Chapter 28: Chapter 28

PRESENT

CHAPTER 20: MEET THE PARENTS

DIANA

It’s interesting how life can change in the blink of an eye. Just a month ago, I was Diana Aguero, the sad girl whose parents had tragically died in a freak accident. Now I was Diana Aguero, the vampire hunter whose parents were compelled to kill themselves. Oh yeah, and whose boyfriend is a vampire.

My life had become crazy, impossible, and ironic but somehow…I was happy. Gualtiero made me endlessly happy. You’d think that coming clean about being a hunter and vampire would tear us apart (after all, we were natural enemies) but it only brought us closer. Gualtiero loved me no matter what I was, and he stopped being this frustrating mystery to me after learning his truth. Everything that made me doubt him suddenly made sense and for the first time, I finally allowed myself to be happy with him.

Now, my only frustration was not being able to kiss him. While making love to Gualtiero was incredible, my lips longed to taste his. That evil, bitter vampire named Lilith had cursed him so long ago so that his lips would never belong to anyone but hers. I wondered if it was possible that the curse had worn off after so many years, or that it died when Lilith did, but Gualtiero had explained the gruesome details of how Zari shamelessly threw herself at him and ended up dead in the process. Anastasia had been a witness to that as well.

Anastasia and I had made up since I got back, and she told me all about it. I had been apprehensive about letting her back in at first, but I remembered what Gualtiero had said about her not being able to help her feelings, being from a long line of familiars. I decided that her urges towards Gualtiero were not much different than mine were for killing vampires. And if I could put my urges aside to love Gualtiero, then she could put hers aside to be happy for us. At least she was trying to, I could tell. Though I knew that it must be difficult for her seeing us together all the time.

Even though we were friends again, I decided that I was still going to move out of Anastasia’s house. It would make things easier for everyone if I had my own space. Plus, I just felt ready. I had moved into Anastasia’s home because it was difficult for me to be alone after my parents died, but I had received some money from their life insurance and from selling our old home and I could truthfully afford to live on my own. It was time. Gualtiero and I could use the privacy as well.

It seemed like he was thinking the same thing. We were lounging on the living room couch, Gualtiero watching over my shoulder as I browsed through some apartments on a renting app, when he asked me.

“Diana, I don’t think you should move into a new flat. I would like it if you moved into my home with me instead…what do you think?”

The question took me by surprise, but what surprised me more was the warmth I felt in my heart at the thought. Of being with Gualtiero all the time, in the privacy our own home. We would be getting married at some point after all, it only made sense for us to live together already.

“Gualtiero, I would love nothing more,” I smiled up at him. My instinct was urging me to kiss him, but I held it back painfully and nudged my face into his neck instead.

“Wonderful” he said, smiling. “We shall begin moving your things in tomorrow, if you’d like.”

“What’s the rush?” I teased. “You can’t wait to have me all to yourself?”

“That is not a rush,” he replied. “I would have suggested you move in tonight, but truthfully I have some cleaning to do before your arrival.”

I laughed at how cute he was and then heard a crashing noise coming from the kitchen.

“Anastasia, are you okay?” I called out.

“I’m fine!” she replied and popped her head in from the kitchen doorway. “Just dropped a plate that I was washing, whoops. I am so clumsy!” she let out a short laugh. “Don’t you two have a movie to get to?”

“You’re right,” I said and turned to Gualtiero. “We should get going. Not all of us have vampire speed that we can use to leave home at the last minute and still get to where we’re going on time.”

“You could always ride on my back,” he suggested with a smirk.

“As interesting as that sounds, I think I’d prefer to drive tonight,” I laughed and stood up to get my purse. “We’ll see you later, Anastasia.”

“Bye, have fun,” she replied with a wave.

---

The movie was not that great. In truth, we had purposefully bought tickets to a late movie with bad reviews that had been out for a few months already, knowing that it was unlikely anyone else would be there and we would have the theater to ourselves. It was our attempt at a “normal” date. A chance to be our full, honest selves while still being out in public, without having to worry about who would see or overhear anything they shouldn’t.

While the movie absolutely sucked, I had fun watching Gualtiero’s reactions to it and answering his cute questions over what some of the characters meant by certain things when they used slang words he didn’t know. About halfway through the movie, I decided it would be fun for Gualtiero to try some movie theater snacks, so I went and got some. I brought of the staples. Popcorn, soda, and…

“Sour patch kids?” Gualtiero said, peering at the label curiously.

“Try one” I said with a smirk.

He opened the package, took out a sugar and citric acid covered gummy and looked at it closely.

“Diana,” he said in a serious tone, “these are shaped like small children!”

“Delicious small children,” I flashed him an evil grin, took a piece and popped it into my mouth.

He gave me a look and shook his head. “And humans think vampires are macabre…” He hesitated for a moment then popped the candy into his mouth, mimicking the same way I had done it just seconds earlier.

I watched eagerly as he chewed a little bit, then scrunched up his face and looked at the package again. “Have they spoiled?” he asked.

