Read Online The Vampire Shrink by Lynda Hilburn - Free Book Online Page B

you think he might be a bit too old for you? What are you hoping will happen between the two of you?”
    â€œI think he’s the one I’ve been waiting for.”
    Waiting for? You’re only nineteen. I need some magic words here.
    I started to respond, but just then she turned her head and stared out the window, deep in thought. I waited, and after a while she brought her gaze back to me, all the joy wiped from her face. “Bryce says he’ll bring me over if I want.”
    â€œBring you over?”
    â€œMake me a vampire.”
    Okay. She said she wants to be a vampire, and this guy is offering to help her out, but it doesn’t appear that she thinks it’s a good thing. She’s definitely sending out mixed signals. What’s really going on here?
    I noted she’d raised her chin at the end of her last statement, echoing the attitude of defiance that had also crept into her voice, so I decided to push the envelope a bit.
    â€œI thought Dev wouldn’t let you do that. Have you talked to him about your new guy?”
    Come on, Dev, be a father figure instead of a predator. It sounds like Bryce wants that job.
    â€œNo.” Her fists tightened in her lap. “He hates Bryce. He already asked me to stay away from him, but why should I? Why shouldn’t I have a relationship with Bryce? Who is Dev to make those decisions for me? He isn’t my father.”
    Ah. Bingo.
    â€œDid he tell you why he wanted you to stay away from Bryce?”
    The anger that had started out as a slow leak now flooded the room. Her intensity crashed into me like a wave. I breathed into the tight muscles.
    â€œHe said Bryce is one of the bad guys, that he uses people and he doesn’t care about anyone but himself. Then I had to sit there while he went on and on about how vampires are no different from humans—there are good ones and bad ones—and how I’m not ‘mature’ enough to know the difference. Who does he think he is? He doesn’t care that I’ve finally found someone who wants me.”
    She burst into tears.
    And the wall comes tumbling down …
    I moved the tissue box closer to her and said softly, “It sounds like Dev hurt your feelings.”
    She blew her nose and nodded.
    â€œWhy is Dev so important to you?”
    â€œHe’s the first person who ever paid any attention to me.” She sobbed for a few seconds. “I’d hoped he’d change his mind about me being too young for him. I really love him, and he treats me like a kid.”
    â€œThat must be very frustrating.”
    â€œYeah.” She sighed. “But I know he cares about me. Just not the way I want him to.”
    â€œIs it possible that having a big-brother type of love might be special in its own way? After all, having someone who watches out for you is worth a lot.”
    â€œI never thought of it that way.” She frowned and paused to consider it. “Maybe I should talk to him?”
    I nodded and relaxed my tight shoulders. “I think that would be an excellent idea.”
    Maybe this Dev guy isn’t so screwed up after all.
    We sat quietly for a couple of minutes.
    â€œMidnight, are you seriously considering becoming a vampire?”
    â€œBecoming a vampire” had started to sound like a euphemism to me, and I was sensing the same vibe I got when a client hinted about suicide without actually saying the words.
    â€œI don’t know. Last night Bryce and I took a little blood from each other. It’s the first time a real vampire has bitten me. He did it while we were having sex, which felt great, but I think I must have passed out for a while because I couldn’t remember what happened after that. He said he had chosen me because I was ready. I don’t want to let him down.”
    Let him down?
    Bryce was setting off all my inner alarms. I wished I could see the skin on her neck hidden by all that hair so I could tell if she