Page 79 of My Road Trip with a Vampire: Season One

Agnes.

The name breezes through my mind. Someone from another time, another place spoke it aloud to me once, but I can’t think past this moment.

My heart plummets as the sunlight dims through the window’s floating curtain. There’s something behind it calling me to look.

I step forward, but two heavy footsteps announce a new arrival.

I turn back as Dennis’ face twists in agony.

“What have you done?”

The figure is obscured by the shadows of the doorway, but his presence chills me to the bone. I know he can’t see me, but I can still feel his eyes on my body.

“You should have stayed away,” the man laughs darkly. “But I’m here to make a deal.”

Cold air at the nape of my neck pulls me from the nightmare before I can hear the terms of their agreement.

“Beatrice,” Dennis whispers, his body curled around mine. “You were dreaming again.”

“It was a nightmare. The same one I keep having since you gave me your blood,” I blurt out before I lose the courage to explain it. Everyone deserves to keep certain moments private. I wouldn’t like it if someone got a glimpse of my worst memories.

But Dennis keeps his arms braced around me, a comfort that helps to ease the anxiety burning in my ribs.

“And that’s how you know about Agnes?” he asks softly.

“Well, I didn’t know her name until last night, but I put two and two together.”

I tell him all the details, and he takes them in without fidgeting or pulling away. We lie with our legs and fingers intertwined.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“It was a long time ago.”

“But still..."

I hear him swallow before he speaks.

“Her father owned several of the factories in the city. I was a recognizable figure in the union protesting for better working conditions. Everything that happened between us was forbidden, but we were drawn to each other. We met in secret and fell in love.”

I know the thrill of meeting in secret and being willing to risk so much to love someone. I know how it feels to search for a way to bring that love to light, to want to show it to the world. His emotions remain level, but my chest feels tight for him.

“Factories and buildings weren’t the only investments her family made though. Her father was involved in more nefarious trades. He took a bad bet, and it cost him Agnes. He didn’t even give a fuck. He put people up as collateral because that’s what monsters deal in.”

My mind flashes to the figure in the doorway and the deal he offered.

“The guy who killed her—what did he want from you?”

“A companion. To turn me into this.” The edge of a fang nips down the back of my neck. It disappears just as quickly. “In exchange, he spared my daughter.”

I grasp his hand.

“I’m so sorry.”

His whole body tenses in response to my apology, like he’s trying to block out his emotions.

“As I said, it was a long time ago.”

There’s another question I need to ask. I know I shouldn’t, but the cries echo through my thoughts even now that I’m fully awake.