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She nodded. “They don’t like us saying no, do they?”

I shook my head.

“And the stories of the vampire? That true? Him coming to see you?”

Of course word had gotten round of a vampire visiting a certain house in Buzzard Creek. But I was surprised to hear that this gossip had even reached her ears.

I looked down, embarrassed, not sure what to say.

“None of my business, sweetheart,” the old lady chuckled. “But I had some fun with fangbanging in my day.”

“Mrs. Anderson!” I was shocked. She had always seemed like such a mild-mannered old lady to me.

“Oh, I was young once too, you know!” she winked at me. She fetched her keys and gave them to me. “You get out of here, darlin’,” she said.

“Can’t I take you somewhere too?” I asked. “Things are probably going to get a whole lot worse soon and it won’t be safe for you here?”

“I’ll be all right, don’t you worry,” she said, pointing to her shotgun propped up against the wall. “You go get your momma and take her somewhere safe.”

I gave her a hug and thanked her, promising I’d get the car back to her somehow.

Then I drove out of Buzzard Creek without looking back.

Burton was about two hours away and the whole time I watched the road, worried about every car passing me. I thought about Luc andregretted the way I’d acted with him. Why had I been so mad at him for saving me? He was only trying to help. Somehow, I had blamed him for me seeming so helpless, for needing him to save me.

Was I really going to slam those scissors in Danny’s eye? Probably not. Despite everything, I had some complicated feelings for Danny. I knew he’d loved me, in his own, damaged way. It was seeing Luc laughing at me like that, that had set me off.

My mother had always said my temper would make life tough for me. Luc probably wouldn’t want to see me again.

Oh well. It was probably for the best this way. It was absurd, being with a vampire. They were other-worldly creatures, not a part of the living world. I loved my beer, my snacks, sitting in the sun on a hot day… dipping my feet in the river down at the creek. Simple pleasures.

When I was a child, my mother and I would go berry picking in the summer. We’d come home and cook blueberry jam, make pies, cordials, and stain our lips blue. We’d laugh at each other’s blue teeth until the tears ran down our faces. That was before she got sick and my dad went to prison.

Before all that.

And now, this war.

By the time I drove into Burton, I felt that what I’d had with Luc, was a few nights of other-worldly joy. The best sex of my life. I didn’t even know it could be that good but, to be fair, it probably was that great because it wasn’t supposed to be. We weren’t meant to be together, the bloodsucker and the human girl. It didn’t make sense. He knew it too, that is why he was laughing at me, acting like such a child with my stupid boyfriend. He was probably having fun with me too, for all I knew he was hoping for a quickie on the stairwell for old times’ sake before going on to torch the town to get rid of the shifters.

I told myself to stop thinking about him, I had to be responsible now.

I was going to think about places where I could take my mother, where I could get away from this war. The hospital was in the middle of the city and I found parking and made my way into the ward where my mother was occupying a bed right by the door.

She looked up when I came in the door and her eyes widened with pleasure, “Ruby!”

I hadn’t seen her in many months as it had been difficult to stop by without transport.

I leaned in for a hug. I felt her thin frame and noted the dark rings under her eyes.

“How are you feeling?” I pulled up a chair and sat down as close as possible to her, holding her hand.

“Bit tired today,” she admitted. “What are you doing here?”

I told her about the war, that there was trouble in town with Danny and a vampire. I was vague with the details, but she got the gist of what I was saying.

“You’re involved with this vampire?” she asked, her tone sharp. “I don’t like that. Shifters are bad, but vampires are worse. You can’t trust them.”

I nodded. “I know. It’s over now.” I wondered if, by saying the words, that would make it true. Did it work that way? Did I really want it to?