“Hello, darling! You look good today. Is that a tan? How have you been?”
“Hi, Mom. I’m great. I was on the coast yesterday, so maybe I caught a little sun.”
“Coast? Does that mean you finally got yourself a car? Don’t tell me you took a bus to the beach.”
Like that would have been a capital offense. The beaches my mother had frequented didn’t have any bus stops nearby.
“No. A friend took me.”
“A friend.” She grinned. I hated how perceptive she was. Why was I sharing anything with her? Right. It was the point of these visits—to salvage my relationship with my mom while she was locked up. “And would that be a male friend?”
“Yes.”
She clapped loudly, and a female warden threw an irritated look our way. Mom leaned closer to whisper conspiratorially, “Do you have a boyfriend, Benedict?”
“It’s early days. How are you?”
She waved my question off. “We’re not talking about me. I want to hear about your boyfriend. Tell me everything.”
Oh Lord.
It hadn’t even taken a minute, and I was already thrashing around in a trap. “I don’t want to jinx anything. I’ll tell you about him next time.”
“Oh c’mon! Nothing ever happens in here. You have to give me something. Where did you meet? What does he do?”
I searched my brain for any benign facts about Russel. If I took too long to answer, she’d get suspicious. “We met at a restaurant downtown.” That was close enough to the truth. “He works in communication too. And… he’s a little older than me, and we’ve only been seeing each other for a few weeks, but I like him a lot.”
She was frowning, though, scanning my face with unnerving intensity. I hated it when she did that.
“What?” I prompted.
“I know you, Benedict. What’s going on?”
Dammit. I wouldn’t tell her that I worked with Russel. No way. “He’s a vampire.”
Her eyes grew big. “Oh my God! I would never have guessed my straitlaced, anxious little boy would grow up to date a vampire.”
I let out a nervous chuckle. “Well, I wouldn’t have guessed either.”
“You’re being careful, aren’t you?”
“Careful about what? He can’t get me pregnant, you know.”
Her lips tightened. “Smartass. You know what I mean.”
“I don’t. What should I be careful about?”
“For all you know, he could be using you just for blood.”
She could play my insecurities like an instrument. But after yesterday and this morning, did I still believe Russel only wanted me for my blood? Uniquely tasting blood, according to him. “Thank you for the boost of confidence,” I muttered.
“You should date someone like Uly. Someone of your own class.”
I laughed bitterly. Whatclassdid the penniless child of an incarcerated felon belong to? “He dumped me when you got arrested, remember?”
She ignored the jab. “What kind of relationship can you have with someone who literally feeds from you?”
“He drove me here,” I challenged. “He’s waiting outside.”
