Page 179 of Vampires of Eden

My temples pound from adrenaline and my heart races. I step back and toward the office door. “You’ve made your stance clear, so here’s mine. I love Daniel. You don’t know shit about him. If you’re going to be prejudiced, condescending and violent, I don’t have anything else to say to you.”

“You—Do not leave this room.” She steps forward but Father reaches out and takes hold of her wrist. The move surprises her enough that she finally looks up and acknowledges the disappointed glare in his expression.

She starts, hesitates, then looks back toward me. “We’re not finished talking! Howdareyou speak to me this way—who are you and what’s happened to the vampire prince that I raised?”

“Maybe I don’t want to be that fucking vampire anymore.”

“So you’d rather be a naïve little fool? A disappointment to our entire society?—”

“Enough, Victoria,” Father says, exhaling a heavy sigh. “No more.”

Shaking my head, I put my hand on the knob and pull the door open. “When you’re ready tolistento me and not be vulgar and selfish, let me know.” The air of the room is heavy and suffocating as I leave, then pull the door firmly shut behind me.

Fuck all of this.

When I turn, Raphael is just beside the door. Eyes wide, teeth clenched as if he’s holding his breath.

I stalk past him to head to my bedroom. “I’m leaving.”

He hurries behind me. “Where are you going? Back to Daniel? To the cottage?”

“No, I’ll pack some more things and get a hotel in Central for the night.” I’m too worked up. I really cannot believe that she hit me. And the things she said. How gross and uncalled for. All of it.

“Well, that… went terribly. I tried to warn you. What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know, Raph, alright? I just need to get out of here so I can breathe.” I can’t stay here, looking at her. Doing what I always do—pretending I’m not fuming while I shuffle food around my plate at dinner. It’s not happening.

When I reach my bedroom door, I push it open. I pause because Buffy is curled in the center of my bed. Her head pops up when she sees me and a small flutter of peace registers in my brain, telling me to calm down.

“Buff Buff.” As I walk over, she unfolds her fluffy body in a tall stretch, then pads toward the end of the bed to meet me.

“I know you’re stressed at the moment, I get it,” Raphael says, gently closing the door. “But we need to think, okay? Get a hotel in Central for the night and decompress. Then go to Daniel tomorrow and talk this out with him. He’s your partner now. You have to confide in him.”

“I know that,” I say absently as I stroke Buffy’s head and back. She arches into my palm. Indulging and purring. “I don’t want to leave her here. What if Mother does something to her to spite me.”

“Lexie, your mother wouldnothurt this cat.”

“She hit me. I don’t know what she’s capable of anymore.”

Raphael sighs, then walks over and into my closet. I’m confused, but then he comes out with my large travel suitcase. “She won’t hurt Buffy. If I know Victoria Kendrick, she’s probably in a state of shock right now because her reliably dutiful and obedient son just set a very hard boundary. You broke character in front of her. She’s going to need a minute for that to sink in.”

I have an overwhelming urge to say “Fuck her,” but I can’t say it aloud. The whole obedient son thing stops me. I think it, though. “Is it safe for you to stay here?” I ask, looking over at Raph. “Will she harass you in place of me?”

He shakes his head as he lays the suitcase flat on the floor and unzips it. “I’ll just stay out of her way. She’s got a lot more than me to worry about right now. Let’s decide what you’re taking with you. Leave Buffy to me for now. I’ll make sure she’s safe.”

As if she understands that she’s the center of attention, Buffy promptly hops off of the bed and trots over to the suitcase. She steps inside, then flops onto her back against the soft lining to mark this new and strange territory. I wish with my whole heart that I could take her with me.

Raphael’s phone rings. He starts, then pulls the device from his pocket and looks at the screen. He smiles and brings it to his ear. “Leelee, hi! Long time no talk—” Raphael stops. Slowly, his expression shifts. His brow furrows as he meets my gaze. “Oh no… are you serious?”

Raphael is quiet for too long, his face distraught. Just as I’m reaching the limit of my patience, he says into the receiver, “Yeah, alright, okay. He’ll head straight there. Thanks, and please be careful… Ah, you too.” He ends the call.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, my temples pounding.

Raphael shakes his head in bewilderment. “Someone… Leoni said that the vineyard cottage caught on fire.”

My stomach lurches as my eyes widen. “What? What do you mean? Are they okay? Is Danny alright?”

“I… I don’t think so. You need to go, Alexander. Right now.”