Loving the Vampire

Chapter 5 Family

Anthea wrapped her hands around her cup of coffee as she waited for her mother to answer the phone. She'd tried to get in touch with her since six, knowing her mother would be up that early. She was still a bit shaken by her dream and the vivid feeling of it. She would have sworn that Sam was in her room, in her bed, touching her. Anthea shuddered. No, she would not think of it.

"HelloThea." Her mother's soft voice was suddenly in her ear. The earbud made it seem like her mother was right next to her. "Thea? Are you there? Is everything okay?"

"Hello Mom, yes sorry, I'm here."

"What's going on, honey?"

"Someone tried to kill me last night." Silence. "You know." She didn't ask, she knew the answer. "I guess I should have expected that."

"No, hold on. I didn't know. And that's unacceptable." Muffled voices filtered through the phone as her mom spoke to someone. "David says it was taken care of."

Anthea heard the underlying anger. Her mother tried to hold back. "Yes, Marvin did his job."

"Marvin?" There was muffled swearing and then a door slammed. "David is going to look into it. We will send someone to guard you."

"No, no, I don't want guards. I just want you to know someone knows where I am, and they are making a move. I assume to get to you, so someone is taking steps to attack you." Anthea sighed. "I can take care of myself. I just need to know that you will take care of it now."

"I need you safe, Thea. Even if you think I don't care."

"I know you care. I also know you would prefer me locked up in the mansion and married to some prince."

"Or princess. I've told you, I know and accept your choice of partners."

"I don't want to be locked up and I don't want to marry someone I don't know or care about." Anthea took a deep breath. "I love you, I have to go, school starts in a few minutes and I have an early class."

"Thea." Her mother trailed off. "I love you too." She said finally. "I miss you."

"Miss you too, Mom."

"Sam, it's been a while." Joseph, her brother, said and pulled her into a hug.

"Hey. Yeah, I don't really feel like being peppered with questions all the time, so I make sure my home visits are few and far between."

"Ha, Mom will be super happy to hear that." He laughed and led the way to his kitchen. "Sit, I'll pour us a glass."

"Thanks." She pulled out a chair and sat watching him. "Her brother was one of her closest friends and knew everything there was to know about their kind and all the other kinds out there. "I came to pick your brain, I have a mystery on my hands and I fear that not knowing is going to get someone killed."

"Sounds serious, you don't usually get involved in things like this." He looked at her over his shoulder. "What makes this situation different?"

"A bullet to the shoulder." She shrugged. "A poisoned one at that."

"Wow, assassin." He walked over and handed her a glass of thick, red liquid. "How did you end up at the pointy end?"

"It wasn't meant for me, I happened to be in the area and saved the lady who it was intended for." She took a sip and moaned. "Good stuff. She's why I am here." She described Anthea to him and that she'd said she was a Fae. She told him about the cat/panther who killed the assassin. And that she told Sam to stay out of it. She'd handle it.

"Sam, that's Anthea Lothskin. She's the Fae princess. The word in high circles is she didn't want to be a princess anymore, so she packed her stuff and left the kingdom. The queen let her go and is hoping she changes her mind and takes her place in the royal court. She was to be married to some prince but refused. Because, well, she has other preferences. And when her mom agreed to let her marry a princess, she had enough and left. One of her friends spoke about it once and said she felt trapped in a mansion she hated with guards making her feel like a prisoner."

"Well, fuck." Sam sucked in a breath. "So, someone has figured out who she is, where she is, and is making a move to have a hold on the queen."

"I would agree but you said the bullet was poisoned. Whoever it was wanted her dead, not as a prisoner."

"Yes." Sam nodded. "What would they gain from killing her?"

"Well, without an heir, the queen would have to accept offers from other princes or princesses to be next in line." He shook his head. "That would frankly throw the whole kingdom into turmoil."