Page 56 of The Good Vampire’s Guide to Blood & Boyfriends

WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FOREVER

brENNAN’S PHONE

bloodsucking memes for immortal non-teens (new england clan)

QUINN MILLER

PARTY! OF! THE! CENTURY!

Miraculously, it took all of three minutes for the ball to revert to full swing. Though hotel staff were furiously cleaning the food and punch from the floors while an angry manager was having words with an unintimidated Sunny.

Brennan was still in shock, shaking and numb and not quite believing it was really over.

The group came together in front of the grand doors—Brennan and Cole, hands clasped tight, Mari, and Tony.

“Are you okay?” Mari ran up to Cole and embraced him while Tony punched Brennan in the arm with too much enthusiasm.

“That was the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me! Did you guys see me whippin’ out sauce like nobody’s business?” Tony said. “I was on a roll, the wind couldn’t stop me!”

“Brennan,” Cole said, voice cutting through the clamoring like a hot knife through butter. “Are you okay?”

Someone appeared at Brennan’s side and pressed a blood pack into his hands. Quinn Miller, the Facebook vampire, who’d helped Dom save Sunny and Nellie.

“Forgot about yourself in the mix, did you?” they said, lips quirked in a smile. Quinn was bulky and round with buzzed hair, elaborate vines tattooed on their neck. They wore a black-and-gray suit.

That was part of it, and Brennan accepted the pack gratefully, but didn’t dig in, because the other part, the more important part, was: “Where’s Dom?”

Quinn frowned sympathetically and nodded toward a hallway off the side of the ballroom. “Talking with Nellie about her options,” they said. “You should really drink first.”

So Brennan did, while Cole made sure each and every one of their friends was undamaged, offering them Band-Aids and ibuprofen.

“Say, who’s responsible for getting all this blood?” Quinn was saying. “And do you have any interest in helping with blood drives in the future?”

Tony started hooting while Mari turned flustered, and Brennan took the opportunity to slip away from the group, shaking his head when Cole caught his eye with concern. He needed to do this part alone. He headed toward the hallway Quinn had nodded to.

Outside the ballroom, music and laughter muted, Brennan could hear Dom’s shaky breaths. She was on the floor with Nellie crouching beside her, next to the women’s restrooms in an elaborately decorated hallway.

“So,” Brennan said. “Which part of the plan was that?”

Dom sniffled. “I’m sorry. He just—he manipulated me so much. I hate him for that. I hate him. And then I saw him and the mess and… I stopped it.”

“You stopped him, Dom,” Nellie soothed. “He endangered secrecy. He knew the penalty would be death this time. It’s what he wanted.”

“He saved my life once,” Brennan said. “He could have been… He was so close. ”

“He was always close to being good,” Nellie said. “Never quite made it there.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Brennan.”

Fuck . “What now?” Brennan asked.

“You go back to your life,” Nellie said.

“Sunny covers our tracks. I write a new pamphlet about today. And Dom… this is only strike one for Dom. She’s getting transferred to a new clan.

She’ll try out a few, actually, to figure out what she wants in her life.

Afterlife. Kind of a vampire Eat Pray Love situation. It’ll be amazing for her.”

“Right,” said Brennan. Then, remembering, “What about Rosie?”

The clack of high heels behind him announced Sunny’s presence. “You know, Rosie was actually my dog before Travis was banished to his domain? It was his one condition of submitting. He took my damn dog.”

Nellie said, “But hey, thanks for holding down the fort, big guy.”

Sunny gave Brennan a narrow-eyed once-over. “It could have gone worse.”

“Aw, Sunny,” said Brennan, “I missed you, too.”

Sunny rolled her eyes, checked her phone, typed out a quick message, then nodded to Dom.

“You ready to go?”

Dom wiped her eyes and started to stand up.

“What, you’re leaving now?” Brennan said.

“She’s kind of a danger to urban clan society,” Sunny said, still texting one-handed. “It’s partially punishment. She can’t hang out to party. And so, neither can I.” She jerked her head toward the lobby. “Let’s go.”

