Andy and the vampire sat in the silence of the living room. I lingered in the hallway to see if they would speak to one another. It seems important to me that Andy gets along with my boss. Eric has done so much for us. More than anyone, except maybe Daddy Joe.
"Daddy Joe told me about your kind," Andy says, breaking the awkward silence.
"The hunter your mother worked for? I have heard of this man that goes by the name of Daddy Joe long before I knew of your mother," Eric answered him.
"Yeah, he told me that your kind treats humans like cattle. Vampires shower their human cows with gifts only to toss them aside later when the vampires grows bored of them," Andy said, sounding beyond his ten years. I assume he is only repeating whatever Daddy Joe told him.
"I am not one of those vampires, Andrew. I want to live among the humans. I don't wish to live like a rogue," Eric said with a growl. Andy returned his growl.
The yellow glow returned to my son's eyes. His incisors grew into fangs again. This time his ears had a slight point to them. The angrier he seems to get, the more the wolf came out of him.
"I need to know that you are not going use my Mom," Andy said in a deeper than normal voice.
"I am paying your mother for her skills. I have no intentions of using her as a cow. I have plenty of human women who already want me. I have no use for pets," Eric says with a smirk. His fangs fully extended.
"I better not see fang marks on her neck," Andy growls.
"I am not your enemy. I understand your distrust of me, boy. I understand that you are only protecting your dear ones. I have no hatred towards you. I only want to protect what is in my best interest. I only bite those that only wish to be bitten," Eric spoke in what I describe as a slight Scandinavian accent. Eric did his best to be patient with my son, despite his growing agitation. I needed to intervene.
"Andy! Enough! I think it's time you get ready for bed," I said with a stern look on my face.
"But Mom," Andy said and whimpered. He cried like a puppy.
"Hey, look here, my little pup. Mom can take care of herself. I can't have this. Not now. Besides, Daddy Joe told you his rule to hunting. So far Mr. Northman has been civil. He only bit me that once and that was when Mom was working and I didn't know he was a vampire and he didn't know I had you two at home. You've seen me come home in a lot worst shape than that and that was from human men, not vampires," I explained. Yes, my son has seen his mother come home from Fantasy covered in bruises before. He never said anything, but instead would give me a sad and worried look. At ten years of age, Andy knew a little about the birds and the bees. Unfortunately he also knew about strippers, whores, and drug dealers. Not the ideal environment to raise a child, but Andy always knew right from wrong. He usually did the right thing. Help me with taking care of our little family. Andy is the only man in my life that I can truly count on.
Andy stood up and gave me those sad and worried eyes once again. The glow disappeared and the rest of him changed back to normal. I had my little man once again, although my little man is growing up fast. Tears began to form in the corner of his eyes. Andy is tough but sensitive at the same time.
"Mom… I'm only," Andy choked.
"I know, baby," I said, calmly.
Andy turned to Eric. He looked down at the hard wood floor. Eric retracted his fangs.
"Eric…. I'm sorry," Andy mumbled.
"You can't help your nature, Andrew," Eric answered him in a soft voice.
Andy never looked up. If he did, he would see a look of pity on the vampire's face.
"Can I ask you one more question?" Andy asks.
"You may ask me anything."
"What does Izzy see in you that I can't? She trust you and I don't understand it?"
"Your sister sees most than most, Andrew. She knows that I am not here to harm you or your mother. Izzy is an innocent of the rare kind. If I meant you or your mother any harm, she would be the first to know," Eric said and paused. He stood up and walked over to Andy. He towered over my boy, but I suspect that before long that won't be the case. He put his finger under Andy's chin and gently lift it up so that Andy could look into his eyes. He looked into Andy's eyes with a thoughtfulness. "I don't expect us to be great friends, Andrew. You have been hurt too much by others and had to grow up fast. Even a child of my time was never put though the experiences that you have been though, but I do promise you one thing. Let me in and I will be your ally in protecting your dear ones. I will teach you to be a great fighter. I need you to trust me. It is important."
Andy pulled away from Eric. He ran towards his room where the door slammed shut. I looked down the hallway to see if the door was still on its hinges.
"I am so sorry. Andy is usually a good boy," was all I could say. Eric gave me a small smile.
"I know," he quietly mumbled.
"You know a lot about us?" I ask.
"I do my research, Belinda. I know that despite everything you have been through, you just want what every human seems to want."
"And what's that?" I ask looking up into those haunting blue eyes. He grabs my hand and rubs it with his thumb.
"To live. You are as much of a fighter as your son. You would have been dead long ago if you were not. Tell me about Tony DeMarcus," he said. A name I could go a thousand years without hearing.
"T-Bone is a bastard," was all I could say. I'm in no mood to dig out this certain skeleton out of my closet.
"You were going to abort your son. T-Bone raped you three nights before your one night stand. You were ready to end your son's life because you felt you were going to give birth to something evil," Eric said. He gave me a blank stare. Tears fell from my eyes. I wanted to scream at him, but I didn't want my kids to hear me. "He hurt you, Belinda. He hurt you in a way that no woman should ever be hurt. Then he tried to mark you with his teeth," he then said and I cried.
"That bastard took me where no one could find me. He raped me in his wolf form," I whispered. "If it wasn't for the fact that I could barely walk the next day, Howl would have never known his son's indiscretion."
