Bad Blood (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 3) (8 page)

I rubbed the edge of my sundress absently between two fingers. “I know, Mom. I was thinking about something else.”

“Right now I want you to be thinking about this. Your appointment is at ten a.m. Friday.”

“Fine, I’ll go.”

“Thank you.”

“Sure.”

Mom lifted herself off the couch. “I’ll let you get ready for bed.” She leaned over to kiss my forehead. “I’m happy you’re home.”

Before she could walk away I said, “Hey, Mom…”

She stopped and turned.

“I’d like to go to your next French lesson.”

Mom tilted her head when she looked at me. “You sounded upset about the French lessons earlier. Why?”

No need to alarm her. Once I confirmed that Madame Vasser wasn’t actually Giselle Morrel, I’d let my mom and grandma conjugate verbs to their hearts’ content, but right now I considered it my own secret mission.

“I wasn’t upset,” I said. “I was just thinking that I’m starting advanced French this semester and it might be beneficial to have a tutor. Gran mentioned the woman’s a native speaker. I’d like to check her out.”

“Oh, of course. We meet every second Wednesday night, except for tonight, of course. Welcoming you home is more important than practicing French.”

“Aw, you’re just saying that because I’m your daughter.”

“I’m saying that because I love you.”

After a six month’s separation, I suppose we were long overdue for a mushy moment. We hugged before Mom left me to get ready for bed.

Dante said he’d come by the next morning to help me move. Mom would have liked to have me around a couple more nights, but I was way too excited to settle into my new place.

Dressed in a pair of old jeans, a T-shirt, and a ponytail, I paced around the kitchen while waiting for Dante to show up.

Grandma looked up occasionally from her newspaper as she sipped coffee. Beside her, Mom drank a green smoothie.

“I don’t see what the hurry is,” Gran said. “She just got back.”

“She’s excited,” Mom said. “You remember what it’s like.”

“No,” Gran said. “No, I don’t. I was a daughter and then a wife. Things were a lot different in my day.”

Thank god I lived in the twenty-first century.

“Well, you have your own place now,” Mom said.

“And it was very lonely until you moved in.”

I hovered near the front door, letting them have a moment. Where was Dante? I opened the front door just as he walked up. A grin lit up his face.

“Someone missed me,” he said right before he pulled me into the hall and into his arms, covering my lips with his.

As soon as he paused for air, I said, “Shall we get going?”

Dante slid his hand down my back. “Sure. Let’s grab breakfast first.”

“Breakfast?” I knew my face fell. I didn’t want to sit around at a diner. I wanted to move.

Dante lifted his chin. “Gotta fuel up first.”

Couldn’t he have eaten breakfast before he came over? I kept my comment to myself. I didn’t want to sound ungrateful after Dante volunteered to spend his day lifting and moving my belongings.

So, we went out for breakfast first.

Since the place was already furnished, all we had to do was move my boxes in. Originally, I’d planned to go through my stuff and only bring the things I wanted with me, but since Mom had already packed it all into boxes, I figured it would be easier to move them and go through everything at the new place.

At this point, I wanted the quickest option.

Dante and I stuffed the first load into his Jeep and headed towards campus. I sat on the edge of my seat, hands clasped in my lap.

Dante looked over and chuckled. “Excited?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, I am. I have my own place. I’m starting college… I wasn’t sure I’d make it, and now look at me.”

My heart fluttered with anticipation when he pulled into the neighborhood that would be my new home for the next four years. The lawns were fresh cut and spacious. I wasn’t sure what Melcher had found for me. I’d been expecting an apartment, but there wasn’t an apartment number on the address he’d sent.

“This is great,” Dante said. “You’re only a few minutes away from my place.”

I nodded, barely listening.

“There it is!” I said. “That’s the house. The blue one on the right.”

Dante backed into the driveway. He stuck his chin out at the single car garage after we got out of the Jeep. “You’ll have to wrestle your roommate for the garage.”

“She can have it.” I still had no desire to drive.

Speaking of roommates, maybe I should knock on the door and introduce myself before barging in with my things.

I walked up to the front door and tapped lightly. When there was no answer, I knocked harder and waited.

“Anyone home?” Dante called from the driveway where he unloaded the first round of boxes.

“I don’t think so. Should I open the door?”

Dante joined me, box in hand. “Let’s see your new place.”

I unlocked the door and held it open for Dante.

“You first,” he said.

We entered a foyer connected to a hallway. Dante set the box down at the base of a staircase to the right of the entrance. We followed the first floor hallway, which led directly to a full sized
kitchen, dining room, and living room. Beige carpeting covered the living room floor, and the walls looked like they’d recently been painted a clean eggshell white.

Melcher hadn’t lied about the house being furnished. An oak table with six matching chairs was set up in the dining area beneath a chandelier. The living room had a large flat screen TV, wraparound couch, recliner, lamps, and a rustic coffee table with drawers and space below.

There were framed pictures of pressed leaves and acrylic tree trunks. A large glass vase had been filled with irises and set on the coffee table. Small potted plants added nice spots of greenery from side tables. An extra shelf below each was stacked with hardback books.

It was like stepping inside a Pottery Barn catalog. And I got to live here!

“Wow,” Dante said, craning his neck around the room. “Either Melcher did some major setup or your roommate is an interior designer.”

“I know. I love it!” I pressed the tips of my fingers together. “I can’t wait to see my bedroom.”

“Me neither.” Dante wiggled his eyebrows.

Should have seen that one coming.

I retreated to the entryway and bounded up the set of stairs leading to the second floor. Four rooms were visible from the landing up top, one of which had the door shut. I stepped into the first room, an office painted pink and outfitted with bookshelves, a futon, and two desks. One was covered in neatly organized supplies and a narrow ceramic vase filled with dry red flowers. The other was empty.

“Aw,” Dante said, peeking in. “You and your new roommate get to be study buddies.”

I brushed past him, checking out the bathroom next.

I stopped at the edge of a fluffy white bath mat staring into a beautiful jetted tub. “Oh my god, a Jacuzzi tub!”

“Look at that,” Dante said from behind me. “It’s big enough for two.”

I gave him a playful punch on the shoulder before breezing out. One more room to go. I passed the closed door and walked into the last open room at the far end of the house. With fingers trembling in excitement, I flicked on the light switch.

Compared to the other rooms it looked sparse, but there was a queen size bed on a simple wood frame with a matching nightstand and dresser. The sliding door to a rather large closet showed ample space for my clothes.