Dom straightened her dress and hovered near Sunny.

“Brennan,” she said. “I’m sorry about Travis. And. Thank you.”

And in a move that shocked Brennan to his core, she surged forward and hugged him. Quick and tight, and then she withdrew again.

“Is that it, then?” Brennan asked. “Will you have your phone, wherever you are?”

Sunny shook her head.

“I’ll find ways to get in touch,” Dom said, smiling slyly, and Brennan had no doubt she would. He wasn’t sure if he was scared or looking forward to it.

When Brennan returned to the ballroom, the celebration was on. Mari and Tony were dancing, twirling around each other and laughing. Now that the threat was gone, even Brennan could almost get into the upbeat tune the quartet was playing.

But Cole was nowhere to be found.

He scanned the ballroom once more before venturing into the lobby. The staff eyed him suspiciously, which was fair since the vampire ball had trashed their venue, but still. He was about to give up and return to the others when he heard from outside—

“Yes, Mama.” A Southern accent, the voice that Brennan knew from beginning to end by now, distorted through walls. All Brennan had to do was follow the sound.

It took him to an exit into a courtyard at the center of the hotel. The night was dark, a few bright stars making it through the city light pollution.

The courtyard was a paved patio with lush trees and garden boxes surrounded by the Gothic exterior of the building.

At the center, sitting on an iron bench with intricate floral patterns, was Cole, his back to Brennan, just a pair of suit-clad shoulders and a messy swirl of hair.

He held a phone to one ear and was hunched into himself.

“Yeah,” Cole said. “Love you, too.”

He hung up.

Brennan sat beside him.

“Hey,” Brennan said.

Cole nudged his knee against Brennan’s. “Hey.”

“You okay?”

“That was, um,” Cole said, and his voice got thick and teary so Brennan tugged him in. “That was my mom?”

“Oh?” In all of this, Brennan had thought Cole was still ignoring their calls.

“She said—” Cole took a shaky breath. “—um, that she loves me no matter what I do with my life. And that my dad will come around.”

“Well, that’s… good, right?”

“It is. Of course. I just, I wasn’t expecting this tonight. I don’t even know why I answered this time. I don’t really know what to do with it.”

Brennan smoothed a hand up and down Cole’s shoulder while he processed that, then smiled. “I don’t know, it sounds like cause for celebration,” Brennan said. “Luckily I know a pretty good party nearby.”

“I love you,” Cole said.

Brennan froze.

“You said it earlier and I didn’t say it back, and I stand by the fact that that was terrible timing.”

“I love you, too,” Brennan said. “Now come inside and dance with me.”

Cole smiled. “I can do that. But… let’s stay here for a minute.”

Eventually, they would go inside and join their friends and celebrate the ongoing secrecy of the vampires. Eventually, they would dance. For now, Brennan held him close. The two of them together in the night, as always.

brENNAN’S PHONE

Brennan

Hey, you mentioned a new pamphlet?

I had another idea.

A better system than the pamphlets.

Any chance I can get involved? Maybe digitize some things?

Nellie

Yes! Absolutely! I love that! Exclamation point!

“Everybody shut up! It’s the final rose ceremony, we actually have to pay attention,” Tony said.

“You’ve been louder than anyone!” Mari protested.

“And that’s why now I’m saying I’m gonna shut up!”

“I think this is their version of flirting,” Cole whispered.

It was Bachelorette Night. The vampire ball had been two weeks earlier, and it had taken that long for things to feel normal again.

There were no murders in the news, no betrayals, no secrets revealed.

Just texting Nellie, hanging out with Cole and Mari and Tony, and going to classes.

Brennan had finished Breaking Dawn. He and Cole had a movie marathon scheduled that weekend, and he was embarrassed to admit he was looking forward to it.