"The pack master refused to destroy his son even though he caused him shame," Eric said. I felt his cold dead hand over mine. "The drugs made it easy for the wolf to take you," he whispered. He enveloped me in his arms. I cried into his chest. He rubbed my back. "The pack master refused to kill him, but I will," he then whispered.
Eric holds me and keeps me quiet. He smells my hair. The logical side of me knew that Eric is a predator and not human, but here he was, showing me more humanity than any man has ever shown me before. Even Harry never liked seeing me cry.
"I never want my kids to know," I whisper.
"I know," Eric says.
"Thank God, Andy isn't T-Bone's."
"Yes," Eric simply answers. I felt safe in his arms. I took in his scent. He had on cologne, but underneath is all, he smelled of earth. I miss the feel of a man against my body.
"My boy still needs to knew who his dad is. I don't like him being a bastard," I whisper.
"I will find the man responsible for giving you Andrew. I promise," Eric whispered back.
"Please don't hurt him and don't force him. I just want to know his name. If he wants to meet Andy, he can," I say. I've heard that vampires can be literal creatures. They have lost a sense of something the older they become. Judging from what I can guess of Eric, he is quite ancient.
Eric and I walked out to the front porch. It was a rainy night in Shreveport. The rain covered the Corvette parked on the gravel drive. We sat down on the swing and rocked back and forth. Eric isn't the type of guy I ever thought would treat me like I was somebody. Nobody like him would want a scrawny ginger like myself. Hell, I was surprised that Andy's dad even wanted to fuck me.
Eric held my hand in his. He looked out into the rainy night in a daze. He reminded me of a marble statue. His grasp to my hand still gently firm despite the fact that it didn't look like he was home upstairs. I went deep into my own thoughts. I thought about that sick bastard that raped me. T-Bone was everything you imagined a greasy biker to be. Oily long brown hair, broken nose, broken teeth, and tattoos over practically every area of his body. He was actually short with broad shoulders. He always looked like he belonged in prison orange instead of biker leathers. He needed to die.
"You take these two weeks off. I know the hunter told you that he didn't need you. I was going to have you start sooner, but take these two weeks to be with your children," Eric said, finally breaking out of his daze.
"You sure?"
"Quite sure. I shall come to visit you every night to see how they are transitioning. They need you right now, Belinda. Your children are never going to want for anything ever again. They need to adapt to their new life," Eric said.
"Thank you, but I would like to meet who I'm working with."
"In two weeks. We will make preparations for the revelation. Curious humans will keep us quite busy," he said giving me that smirk again. My trust in the vampire seems to be growing more with each passing night. I just hope my son can do the same. Eric stood up out of the swing.
"Is this goodnight?" I ask.
"Yes. Goodnight Belinda," he says. He leans down and kisses my cheek. At vampire speed, he is in his car and pulling out of my drive. I wave. Eric is probably dry at the speed he moves.
Time for damage control. I go to Andy's room to see if he is sleeping. Just as I suspect, he isn't. He is sitting Indian style on his bed, crying. I sit next to him under the glow of his desk lamp. I pull him into a hug.
"You know I don't like yelling at you," I tell him. I give him a small sincere smile.
"I know, Mom. I don't what to make of him? He has done so much for us, but I can't trust him like Izzy can. Daddy Joe told me about vampires and Daddy Joe is usually right."
"Give Eric a chance. That is all I ask. You don't have to be his best bud or anything. Just be civil."
"It's hard. Daddy Joe told me werewolves and vampires don't usually like each other," he tells me. Andy has been talking to Daddy Joe way too much lately. The old man is the only male in his life to give him any guidance. There are certain things that a mother isn't equipped to handle, like a growing werewolf.
"Try for me. If not for me, Izzy," I say. I kiss his forehead. "You need to get some sleep, sweetie. We have a long night ahead of up tomorrow and I want to take you and Izzy shopping."
"Okay Mom. Goodnight. I love you," Andy says and gives me a hug.
"I love you too. Goodnight Andy," I tell him. He lays down and I turn off his light.
I check on Izzy. The window to her room is wide open again. Under the glow of the nightlight I see Eric knelt down next to her bed. He spoke softly to her in a language I've only heard on T.V. Some European tongue. He petted her hair. I open the door and the light from the hallway spills in. He looks up at me with sad eyes.
"She was having nightmares again. I heard her cries through the trees," he said. He kept on petting her and soothing her despite the fact that she has fallen back asleep.
"She has them every night usually. Once in a while we get a quiet night," I said. Eric still gave me that sad look. It seems to bother him that my daughter has nightmares.
"I will make them go away," he whispers to her sleeping form. "Little girls are not suppose to have nightmares."
I shut her window and yawn. "I need to get to bed myself. You can stay as long as you like. Just use the front door when you leave. I don't want Izzy catching a cold or something from that open window. Goodnight Eric," I say. I lean down and kiss his cheek. I don't know what made me do that, but it just seemed like the right thing to do.
"Goodnight Belinda," he whispers and then gives my daughter his full attention.
Guardian angel or guardian vampire? Either way, Izzy called it right. I go to sleep in my own comfortable bed. A bed that I would never have if it wasn't for the vampire that is presently chasing away my little girl's monsters. A creature that some would call a monster if they knew they existed. Eric is no more a monster to me than some humans. I hope all goes well with this coming out of the coffin thing.