The Vampire and the Goth Ch. 7
I knew that Elizabeth was shaken and feeling very vulnerable after Michelle's outburst, but I didn't realize how fragile she was until we went back to her bedroom. I was lying in bed with Elizabeth's head on my chest as she began to cry with huge, heart-breaking sobs. I could feel her hot tears fall on my skin as I held her close. I kissed the top of her head and stroked her back. I tried to comfort her.
"Wszystko w porządku, pięknie. Jesteś ze mną bezpieczny."
She lifted her head and kissed me, then she lay down again.
"Is that Polish, Stosh?"
"Yes, it is."
"What does it mean?"
"I'm telling you that you're safe with me and I'm calling you beautiful."
Her crying had stopped, but her voice still had that shaken, vulnerable sound.
"It's lovely. Can I hear more?"
I wracked my brain trying to come up with something romantic to say.
"Uwielbiam budzić się w twoich ramionach, moje serce. That means 'I love waking in your arms, my heart,'"
I could feel her smile against my chest, so I continued.
"Sprawiasz, że jestem szczęśliwy, kochanie, ale twoje łzy sprawiają, że boli mnie serce. That means, 'You make me so happy, honey, but your tears make my heart ache.'"
Elizabeth kissed me again, and we lay there together, not speaking. Then she said, "I think werewolves killed our parents."
I caught my breath for a moment and looked down at her. "Why do you think that?"
"I talked to my dad a couple of days before the accident and he said Aunt Clara was coming for a visit. The police report said that the tires were shredded, and their bodies had extensive damage from wild animals. Also, they found a third ladies' shoe without any explanation. Aunt Clara didn't come to the funeral, and no one's heard from her. They only found two bodies, Stosh. Where's Clara?"
Elizabeth's voice was shaking like she was about to start crying again. I held her close and lightly stroked her hair, but I didn't say anything.
"Laura told me we couldn't have a viewing because they'd been outside for too long and their bodies were suffering from exposure. But they were found only about twelve hours after they died, Stosh."
"Well, twelve hours is a long time for a dead body to sit outside," I said.
"Not when it's cold. And how would the cold have cut out my father's throat and shredded my mother's breast?"
"Maybe animals-"
Elizabeth cut me off. "Animals would have done more. They removed my dad's larynx. The coroner's report said his larynx was removed with almost surgical precision..." She was crying again. I held her close and rubbed her back.
"Laura doesn't know that I saw the coroner's report. And animals would not have been so... selective!" she wailed. "They were out in the middle of the woods for hours."
That was a good point. "Laura said it was a bad car accident."
Elizabeth gave a cold laugh. "Yeah? So why wasn't the windshield broken? Why weren't the airbags triggered? I saw the car when I went home. The windshield wasn't even cracked."
I thought about it. "Okay, that sounds like a very strange accident."
"I always knew it was weird. But now I know about Aunt Clara and I realize just how awful they are to your people. What if that's what happened, Stosh? What if they were murdered because of my aunt?"
Elizabeth's reaction to Michelle's outburst suddenly made a lot more sense.
"What if that was the last thing my parents saw? They must have been so frightened!"
She began to cry again, while I held her close.
"I'm so sorry Stosh. I shouldn't lay all this on you. I'm not normally this dramatic."
I shushed her. "It's okay."
Elizabeth slowly stopped crying and fell asleep in my arms. I lay there next to her, thinking about Michelle's unhinged behavior. Elizabeth hadn't reacted like that when Dmitri's face had changed a few nights before, but that was quite different from how Michelle had acted. Given what had happened to her parents, it was no wonder she was so frightened.
I was furious with the she-wolf. Her actions were completely uncalled for, even when you consider how overemotional wolves can get. I resolved to tell Laura just how shitty her girlfriend had made Elizabeth feel.
And to be honest, the whole thing made me think of how my parents had died. As I listened to Elizabeth's breathing, I was wracked with pain and guilt. It was easier to think about what Michelle had done wrong.
A few hours later, at first light, I heard Laura moving around in the house. I smelled bacon, eggs, and fresh coffee. It was a wonderful smell and it made me think of my mother's kitchen. Immediately, I felt a strong wave of grief for her, even though she had died hundreds of years ago. Elizabeth began to stir, and I immediately put my sense of loss and regret to the back of my mind.
"Good morning, piękny," I said, as I kissed her forehead.
She smiled. "What does that mean?"
"I called you beautiful."
She yawned. "Thanks for the compliment." Then, a moment later, she said, "You're not leaving, are you?" Her face was shadowed by fear and her vulnerability tore at my heart.
"I'm just going to get some coffee."
"You can drink coffee?" she asked.
"Yeah, I can drink a little. You don't have to wake up now, go back to sleep."
Elizabeth gave me a small smile, then rolled back over.
Laura was sitting at the dining room table. She had deep circles under her eyes, and I could tell she hadn't had a good night.
"Morning," she said.
"Good morning. May I have some coffee?"
She stood up immediately. "Sure! Do you want anything in it?"
"No, black is fine."
Laura smiled as she poured a cup of coffee for me.
"I made some extra bacon in case you wanted to eat some."
I don't eat a lot of human food, but who can turn down fresh bacon?
"I'd love a couple of pieces, thanks."
Laura brought me coffee and bacon as I sat down. She didn't say anything, so I decided to break the ice.
"Did Michelle come back last night?"
Laura gave a pained smile. "No. And I haven't heard from her, either."
She stirred her coffee and pushed her eggs around on her plate.
"How's my sister?"
I sighed. "It was a rough night for her. Michelle really scared her."
"Yeah. She kind of scared me, too." Laura sighed into her coffee cup. Then she said, "Look, I know there's a lot of bad history between your people and her people. I don't know all of it, but I do know that we shouldn't judge you, personally, for whatever wrongs people like you may have done in the past."
I sipped my coffee and took a few bites of bacon while I considered my response.
"I appreciate the position you're in. Your sister means a great deal to me and I'm terribly upset about what happened last night. I've known a few wolves in my time, and I know how they can be emotional and likely to overreact, especially when it comes to their mates."
Laura spoke up. "Michelle and I aren't mates."
