Bloodlust (The Blood Series #1)

Chapter 43

"Haley."

"Haley."

I see nothing but pixel until one image focuses and takes over. Amber eyes stare right at me like he's right here in front of me and his dimple comes out when he smiles at me. "Took you long enough to acknowledge me, beautiful Haley. I expected to be a little higher on your list of priorities after all I've done for you! Do you think it was easy to break through that barricade in your head? Someone really saw to it that you wouldn't become a Seer. Too bad for them that I came along, otherwise you might have stayed human all your life."

"But your weird family isn't what I wanted to talk to you about. Isn't it just so handy that I can get into your head whenever I want? It's like we have a bond, you and me. And it'd be sad to break that bond. Is it too early to take you home with me? I hope not because you are coming with me to meet the queen. And Haley... if you for some silly reason were to say no to this little visit I guess it'd be a good time to tell you that demons talk. I know that precious Nathan doesn't have his powers anymore. If I kill him he'll stay gone."

He raises his fingertips to his lips and blows me a kiss. "Oh and Haley? Have yourself a merry little Christmas", he smirks before the vision goes black and I wake up.

So that's how my Christmas morning begins. Yet another threat from the psycho I foolishly thought had left the game. Despite everything that has happened to me over the years I have always been a Christmas person. When the month changes from cold gray November to dear beautiful December I have a small celebration in my room at midnight. This year is different though. I pretty much forgot Christmas all together with everything that has been going on. I hadn't even bought anyone Christmas presents and was only then reminded of the upcoming holidays when Drea said that she was considering buying Troy a toilet brush this year. I told her to get him a decent present because I had forgiven Troy and thus she shouldn't hold grudges either. She reluctantly agreed but still planned to get him a watch that doesn't work. That's just Andrea. When she is pissed she is pissed and it takes a long time for her to get over it.

Even if I love Christmas as a holiday I absolutely hate buying gifts. Mostly I just buy everyone chocolates. If they don't like chocolate I probably shouldn't be buying them gifts anyway. Not that I'm a chocoholic or anything. Andrea and I had to go through all too many boutiques while shopping for gifts before we both had something to give to our loved ones. I even managed to convince Andrea to buy Troy a coffee mug that says "Accio Coffee". Troy and I are huge Harry Potter fans, that's what actually got us talking in the beginning.

I thought that despite everything that has gone wrong we'd still have our usual Christmas. My mom and I would buy way too much food, have a huge Christmas tree and watch Home Alone 2. Don't ask me why, that's just what we do. In our defense we can't be the only ones because that film comes on TV every single Christmas.

All of those thoughts fly right out the window when Dandy Dave walks in on Christmas day.

I silently boil with rage as I watch my mom kiss him as a hello. I need to be on my good behavior if I don't want to blow up Christmas for good so my plan is to simply ignore Dave. But they don't make it easy for me. All through Christmas dinner I'm forced to listen to future mayor Dave pick on the Bloods and his inspirational speeches on how to make our town better. He goes on and on about how he thinks that our town is completely rotten and how only the righteous ones such as himself can save it. As he speaks I fantasize about ways to decapitate him. My favorite is a piano falling on him and thus separating his head from his torso. That would be hilarious.

Even though I hate Dandy Dave he's not completely wrong about the state of our city. It's true that bribery is ridiculously common here. Our crime rate is very high but only on the "murder corners" as people call them by the docks a.k.a the Blood territory. Basically every crime here is committed by the gangs. It's very rare for anyone else to get caught for a crime. Well, mainly because the gangs usually take care of the people committing crimes without their consent. It's a sick system but many embrace it because the gangs keep criminals away from the so-called "good neighborhoods" and school districts. Especially Bloods are admired for maintaining order. I personally wouldn't mind living in a city where the police does their damn job but others think that our system is more effective. It may be effective - but it's also very violent and terrifying.

As soon as I can I excuse myself from the table and hide in my room. This time of the Christmas Day we'd usually go to the cemetery to put flowers and light candles on the graves of those we have lost but there is no way in hell I'll go there now with Mr. I'll Save The City. I just know he'd make some idiotic speech about how God works on mysterious ways and how we might never understand His reasons for taking our loved ones before their time but how we lowly humans shouldn't question His great divine plan. Dandy Dave seems just the kind of person to utter out something like that.

But my sweet escape doesn't last for very long. "Haley, would you come here with us?" my mother calls out. I'd rather stick a needle in my eye, I think but I don't want to fight so I reluctantly make my way back to the living room.

