Relatives Stories: A Solicitor in love.

It had been a long drive in from my Uncle John’s place. For the entire trip my mind was busy reviewing the implications and new information. Werewolves, magic, a cure for everything that could kill you.

I had been too busy dealing with everything as it occurred to do any thinking about it before. Then I arrived at work, and had to set all of it aside to deal with everything in front of me at my job, in order to clear my evening as well as try to make sure I would have the weekend free to drive up to my dad’s.

So by the time Holly let herself into my apartment, it was already evening, and I still hadn’t had a chance to think.

We were both busy professionals, so most of the time we only had an hour or two together at the end of the day before we fell asleep. Then she was up and out of whichever one of our apartments we had gotten together at, well before dawn to get into work before I was even awake.

She said she didn’t really sleep much anymore.

She slipped up behind me and wrapped her arms around me as I finished off the leftovers my uncle had sent back with me from the barbecue. About the only leftovers that had been left dispute the sheer amount of food that had been prepared.

“Dam, that smells good. Your uncle put on quite the spread.”

I knew better then to offer her any, she always ate before she came over. Or was on a special diet.

Always an excuse not to eat around me.

I wiped my lips with a napkin, leaned back and half turned to give her a kiss. One she returned with enthusiasm. Seemed like it was going to be a good end to a long day tonight.

Her lips were cool to the touch as always, an ongoing form of anemia from the medical treatment for her leukemia.

I was planning to visit my father this weekend about feeling him out about becoming a werewolf like my uncle in order stop his cancer from returning. Why didn’t I even think about offering the same to Holly?

She isn’t family, not to my family. Not since my grandfather made her feel so unwelcome That all her concerns about dating a white guy came back and she broke up with me. Later she would admit that the idea of me leaving her when she got around to telling me about her leukemia or as it became worst. She said she had finally decided that she just wanted to break things off with me by her choice.

But she had gotten cured, and came back to me. She was my family now, and I never even thought about it.

“Charles?”

I never saw her during the day.

I never saw her eat.

I never wondered about that, or anything else strange about her. Like I had been prevented from thinking about it.

“Holly?”

She came around the side of my chair as I stood up. A worried look in her eyes.

I reached out to take her hands and gave her a smile. “Are you a vampire?”

Her eyes went wide and she tried to pull away. I curled my finger around hers and held onto to her hands. But it was only because she let me. I could feel how strong she was now.

She forced a smile onto her face. “Don’t be silly Charles, I don’t want to play around like this. You know I have health issues, so don’t go there.” There was a tone of pleading in her voice.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

I tried to pull her in close, but she kept her distance, trying to keep eye contact.

Shaking my head I asked. “How many times have I questioned this, how many times did you shut me down? Make me forget?”

“Don’t. Don’t do it this time. We have to talk for real.”

She stopped pulling away, and looked to the side. “Don’t do this Charles. I don’t want to lose you again.”

I started to point out how it was her that left me the first time. But I had leaned over the years we had known each other. Never tell her she’s just plain wrong.

“My uncle’s a werewolf.”

That got her attention.

Her face crinkled up in confusion. With a side to side motion “Wha..? What?”

I nodded at her. “He got bit last week, then his grandchildren from the witch he dated in collage showed up, and he met some vampires when he went grocery shopping. He’s been busy since he retired, had to drive up there to get the full story.”

She looked a bit shell shocked.

“So we’re planning on him biting my dad so we don’t have to worry about him getting cancer again. Which means I’m either going to have to get to remember you’re a vampire, or I’m going to start constantly trying to get you to agree to become a werewolf so I don’t have to worry about you having a relapse and loosing you permanently.”

I shook my head at her. “But at least I won’t bother you about meeting my family again, from what I understand they won’t welcome you at all anymore, but now it’s about you smelling like a dumpster full of dead skunks to them, not about you being black.”

Her look of being overwhelmed turned to annoyance. “I don’t smell.”

