Jane Vows Vengeance

themselves. We’re really not supposed to out one another.”

Having said it, Jane now wondered why she had worried so much about it. The words had come out fairly easily, and despite her fears she already felt immensely better.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before,” she said. “I know I should have. But now you know why I said no all those times you asked me out.”

Walter looked at her for long enough that some of her relief began to turn to worry. “I can’t believe you,” he said. “Here I am freaking out about the fact that my mother might very well be a raving lunatic, and you’re making fun of me.”

“I’m not making fun of you,” Jane protested. “I’m telling you the truth.”

Walter laughed. “You’re a vampire?” he said.

Jane nodded. “Yes.”

“You drink blood?”

She cringed. “Only when I have to. And never from you. I want you to know that.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” said Walter. “Anything else I should know? Is Lucy a werewolf? Maybe old Sherman at the paper is really Satan in disguise?”

“Now you’re being ridiculous,” Jane said.

“I’m being ridiculous? Are you listening to yourself? Have you heard anything you’ve said in the last five minutes?”

“This really isn’t going well.”

Jane looked down and saw Lilith looking up at her.

“Don’t you start,” she told the Chihuahua.

“Who are you talking to?” Walter asked. “The dog? Wait. Let me guess. She’s really an alien. From Mars or from Jupiter?”

“I told you it wasn’t going well,” Lilith said. “You should have quit while you were ahead.”

“I was never ahead,” said Jane.

“Would you please stop it?” Walter said. “You know, as odd as you can be sometimes, you’ve always been there for me. Now, when I need you the most, this is how you behave? I can’t believe you, Jane.”

He turned and started to walk away. Lilith trotted beside him, using her strange hop-skip-hop technique.

“Walter,” Jane called.

“Leave me alone,” he said.

Jane started to cry. “Walter,” she said. “Please come back.”

Walter whirled around. “You want me to believe that you’re a vampire?” he said. “Then bite me.”

Jane stared at him, unable to speak.

“Go on,” Walter said. He tilted his head, exposing his neck. “Go on, Jane. Bite me.”

Jane closed her eyes. No, no, no, no, no, she thought. This isn’t how it’s supposed to happen.

“Did you hear me, Jane?” Walter yelled. “I told you to bite me!”

Jane opened her eyes.

“I heard you,” she said, and her fangs clicked into place.

Chapter 27

Saturday: London

Walter opened his eyes, sat up and groaned.

“What happened?” he asked.

Jane, who was sitting on the side of the bed, handed him a glass of water and two aspirin. “Take these,” she said.

Walter swallowed the pills and handed back the glass. “I feel as if someone hit me in the head with a line drive,” he said, rubbing his temples.

“It’s the aftereffects from being bitten,” said Jane. “They’ll wear off in a couple of hours.”

“What bit me?” Walter asked. “It wasn’t Lilith, was it? I know she can be a little snippy, but—”

“It wasn’t Lilith,” said Jane. “It was me.”

“You?” Walter said. “Why would you bite me?”

“You’ll remember soon enough,” said Jane. “I didn’t glamor you, so eventually it will all come back. Probably in bits and pieces.”

Walter shut his eyes and groaned. His fingers went to his neck, where the two small puncture wounds caused by Jane’s bite had already healed. “It hurts,” he said.

“I’m sorry about that,” said Jane. “But you wanted proof.”

“Proof of what?” Walter asked, leaning back against the pillows.

“Try to remember,” Jane told him. “Just relax your thoughts.”

Walter took a deep breath, then another. He kept his eyes closed, but Jane could see that he was concentrating. Beneath the lids his eyes moved back and forth. After a minute or two his eyes flew open and he stared at Jane.

“You’re a vampire!” he said.

“I’m afraid so,” Jane said.

“Everything my mother told me is true,” Walter said, looking confused and hurt and angry all at the same time. “My father—”

“Is a vampire too,” said Jane. “And your mother is a hunter. Not the best pairing imaginable, but these things happen.”

Walter tried to get up but wobbled and lay back down. Jane moved closer, but Walter recoiled from her. She felt her heart break a little bit as she saw him move away.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “This isn’t the way I wanted you to find out.”

Walter laughed bitterly. “As if there’s a good way to find out?” he said.

“No,” said Jane. “I suppose there isn’t.”

“Who else knows?” Walter asked her.

“Lucy,” Jane said. “Ned and Ted at the shop. Brian.”

“So I’m the last one to find out,” said Walter.

“Not the last one,” Jane said. “Ben doesn’t know.”

“Ben has known you less than a year,” said Walter. “I’ve known you for ten. And Ben hasn’t been living with you for the past nine months and isn’t your fiance. So excuse me if that doesn’t make me feel any better.”

Jane set the glass on the nightstand. “I really don’t know what to say,” she told Walter.

“Am I one of you now?” he asked.

Jane shook her head. “No. I didn’t take very much. Just enough to make you believe.”

Walter grunted. “I suppose I should be thankful for that,” he said.

“This probably isn’t the best time to mention this,” Jane said. “But you are half vampire.”

“I can’t believe I’m having this conversation,” Walter said. “Do you know how ridiculous this all sounds?”

“It’s a lot to take in,” said Jane. “I know it took me a long time to accept it after I was changed.”

“And when did that happen?” Walter asked.

Jane wondered if she should lie, then decided against it. There’s been too much lying already, she thought. He might as well know everything.

“Eighteen sixteen,” she said. “And there’s something else you might as well know. My real name isn’t Jane Fairfax, it’s Jane Austen.”

Walter stared at her.

“I know it isn’t terribly original,” Jane said. “At first I considered Sophronia Kindleysides, but it seemed a bit