Blood Draw: Book Two of the Blood Type Series (complete)

Blood Is Thicker Than Water

Dinner proved to be an exhausting affair. The Abernathys and, to a lesser extent John, politely tolerated my mother's puttanesca. I, on the other hand, could barely pretend. "It gets easier," John whispered in my ear, watching as I rearranged the pasta with my fork, hoping my mother wouldn't notice I'd yet to take a bite. If only we had a dog.

With the wining and dining over at last, the Abernathys left with handshakes and uncomfortable hugs. John said goodbye, too, but snuck back later after my parents had tucked themselves in for the night.

"What are we going to do?" I said, sitting cross-legged in the middle of my bed. I didn't have to tell him what I was talking about.

"I think we can get Thomas on our side," John said, his voice pitched low. "Margaret will remain loyal to her father, though." He placed a hand on mine and I lifted my eyes to his. "Whatever you do," he said, "don't rouse her suspicions. The last thing we need is for her to compel you."

"I won't," I assured him. "If she learns how I really feel about her family, Thomas excluded, it'll only be a matter of time before they revoke our membership and yank out our fangs."

The glow from the bedside lamp cast an eerie shadow across John's face so that his eyes looked like bottomless pools of darkness. But then he turned his face to the ceiling, displacing the shadow. All he looked now was tired.

"What's wrong?" I said.

He stood and began pacing the room. "I've been part of that family for a very long time, Blake. I can't believe I didn't see them for what they really were. I feel like such an idiot."

I wasn't used to my boyfriend's self-deprecating tone, and I didn't like it. "They're a lot older than you. They've had years to master their game."

John continued to pace, not responding or giving any indication that he'd heard a word I said. Going to him at last, I gripped his arms, forcing him to stand still and look at me. "We're doing something about it now, right?" I said. "Don't be too hard on yourself."

He gave a feeble shake of the head. "If it wasn't for you I'd probably just look the other way, keep on doing what they tell me to do."

"You don't know that."

"I'm not a leader, Blake. I never have been. I'm not a . . . a revolutionary," he said, searching for the right word. "I'm not comfortable questioning authority or going against what is expected of me. I've been working alongside the Abernathys for a long time, doing the same job, and now I'm being forced to pick sides." He ran his hands through his hair, turning away in frustration.

"This goes beyond you and me," I said. "We have an obligation to do what's right by the people we love—humans and vampires alike—whether we want to or not. Standing by is not an option."

John started to respond, but I continued before he had a chance to speak. "When I agreed to let Josiah change me, I naively thought I would become a vampire and you and I would live happily ever after. I knew there would be some growing pains, but how many girls get to spend forever with the guy they love?"

I stepped around John so that we were facing each other and pressed my cheek against his chest, listening for the dull thud of his heartbeat. "What I didn't anticipate," I added, "was all this extended-family baggage."

"I guess you didn't know what you were signing up for."

I looked up at him, smiling. "Vampire Basics: 101 would have been a helpful book to have on hand."

The corner of John's mouth twitched. "Maybe we should co-write the manual. We'd make millions in the young-adult market."

He led me to the bed where we sat close together, each of us lost in our thoughts. "I just remembered something else Ian mentioned," I said after a few moments.