Dave and my mom are seated on the couch. On the other side of the room sits my dad and Amy. What the hell is going on? My mom hates Amy because she's one of the reasons why Mom and Dad got divorced. Why has Mom let them in? And on Christmas, nonetheless. If my family's story was written by Walt Disney this would be a Christmas miracle, that one day we all realize how stupid our fighting has been. Then we'd hug it out and have Christmas dinner together like one big happy family. And maybe afterwards have a huge musical number with backup dancers and spotlights while all singing something together like "We are a family". But sadly my life is not a Disney movie nor do I have any musical talent whatsoever so that can't be what this is about.

With a very bad feeling gnawing on my chest I ask cautiously: "What's going on?"

My mother looks at me with concern in her eyes. Oh no. "We just want to talk. We are worried about you. Please take a seat."

I sit down and just know that in about 30 seconds I'll be fuming mad.

And of course Dandy Dave takes the stage first. "We have all come to notice that you have continued to have a relationship with Nathan Blood even after we specifically told you not to be around him. We understand that you are a teenager and that a bad boy thing might seem appealing to you right now but it will get you in a lot of trouble if you're not careful. We have already heard about the school skipping, being distracted in class and latest on the list that accident on Halloween."

Not this again.

"How is this any of your business again?" I hear my dad ask and although we are fighting at the moment I can't help but give him major brownie points for that.

My mother scowls at him. "Jeremy, don't take this out on Dave. We are here to discuss Haley, not us." She turns to look at me and I almost want to dive away from her line of gaze because she looks so sincere. She honestly thinks she is helping me by organizing me an intervention. My poor mother who wants nothing but to help others. That's the only reason I don't start yelling at her. I know she thinks she's helping me.

"Haley, you took off into the night with a known gang member and stayed gone for the entire night, no calls, no texts. I'm actually pretty sure you left your phone home that night. Do you understand how worried I was? I called through hospitals and even the morgue to make sure no one matching your description had been brought in. All I could think of was how my only child was missing and I didn't know how to even begin to look for her."

I try my best to keep calm. "I do understand how worried you were and I'm so sorry about that night. I just needed to get out of the house."

"But you shouldn't have left like that. You should have stayed here and resolved your issues with your mother", Dandy Dave butts in once again. God, if there only was a piano in this house, I swear...

I force my tone polite because I'll only win this round by acting mature. "It is not my mother whom I had a problem with."

Mom's eyes narrow. "If you have a problem with Dave then you do have a problem with me as well. You ran off with Nathan Blood, Haley. Nathan Blood. What did you expect, my blessing?" she snaps.

I shake my head. "No. I expected my mother to respect me enough to listen to me when I tried to apologize and tell my side of the story. But she didn't so I had to go to Dad's because at least he would listen."

My dad holds his hand up. "Wait, did my daughter stay out all night due to this clown? And thank you for calling me to fill me in on this", he says looking at my mom. Uh-oh. I smell a family fight starting. This ought to be uncomfortable. And unavoidable. If you invite your ex-husband and his pregnant girlfriend over to your house with you, your teenage daughter and your new boyfriend who is a total tool there is bound to be drama and lots of it.

Mom glares at him. "I don't have to tell you everything about our lives. Bottom line is that Haley left in anger and Dave helped me look for her. You two are barking up the wrong tree here. Our daughter is the one dating a criminal and still you're more interested in my love life. Jeremy, I expected better from you after you have clearly moved on with your life. I' thought you'd to let me do the same."

"Amanda, you're blowing this so far of the proportion. I simply pointed out that you didn't bother to inform me although Haley stayed out all night. What if something would have happened? Would you have called me before or after the funeral?" Dad lashes out.

My mom bursts into tears. "Don't you ever say anything like that again!" she screams.

Dad seems to regret saying it but he's not ready to leave it alone either. It appears this particular problem has been bugging him for quite some time already. "Well, stop kicking me out of Haley's life! She's my daughter too!" he snaps.

My mom goes completely mental after that statement while the rest of the people in the room take cover. "Oh really? Then where were you when she had a fever so high she couldn't do anything but cry? Where were you when she took her first steps? Where the hell were you when she turned thirteen and wanted nothing more than for her dad to stay sober for just one of her birthdays?" she yells at my dad.

"There you go, bringing up the past as usual! I'm not the same person I was when Haley was a kid. I'd do anything to make it right but unfortunately Doc Brown still hasn't launched that time machine so for the time being past cannot be changed. I have tried my best to change myself for the better and I don't even recognize the person I once was."

"To Haley you are still that same sad drunk who either ignored her or yelled at her all through her childhood! Why do you think she never visits?"

"Interestingly enough she still ran to me after a fight with you and your boy toy!"

I have heard enough. I get up and say: "Good talk, guys. Really, I mean. I particularly enjoyed how you were able to call together an intervention for me when you two clearly need it more than I do. I love Nathan Blood and there is absolutely nothing you can do about. Merry Christmas and I'll be upstairs when you are ready to act like adults again."

