Dead Is Not an Option Read online

  "I didn't want to say anything at first," Dad said. "I sent it out to a few places, and it got rejected so fast it made my head spin."

  "Your father is being modest," Mom said. "It's brilliant."

  Grandma Giordano chuckled. "I'm proud of you, son. Now pop that champagne."

  A second later, the cork shot out of the bottle and across the room. Poppy went to retrieve it and then handed it to Dad. "You should keep it," she said. "To remember your first sale."

  "There's sparkling cider for the girls," Mom said quickly.

  "What's the book about?" Poppy said. "Can we read it?"

  A shadow passed over Dad's face. "At first I thought I would write a memoir about what happened to me at the hands of the Scourge, but I eventually realized that no one would believe it," he said. "So I did the next best thing. I turned it all into fiction. The Scourge, Nightshade, the kidnapping, everything."

  Something about this made me uneasy, but I tried not to show it. I wasn't so sure the Scourge would be happy to be reading about themselves, even in a novel. "What's the title?" I asked.

  "Nightshade," he said.

  "What?" I said. "Dad!"

  "I'm just kidding," he said. "I changed everything, even the names. And it's also based on my research in genetics. It still needs an ending though. I was hoping I would remember something about my kidnapper's identity."

  Although Dad didn't remember parts of his abduction, bits and pieces of his captivity were slowly coming back. My parents didn't talk about it much, but Dad was seeing a therapist to help him deal with the trauma of his experience.

  "What does Spenser Devereaux think of that?" Grandma asked. "You'll be giving him a run for his money on the bestseller list now."

  Dad looked startled. "I told him about the book, but I didn't ask him what he thought of the idea. Spenser took our research and turned it into a best selling nonfiction book. Mine is fiction. I'm sure he doesn't have a problem with that. We were partners, after all."

  "He didn't seem to remember that when he published your findings," Grandma reminded him gently. "He didn't even include your name in the acknowledgments. And everyone knows that you did most of the actual research."

  "Spenser has been very supportive," my father insisted. "In fact, he keeps asking to read it, but I told him that I'm keeping certain chapters under wraps until it's published."

  Grandma snorted. "Spenser Devereaux is only concerned with Spenser Devereaux."

  "Mother, it's fine," he said, but I noticed his hands shook as he poured her a glass of champagne. "No one knew where I was. Spenser needed to forge ahead without me. He already knows I'm writing the book. I will tell him my good news myself."

  Mom picked up on Dad's discomfort and changed the subject. "What else did the editor say about your book, dear?"

  Talk turned to things like deadlines and covers. I sipped my apple cider and smiled at the sight of my father's face all aglow from his accomplishment. Things would work out for him. They just had to.

  CHAPTER TWO

  When I got to school the next morning, there was a huge banner in front of the building. It read, VAMPS RULE, WERES DROOL.

  A crowd of students had gathered in front of it, and I saw Samantha and some of the other cheerleaders standing there.

  "What's that all about?" I asked Sam.

  She shrugged. "Boys will be boys," she said. "There have been a few mean-spirited pranks between the shifters and the vampires. Wolfie did something stupid and stirred up the vamps."

  "What did he do this time?" I asked.

  "No one seems to know," Rachel said.

  Jordan nodded. "And Wolfie is staying tightlipped for a change. But the vamps would love to sink their teeth into him."

  Wolfgang Paxton was an obnoxious freshman from a Were family. His older brother, Bane, dated Elise Wilder, who was from another prominent Were family. Everyone liked Bane and Elise, but Wolfie was another story.

  The whole thing had my classmates on edge. As I walked through the halls, I noticed a lot of snarling and showing of fangs, but nothing physical.

  There was one incident, though. Vampires could stand a little bit of sun, but the ones who attended Nightshade came in sunglasses, long coats, and hats. Teachers were usually considerate and kept the window shades drawn.

  In English class, Austin Waterman forgot and rolled up one of the shades. As sunlight streamed through the bare window, there was a scream of pain.

