Impassioned |Book 1|

Chapter 10

Mom and I sat together at the table, waiting to see what would end up happening with Grayson at the hospital. He hadn't brought anyone with him, that I knew of at least, and I was worried about what he was going to do to help Roger. The last time a new vampire had been made, he and Preston had killed it. Surely, he wouldn't kill Roger? I had faith that Grayson wouldn't, but at the same time, he had to do what he thought was right for not only his people, but mine too. Mom was a nervous wreck, worrying to death about Roger, but also having an existential crisis after finding out humans weren't the only beings. She had taken it well, better than I thought she would. I mean, Grayson and I probably could've broke it to her a little gentler, but still.

She sat at the table, playing with her a fingers, a nervous habit I had gotten from her. Her leg was bouncing under the table, and I thought she would chew her bottom lip off if she didn't lay off chewing on it.

"Mom," I said, laying my hand on her arm. "Calm down. I know it's a lot to process, but please-"

"Grace, I love you, dear. But a fucking vampire has been dating my daughter. I know it's a lot to process." Her voice wasn't harsh, but wasn't gentle either.

I wasn't sure what to say, opting to look down at the table and play with my own fingers. Finally, after nearly an hour, Grayson came walking back in the house. I stood, rushing to him, questions tumbling out my mouth before I even reached him.

Grayson smiled calmly, but I could see the stress building behind his eyes. He grabbed me softly by my arms, steadying me, and shushing me. "He's gonna be fine. I'm taking him back with me so he can complete the transformation around his kind."

"So, you didn't hurt him?" I asked, glancing behind him to see Preston standing in the doorway. My eyes went back to Grayson as he spoke.

"No, we didn't hurt him. He's gonna be fine, just..not human." Grayson answered, releasing my arms and glancing cautiously at my mom. "I'm sorry this has happened. We're doing everything we can to find the person doing this, but I'm still sorry it happened to your friend." His voice was full of sympathy, like he actually did feel really bad. Knowing him, I'm sure he did.

Mom gave him a tight lipped grin, nodding her head. "It's...it's okay, Grayson. Just.. catch the bastard? And we're square?" she asked, standing and slowly walking towards him.

Grayson nodded, accepting her into a hug. "I promise, I'm gonna fix this. He'll be fine, and I'll let him visit once he learns to control himself." he told her, pulling away and giving her an encouraging smile.

Mom sighed and nodded, stepping out of the embrace after a moment. "Well, I'm sure you two need to get back." she said, glancing warily at Preston.

Grayson nodded, glancing back at Preston and nodding once. Preston nodded back, heading up the steps to my room, probably to get the portal ready. Grayson made his way to me, stopping to stand back in front of me. Neither of us knew what to say, but the air was thick. I didn't want him to go, having only seen him for a few moments. But he had to, and I knew that. He didn't break the silence, instead caressing my face softly in his hands, and pulling my forehead to meet his. Mom glanced between us, giving a small smile before walking off to her room.

Grayson didn't speak, just studied my eyes with his, rubbing his thumbs gently over my jaw. I closed my eyes, resting my hands on his chest, and leaning into him. He sighed, pulling me flush against him, his head going to rest on top of mine. I dug my face into his neck, breathing in, his familiar scent wrapping around me like a blanket. He finally spoke, asking, "Have you met someone new?"

I rolled my eyes, pulling back and looking up at him, as incredulous look on my face. "Really? That's what you decided to say?"

Grayson chuckled, his hands going back to caress my face as he pulled his lips to mine. He kissed me softly, with no rush. It ended much too quickly for my liking, as he pulled away and led me to the couch in the living room. He sat down, pulling me onto his lap, his arms wrapping around my waist tightly and securely. "I didn't mean it like that. There's just a...weird scent around you." he replied, his eyebrows furrowed as he brought his nose to my shirt, breathing in deeply.