Life's Blood (The Cordelia Chronicles) (13 page)

“Classes don’t start for us until the tenth, so we can spend the first week with Chaseyn and Lia in Romania before they meet up with Mina,” Addie explained proudly. “If there is something we can do to help, then I want to. We’ll do anything we can, won’t we, Eli?”

“Absolutely,” he nodded. “He’s my best bud--next to the guys on the team, that is.”

“And we can have a bit of fun while we‘re at it,” Addie said. “I’m so glad you’re traveling on Chaseyn’s dime this time. Travel is so much better when you don’t have to worry about bed bugs.”

I was flabbergasted. Never in my dreams could I have predicted Addie would want to travel with us to Romania. At the same time, a feeling of relief washed over me. Sure, we would need to find a way to keep the truth concealed from her, but I was already dealing with so much that it would be great to have my best friend at my side.

“So?” Addie asked, but I had no idea what she wanted me to say in response.

“So what?”

“Are you going to show me where we’re staying, or what?” she giggle. “This is going to be the best.”

“Is that even a saying?” Chaseyn questioned. He was always so particular when it came to grammar.

“Sounds like someone’s feeling better,” Addie remarked, and we all laughed. Well, all of us, except Chaseyn.

“I almost forgot,“ Addie shouted as she jumped up off the couch and made a mad dash for the bag she’d left on the kitchen counter. “I brought candy apples.”

She pulled them out of the bag and held one up in each hand for us to see--as if she thought we wouldn’t believe her if we didn’t see the evidence. She’d also brought caramel corn, rocky road fudge, cheese puffs, and cookie dough.

“What is all this junk?” Chaseyn asked. “Are you trying to rot your teeth?”

“It’s our usual,” Addie said pointing a finger at me then her. “We always eat this stuff when we have sleepovers.”

I nodded my agreement.

“I don’t know about you, Chaseyn, but I need some real food,” Eli said, puffing up his chest. “My coach will kill me if I come back all out of shape because I ate crap all break.”

“I’ll grab some pasta and sauce from the pantry. Why don’t you see if we’ve got any peppers and mushrooms we can mix in? Oh, and maybe grab some ground beef from the freezer while you’re at it,” Chaseyn said, taking another swig from the travel mug. He was almost entirely back to normal at this point, but it worried me how quickly he’d come to enjoy the taste of warm blood. Still, I was thankful he was well for the time being.

As the boys cooked dinner, Addie and I munched on cheese puffs and popcorn while we looked at websites for the towns we would be visiting in Romania--Brasov, Sighisoara, Sibiu, and Targu Mures. I was astounded at how enthusiastic Addie was to be visiting such a unlikely tourist destination, but she seemed genuinely excited.

“I know we’re kind of going on a mission and all, but we totally have to spend at least one night at
this
place,” Addie said as she pointed to a picture of the most bizarre inn I’d ever laid eyes upon. “It’s called the Castel Dracula Hotel.”

From the kitchen, I hear the classic sound of someone spitting out some sort of beverage. I hoped it wasn’t Chaseyn, because if he’d just done a spit take with a mouthful of blood, we’d have a lot of explaining to do. Thankfully, I heard Chaseyn slap Eli on the back and ask if
he
was okay.

“I was just surprised to hear Addie would be interested in that sort of thing,” Eli covered. Though, I knew he spoke the truth.

“This place looks a-ma-zing,” she replied, enunciating each syllable like it was its own word. “It’s this Dracula-themed hotel in the rural Transylvanian hillside. It says they even stamp your passport when you leave.”

“Sounds cheesy,” I said, trying my best to shrug off the idea. I wasn’t sure how Chaseyn would feel so openly poking fun at his ancestry. He may not like the fact that was half vampire, but it didn’t mean he wanted to mock his heritage.

“I don’t know, Cordelia. Might be kind of
interesting
,” Chaseyn said, but his tone was acerbic. Addie was none the wiser, and she practically jumped from her seat with excitement.

