I sighed dramatically and shoved him back in the water. He was more prepared this time and at the last moment, grabbed my leg and swiftly pulled me in with him. I screamed at the shock of being surrounded by the suddenly frigid water and clutched at his warmth tightly, momentarily forgetting that he was the one I was angry with. I remembered my irritation, the moment he started chuckling.
“Halina loved her husband and killed him anyway!” I snapped. Then, as the realisation of what that statement truly meant for us filled me, I softly said, “What if there isn’t time. What if you…”
He shook his head as he held us close together under the water. His knees rested on the floor of the pool and my legs wrapped around his body. I clung to him tighter as his pale eyes searched my face. “There will be time…and I won’t. I’d rather die than hurt you.”
I rested my head against his and words failed me. I couldn’t speak what was flying through my mind. I couldn’t put vocals to the thoughts, like saying it out loud would make it so horrifyingly real, that the simple act of speaking the words would somehow damage us both. I pulled back to stare into his eyes and felt the same haunted restraint from him. He wouldn’t say the words either. Even if we didn’t speak them…they were all I heard as we clutched each other tightly in that pool.
If it came down to that scenario and he didn’t kill me…he really would die.
We stayed in that pool, holding each other, for a peaceful eternity. Eventually he grabbed the back of my head and placed me gently on his shoulder. “I really should help my dad,” he whispered.
I nodded against the cold, wet fabric of his shirt, and we both stood, dripping and freezing, and exited the pool. At the edge, he faced the windows and simply said, “Mom.” Instantly, Alanna was there with towels for us. Teren thanked her but didn’t look at her. I watched Alanna eye him with the guilt-filled, tired eyes of someone who had betrayed someone else’s trust for their own good.
I sighed, hating the tension between these two people, who obviously loved each other. “This is ridiculous,” I muttered, as I scrubbed my hair dry. Both vamps turned their downcast heads to me. Teren stopped squeezing the water out of his jeans as I continued. “You both love each other. You both want the best for each other.” Alanna looked at him hopefully, Teren eyed her uneasily. I smacked his shoulder. “Get over it and give your mom a hug.” He looked back at me, surprised at my tone, and then chuckled. Alanna’s musical laugh joined his, and she flung her arms around his wet body.
“Okay, Mom…” He hugged her warmly and then pulled his wetness away from her. He looked at her quite seriously. “I will do what’s best for me. Please respect that…and please, stop telling my girlfriend things that I should be telling her.” He smiled lamely at the end.
She ran her fingers back through his wet hair. “You know I love you, Teren. I’m sorry I worry so much. I just remember what it’s like…it’s harder than you think it is. I eventually had to send Jack away to protect him from me, just in case…” She sighed sadly. “It was the longest separation of our marriage.”
“I know, Mom…” he said softly.
She sighed again. “All right…” She grabbed his chin and looked over him. “We’re always here for you.” She looked about to cry again, but instead, she quickly kissed his cheek and fled back to the house.
I smiled over at him as we both finished toweling off. He smiled back and shook his head. “You’re better at this than you realize, Emma.”
“Better at what?” I indicated the water behind me. “Better at dumping you in the pool?”
He shook his head and pulled my damp body into his damp body. “At being a part of my world. You don’t know how rare you are.” He kissed me softly. “I won’t keep anything else from you…I promise.”
I kissed him back softly. “That’s all I ask…thank you.”
When we were dry enough that we were at least not dripping too badly, Teren scooped me up into his arms and sped me upstairs. Once we were in our room, we both changed into clean, dry clothes. Teren frowned at me when he stared at his sopping work boots, the only shoes he had with him for this trip. I looked away and got really busy putting my (still completely dry) shoes back on.
While I went to freshen up in the bathroom, a still scowling and shoeless Teren excused himself to go find a pair of boots to wear. Even though I shouldn’t have found it entertaining, I smiled the entire time I dried and styled my hair, thinking of him plodding through the house in only his socks. Served the secretive vampire right.
When I was finished with my loose, bouncy hair and makeup essentials (my mascara had run horribly and I’d had to wash my face and start all over – I’d have to remember the waterproof kind, next time my vamp decided to drag me into the pool), I exited the bedroom to go find Teren. I didn’t have to search too hard. He was stepping off the final stair, just as I approached them.
I smiled and looked at his feet. He was wearing black, men’s work boots that had seen much better days. One of the toes had a worn spot that was going to eventually be a large hole, and a seam along the side of the other one had come apart; the shoe made a flopping noise whenever he walked. I bit my lip to not laugh. He frowned as he followed my eyesight to his feet.