  "Pull that down, you idiot," I ordered. He did as I told him, but it was too late. McKenna Collins, a vampire girl who normally sat in the back of the class as far from the windows as possible, had been at Mr. Calvado's desk, right in front of the windows. The window shade had been up only for a few minutes, but it let in enough direct sunlight to cause damage to a vampire. Fortunately, she wasn't badly hurt, but she did have to go see Nurse Phillips to have a small burn on her hand treated.

  After school, I helped Sam with some yearbook stuff. Everyone on yearbook was talking about the latest incident. Some people even said Austin had done it on purpose. He wasn't a shifter himself, but rumor was that he was dating one.

  "He's not that stupid," I protested, but no one listened.

  I hoped that the anger between the two groups would blow over in a day or two. Unfortunately, as I left school at dusk I spotted Ryan and Sean squaring off against two angry guys from the football team. It wasn't until I got closer that I realized the two boys were Reese Calhoun and Andres Stewart. Make that two angry vampires.

  The object of their dispute was a late-model Chevy with tinted windows, which was covered with some noxious-smelling reddish-brown liquid.

  "Pig's blood!" Reese shouted. "Do you know what kind of an insult that is?" He answered his own question. "Of course you do. That's why you did it."

  "We didn't do anything," Ryan snarled.

  Reese stepped forward until he was standing chest to chest with Ryan. "I don't believe you."

  "I don't care what you believe," Ryan replied. "It's the truth."

  I stepped between them, ignoring the show of fangs from Reese and the growl from my boyfriend.

  "Why don't you both cool off?" I suggested. "Reese, I'd advise you to get to a car wash before that pig blood dries."

  "This isn't over," he said, but he and Andres got into the car and departed with a squeal of tires.

  Ryan was controlling his temper with difficulty. "Do you think it was a smart idea to step in between a shifter and a vamp?"

  "It seemed like a good decision at the time," I said.

  "I was handling it," Ryan said.

  I raised an eyebrow at his tone. "That's not what it looked like to me. You and Reese are teammates. Why were you fighting?"

  Sean hurried away from us, saying "I, uh, forgot something in my locker."

  Ryan took a deep breath and jammed his hands into his pockets. "There's been a little tension between the vampires and the shifters lately."

  "But Reese knows you. He knows you'd never do anything like that," I said.

  "Lines are being drawn, Daisy," he said wearily. "If something doesn't change soon, everyone in Nightshade will have to choose a side."

  "Can't the council do anything?" I asked.

  "They're trying," he said. "But ever since that Were football player in San Carlos was killed, it's been tense between the vampires and shifters."

  "That happened back in October," I said. I was certain he wasn't telling me everything.

  "Since then, there have been a few incidents," he replied.

  "Incidents?" I repeated.

  "Yeah, incidents."

  "Care to elaborate?"

  "It's Were business, Daisy," he told me.

  I knew the confrontation with Reese had him on edge, but I was irritated too.

  As Ryan drove me home, I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. I didn't want to believe that the citizens of Nightshade could be involved in hating each other just because of their differences, but I wasn't so naive tha
t I didn't know that people hated each other for a variety of stupid reasons.

  I said a quick good night to Ryan and then headed inside. I wanted to talk to my sisters about the fighting between the two paranormal factions.

  Turns out they were already discussing it. Loudly.

  "You don't know what you're talking about," Poppy yelled. "There's no way the vampires started this mess."

  Rose was outwardly calmer than Poppy, but I could tell she was on the brink of completely losing it.

  What's going on? I sent her the message covertly, but Poppy caught me. "It figures you'd take her side," she said. "You both date shifters. You're ganging up on me because I'm dating a vampire."

  "Ganging up?" I said aloud. "I just got home. Besides, we didn't even know Liam was a vampire. The only time I saw him was at the ball for about ten seconds."

  "I can't believe my own family is so prejudiced," Poppy said. She actually stomped her feet. Logic didn't work with Poppy when she was all riled up, and she was on a complete tear.

  "Isn't dating a vampire a little dangerous?" I asked.

