rict on that sort of thing here. you may do...whatever you like while you're under our roof."

i suddenly wished i'd never brought it up in this house of super-acute hearing. i made a mental note to not bring up any more delicate topics until we were miles away from here.

teren cleared his throat and grabbed my hand, looking a little flushed himself. "okay, now that we've all discussed that..."

his father laughed and clapped teren's back as he sat at the head of the table, to my left. imogen sat next to her mother, halina, across from me. alanna squeezed my shoulder. "dinner's ready," she said in a bright voice. my stomach clenched.

forcing a calm breath, i pushed back my chair. "here, let me help you, alanna."

she patted my arm. "you can call me mom, dear, and you're a guest, you just sit back, relax and let me take care of everything."

with one hand, she shoved my chair back under the table and my eyes widened at her strength. "okay...i'll just sit here then."

imogen asked teren about work, and they pleasantly talked back and forth for a few minutes, with jack and halina interjecting now and then. alanna blurred back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room, bringing out warm platters piled high with mashed potatoes, green beans, broccoli crowns with almond slivers, and lastly, a tray of perfectly just-cooked-enough steaks. i wondered if the steaks were from one of their cows, but then decided that they must be; they seemed the self-sufficient lot. after she blindingly fast brought out salt, pepper and full water glasses, she started preparing plates for everyone.

i felt a little guilty watching her, knowing that i was perfectly capable of making a plate for myself, but everyone else was letting her serve them without comment or complaint, so i figured it was something she just liked to do. not wanting to be rude, i kept my mouth shut and waited patiently. it smelled incredible and i prayed my stomach didn't rumble while i waited; even if my gurgling tummy was virtually silent, i knew almost every ear in the room would hear it. alanna handed her husband a heaping plate of food and gave him a warm kiss.

"thank you, dear."

jack started eating his meal while alanna blurred to teren's side and started preparing his plate. her speed made me a little nauseous as she, in record time, set a heaping plate in front of teren. alanna gave him a warm kiss on the cheek while rumpling his hair.

"thank you, mom," he said, rolling his eyes as he looked over at me.

i smiled at his embarrassment while alanna prepared a plate for me just as blazingly fast. i barely had time to hope she didn't pile my plate as high as the boys', before she was done. she placed a more respectable sized meal in front of me and gave me a quick, cool kiss on the cheek as well.

"thank you, alann...mom." it felt weird to say that, but she smiled so wide when i did, that i was happy i had. plus, teren gave my hand an affectionate squeeze, so i knew it made him happy as well.

alanna blurred into the kitchen and i wondered if she'd forgotten something. teren dug into his food, elbowing me and nodding at my plate. it felt strange to start eating when only half the table had food, so i picked up my fork and waited for alanna to come back. she returned in a few seconds with a stainless steel coffee carafe. i looked over at teren, but he was focused on his plate and ignoring his mother; almost studiously ignoring his mother.

i watched alanna stop at halina's side and pour coffee into her glass, which i thought was odd, until i realized that the coffee was red...and that it wasn't coffee. her goblet quickly filled with a thick, steaming, deep-red liquid that could only be blood. my mouth dropped and my stomach tightened. halina sniffed at it, frowned and then took a large gulp. alanna filled imogen's glass next. imogen smiled warmly at her daughter and took a more reserved sip of her steaming beverage. alanna then turned to teren and filled one for him. he finally looked up at her and nodded a brief thanks, making her beam. she poured a glass for herself, and set the carafe down by halina, before sitting at the foot of the table, on teren's right.

my stomach twisted into a knot. no food then for the vampire women...just deep-red plasma that even i could smell. it turned my stomach a bit. i watched teren eye his still steaming glass. he seemed to be debating whether or not he should drink it with me sitting right beside him. i had no idea if i wanted him to or not. watching him drain a chicken was one thing, and that had been pretty bloodless. this, watching him down a clear glass of viscous cow blood-and i was really hoping it was from a cow-was quite another thing. he finally cast a quick glance in my direction and reached across his plate for his drink. it did unpleasant things to my already churning stomach, watching him tilt the goblet back to his lips. he took a long draw, swallowing a couple times before pulling the glass away.

his fangs had extended when the blood hit his mouth, and they were clearly visible as he closed his eyes and made a deep, soft noise-almost a purr. i tore my gaze away from him and finally noticed the other vampires at the table. every mouth had fangs. every face looked elated. every tongue was red. halina was licking her lips and pouring another glass of warm liquid from the carafe.

what happened to me next wasn't voluntary. it was pure instinct. fear surged through my body and i could not stay calmly seated at that table, surrounded by creatures higher up on the food chain than me. a tiny part of my brain knew i wasn't in danger, but every other single impulse in my head was screaming at me to get the hell out of that house! i felt like the dumb, busty chick in the horror flick that runs up the stairs, instead of running outside, but i wasn't going to be the dumb girl any longer. i was getting out of there. i would run the sixty miles home if need be, but i was finally leaving this family of monsters.

i was just about to bolt for the door, and wondering if i could make it against four super-speedies, when a light touch on my arm startled me; i jumped nearly a foot.

"i just about peed my pants, the first time i sat down and ate with them. you're doing very well." i looked over at my saving grace, the only other human in the room and currently, the only other person without fangs-teren's dad. "what?" i squeaked.

he nodded over to the vampires curiously watching me. i flinched when teren grabbed my hand. "it's instinct...the desire to run. it's perfectly normal, so don't feel embarrassed. your body's just telling you that they're dangerous." he laughed while i tried to swallow with my dry throat. "which is pretty humorous, since they're all basically giant kitty cats."

i gaped at him and then let out a short laugh. the tension eased from me as the knot in my stomach started to loosen and the fear slowly started to leech from my system. teren put his arm around me and kissed my cheek; his fangs were still out.

halina scoffed at jack. "kitty cats?" she hissed at him, baring her sharp teeth.

jack laughed at her and i stared at him with a surely bewildered look on my face. that was one woman i would never laugh at. "don't even bother you old bat. you don't scare me anymore."

she twisted her lips and pointed a finger at him, while looking at me. "don't let his bravado fool you. he nearly fainted when he watched how we really feed." she flicked her crystal glass with her fingernail, making a musical clink. "not this dainty, eating at the table crap."

"grandma," alanna scolded her. "manners. emma is our guest this weekend and we would like her to visit again sometime."

halina raised her glass in answer and downed it in one long gulp. she immediately smiled, displaying her red-tinted fangs.