a deer. Maybe my imagination just got
carried away again.”

We continued talking and fishing, but
the mood had morphed into something depressing and somber, almost
as dark as the night itself. Something was wrong, and I wondered
what they were hiding. It was either that or they just felt sorry
for me, the lunatic who had seen an invisible buck.

Suddenly,
a thought occurred to me:
What if a curse
really was placed on me when I opened the tin box? Am I really
marked now?
My breath hitched in my
throat.
What have I done? Have I really
unleashed some horrible curse?
But the
woman said she’d protect me, and even Jesse said the myth speaks of
protection. I frowned.
But protection from
what?
I had no idea. The one thing I did
know was that my mind couldn’t take much more of the freaky
happenings. I wanted so badly to confide in Jesse, but I didn’t
want him to think I was crazy. I was sure he had his doubts about
me after the McDonald’s bathrobe escapade, and now I was seeing
Bambi the friendly ghost. I feared that if I told him about the
strange whisperings in the wind, it would be just enough to send
him over the edge, and I didn’t want him to kick me to the
curb.

I got home around seven a.m., and
Jesse searched the house and said it was clear. After telling him
goodbye, I turned on the security system, then cranked up the air
conditioning. I pulled the drapes and made the room as dark as I
could, then jumped into bed. I was asleep as soon as my head hit
the pillow.

I spent the rest of the weekend
looking for that white buck, my potential protector, but I didn’t
see anything. I even tried to Google myths, but I saw nothing about
mortal sacrifices, petals, and white bucks. I didn’t know what to
make of it.

Fortunately, I wasn’t
encumbered with no more voices or visions, and everything went
smoothly while I waited for my parents to return on Sunday
afternoon.

Chapter 16

Fred was working on our back yard, and
it was really looking nice. All the towering weeds were gone, and
the place looked a whole sharper.

“
The place is looking
great,” I said.

Fred sipped his water. “Thanks. I’ve
been working hard.”

“
Take a break. You deserve
it.”

“
I’ve got a present for
you,” he said, then held out a small box.

I swallowed hard. He was cute—not
gorgeous like Jesse but definitely cute. Still, I didn’t like him
in that way, and I wasn’t sure how to handle the fact that he
clearly had a crush on me. I had never been good at trampling other
people’s feelings, which was why I’d stayed with that sleaze ball,
Sean, as long as I had. Now, I was afraid if I accepted Fred’s
gift, it might lead him to believe there was more than friendship
between us. But if I refused it, it would hurt his feelings. “I-I
can’t accept this, Fred,” I said softly, trying to lessen the
blow.

“
Because you’re obsessed
with Jesse, right?”

“
I’m crazy about him, and
it wouldn’t be right to lead you on.”

“
This isn’t a romantic
present.”

“
It isn’t?”

“
No.”

“
My apologies then. I just
assumed—”

“
It’s just a present from
one friend to another, no strings attached.”

“
In that case…” I smiled
and opened the box. The sun glittered on a silver cross necklace.
“Wow, Fred. It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

“
Would you like me to help
you put it on?”

I lifted up my hair. “I’d love
that.”

He clasped the necklace around my
neck.

“
Thanks again. It’s so
pretty,” I said, looking down to admire the dainty pendant around
my neck.

His mouth became a long, thin line.
“Yeah, but I didn’t get it for looks.”

I arched a brow. “You
didn’t?”

“
It’s for your protection,
Taylor.”

“
Protection?”

“
Jesse’s not a witch—or
maybe he is—but I now know what’s his family is hiding.”

“
Really?”

“
Yep.”

“
I’m glad to hear you’ve
dumped the witch theory.”

“
Yeah. I was completely off
base,” he said, not sounding glad about that at all.

“
It was way out there. Just
because we found an altar, that’s no reason to jump to crazy
theories.”

“
Well, I’m not jumping to
my new one. This time, I have solid evidence.”

“
You’re killing me, Fred.
What is it?”

“
I’m not killing you, but
they might. They’re vampires, Taylor.”

I couldn’t stifle my laugh, because
this theory was worse than the last one.

“
You shouldn’t laugh.
You’re dating a bloodsucker,” he said.

“
Excuse
me? Are you telling me I’m Jesse’s future
ghoul
friend.”

He rolled his eyes. “This is serious,
Taylor.”

“
It’s not possible, Fred.
Vampires turn to ash in sunlight. That’s a simple fact. They always
have and always will.”

“
Yeah. I haven’t figured
out how they bypass that.”

“
Simple. They’re not
vampires.”

“
I know they
are.”

“
Jesse is outside every
day, and the last time I checked, Coppertone doesn’t make 5,000
SPF.”

Fred’s gaze narrowed. “You’re in
danger, Taylor. I wish you’d take me seriously.”

“
Are you listening to
yourself?” I retorted.

“
I know it sounds crazy,
but it’s true.”

