Read Online Bite Me! by Melissa Francis - Free Book Online

as we are vampire.
    And frankly, I consider myself to be way more human than vampire….
    â€œYour father and I wanted to protect you,” Mom said, interrupting my train of thought.
    I couldn’t help but laugh. I hadn’t seen my dad since I was in single digits, and the thought of him wanting to do anything but abandon me was funny as hell.
    â€œDad sure stuck around for the whole ‘protection plan’ thing, didn’t he?”
    Mom’s eyes got a little cloudy. “I loved your father, but he wasn’t ready for the hand we were dealt.”
    â€œYou weren’t, either, Mom, but somehow you managed to be great at it.”
    She smiled. “Some people grow up faster than others. Your father was passionate and rebellious. And we fell hard for each other. Of course, we were forbidden to see each other. I wasn’t full-blooded Serpentine. Even though I had the mark,” she said, lifting her pant leg to expose the S-shaped mark on her calf.
    I touched my neck. It had never dawned on me that my birthmark was more than just something I’d inherited from my mother. Clearly, denial was my new BFF.
    Mom continued. “I had too much human in me, therefore I was ‘unclean.’ The clan elders had already arranged your father’s future marriage. But your dad loved me. We kept seeing each other. And then I got pregnant….” Her voice trailed off slightly before she added, “And I don’t regret that one bit. I’ll never regret my children.”
    I smiled and laid my head on her shoulder. “That’s a given, Mom.”
    â€œYour father was so happy about you. We ran away and got married. The clan came after your father, but he stood by us. He told them to take a hike. They kept coming back, kept mentioning some prophecy, but your fatherjust pooh-poohed it and ignored them. I never understood exactly what they were talking about, but this prophecy was directly responsible for their views on breeding outside the clan.
    â€œWe moved to a college town, where we both got our degrees, and then I started med school. The clan seemed to finally give up on your father and left us alone. Then, not long after you turned nine, your dad just up and left. I never really understood what happened exactly. He sent me divorce papers and I heard he eventually married the woman the elders had handpicked for him before.”
    â€œDad remarried?”
    â€œYes. You know, I really can’t blame your father. He did try. But we were both young, and stupid to believe we could defy the clan.”
    Mom’s intercom buzzed. “Octavia is here, Liz,” Laura said.
    Mom stood and walked to the door. “Are you ready for this?” she asked as Auntie Tave rushed inside.
    â€œLizzie! I’m so glad you called, but you know you didn’t have to. I was about to head this way when my phone buzzed.” She turned to me and her elfin smile doubled in size. “And AJ, I haven’t seen you in forever! Come hereand give Auntie Tave a hug.”
    Octavia wrapped me into a bear hug. She was surprisingly strong for such a petite little thing. I couldn’t gauge her age, but she was probably somewhere in her sixties. Not that she looked it.
    Her hair was cropped super short and it was flaming orange. She had a splotch of gray at her right temple. She wore lipstick that matched her hair and she had the grayest eyes I had ever seen.
    When I hugged her back my head was suddenly filled with memories of drawing on the driveway with chalk, eating red licorice ropes.
    â€œWhat happened to your blue-tipped black hair?” I asked with a laugh.
    â€œOh, that was ages ago.” She laughed. “I’ve matured since then,” she said with a wink.
    She sat in the chair across from me and answered the question I hadn’t asked. “So you didn’t know I worked here? Well, I do—when I’m not doing quality checks at the other