I nodded distractedly, still stunned as I tried to absorb everything he’d told me. Impossible as it was to believe, there were such things as vampires, and I was sitting a foot from one with no ill effect. Even more troubling, if it was possible for anything to be more so, was the possibility that I too had once been one, and was now reincarnated as a human.
And…in spite of all these revelations, I was attracted to Jared like nothing I’d ever experienced.
To say it made no sense was the understatement of the century.
Which raised another in a series of interesting questions.
“How old are you?” I asked in a small voice.
“I’m twenty-two. Like I told you. Forever twenty-two.”
“No. I mean, how long have you been a…a vampire?”
He sighed. “Can we talk about this tomorrow? Seems like you’re overloaded tonight. I know I would be.”
“I want to know.”
“Fair enough. We’ll discuss it tomorrow. I’ll be exactly one day older then.”
“Jared, you’re telling me I can’t go back to campus, that you’re a vampire, that there are hunters after you – and possibly us – and I’m going to be sleeping in the same room as you. It seems reasonable to know little things like how old you are.”
He pulled to a stop in the driveway of the bed-and-breakfast and turned to look at me. “I was made just after the French Revolution. My family was French nobility who escaped the Terror and came to America. I was made here. I’ll happily tell you the story tomorrow, but right now we need to get off the road so we don’t attract unwanted attention.”
I held his stare and didn’t blink. “When was I…made?”
“You were actually about a century older than me.” He gave me a small smile. “But I was willing to overlook the age difference.”
I laughed in spite of myself, but the sound had a giddy edge to it that could turn to hysteria without much prodding. “So you’re…over two hundred,” I stated flatly.
“We can go with 225 if you want a round number. But they say 225 is the new 20.”
“This isn’t funny, Jared.”
“Well…” He couldn’t help the trace of a smirk that flitted across his mouth. “You have to admit it was a little funny.”
I closed my eyes for a moment before looking away. “I think I’m losing my mind.”
“No. No, you’re not. You’re just overloaded. That’s why I didn’t want to talk about it tonight.”
I frowned. “Is there anything else you haven’t told me?”
“I have no secrets from you, Lacey. You can ask me anything and I’ll answer honestly.” He looked up at the sign. “But right now let’s see if they have a room.”
“You want me to go in with you?” I asked.
“Might be better if it was just you. If my name’s on the tab…”
I blushed. “I don’t have much money with me.”
Jared removed a fat wad of hundred-dollar bills and peeled off five of them. “That should more than do it.”
I got out of the car and made my way up the steps. An old-fashioned bell hung beside the door, and I rang it once, wincing at how loud it was. A light switched on inside the house, and a frail old man peered from behind a curtained window before unlocking the door and pulling it open.
“Yes?”
“I’m looking for a room for the night,” I said. I’d never booked a hotel before, so wasn’t sure how to go about it.
“We have several still available. How many guests?”
“Just two.”
“Private bathroom, or shared?”
“Private would be good.”
“That isn’t as cheap.”
“That’s okay. Where’s your parking?”
“Around the back. You and who else?” he asked, looking over my shoulder at the Porsche.
“My…brother.” I thought furiously. “We’re super tired from driving all day. Coming to visit our parents in Bar Harbor.”
“Oh, yeah? I lived there for years. What’s their name?”
“I don’t think you’d know them. They just moved there about six months ago.”
“You have ID?”
“Yes, my driver’s license.”
“We don’t accept checks. Just cash or credit cards. Room with a bathroom’s two and a quarter, including breakfast.”
My eyes danced at the number, remembering my discussion with Jared. I suppressed my urge to laugh hysterically and merely nodded. “That’s fine. I can pay cash.”
“Then come on in, and I’ll get you all fixed up.”
Five minutes later I had the room key and retraced my steps to Jared. “We have a private room with a bath. Front door key and room key. You can park back there.”
“Wait for me on the porch. I’ll only be a minute.”
The Porsche sounded deafening in the darkness, and I breathed a sigh of relief when the engine shut off and Jared appeared out of the darkness. I opened the front door and led him up a stairway to the second floor, where our room overlooked the rear of the house. The door was open, and I pushed it wide and stepped inside.
“The light switch is on your right,” he said. “I can see in the dark. Forgot to tell you.”
I turned on the light, and he locked the door behind him. We both looked at the pair of beds with three feet of space between them and smiled at the same time.
“I told the clerk you were my brother,” I explained.
“That’s fine.”
“You want to use the bathroom first?” I asked.
“I don’t need to.”
My eyebrows rose. “Ever? Or now?”
He grinned. “Ever. Comes in handy on road trips.”
I eyed him. “Do you eat or drink?”
“I can. I just don’t, usually. There’s no need. My physiology’s in a state of suspended animation. Plus, because of my sense of smell, most things don’t taste…like they might to you. So there’s not much incentive.”
I digested that and concluded there might be some positives to the vampire thing. Never having to…
“I’ll be out in a few minutes,” I said.
“Take your time.”
A thought occurred to me.