I choked my laughter back. “Is that
why you got me this necklace? Because I need a crucifix for
protection from vampires?”

“
Yes. Where did you meet
him anyway?”

“
He was
hiking…and it was love at first bite,
” I
joked.

His lips pressed into a grim line.
“Taylor, that’s not funny.”

“
Sorry,” I said. “Just
trying to lighten the mood.”

“
Keep your day job. You’re
a horrible comedienne.”

My grin widened. “I will. I work with
Jesse.”

“
You’re really playing with
fire,” he said, shaking his head at me. “Even if you did believe
me, you’d probably want to stay with him. What’s with chicks and
vampires anyway? They’re fiends who feast on blood and kill people,
yet women find them completely irresistible.”

“
I suppose they’re kind of
the in thing right now,” I said. “The ultimate bad boy
fantasy.”

“
I guess, but I still don’t
really understand the whole glorified vampire
phenomenon.”

I didn’t really believe Jesse was a
vampire, but I decided to roll with it and have some fun. “Don’t
you get it? Women want to feel special, cherished, protected, and
loved. Shouldn’t every girl have an Edward Cullen?”

“
If I was
a girl, I’d prefer Lestat de Lioncourt from
Interview with a Vampire.
”

“
I’m more of Team Brad
Pitt, so it’d be Louis for me,” I said.

“
Nope.
Maybe
Buffy
’s
Angel or Bill Compton from that Dracula flick, but not sparkly
Edward or whiny, emo Louis. Why are girls so hung up on corpses
anyway?”

“
They’re the coolest of the
paranormal,” I said.

“
Oh yeah?”

“
Drac
solutely,” I joked. “A werewolf
will tear you to shreds. A zombie isn’t fun to hug when his rotting
arms fall off. Mummies stink to high heaven, and ghosts are nothing
but air. Really, a vampire is the only way to
go.”

“
Fine, but when they make
out with you, they take a little nibble on your jugular. Gimme
zombies any day. Vampires just…suck.”

“
They’re both vile, evil,
and undead, and they both feed on humans. One is just hotter,
smarter, and smells a whole lot better. Truthfully, zombies are
stupid,” I insisted. “They’ll walk straight toward a barrel of a
gun, while vampires trace away in a speeding blur if they don’t
kill you in one quick bite.”

“
Yeah, but the fighting is
the best part.”

“
You can fight the fanged
ones too,” I said.

“
Forget wooden stakes.
Chainsaws are better.”

I smiled and shook my head. “You’re
sick, you know that?”

“
What!? What guy doesn’t
want to fight off the walking dead with chainsaws, sledgehammers,
and swords? Holding up a crucifix and sprinkling water on a
bloodsucker is…well, it’s kind of sissy-ish.”

“
Is that even a word?” I
chuckled. “So, when it comes to the undead, you’re saying men love
zombies and women love vampires?”

“
Yeah. Zombies are way more
manly, not all pretty and stylish.”

“
I hate to burst your
bubble and break your stereotype, but you’re wrong. I happen to
love both.”

“
Hmm. I guess you’ve proven
me wrong. But what’s the deal with Jesse? Are you in love with the
bloodsucker or what?”

I shot him a look. “No. In lust
maybe.”

“
Ew! I didn’t ask for those
kind of details.”

I smiled. “If you don’t want to hear
the answers, don’t ask the questions.”

He glanced down for a minute, then
looked back up at me. “I’ve read that vampires can make you fall in
love with them.”

I shook my head vehemently. “Jesse
hasn’t done that. He wouldn’t have to. Have you seen him? The guy
is a forest fire all his own, smoking hot. All he has to do is
strut his hot butt into a room and smile, and women will swarm to
him like—”

“
How can you even identify
with a creature who won’t ever die? You can’t. He’s immortal, and
you can’t even begin to understand his deep desire for human blood.
Your vamp boyfriend—”

“
He’s not my
boyfriend…yet.”

“
You need to break off all
communication with him as soon as possible, Taylor.”

I met his gaze straight on. “If what
you’re saying is true, maybe I want to tame him.”

“
You can’t tame a ravage
beast.” Fred stood. “I don’t think I have anything more to say to
you.”

“
Wait, Fred! Come back!” I
yelled as he started to step off the porch in a huff. “You said you
have solid proof, evidence. How did you come to this conclusion
anyway?”

Ignoring me, he went back to
work.

“
Thank you for the
necklace,” I said. “I won’t take it off. I promise.”

When he continued to
ignore me, I just shook my head and headed back into the house,
rubbing the cross between my thumb and index finger. Fred was more
than a little troubled, but I couldn’t help but be flattered by his
urge to protect me.

Chapter 17

A few days later, Amy, one of Julie’s
friends, invited Jesse and me on a boat ride. I hadn’t given her an
answer yet, so Julie wouldn’t quit calling. When I saw her name on
my caller ID again, I moaned. “Hello?” I said, answering my
cell.