I leaned in and sniffed at her while she leaned back in surprise. “Yes you do, and might I add you smell delightful. Good enough to eat. Num, num, num.” I leaned in to try to nestle at her neck, she pushed me away with a laugh.

“Stop that. We have to have a serious talk. Does… does it bother you.”

I stopped and began to think it over. I took her by the hand again and let her over to the couch.

“I wanted to have children with you one day, and marry you. I think I tried to talk to you about this before, but… you did something to me.”

Her eyes got wet. “I’m not really… alive anymore. At some point your heart just stops. We’re more like ghosts haunting our old bodies then people anymore.”

I turned toward her, half standing up. “No. You do not talk that way. No one tells my girl she isn’t a person anymore not even her. You got that.”

Her eye went wide, then she reached up to me. That pretty much stopped the conversation for the night.

She was gone again before I got up. I had to wonder if she slept at night at all, or if she just lay next to me all night, starring at me.

No. that would be way too creepy. She probably just played on her phone while I was sleeping.

She did leave a note. “Tonight. We talk. After the sun goes down.”

That night it was a few hours after sunset.

She had knocked to be let in, for the first time in years. I had just remind her. “I gave you a key for a reason. That reason hasn’t changed.” Then stepped out to give her a quick kiss and half hugged half dragged her into the door.”

“Sorry I’m late, I got stuck at work. And then I needed to get a bite. Wink wink. Before I came over.”

I grinned. “So it wasn’t something weird where once I knew about your condition you had to be invited in.”

She looked amused. “As far as I know that just if someone with mojo did something to keep us out.”

I gave her a look. She seemed confused. “What?”

“One of my new cousins. Uncle John’s grand kids is a witch. Most of her dad’s family are. I wonder if she can do something to my door to keep you from sneaking out every morning without saying goodbye?’

She slapped her hand up against my chest. “Stop it, and for real? Witches?”

I gave her as nod as I close the door behind her. Making a point of locking it while staring her in the eye. Not sure what kind of point I was trying to make. Maybe it was something like- See this woman, you’re in here with me, and no one is going to come in and take you away from me.

“Yeah, her great grandmother is the Queen of witches. Endora Caine. My uncle said it sounds like something a tween goth girl would come up with.

Holly froze for a moment. Then whispered. “The most powerful vampire I know goes to her when he want to hire her, and seemed honored to be allowed to do so.”

Well. “So she’s kind of a big deal?”

My girl nodded to me slowly.

I grinned at her. “Well if I see her at a family get together I’ll be sure to give her a card. If she’s running an independent service she might need a good lawyer.”

That got me another slap on the arm. “Don’t even try to get her attention on you fool. She don’t like men.”

I laughed. “I ate earlier so you don’t have to stare at me while I eat.” Then I had to stop and wonder about just what, or who she had to eat before she came over.”

Apparently reading my mind, she informed me. “It was from donations, if we get to it before three days it just as good as if we took it right from a person.” She glanced over to me. “Which I had never done, with anyone, not even my maker.”

I held up my hands “I didn't ask. I am curious, but I’m going to leave it up to you for when you’re ready to talk about it.”

She bite her lip. I didn’t see any sign of fangs. The she started talking.

Her group, which is what the vampires who claimed Detroit called themselves, wanted someone to handle their online dealings, someone born in the last quarter century. Someone with a reason to be loyal.

Someone with no ties, and dyeing.

Holly fit the bill. Unmarried. Childless. Both parents dead. Not close to her much older brother and sister who lived out of state. And in stage four leukemia.

They had already made the offer before our break up. She stopped talking when she got around to that part and couldn’t look at me. “Did they make you break up with me?” She slowly nodded. “Are you expecting me to get upset that you choose to live without me instead of dyeing with me. Don’t think like that Holly, I would rather be in a world with you in it, but without you in my life, then any world that didn’t have you in it.”

That got me a look which almost took the evening in another direction. But she needed to finish telling me what she had to hold back all this time we had been together, and I really wanted to her it.