I couldn’t stop laughing at the look on his face. “No, my love, they are perfectly fresh,” I said, taking another one.

“You mean they are supposed to taste like this?” he asked in amazement.

“What, you don’t like it?” I teased.

“Not at all, sorry,” he replied, clearing his throat a bit.

“I figured you wouldn’t, but it was fun watching you try anyway,” I said with a smirk. I picked up a drink and handed it to him. “Now, this you will like.”

“What is it?” he asked.

“Blood,” I said. “I took the liberty of emptying a blood bag into an empty cup from the concession stand so you could drink without worry.”

Gualtiero took a tentative sip through the straw then flashed me a smile, his teeth smeared red with blood. “Yes, you’re right, I quite like this. Thank you.”

I smiled and he put his arm around me, cuddling me close as we continued to watch our awful movie. I looked up at his handsome face and had to admit to myself that I quite liked this too.

---

As fun and lighthearted as our movie date was, it was time for something a bit more serious afterwards. When the movie was over, Gualtiero and I took a walk, hand-in-hand, to the nearby cemetery.

“What are we doing here, Diana?” he asked curiously.

“I want you to meet my parents,” I said, turning to their gravestones. Gualtiero kept his eyes on me as if worried I would cry or something, but I actually felt far from that. I felt a sense of peace now, knowing the truth about what happened to them. And having Gualtiero with me the first time I visited their graves since discovering it, I felt an overwhelming sense of knowing that I would have their blessing in this relationship.

“Mom, dad, this is Gualtiero, he’s my… well, I guess he’s my fiancé.” I said. “Gualtiero, these are my parents.”

Gualtiero seemed a bit awkward and why wouldn’t he? It wasn’t every day his human girlfriend introduced him to her dead hunter parents. As a vampire, Gualtiero had no real experience with mourning over loved ones or honoring the dead at all. He was indifferent to most deaths, so I knew it felt strange to him to “speak” with my parents, but he still made the effort.

“I am pleased to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Aguero,” he said and paused. “I love your daughter very much. I promise I will take very good care of her for the rest of our days.”

I felt grateful for his words, which I knew he meant, took his hand and gave it a squeeze. Right then, my phone rang. It was Mae calling on video chat. I knew right away that something was wrong. Mae was not a fan of cameras since she could not hide her true form through them.

“What is wrong, Diana?” Gualtiero asked, seeing the worry on my face.

I looked up at him and held a finger to my lips, urging him to stay quiet while I took the call.

“Mae?”

What I saw on my screen made me yell out in surprise. Gualtiero looked over my shoulder at the phone but remained quiet as I’d asked. Mae, her youthful appearance gone and replaced by an ancient-looking woman, was tied and gagged to a chair, her eyes wide in terror. I could hear a familiar laugh from the person filming her. Kieran. I knew it was him even though his reflection was not visible on the video.

“Looks like your Mae has reached the end of her long life,” he said. Mae screamed loudly as her body started falling apart. It was as if something invisible were pulling at her body parts, yanking off limbs and tearing out her throat. I cried in horror and Gualtiero held me.

“Mae!” I yelled.

“You shouldn’t have angered the Gangrel clan here in Romania, Diana,” Kieran laughed. “You proudly killed one of them, now they killed one of yours. And I’ll kill one of yours too for putting that vervain in my body.”

“You’ve already killed my parents,” I said bitterly, tears running down my cheeks.

Kieran chuckled. “I don’t mean your parents, hunter. I mean your little friend, the familiar. I compelled her to take a flight out to Romania tonight. She is already on her way. The next time you receive a call from me, it will be her throat you see being torn into bits.”

“Stop it!” I cried. “Don’t hurt Anastasia!”

“I won’t if you give me a reason not to,” he said. I could hear the smile in his voice. “Come to Romania yourself, alone. There’s another flight leaving from your local airport in two hours. Get on it and you will receive further instructions once you’re here. Do it, or Anastasia will die.”

He hung up.

---

A few minutes later I was bursting into Anastasia’s house with Gualtiero trailing behind me.

“ANASTASIA?” I called out. No answer. Anastasia’s car was no longer parked out in the driveway where it was when Gualtiero and I left on our date. “Anastasia?” I tried again. In the kitchen, I found her laptop, opened to an e-mail with a boarding pass on it. “Oh God, he wasn’t playing, Gualtiero, he really compelled her to go. I need to get on that flight.”

“Diana, you need to think this though carefully…” he said.

“What is there to think through? She is my friend! I’m not going to let her die because I got into trouble with some vampires.”

“And what about you? What if you die?” he asked. The pain in his voice was unbearable to me. I stepped over to him and placed my hand on his cold cheek.

“Gualtiero, I am a hunter. This is my job. I can’t just let her die.”

“I want to come with you,” he said.

“You heard him; I have to go alone. I’m not risking it,” I got on my tiptoes and placed a kiss onto his cheek. “I promise I’ll be safe. Just trust me.” I checked my watch. I had to leave now if I was going to make it onto that flight. “I have to go. I love you.”

“I love you, Diana.”

And with that, I was gone.