They were all squished on the couch, so Cole was half in Brennan’s lap. Mari and Tony were pretty cozy, too. Brennan was pretty sure Mari and Tony were together now, but he was afraid to ask.

Brennan sipped from his blood pouch through a straw. Everyone knew now, so he could, which he had to admit was nice. Maybe Dom was onto something with not wanting to pretend all the time.

Dom… Brennan hadn’t heard from her. Sunny wouldn’t tell him where she was, but implied she was abroad somewhere. She’d said that if Dom wanted to reach out she would. After the first week, Brennan stopped jumping at every phone notification.

The bachelorette was giving out roses, and Brennan wasn’t paying attention, more focused on the small circles Cole was drawing on his shoulders with his fingertips.

“Not Mark B, not Mark B—” Tony chanted. He was on the edge of his seat.

Something crashed with a thud against the window.

Brennan jumped and Cole cursed. A shadow hovered at the window adjacent to the couch and Brennan squinted at it.

A black bird pointedly pecked at the glass.

Knock knock. Knock knock.

Brennan hopped up, sensing Cole right behind him as he went to investigate. The bird was large and fat, and had a vial with a bit of paper inside tied to its ankle.

Knock knock. Knock knock.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Brennan said, and opened the window.

The bird flew in with a flourish and perched on the coffee table, extending its leg out for Brennan obediently.

“Fucking sick,” Cole said.

“Dammit, I missed who she gave the rose to,” Tony said.

Brennan untied the vial and let the parchment inside fall into his open hand. The bird shook out its feathers, then started picking at the crumbs on the table from the cookies Cole had brought.

“Um, is it gonna leave now, or?” Mari said, eyeing the bird distrustfully.

“I think it’s waiting for a response,” Cole said.

Brennan ignored them and unrolled the note. It was on old parchment, written in black ink and curly, neat handwriting.

“What’s it say?” Cole leaned against him to peek over his shoulder.

“It’s Dom,” Brennan said.

“Dude, she has a messenger bird?” Cole said. “Fucking awesome. Why don’t you get a messenger bird?”

“Guys, the show has, like, two minutes left if you could let me watch in peace ?” Tony said.

Mari fell back on the couch, while Brennan and Cole lingered by the window. Brennan read the note, letting Cole read along, tucked into Brennan’s side.

Brennan,

First off, if you’re reading this, you’ve probably met my new friend Tali. If you have any snacks you can tip her, she’ll greatly appreciate it for the journey home. She likes breadcrumbs, nuts, seeds, anything like that.

Cole withdrew from Brennan and darted to the kitchen. Always reliable. Brennan warmed, and kept reading.

Okay, raven companion aside. I’m currently in Ireland, at a really traditional vampire colony.

They have a whole fortress in the middle of nowhere with this whole society.

You’d have a fit about morality and how they get their blood, but there are some humans here, too, companions and family members of other vampires.

It’s a nice little community. You’d hate it.

I’ve been thinking a lot about my sister. About Evelyn. She was so excited to start school. She never got to. She had her whole life ahead of her, and I took that from her. I have to live with that forever now.

Forever is a long time. I guess I need to start finding things to live for.

I think, maybe, you taught me that.

Wishing you the best from the dark side.

Dominique

“I’ll give her this,” Cole said, returning to Brennan’s side by the window. “She certainly knows how to keep things interesting.”

“Yeah.”

Brennan reread the letter with Cole. Then he studied Cole, the furrow in his brow as he read, the slight movement of his lips. Those words rang in his head.

Forever is a long time.

Life was unpredictable, and life was long, and for a vampire, both were even more true. Because Brennan wouldn’t age and he wouldn’t die, and Cole eventually would. And that was assuming a regular old-fashioned breakup didn’t part them. Somehow, that didn’t matter.

In that moment, Brennan was sure he would spend his whole life loving Cole.

Cole blushed when he caught Brennan’s stare, biting back a smile.

“What?” Cole said. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Brennan said. “I’m good.”

Forever is a long time.

For the first time, Brennan was looking forward to it.