“It’s settled then,” she cheered. “We’ll need to rearrange the bookings so we can stay the night there, but I know it’ll be a ton of fun. It says there’s a surprise for the bravest guests. I
so
can’t wait.”

“Fine. One night,” I conceded. “That’s it.”

“Lia, it says here there’s a bunch of vampire-themed sites all over Romania we can visit,” Addie said. “Won’t that be fun.”

“It’ll be a real hoot,” Chaseyn flatly. He put down the spoon he’d been using to stir the sauce and twirled his finger in the air. I shot daggers at him with my eyes, and he took the hint.

By the time Addie had rearranged the schedule for our first week in Romania to the point that it was looking more like a tourist vacation than a research endeavor, dinner was plated and on the table. Once we’d filled our bellies with plenty of pasta and meatballs, we kicked back and watched classic John Hughes movies--
The Breakfast Club
,
Sixteen Candles
, and
Pretty in Pink
--just like we did when we were kids. We stuffed our faces with junk food and fell asleep on the couch. It was the most fun I’d had in weeks.

***

It was a good thing I’d had a nice time the night before because all of that was about to change. Chaseyn and I followed Eli and Addie as they drove in her Mini Cooper back to Evergreen. They were going to make last-minute arrangements, and I was going to break the news to my mom. I doubted it would go well--adding more tension to our already-strained relationship.

“Wish me luck,” I said to Chaseyn as we pulled up in front of the house. Chaseyn kissed my cheek and watched while I walked up the path. This was a conversation I had to have on my own, so he was going to head to Mina’s to refill his blood stash. He still had quite a few bags left at our place, but he’d need to stock up for our trip overseas, at least until we met up with Mina and Balthazar.

As I had expected, my mother greeted me with open arms when I came through the door. Her protruding belly kept us at arm’s length, and I could feel the baby kick when we touched. I hated to stress her out at this late stage in her pregnancy, but I needed to tell her the truth--well, at least as much of it as I reasonably could without putting her in danger. She could never know Chaseyn’s secret. Ever.

I decided to jump in feet first. No point sitting around stewing in my own procrastination.

“Mom, I need to talk to you about something,” I said, choosing my next words carefully. “But you have to promise to hear me out.”

“Sure, sweetheart. You know you can come to me with anything,” she replied.

“I know, but some things are harder than others to talk about, and I’m scared you’ll be upset,” I said.

“You’re scaring me, baby girl. Is everything all right? Oh, honey, you’re not pregnant are you?”

“Ew, mom, no. How could you think that? Gross…we‘d both have babies at the same time. Not likely.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” she exhaled a breath I hadn’t realized she was holding. “It wouldn’t be the first time that has happened to a girl your age, you know.”

“Well it would have to be an immaculate conception,” I deadpanned and dropped the subject.

“Good,” she smiled, clearly pleased to learn Chaseyn and I hadn’t yet reached that stage in our relationship. “Well, what is it, Lia?”

“I just want you to know I have thought about this a lot, and it’s what I want.”

“Just spit it out already,” she urged.

“I’m taking next semester off school,” I blurted.

“What, Lia? Why? No,” she said, running the gamut of emotions in only a few words. Fury being the one she landed on.

“Chaseyn’s sick, mom. Really sick.”

“So you’re going to give up everything you’ve ever worked for because your high-school boyfriend has a few medical problems?” she spat.

“He’s more than that, and you know it,” I shouted in response. I knew raising my voice wasn’t going to score any points, but I was so frustrated I couldn’t help myself.

“Lia, I know you think this relationship is forever, but you’re so young. I can’t sit by and watch while you play with your future like this.”

I couldn’t keep the dam closed any longer. The floodgates opened and tears spilled from my eyes. I didn’t cry frivolously, so this signaled to my mother that something was seriously wrong.

“He’s dying, mom,” I sobbed. “You won’t have to worry about him being a part of my life much longer if we can’t find a cure for what’s wrong with him.”

