“Sean wants me to join him as a vampire. He says I could have centuries, and it would make up for the time I lost.”
“Oh my gosh,” Shanna breathed. It had been shocking enough when Roman had transformed her father in order to save him. But her mother? A vampire?
Darlene smiled sadly at her. “I said no. As silly as it might sound, I actually like my life as it is now. I get to see Tino and Sofia every day. And I spend a lot of time with Caitlyn and her twins. I don’t want to give up my days with my grandchildren. I suspect Sean is afraid of spending the next few centuries all alone, but that’s his problem, not mine.”
“You’re sure? There are plenty of mortals around here who can babysit during the day—”
“I’m sure.” Darlene patted her on the arm. “I’m very happy now. Besides, I doubt I could last five minutes with Sean without wanting to stake him. I’d never last a few centuries.”
Shanna hugged her again. “You are so strong. Dad always underestimated you.” She heard the sound of a car braking outside. “They’re here. Let’s go.”
Darlene stepped out onto the front porch and smiled. “Now that’s a sight. A vampire husband driving a van filled with children.”
Shanna’s heart filled with warmth. She was so blessed. She had a wonderful husband, two adorable children, and two parents still alive, or semi-alive in the case of her father. She had a brother and her sister, Caitlyn, and her family. And then there was the big extended family—shifters, Vamps, and mortals like her dear friend, Radinka. She was surrounded by people she loved.
Poor Howard. He’d lost his father, his girlfriend, and his best friend. “I feel so terrible for Howard.”
Darlene nodded, her eyes growing misty. “I’ll never forget the sound of his roar. So much pain. I thought his heart was breaking.”
“We have to help him,” Shanna whispered. She took a deep breath to steady her resolve. Somehow, she would convince Elsa Bjornberg that Howard was the perfect man for her. Even if he occasionally turned into a bear.
Chapter Twenty
“What a lovely family,” Aunt Greta whispered to Elsa on the front porch.
“Yes.” Elsa smiled as she watched Tino and his little sister scamper around the driveway. The floodlights had been turned on, and the children were pretending they were in a spotlight, with Tino singing and Sofia dancing.
She glanced at the proud parents and grandmother who stood nearby, smiling as they watched. It felt good knowing such a nice family would be living in the house.
Aunt Greta had instantly become friends with the grandmother when Darlene had admired her knitting. Apparently, Darlene also knitted and knew the best local places to buy yarn.
Elsa was more curious about Roman, the scientific genius. He was obviously a doting husband and father, but there was something . . . different about him. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. He’d been very interested in the structural changes in the basement, but like any wise husband, when it came to the kitchen, he’d let his wife make all the decisions.
Elsa turned to lock the door. Alastair and Oskar had left a few minutes earlier to join The B Boys in Cranville for dinner.
“Excuse me.” Shanna joined her on the front porch. “Before we go, could I have a word with you in private?”
“Sure.” Elsa opened the door. “You want to go inside?”
“Yes, thank you.” Shanna stepped inside and strode across the foyer toward the kitchen.
“This will just take a few minutes,” Elsa assured her aunt. She knew Greta was eager to return to Cranville to have supper with Great-aunt Ula.
“That’s all right,” Greta assured her. “I need to find out where I can buy more yarn.” She headed toward Darlene.
Elsa followed Shanna into the kitchen and turned on the temporary battery light that she’d installed in there earlier to show off all the samples. “Did you have any more questions about the house?”
“No, I think you’re doing a fabulous job.” Shanna paced around the kitchen.
She seemed nervous, Elsa thought. Or agitated. “Is something wrong?”
“A few things.” Shanna stopped in front of her. “I owe you an apology. Tino told us about the incident with the feral pigs. He should have never come here alone like that. He—he put your life in danger. I’m so sorry—”
“He saved my life,” Elsa interrupted. “I’m grateful to him.”
“I appreciate how understanding you are, but he took a terrible risk. He’s not supposed to teleport without our permission. And to teleport you with him—” Shanna winced. “That must have been . . . disconcerting.”
“To say the least.” Elsa’s curiosity got the better of her, and she wondered how much she could get Shanna to reveal. “You warned us to stay away from the school, not because the kids are juvenile delinquents but because they’re all special like Tino?”
“Yes.” Shanna nodded. “We’re trying to give them normal lives and protect them from anyone who would want to study or exploit them. I hope we can trust you to keep our secret.”
“Yes, of course. I won’t say a word to anyone.”
Shanna heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you. That was our main concern with letting your show renovate this house. We could never forgive ourselves if we endangered the children.”
“Are the other kids like Tino?”
“Not all of them, but soon we’ll have more hybrids like Tino and Sofia.”
Shanna chuckled. “I don’t know where they get all their energy. Roman thinks they suck it out of the adults. In that way, they’re probably very much like normal kids.”
“I suppose.” It was one of the things Elsa really liked about Tino. His superpowers hadn’t gone to his head. He still acted like a normal little boy.
Shanna resumed her pacing. “There’s something else I need to talk about. Howard had to go to Alaska. He won’t be here for a while.”
“Oh.” A wave of disappointment swept over Elsa. She would miss him. She caught herself mentally. What was she thinking? She’d decided just that afternoon not to see him again. This should be good news. Now that he was gone, she wouldn’t have to go through the pain of rejecting him. But already she missed him. A part of her wanted him back, and that part was growing fast.
Shanna stopped in front of the kitchen sink and stared out the window. “Something awful happened today. I didn’t want to talk about it in front of the children.”
A chill prickled Elsa’s skin. “Something happened to Howard?”
“His best friend . . . died.”
Elsa’s breath caught. Was this the friend he’d talked so fondly about that afternoon? “You mean Harry?”
Shanna turned to face her. “You know about Harry?”
“Howard told me they were best friends.”
Shanna grimaced. “Harry was killed this morning with a car bomb.”
Elsa gasped.
“I know. It’s horrible.”
Elsa pressed a hand against her chest. “Harry was . . . murdered?”
“Yes, the poor man.” Shanna sighed. “Howard has lost so many loved ones.”
Elsa winced inwardly. Howard had confessed his love to her that afternoon. It would be cruel to reject him now and cause him more pain. But how could she stay with him? She didn’t know what to do, but she hated to think about how badly he was hurting. “Why would someone murder his best friend?”
Shanna shook her head. “I don’t know all the details, but apparently there’s a nasty guy in Alaska who hates Harry and Howard.”
