15: Donor House: Rebecca: Ace’s Deal

[k_a_webb]

Ace had visited the house every night for six months. He’d started on the night of Rebecca’s 18th birthday and every time he walked in the door he gave her parents a look. She knew the look meant that they were meant to have told her something, but she was glad they hadn’t. There was something about him, probably the whole vampire thing, that terrified her, so the last thing she wanted to hear was that they’d sold her to him. It was something she’d heard stories about, even though she didn’t quite believe they were true, and she really didn’t want the proof to change her life.

That night their eyes met the moment he stepped over the threshold and Rebecca knew something had changed. “It’s time,” Ace said, sounding irritated. “You should have told her a long time ago, because putting these things off doesn’t make them easier.”

Both her parents shook their heads. “Not now, please, Ace,” her mum replied.

“We made a deal.”

“It’s easy enough to make another deal.”

“I don’t think so. I’m happy with this one. You may not be, but that’s not my problem, and I really don’t care that you’re regretting the choices you made. They were your choices.”

“Ace…”

“If you aren’t going to tell her then I will, because I’m fed up with this. Being immortal doesn’t automatically imbue patience and I’ve waited long enough to get what I’m owed.”

“You won’t accept my offer of money then,” her dad said, resigned to whatever it was that was going to happen.

“I don’t need money.”

Tense silence filled the room. “There are auctions. It would be easy enough for you to buy a companion.”

Smiling, Ace took a couple of steps towards Rebecca and she felt a shiver of fear go down her spine. “Why should I pay for one when I can have one for free? Your wife made a deal with me and if she chooses to go back on it now then I am happy to take what I was offered. It’s up to you.”

Trying not to show how she was feeling Rebecca looked at her parents and made up her mind about what she was going to do. “Tell me,” she said.

“When I was young I made the mistake of getting close to Ace,” her mum explained, staring at the carpet. “I knew from the beginning he was a vampire, but that didn’t bother me. I thought he was a good person and…” She sighed. “It wasn’t until I turned eighteen that I realised he wasn’t the person he pretended to be.”

“You’re being melodramatic,” Ace interrupted. “I’ve been alone for a long time and I don’t want to be alone for my whole immortal life. When I met your mum I thought she was the one, but I was wrong. When I asked her to join me she said no.”

“He didn’t want to take no for an answer, so I made a deal with him. It’s something I’ve regretted for years and I hoped for a long time that he wouldn’t come back, but he has.”

Mirrored from K. A. Jones Writing.

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[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

>>Ace had visited the house every night for six months. He’d started on the night of Rebecca’s 18th birthday and every time he walked in the door he gave her parents a look. <<

It took me several repetitions to figure out that this meant Rebecca's home, rather than the donor house. You might want to clarify that. In this series, "house" tends to parse as "donor house" even if not specified as such.

And wow, Rebecca's parents are jerks and Ace is a giant dick. Do you have a plot arc for this to which you are strongly attached? Because if not, I have credits to put toward beating Ace with a karmic hammer.