“Oh, honey,” she whispered, wrapping her arms tight around my shoulders. “I’m so sorry. Chaseyn is a lovely boy, and I know how much he means to you.”

“Do you? Because those were some pretty harsh accusations you just made.”

“I know, Lia, but I’m your mother. I need to be sure you’re thinking with your head, not your heart.”

“I can defer my scholarship for a year,” I explained. “It won’t affect anything at all, and unless a miracle happens, I won’t need to be out of school longer than that.”

It was all I could do to get out the words.

***

After a tearful farewell, I left my mom’s house feeling better for having told her as much as I could about what was going on in my life. I was more honest with her than I had been in years, but something still felt off.

I wasn’t sure if my mom and I would ever have the kind of relationship we’d had when it was just the two of us. It was a camaraderie--the two of us against the world. Now, she had Kevin and a new baby on the way, and most days, I just felt like baggage. I knew neither of them wanted me to feel that way--and they would be mortified if they knew I did.

Chaseyn never made me feel anything less than loved. Unconditionally, without question. And I loved that he didn’t say a word when I got in the car. He didn’t ask how it went, because he knew it could only go so well. And he didn’t try to soothe my sadness. Instead, he just wrapped his arm around my shoulder and drove the whole way back to Denver in silence.

We didn’t go straight home, though. First, we stopped at the university so I could withdraw from my winter semester classes and make arrangements to defer my scholarship. I hated to do it. I didn’t want to be the girl who gave up everything for love. And, I was really enjoying spending time with Mandi. She’d gone home for the holidays, and I felt badly that I wouldn’t have a chance to say goodbye before we left for Romania.

“We have one more stop before we head home,” Chaseyn advised.

“I’m in no hurry. Do you need to get something for the trip?”

“Not me…you,” he replied. “There is no way I am going anywhere with you and that ratty old backpack you use as a travel bag. We’re getting you a real set of luggage.”

I wanted to tell him that bag had been through a lot of good times and was part of making a lot of good memories, but I couldn’t. I knew that whatever bags we bought together would end up part of making even more amazing memories because I made them with Chaseyn. So I laughed. I laughed long and hard, and it felt great.

“Ready?” Chaseyn called as he grabbed my bag from where I’d placed it at the bottom of the stairs. It was a Louis. Vuitton. I didn’t even know you could buy designer labels like that in Colorado, but Chaseyn knew just where to find them. And despite the outlandish price tag, he’d insisted.

“As I’ll ever be,” I called as I ran down the stairs, nearly tumbling down the last half dozen headfirst.

Chaseyn chucked our bags in the trunk while I locked up the cabin. I didn’t know how long we would be away. It could be weeks, maybe months, but I hoped it would be sooner rather than later.

As usual, we were running late. Addie and Eli were already at the airport and in the security line, and we were still miles away from the airport. I braced myself as Chaseyn pressed the pedal to the metal, and we flew by the other cars on the highway. It wasn’t a far drive, and we would make it in mere moments. I texted Addie to let her know we’d see them soon.

Fifteen minutes later we were on the shuttle from the parking lot to the terminal. I’d already printed off our boarding passes, so we just needed to check our bags and pass through security.

“You’ll have to run,” the agent said as she tagged our bags and put them on the conveyer belt. “They’re getting ready to board your flight.”

“I told you to shower last night,” Chaseyn teased. I slugged him hard in the arm, and he winked at the agent. “We’d have been here an hour ago if you didn’t have to dry your hair.”

“Don’t listen to him,” I chuckled. “He’s full of--“

“Now
your
hair is lovely,” Chaseyn said, fondling one of the agents golden ringlets. “Are those natural curls?”

I would have been jealous, but I knew it was his way of charming her into calling the gate and letting them know we were on our way. And, it worked. That man could sell an umbrella in the desert. He was
that
smooth. Before Chaseyn had breathed his last word--curls--the agent was on the phone doing her best to convince the crew to hold the plane as long as it would take for us to clear security.