pulled out into traffic when Chelsea leaned forward between the two front seats to address Peter and myself. “When will the dreams stop? Does whatever you did wear off eventually?”
I gaped at her and Peter braked just a little too hard as the light changed. She laughed at our shocked expressions. “You have dreams?” I kept my voice flat and even.
She shrugged. “Nothing too bad, but I dream about blood sometimes. And I see your face a lot in my dreams.”
I swallowed, not knowing what to say. I had hoped she didn’t recall anything from her first night in the hospital. I barely remembered anything because Peter had put me under his sway to keep me from hurting anyone. But he told me later that he had commanded me to heal Chelsea. He had bit my wrist, and fed my blood to her while the nurses were busy elsewhere. He said he was careful to give her only a little. My blood had still been weak, since I was fresh from the turn, but it was enough to speed her healing.
Peter took a right at the light and accelerated smoothly, flicking a glance at Chelsea. “It will fade with time.”
She turned her blue eyes on me. “This is how you got better, right? Peter did that to you too?” When I didn’t say anything, but looked to Peter for help, she continued with an exasperated sigh. “I know you guys aren’t normal. And… look, I really don’t want to know what you are. I just want to make sure I’ll still be me.”
Peter grinned at her words and I rolled my eyes. How very Chelsea of her to only care about how this was going to affect her. “You’ll just be you,” I said, shaking my head. “One monster in the family is enough.”
She gave Peter a serious look. “You’re kind of responsible for her, aren’t you? I’ve seen how you watch her. You’re always making sure she’s okay.”
He nodded slowly and she smiled. “That’s good then. I know you’ll take good care of her.” I banged my head against my window with a series of soft thumps. She still thought I needed someone to take care of me.
*****
I swiped slick, peachy polish across my nails with sure movements. The color was bright, cheerful, confident. My hands were steady, steadier than they had been even before my car accident, and the shiny polish was flawless.
Peter had apologized early on. He had asked my forgiveness for making the decision to turn me without regard for the things I would lose. I understood his feelings, but really, what had I lost? The sun would come back, and I would gain more than I had ever lost. That’s not to say I was all saintly patience. I smirked at the thought, glancing out from beneath the brim of my gargantuan hat. I pushed my darker-than-dark sunglasses up and shook out the sleeves of my long, UV resistant shirt. A breeze picked up and it ruffled the edges of the huge beach umbrella that shaded me even though I had set up my lawn chair in the deepest shadows of a big tree.
So I’m stubborn. But I was outside.
I smiled and gingerly picked up the slobbery ball that had appeared in my lap. Careful not to smudge my polish, I tossed it into the yard, laughing when Taz pounced on it with glee, and trotted back to me, his long legs as graceful as a show horse’s. He loved Peter’s house, where he had a yard to play in and lots of space to roam. “Well boy, what do we do now?”
Life had settled down and I was feeling more adjusted now, but I felt rusty, as if I had been sitting still for too long. I needed to move, to do something.
*****
I hefted a pile of two by fours and headed to where Peter and another dark-haired man were standing by a saw. The other vampire was one of Leah’s, and it turned out he had been a carpenter most of his one hundred and fiftyish years of life. Cynthia followed behind me, brushing by with a sneer. “Out of the way slowpoke.”
I smiled at her grousing and dropped the pile of wood. Then I turned to look back at the skeleton of the house behind us. It was beginning to take shape and resemble an actual structure. Leah was engrossed in conversation with the masonry guy, but she headed my way when