“But you saw her again,” said Jane. “In New Orleans.”
“Our paths crossed from time to time,” Byron said. “She seemed to have accepted her new life. In fact, she seemed quite happy with how things turned out.”
“Except that she had her mummified siblings in her house and had dinner with them every night,” Jane reminded him.
“There is that,” Byron agreed.
“Have you given up trying to convince Ted to let you turn him?” Jane asked.
Byron was quiet for a long moment. “It has to be his idea,” he said. “It was a terrible mistake turning Ned. Even if I did think he was his brother, that doesn’t excuse what I did. And trying to get Ted to become like us won’t change any of that. I don’t think even Ned is trying to sway him.”
Jane thought about Ted growing old as his twin stayed young. She had gone through that with Cassie, although Cassie had never known that Jane still lived. Jane had watched her from afar.
“Why didn’t you ever give her the choice?” Byron asked.
“How did you do that?” asked Jane. “Can you read my thoughts?”
“Thankfully, no,” Byron said. “But I know how you felt about your sister, and given the similarity in circumstances, I thought it likely you might be thinking of her.”
“I am,” said Jane. “I don’t know if Ned and Ted are as close as Cassie and I were, but I have to imagine they are. If that’s the case, then I know why Ned isn’t asking Ted if he’ll consider being turned.”
“And why is that?” Byron inquired.
“Because,” said Jane, “he’s afraid Ted will say yes.”
Byron looked at the floor. When he looked up his eyes were filled with sadness. “Is it really so bad?” he asked quietly.
“It’s not about whether it’s good or bad,” said Jane. “It’s about knowing the other person will choose eternal life because she wants to be with you, not because she wants it for herself.”
“I never gave Our Gloomy Friend a choice,” said Byron. “I never gave you a choice, or Ted.”
“Ned,” Jane said. “It was Ned.”
“The point is I never asked any of you what you wanted. I turned you because I wanted to.”
Jane patted the seat beside her on the couch. “Come here,” she told Byron.
He did as she said, and when he was next to her Jane spread the afghan over both of them. “You’re very good at turning people’s lives upside down, aren’t you?” she said.
“It seems that way,” Byron said.
“It’s not an attractive trait,” Jane informed him. “And it hasn’t served you well.”
“It hasn’t, has it?” said Byron.
“And now we’re both sitting here wondering when we might be killed by either your ex-lover or a vampire hunter,” Jane continued. “Some people might say that’s all your fault.”
Byron groaned and leaned his head back, looking up at the ceiling. “I’m sure this isn’t going to help my situation,” he said. “But I feel the need to point out that you’re the one who tried to kill Our Gloomy Friend.”
“I wish people would stop bringing that up,” Jane said. “It hardly compares.”
“I really do think she hates you more,” said Byron. “Do you suppose it’s because she’s jealous of your success, or is it because I favor you over her?”
“You’ve learned a great deal from our conversation, haven’t you?” Jane said.
Byron took her hand and held it. “I’m merely trying to put off considering what it all means,” he told her. “I thought it might help if I put some of the blame on you.”
“Well tried,” Jane said. “But not this time. This could be the last evening we spend together. Do you really want me to remember you like this?”
“Me?” said Byron. “Why do you assume that I’m the one they’ll be successful in killing? I might remind you that your skills are far less developed than mine.”
“Through no fault of my own,” Jane argued. “You never told me I could do any of these things.”
“Because you ran away,” said Byron. “Had you stayed around, I might have. I mean I would have. At least I would have considered it.”
“Mmm,” Jane said, drinking more wine. “Your dedication is awe-inspiring. You can see why I was so anxious to remain by your side.”
Byron tried very hard not to laugh but was unable to maintain his composure. “I really am a shit, aren’t I?” he said when he could speak again.
“You are,” Jane said. “But I do love you.”
Byron looked at her. “I love you too,” he said.
He continued to look at her, so Jane added, “This doesn’t mean we’re going to kiss.”
“I know,” said Byron. “I wasn’t thinking that. I was just thinking how lucky Walter is to have you.”
“I don’t want to talk about Walter,” Jane said.
“Now who’s evading the subject?” Byron said.
“I’m not evading the subject because it never was the subject,” Jane argued. “We were talking about what a frightful shit you are.”
“Which I acknowledged,” said Byron. “Now it’s your turn to acknowledge that you love Walter.”
“Of course I love Walter,” Jane said. “That doesn’t change the fact that our relationship is impossible.”
“Let me ask you this,” said Byron. “Would you marry Walter if you knew he had cancer?”
Jane didn’t even have to think about her answer. “Yes,” she said. “That wouldn’t make any difference to me.”
“Then why should the fact that you’re going to outlive him because you’re a vampire?” Byron asked. “In either event he’s going to die before you do.”
“You know it’s not that simple,” said Jane. “Death from cancer is natural. It’s terrible, but it’s natural. Living forever because you’ve been turned into a monster isn’t.”
“We aren’t monsters,” Byron said.
“They don’t know that,” said Jane. “All they know is what they see in the movies.”
“There’s also that television show,” Byron said. “The one with the girl with the odd name. Spooky? Cookie?”
“Sookie,” said Jane. “Her name is Sookie. And there were books before there was a television show.”
“Really?” Byron said. “I didn’t know. Anyway, it’s very popular, and we’re portrayed very sympathetically.”
“That’s beside the point,” Jane snapped. “Walter isn’t some giggly little goth girl who thinks it would be neat to have a vampire boyfriend.”
“Lucy doesn’t think we’re monsters,” said Byron.
Jane sighed. “I know all of this,” she said. “But I just can’t.”
Byron cocked his head. “You don’t have to tell him, you know.”
Jane snorted. “I think he’d notice eventually,” she said. “If his mother doesn’t tell him first.”
“Forget her for a moment,” Byron said. “She can always be dealt with. Has it occurred to you that Walter might like having a young, beautiful wife for the rest of his life?”
“He’s not shallow,” Jane scoffed.
“You don’t have to be shallow to appreciate a young, beautiful face,” said Byron.
“You know what we should do?” Jane said. “We should make a pact. If neither of us has found someone by the time we’re, I don’t know, four hundred years old, we should get married.”
“That’s nearly two hundred years from now,” said Byron.
“Exactly,” Jane said. “Which gives us plenty of time to worry about it.”
“You’re just postponing the inevitable,” Byron told her. “You’re not going to meet a nice vampire man and fall in love. You’ve met the love of your life. He’s right here, right now—and he’s human.”
He put his arms around Jane and pulled her closer, so that her head was against his chest. She closed her eyes as he stroked her hair. “I didn’t give you, or Our Gloomy Friend, or Ted—”
“Ned.”
“Ned a chance to say yes or no,” Byron said softly. “But it’s time you gave Walter his chance.”
Jane said nothing. But in her head she spoke the words she couldn’t say out loud: What if he says no?
Chapter 27
“Croquet?”
Jane looked at the playing field. Instead of bases and a pitcher’s mound there were six perfectly laid out croquet pitches outlined in white chalk. At each one a man dressed all in white was inspecting the six wickets and the striped peg.