Read Online Blood Orange Soda: Paranormal Romance by James Michael Larranaga - Free Book Online

and we hit it off right away. He was a graduate student, only three years older than me. We really clicked as soon as we met. He was also a Normal, and a great musician. For some reason I was more attracted to Normals.”
    “And you like artists. Jonathan was a writer, and Dad was a musician,” I suggest.
    “Exactly, both were creative, both Normals, with one notable difference. When I had asked Jonathan if I could bite him, to become one, he agreed with no hesitation—he led with his heart. When I asked your dad if I could bite him, he thought about it for a very long time. We were married five years before he agreed to it. Your dad led with his head—he weighed all the advantages and disadvantages of transforming. He wanted his children to be able to choose if they wanted to become Vampires.”
    “If Dad had chosen to remain a Normal, you would’ve still loved him, right?” I ask.
    “Of course. I was prepared for that possibility. I knew if I too lived on the Reds, I could live a somewhat Normal life.”
    “But it took him so long to commit to being bitten that it put stress on your marriage? Is that why you two broke up?” I ask.
    “It wasn’t his indecision that broke us up; it was his transformation. Once your father became a Vampire, he was a very different person. When we were first married he was monogamous. Once he transformed into a Vampire, he couldn’t control his urges.”
    “Jack said Dad had bloodlust,” I say.
    “Yes, Normals have a much harder time transforming. The initial lust drives some of them to madness. And that’s what happened to your father. He chased after other women, to bite them, and if you bite enough people, you’re likely to contract a disease.”
    Before she finishes the sentence, I’ve already figured out what happened to my parents’ marriage. “You contracted HIV2 from Dad?”
    Mom continues driving, never looking at me. “I hold no anger toward him. He was a Normal who was faithful, but as a Vampire, he was a different person. Neither he nor I could’ve predicted what would happen.”
    “And V2 eventually killed Dad?”
    She nods again, but she can’t hold back a tear that slides down her cheek onto her lap.
    All of this is heavy news for me. This is the family history that I have craved for so long. Now I’m realizing why my mom has guarded it from Kira and me. It’s too heavy a burden for us to carry and fully understand. I admire my mom for keeping it a secret all these years.
    “Tell me about this girl, Shelby,” she says.
    “She’s a Goth who switched to my school, and she’s in the process of transforming.”
    “Jack says she’s attracted to you.”
    “Maybe, I dunno,” I say. “It’s too early to really—”
    “Is she pretty?”
    “Yeah, she’s not ugly.”
    “You’re attracted to her and she might be attracted to you ,” Mom says.
    “I guess so...” is all I can think of to say.
    “How do you feel about Jack’s idea to transform now?”
    “If I’m bullied because I’m a Goth, then I might as well transform and stand up for myself,” I say. “I plan to transform anyway. Why wait?”
    “A lot of Normals are bullied and defend themselves without becoming Vampires.”
    “That’s true,” I admit. “But—”
    “But I don’t know many people, including Normals, who could resist the bite of a teenage Vampire girl,” Mom says. “I agree with Jack. You’re more vulnerable to Shelby than to the bully.”
    “Shelby and I aren’t even dating. You have nothing to worry—”
    “If she wants to date, she might want to bite.”
    “Let’s say I go out with her and she bites me,” I suggest. “If I’m not in love with her, I won’t transform into a Vampire. And if I’m in love with her and transform, then I would’ve become a Vampire anyway. What’s to worry about?”
    Mom slows the car and pulls into an old warehouse parking lot. She sets the car into park and looks directly at me. “At your age, how would you know what