  "You mean, because he's a deadly paranormal creature who can't always control himself?" she said. "Like, oh, I don't know, a werewolf?"

  "It's not the same thing," I protested. "Ryan would never hurt me."

  "And Liam would never hurt me," Poppy replied.

  Fortunately, Mom walked in and put a stop to the argument.

  "What's going on?" she asked. "I could hear you fighting all the way outside."

  "Poppy thinks that we're ganging up on her because she's dating a vampire," Rose said. "It's not our fault she's too embarrassed to bring him home."

  "I'm not embarrassed of him," Poppy said.

  Rose stuck out her tongue at her.

  "Poppy, I think it's time we got to know your young man," Mom said. "Maybe a family dinner will put a stop to all this Team Fangs or Team Fur nonsense."

  She didn't seem all that surprised to hear Poppy was dating a vampire. Maybe it was only Rose and me that Poppy had been shutting out.

  "Dad will grill him mercilessly," Poppy protested.

  "Probably," Mom replied. "But Liam is coming to dinner anyway."

  A tiny bit of me felt sorry for Poppy, but only a minuscule portion. She'd thought it was hilarious when Dad had given Ryan the third degree.

  "Not so funny now, is it?" I couldn't resist poking at her.

  "Invite Ryan and the chief too," Mom said. "Rose, I expect to see Nicholas and his dad at our little dinner party as well." There was no arguing with Mom when she took that tone.

  Rose and Poppy stomped off in different directions and I stared after them, perplexed. They'd always been close—so close that sometimes I'd felt completely left out—and I wasn't used to seeing my two sisters screaming at each other. The animosity between shifters and vampires was the real root of the problem. But Dad's perfect soufflé wasn't going to solve the issue. Not for my sisters, and definitely not for Nightshade.

  CHAPTER THREE

  The doorbell rang promptly at six thirty the next evening. Ryan was early, but fortunately I was ready. I'd borrowed a bright pink dress from my more fashion-forward sister Poppy. I rarely wore lighter colors, since I found it was hard to get bloodstains out of those shades, but the color suited me. More important, I was fairly certain that nothing involving murder or mayhem would happen tonight. At least, I hoped not.

  I answered the door. Ryan looked gorgeous in crisply pressed trousers and a dark green sweater that matched his eyes. My palms were sweating. Even after over a year together, the sight of him made my heart accelerate. He was gorgeous, but it was his smile that really got me.

  "Hi, Daisy," he said. "Ready to go?"

  "Let me get my jacket," I said. Since it was only March, the evenings were still cool in Northern California.

  I started to put it on, but Ryan was there before me. Those quick Were reflexes of his.

  "I'll get it," he said. He held out my jacket. He smelled great, like fresh clean skin with just a hint of soap and anxiety.

  I tried to put my arms into the sleeves, but Ryan fumbled with the jacket, nearly losing his grip. If I didn't know better, I'd say he was nervous.

  I gave him an inquiring look, but he just smiled sheepishly.

  When we arrived at Wilder's Restaurant, Bianca was acting as hostess and seating people. Like the Wilder family, Bianca was a shifter. She was also my own personal guardian angel. Or more accurately, my own guardian kitten, because that's what she shifted into—a black kitten. She'd saved my butt on more than one occasion.

  "It's so nice to see you," she said. "Any news about colleges yet?"

  "Not yet," I replied. "Ryan hasn't heard anything either. The suspense is killing us."

  Ryan shifted on his feet and looked at the floor. He was definitely acting weird tonight.

  "I'm sure you'll hear soon," Bianca replied. "Now let me show you to your table. I think you'll be pleased."

  She led us into one of the smaller rooms just off the main dining room. We were the only two people in the room, and a cozy fire crackled in the fireplace.

  "Your server will be with you shortly," she said, and turned to leave the room.

  "Bianca, wait—there's one other thing," I said, remembering my promise to Lil.

  She paused. "Yes?"

  "Can I come by and talk to you soon? I have some questions for you about Circe Silvertongue."

  "Of course," she said. "Anytime."

  "Great," I said. I turned my attention back to my date.

