My vampire father.
Holy crap.
CHAPTER 3
Savannah
I took the longest shower our hot-water heater would allow, spending more time trying to wrap my mind around this strange new reality than I spent washing myself. Part of me still clung to the hope that it was all just a case of my imagination going berserk. But everything was too real...the slippery porcelain beneath my feet, the cold, wet tile wall holding me up, the hot water burning its way over my skin. And it wasn't just anyone telling wild stories here. All this stuff about demons and vampires and witches was coming from my entire family, the three people I loved and trusted more than anyone else in the world.
When the water ran cold, I got out, dried off, then studied my reflection in the mirror. Was it because I was freaked out, or did I really look...different? My eyes seemed bigger, my cheekbones more pronounced. My upper incisors might've become a little pointier than they'd already been. I was definitely paler, but who wouldn't be after being sick? And my hair seemed thicker and darker, less orange, more auburn. My imagination, too? Maybe.
I wondered if Tristan would notice, then banished that thought. He was in the Clann. Worse, he was the son of the Clann's leading family.
And I had to avoid him at all cost.
"Mom?"
A few seconds later, as if she'd been nearby listening for me, she opened the door a few inches and poked her head in. "Yes?"
"Why aren't we in the Clann anymore?"
"Well, they weren't too thrilled when I broke the rules and married your father. And when your Nanna didn't try to stop us, they kicked her out, too. It's a real no-no for vampires and witches to get involved with each other."
"Because vampires tend to kill witches." I sighed.
"They did before the truce. At one point, before even your grandmother's time, it was an all-out war between them. But now they've agreed to avoid each other as much as possible. Which is why no vampires live around here, including your father. This is Clann territory. And vampires have reason to fear descendants, too, since they can of course kill vampires much easier than normal humans can."
At my confused look, she explained, "Fire. Vampires can be killed by fire. Or decapitation or a stake through the heart, but those methods require a weapon. Witches, real ones, can produce fire in the palm of their hand." She held out her hand palm up, concentrated...and a tiny ball of orange flame burst to life in her hand. At the same time, faint prickles raced over the back of my neck and down my arms.
My brain blanked out for several seconds. Then my heart lurched back into gear. Hoooly crap, she wasn't kidding. She really could do magic! Reaching toward the flame, I opened my mouth to ask when I would get to learn that.
"Oh, no." She snapped her hand closed, extinguishing the fire with a sizzle. "Don't even ask, because the answer is no. Creating fire is too dangerous for you, in case your vampire genes make it hard for you to control the flame. And you're not learning any other magic, either."
"Why not?" I tried hard not to whine. But honestly, what was the point of learning all of this stuff if I couldn't even do real magic someday?
"Because both the Clann and the vampire council made your Nanna and I swear that we would never teach you how to do magic. It was the only way I could get to raise you and we could stay in Jacksonville."
"I can't ever learn to do magic?"
She shook her head. "Sorry, hon, not unless the Clann and the vampire council both change their minds."
"What if my magical side starts developing, like you said? Will I just start shooting out magic spells or something?"
She laughed. "Not likely, since it takes both your willpower and certain spell words for beginner witches to cast a spell. Magic is like a muscle for most descendants. If you never use it, like I haven't for a while, it atrophies and is harder to use. If you practice, you get stronger and it's easier to do. We're hoping if you never do magic, the ability will simply go away for you. Or at least be very hard to do accidentally."
Disappointed, I frowned down at the sink. This really sucked. Nanna was always telling me to focus on the good in every situation. But there seemed to be absolutely nothing positive about my life right now.
After a slight hesitation, Mom came the rest of the way into the bathroom and leaned against the edge of the sink's counter. "Look, Savannah, I know it's hard, but try to see things from everyone else's point of view, too. You are special, incredibly so. Other than in myths, you're the first dhampir in proven existence from your father's line, the first real live half vampire, half human."
"You mean half witch," I muttered, aiming for sarcasm. Which she ignored.
"Right. Until you, no one thought vampires from your father's line could even get a human pregnant. Then your father and I broke the rules, I got pregnant, and we got married."
"Wait. You got pregnant then got married?"
She gave a sheepish grin. "Yeah, you know, sometimes it works that way. But it was worth it. Even when our marriage meant your father lost his seat on the council-"
"Because of me?"
She winced. "Not quite. More a combination of factors...like drinking Clann blood to block his thoughts from the council so he could break their rules, marry a human and have a baby."
But they only got married after they found out they were going to have me. So didn't that still make it my fault that Dad was kicked off the council?
"Anyways," she continued, "when you actually made it to full term then survived the first year of life, everyone on both sides of the equation went nuts. The vampire council thinks you're going to be some sort of secret weapon for the Clann if you develop magical skills. And the Clann is afraid you'll either go fully vampire and try to eat them all or use magic against them." She laughed.
I couldn't breathe.
Her smile faded. "Oh, sorry, baby. Your father and I spent years joking about everyone's crazy fears. They're all ridiculously paranoid, on both sides of the line. Before your birth, they actually thought he and I had teamed up to rid the world of both the Clann and all the vampires! Bunch of fruitcakes. But I guess it's not that funny to you at first."
I let a glare be my answer. Inside, I was shaking again. Just when I thought I was starting to get a grip on all of this...now I was both a career ender for Dad and some sort of a ticking time bomb? No wonder I was such a disappointment to him.