Unraveling Mordecai, Marisa Maichel [ebook reader .TXT] 📗

David, who cowered and quavered under the look of the most powerful vampire in the world.
Sarah clung even tighter, and I realized without looking at her that my uncle had frightened her.
Beckett appeared. He looked at Sarah. “Ca va, Sarah?”
“Oui, Daddy, je vais bien,” She replied.
“Il t’a blessé ?”
“Non, je vais bien, papa, vraiment. Qu’est-ce que tu fais ici de toute façon?”
“Je suis venu aider Mordecai. J’ai été engagé comme producteur pour un de ses spectacles.” He nodded to me. “Reese.”
When he left, I asked Sarah what that was about.
“He heard Soren’s yelling and came to check on me,” she said. “Your dad hired him as a producer for one of the new shows.”
“That’s…good,” I said.
“It’s fantastic,” Sarah said. “Daddy needs money. He and Mom are finally getting officially divorced.”
“He’s still wearing his glasses.”
“He says it’s due to habit, but I think his vision hasn’t improved any. That’s the tough part about being part human. You’ll always have some human qualities.”
“He doesn’t like me.”
“No, Reese, that’s not the case. It’s actually…I shouldn’t say this, but you’ll find out anyway. He’s jealous of you.”
“Jealous? Of me? Why?” I asked suspiciously.
“You’ve been able to protect me better than he ever has. You’re young and virile, and he wishes he had your body. He also thinks you’re more attractive than he is. He’s jealous because you’re my first love, and he wasn’t around to see me fall for you. He’s also a little wary, since you’re a vampire.”
“He’s a vampire, too.”
“But he wasn’t until recently, and he had to have the help of a goddess. Our ancestor, even. I still can’t believe I’m part goddess. But anyway, you shouldn’t take his rudeness seriously. I’ll have a talk with him if that makes you feel better.”
She pecked my jaw. And then we realized that the cameras were still recording everything.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Shit, shit, shit.” Father paced around the living room. “Shit, damn, fuck. Fucking bitch. Who knows how many people saw that nastiness? The one that is my brother?”
“Approximately a hundred million, give or take,” Louis said. Father glared at him.
Sarah was in our room, singing “Top of the World” by the Carpenters. I was sitting on the couch. Sarah came down, wearing gray yoga pants and a white jacket.
“Aren’t you hot, babe?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said, “But not because of the jacket.”
I grinned at her sudden burst of vanity. But a part inside of me groaned. She sat between me and Louis, who was currently flipping through cartoons. He settled on Baby Looney Tunes. While he and Sarah laughed at the characters’ antics, I wondered what was wrong with me. Sarah never used to annoy me this much. Okay, maybe I did blame her a bit for saying too much on camera, but it really wasn’t her fault.
I’d long ago accepted that she wasn’t perfect…or had I?
I mean, her physical beauty alone…everyone thought she was perfect. She worked so hard to maintain that façade that it had worn her down, and she suffered physically, mentally, and emotionally. She even had seizures and a heart attack. How much more could she take?
I realized she was reaching for my hand, and I moved away slightly. She gave me a hurt look, then scooted closer to Louis, which made me jealous. Was she making me jealous on purpose?
As soon as the cartoon was over, Louis flipped to the news.
“OMG, stop right there!” Sarah shrieked.
“Did you really just say ‘OMG’?” Louis asked her. She ignored him.
“Jamie Williams is in town! He’s like, my favorite author of all time! He writes the best books, and the best poems! He’s soooo romantic!”
“Hey, I can be romantic,” I protested. She ignored me. Instead, she eyed him. I looked up and saw him.
He had shoulder-length straight blond hair, bright green eyes, and a widow’s peak with a slightly balding forehead. He was skinny and tall, and he wore a Victorian-era suit with a top hat and cane. He even wore gloves. He waved at the camera crew, and Kate Un stepped up to him.
“Jamie, what can we expect while you’re in town?” she asked.
“My dear lady,” he spoke in an English accent, “I will be signing copies of my new book, Blood Moon, and I will be…ah, my agent said not to say anything, but he’s not here, is he? I will be holding a contest for all the young ladies and gentlemen who enjoy my work. A poetry contest. It can be a haiku, free thought, or any other. It can rhyme or not. Whoever comes up with the best one will be escorted to dinner by me at Sea Gala, a restaurant by the beach here in New Jersey. He or she will enjoy a fine meal, romantic talk, a fully-paid-for dinner, a romantic walk on the beach, maybe a little romantic book shopping or museum-hopping. The poems are due Friday the thirteenth of September, and I will read the contest winner the next Monday. Good luck!”
He walked away, turning his back to the camera and laughing maniacally.
“Sarah,” I said, “I absolutely forbid you to submit anything to him.”
“Excuse me?” she turned to glare at me. “You are not the boss of me.”
“How many times did he say the word ‘romantic’? Did anybody keep count?” Louis asked.
“Sarah, I’m only thinking of us,” I told her.
“No, you’re jealous. Again,” she said. “You’re suffocating me with your jealousy, Reese. I love you, but if we want to make this work, you have to let me make my own decisions and mistakes.”
“Sarah-“
“Don’t you ‘Sarah’ me! I don’t even know if you truly love me, or if you’re just obsessed with my looks. Sure, I’m gorgeous, but I’m also a human, damn it! Well, part human. I’m not perfect, and I’m not your wife yet!”
