Page 77 of Silent Stalker
EIGHTEEN
You are quite proficient at running and hiding in the bathroom.
Within moments of returning home,my mother engulfed me in a hug, squeezing so hard she knocked the breath out of me. It took Clarke several tries to extract me from her hold, and I panted to catch my breath.
To my relief, little had changed about her, although the paleness of her skin bothered me.
I’d learned to recognize pale skin on a vampire meant a need for blood, although my mother lacked the other symptoms of a thirsting vampire.
“Yes, yes, I realize you’re excited, but you need to leave her ribs intact and offer her a chance to breathe.” Clarke wrapped an arm around my mother’s waist, lifted her off her feet, and hauled her in the direction of the sitting room. “I shall contain her for a few minutes while you get settled. You’re looking radiant this evening, Pepper. I see my offspring has decided to show you off again.”
My face flushed at the compliment. “I hate shopping for clothes. He appreciates shopping for clothes. I’ve learned when he shops for clothes for me, I end up feeling like either some sexy murderess or a queen. His clothing choices are a mood, and I have to admit, I like it. Do suggest he needs to stop buying presents until I have a chance to appreciate the ones I already received.”
Clarke laughed, and ignoring my mother’s protests, went into the other room.
Life, once again, had changed on me, and I had no idea how to handle it. The relief that my mother seemed well enough won over my other concerns, which I could vocalize later, after I had some time to adapt to my mother’s status as dating someone who wasn’t my father.
It helped that I respected the vampire she dated. It also helped that my father approved of Clarke as well.
Something about everyone being cordial about the transition soothed me.
“Is that them getting along well or not?” I asked in a whisper.
“I honestly have no idea. My maker is enjoying himself, that much I can tell you. Your mother does not seem to be distressed.”
“Let’s look into the steak situation while we come to terms with this. Truth be told, I’m not sure if I should be concerned or not, and I might need a few minutes to accept the whole idea that your maker just dragged my mother off.”
“It is slightly twisted, I will say. I can’t fault him for his taste in women, however. He saw your magnificence and went for your mother, as I have thoroughly claimed you. When I view him as having to settle because I have the best woman, I don’t mind it nearly as much. It is well enough that he is not my biological father, as this would make for some awkward situations later. It is strange how society gets uptight over that. If there are no blood ties in the relationship, what is the issue?”
“That’s a good question. But it makes sense when there is blood involved.”
“Yes. Unfortunate things happen when you cross bloodlines inappropriately. I only care that society understands and accepts that I have thoroughly claimed you.”
I grinned at his reinforcement of his status as my husband. “The thoroughly part happens tomorrow night,” I reminded him before heading in the direction of the kitchen. “We usually had potatoes to go with our steaks. Maybe we should stick to what is comfortable, but perhaps served in a different fashion?”
“Mashed, loaded with seas of gravy?”
“How did you guess?” I heaved a sigh, debating on what to do. “Do we have any lactose-free sour cream?”
Baked potatoes would work—and allow me to dodge the gravy. If I couldn’t get the sour cream without running a high risk of puking my guts out, I’d making potato wedges.
“We do. We also have cream cheese, butter, bacon, chives, and anything else you might want with baked potatoes. I may have to insist we skip on any gravy. I’ll also have to regretfully inform you I didn’t plan for lavish desserts with pink diamond rings for this evening.”
I snorted, as his comment implied he’d been planning lavish desserts and pink diamond rings for another time. I headed for the potato and onion box so I could select the perfect victims for my culinary adventure. “Do you caramelize onions, or will I have to dig out a recipe and experiment with the various ways I can help to ruin dinner?”
“I can caramelize onions for you and handle most other kitchen tasks as you need. My maker decided, even before he turned me into a vampire, that none of his offspring would be helpless. What you don’t know I can teach.”
“I’m okay with admitting I have limited tools in my kitchen arsenal and will need help caramelizing the onions. That doesn’t count as gravy, right?”
“Caramelized onions do not count as gravy.”
“When should we make dinner?”
“We’ll start it in an hour. I must perform a dark ritual on the steaks, but if you put your potatoes in the oven in an hour, we’ll eat at a reasonable time. We have other vegetables if you’d like.”
“But why? We have potatoes.”
“I will add some token other vegetable to your plate to encourage general exploration,” Emerick announced before retrieving several paper-wrapped packages from the fridge. “Go greet your mother properly while I perform my dark, secret rituals upon these steaks.”