They start to protest but I ignore it all. I simply go to my room and start to watch Home Alone 2 by myself. Halfway through the movie I hear a knock on my door.

"Haley? Can I come in?" Amy asks quietly. I go to the door and open it. She looks apologetic. "I'm so sorry about all that. I legitimately thought that it'd be okay, that they'd just tell you that they are worried about you."

I shrug and return to my bed. "It's a common mistake to underestimate the devastating force my parents can conjure up when they fight."

"What are you doing?" Amy asks when I don't dismiss her. I show her the screen and turns out she has seen Home Alone 2 a bunch of times too. Surprisingly I end up spending rest of the night with my future stepmom and we actually have fun. She asks me if I have practiced playing the guitar since I left my dad's house and I have to admit that I haven't. She hesitantly offers me to come by the house again so she could teach me and I say that I'll think about. Before Amy leaves we are both already smiling and I even allow her to hug me goodbye even though it's still a little weird. I resume watching movies to ignore my mother calling me. She then gives up and goes to bed. Gross enough I don't hear Dave's car starting so I can only assume he's staying over. Yak.

Just before the clock strikes midnight I hear a light tap on my window. I look up and see my insane boyfriend who has somehow climbed to the second floor and is now smiling at me while waiting for me to let him in.

I open my window and say: "You just tapped on my window. Like in those 80's chick flicks."

"Cliche love story moment number 3", Nathan smiles at me. I laugh quietly so I won't wake up Dandy Dave and my mother. Then I pull Nathan through the window and into my room so I can kiss him like there's no tomorrow.

Nathan smiles through the kiss and once we're done he says: "I wanted to give you your present. I know I should have dropped it off sooner but I thought it'd be more fun to do it now so I can see your face when you open it."

"That sounds potentially alarming", I joke and he cracks a smile. He gives me a small box that has a decorative shiny gray bow on it. Otherwise the box has so many wrapping layers on it that I wouldn't know it was a box if not for the bow keeping it all together.

"Bianca insisted on putting that bow on it, she seemed to not like my wrapping. But here it is", Nathan says and when I look at him without knowing whether to make fun of the infinite amount of wrapping paper around this tiny box or simply be touched that he bothered to wrap it at all he smiles. "I promise it won't spray battery acid on your face once you open it. I just wanted to know if you'd like it."

I laugh and after a lot of struggling manage to open the box. Inside it there is a beautiful silver pendant with tiny blue jewels that shines in the faint light of moon. It looks really expensive and my present is starting to look like a piece of garbage. I know his family is wealthy but I hadn't taken that into consideration. Although I should have. Damn it, why couldn't I find some poor demon to date? At least then we'd have an equal shot at present buying.

I stare at the pendant. "Wow, I guess diamonds really are a girl's best friend."

Nathan frowns. "Those are sapphires. Would you have preferred diamonds?" he asks concerned.

"Oh my gosh, no, this is beautiful! I was kidding, I'm sorry. I love it. Thank you", I say quickly before he takes it back and buys another way too expensive thing. I kiss him passionately to show him how much I appreciate the beautiful present he got me.

"Now open yours", I encourage him although I know that my present to him will pale next to what he gave me. He obliges and starts tearing away the wrapping paper covering his present. Under all that wrapping is a simple black T-shirt with a Churchill quote: "If You Are Going Through Hell Keep Going". Unoriginal, I know but I thought it applied to us somehow. Our entire relationship has been one insane roller coaster, heaven one minute and hell the next. Quite literally sometimes. I guess that can be expected when dating a demon. We'll walk through Hell but we'll keep going anyway because we have something worth fighting for.

"To the boy who has everything", I say quietly.

Nathan smiles at the shirt and puts it on while I try not to show how intensely I'm staring at his body. As can be expected the shirt looks good on him. A goofy grin appears on his face while he pretends to pose for me and I giggle at him. When he stops he pulls me to him. "I love you", Nathan says then seriously and hugs me.

"I love you too", I reply and leans as close to him as I can be. Someone once told me that when in a relationship you shouldn't buy your significant other a "soft present" for your first Christmas because it supposedly brings bad luck. Oh well. Nathan and I aren't a traditional couple by any means so I'm going to take my chances with this one and if we do break up I'll make sure everyone knows it was because I bought him a T-shirt for Christmas.

Nathan stays in my room for as long as he can. New day is already casting its light upon the houses on my neighborhood when he starts get going. As we're kissing goodbye he reminds me of the New Years party. "Do you still want to go?"

I know he's really asking and not just looking for a confirmation so I give him a bright smile. "You bet."