She got up and stormed upstairs.
“Nice going, dude,” Louis said. I stuck my tongue out at him and hissed as Shadowfang jumped onto my leg.
“I smell trouble on the horizon,” my cat familiar said. I ran my fingers through his long, black fur and he turned to looked at me with his large yellow eyes. “Women trouble. First Satira shows up, then Cholena, and now I smell babies.”
“Hmm, that nose has never been wrong before,” Louis noted.
“Her underwear did smell off,” I admitted.
“She smells off because she’s having a baby, Reese,” Louis said. “Think about it: her temper’s shorter, she’s got a craving for milk, she can’t eat chicken without puking, and her wings are not holding her up as high. She’s pregnant, little buddy.”

After this revelation, I went to see Sarah. She was reading our book on my bed, earbuds in her ears, playing soft rock music.
“Sarah,” I sat, sitting on the bed. She saw me and took the pods out of her ears. “Sarah, I’m sorry. I did have a jealous moment. I’m really trying to control it, but it’s like…it’s like a monster that’s stuck inside my gut, trying to crawl out, but I can’t let him because it would upset you. I love you, Sarah. I want you to be mine.”
“Reese,” she replied, sitting on her knees, “You don’t have to worry. I’m not interested in Jamie romantically. I love you. You’re my soulmate, my fiancé, my fated husband. The Fates brought us together, and we’ll stay together, through thick and thin, or poorer or for richer, for better or for worse, until death do we part.”
“Let’s not talk of death,” I said, pulling her onto my lap. “I’d rather be consumed alive than lose you.”
She made a disgusted face at that.
But I didn’t mean it, not really. There was something seriously wrong here. Was I growing bored with my relationship with Sarah? She was my longest romantic partner, and my second, and only female partner, besides Sadie, but my relationship with Sadie was purely sexual. I leaned my head down to her stomach and took a big whiff.
I smelled a lot of things: estrogen, blood, cotton, and…was that plastic? Huh. But there was another smell, the smell of something new and exciting. I smell new muscles, new bones, new skin. I smelled new blood and cells and a vampire scent.
A baby. Maybe two.
“Sarah,” I said. “How would you react if you learned that you were pregnant?”
She laughed nervously. “I hope I’m not pregnant.”
Disappointment sagged my shoulders, and I snarled on instinct and nipped her shoulder.
“What was that for?” she asked, rubbing the spot.
“Sorry,” I said. “Just a little love mark.”
“You never bite me that hard, Reese. Is something-“ Her eyes widened. I could see the cogs working in her brain. She counted on her fingers, mouthing the numbers. Her eyes began to shine even more as she looked up at me.
Then she pulled up her jacket. There was a small bump.
“A father,” I said to myself. “I’m going to be a father.”
She quickly covered her stomach and buried her face in my chest. Then she began to cry. She sobbed and sobbed. I just held her while she cried. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she slowed down to a short, hiccupy breath.
“I don’t want to be pregnant,” she whined. “Not yet, at least. I want to enjoy my first few years as an adult!”
“Sorry, babe,” I lied. “You can blame me. It’s all my fault. Remember when we had sex back in May? The condom broke, and I didn’t realize until later that it was expired.”
“You idiot!” She punched me in the chest, then said “ouch” and cradled her hand. “You fucking moron! You are such an imbecile! A stupid, stupid, dumb quack!”
“You can call me all the names you want,” I lectured,” but it won’t change the fact that we’re going to have a baby. Maybe two. I think a girl…and a boy.”
She burst into tears. She hit me again and again.
“I hate you!” she shouted. “I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.”
“Do you, really?” I asked, every phrase like a knife in my chest.
“No,” she whimpered. She buried her head in my chest. “I’m sorry I’m acting childish.”
“Hey, it’s okay,” I assured her. “Sarah look at me. Look at me.” She looked at me. “We’ll get through this together,” I said, tilting her chin up. “I promise. If I need to turn you sooner rather than later-“
“Will you have to?”
“I may have to. Not all vampire/human hybrids are viable, and some of them kill their own mothers.”
She shuddered and looked up at me with wide eyes.
“I have to call Marina,” she said.
A few minutes later, we were at a café downtown, waiting for Mother and Alexander.
Sarah wanted to sit outside, so we did. I kept my hood over my eyes, keeping the sun off.
Mother arrived soon with Alexander and Sabine.
“Hello, children,” Mother said, pecking my forehead and kissing Sarah’s cheek.
“Son. Daughter,” Alexander greeted in his own gruff way. “Did you have something to inform us about?”
“Let’s all go inside,” Sarah said.
We followed her to an inside table.
“Well…Reese thinks I’m pregnant,” Sarah blurted out.
There was a pause. Then:
“Honey, we know,” Mother said. “We could smell it. We weren’t sure when we should tell you. I know that you might not enjoy being pregnant again, but we will support you and Reese in this endeavor.”
Sabine just scowled.
“Where is Cirino?” I asked.
“With the new nanny,” Mother said. “We hired a new nanny named Colleen. She will watch Cirino while Zie cleans the house.”
“You’re not mad because we’re not married?” Sarah asked.
“Certainly not,” Mother said. “In my time a woman could