  There was an awkward silence after Bianca excused herself. Ryan stared resolutely at his menu.

  "You wanted to talk to me about something?" I prompted him.

  "It can wait," he said. "Let's order first. What are you going to have?"

  We sat there talking about food, like two strangers. Whatever Ryan had to tell me, I was pretty sure I wasn't going to like it.

  And I was right.

  He waited until after we had enjoyed our meal. Although enjoyed might not be the best description. The lump in my throat made it hard to swallow, which meant I was only picking at my food, and I noticed that Ryan barely touched his steak tartare, which was a specialty at Wilder's.

  I knew Ryan wasn't going to break up with me—at least, I was pretty sure. My mind reeled with horrible possibilities, so at first I was relieved when he cleared his throat and said, "I wanted to talk to you about college."

  That's all? Giddy with relief, I beamed at him.

  "That's the first smile I've seen all night," he said. He smiled back at me, but he still looked nervous.

  I was suddenly starving, so I dove into my creamy mashed potatoes and baked chicken.

  "I signed a letter of intent a couple of weeks ago," he blurted out.

  My fork, which had been halfway to my mouth, clattered to the floor. "You what?"

  "I'm playing baseball for UC Irvine," he said.

  UCI was in Orange County, hundreds of miles away.

  I was speechless. My face felt hot, and I reached for my glass of water, hoping to cool down.

  "I wanted to tell you," he continued.

  "But you didn't," I said. I could hear my voice getting louder, but I couldn't help myself. I was hurt. My mind flashed to Sam and Sean. She was staying here and he was leaving, but she'd known right away. Sean had been completely honest with Sam. Ryan had not done the same with me. And I didn't know why. Our solid foundation suddenly seemed shaky.

  "Daisy," Ryan said. "Don't be mad."

  Mad was an understatement. I was furious.

  "Is that why you brought me here?" I said. "You think a fancy dinner is going to make up for lying to me for weeks?"

  "Daisy, I'm sorry," he said, twisting his napkin in his hands until it shredded.

  "What about staying here? What about staying in Nightshade with me?"

  "I don't want to leave you," he said. "But I don't want to stay in Nightshade my whole life either."

  That stopped
me in midharangue.

  "You don't? But we talked about it."

  "No, you talked about it," he replied. "It's different for me. Don't you think I can make it in the outside world?"

  "Of course you can," I said. "But what about during the full moon?"

  "Elise is away at college. Bane too," he argued. Elise Wilder and Bane Paxton were both shape-shifters, werewolves to be exact.

  I shook my head. "No, they tried it. Elise's been back for weeks, and Bane's due home any day."

  "Something you neglected to tell me," he said sharply.

  I glared at him. I couldn't help it. I felt abandoned.

  "You're the one who knows all about 'Were business,' so I figured you would know," I snapped.

  "Daisy, sometimes it's best to leave paranormal issues up to the city council," Ryan said. "Do you really expect me to tell you everything that goes on in the Were community? Should I tell you what I had for breakfast too?"

  "Don't bother," I said. I threw my napkin onto the table and stormed off.

  I knew he'd stop to pay the bill but he still caught up with me halfway to the car. Weres could move fast when they wanted.

  "Don't be silly," he said. "I'll drive you home."

  And that was the last thing he said to me for the rest of the night.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  It was Friday, a week later, but we had a day off from school. Some sort of special teacher training day.

  Since we had a free day, Samantha and I were hanging out in my room. She had a UC Nightshade brochure and was showing me the dorm photos. "Aren't they cool?"

  "You're not going to be living at home?" I asked. Her dad's condo was walking distance from the campus.

  I shoved aside the envy I was feeling. It wasn't Sam's fault that I hadn't heard anything from Nightshade, or from any other school for that matter.

  She shrugged. "Dad already put down a deposit on a single. He said he's going to be traveling a lot next year for his book tour. Besides, he thinks I should live in the dorms to get the full college experience."

  "I guess Ryan will beliving in a dorm," I said. "Not that he's told me anything."

  "Are you two still fighting?" she asked sympathetically.