The Vampire's little Mate (Sequel)

CHAPTER: 8

The garage door opened, revealing Tanya's red Hyundai Elantra car. Alex gripped her hand gently and led her over to the vehicle. Despite all that had happened, it felt strangely good having his hand in hers.

She snapped out of the brief thought of Alex's touch as he pulled her car keys from his pocket, holding them in the air between them, his alluring smile obscured by the dangling keys. She sighed, taking the keys and climbing into the car. It appeared that she had very little choice, he was very persistent. She sat behind the steering wheel, pondering whether she could pull out of the garage and go home before he made it to the passenger seat. She put the key in the ignition and started the car, about to put it in reverse when she heard the passenger door open and shut.

"You are too slow," he smirked.

"Maybe you are too fast, Alex," she replied glumly.

After enduring the long winding trip away from Alex's house they finally made it back to town and soon pulled up at James's auto shop. She glanced over at Alex, who had an apprehensive look on his face.

"What is the matter with you?" she asked him.

His expression changed instantly, although she could easily tell he was faking the smile this time. "Nothing. Go ahead, I will wait out here."

"It is fine, I don't care if you come. I mean you already know it all anyway, right?" A part of her but sincerely wished that he would accompany her. She didn't want to face James alone, regardless if she barely knew this boy.

"No." He gave her a stern look. "It would be best if I was not present," Alex said.

"I really don't think James will bother if you come with me if that is what you are worried about," she said. 

"I am staying out here, and that is final," he replied, the fake smile vanishing as soon as he turned his back away from her.

"Fine!" She said bitterly, slamming the door behind her as she left the boy in the car. His eyes were watchful as she approached the shop. As soon as she opened the glass doors, she squeezed her nose. The smell of oil was so overwhelming she had to cup her hand over her nose to keep from gagging.

James was nowhere to be seen at first, but she could hear his distinct voice paired with someone else's. He must have been with a customer. She noticed a small surveillance camera perched high up on the ceiling, and she felt as if it was following her every step. It had been years since Tanya had come to this place, but everything looked just the same, as it always had.

The building was not too huge, but large enough to fit a back room full of various sized car, bicycle, and motorcycle tires. There were at least eight aisles of vehicle-related objects that she simply had no idea what they were. For Tanya, this was probably the most boring store. She had no other option except for browsing over the contents of the shop while she waited for her uncle, er, father if Alex's story was true. As she quietly walked down the first aisle, she found things that she recognized such as air-fresheners. She picked up a rose-shaped one and tried sniffing it, but was unable to smell it as it was enveloped in the plastic seal.

"Can I help you?" a woman's voice asked. She got startled and looked in her direction.

The woman was about a foot shorter than Tanya, which was unfortunate for her because Tanya was barely over five feet herself. Her face was round and full. She wore a loose sleeveless black top, revealing both of her bare colorfully tattoed arms. She must be twenty-five years or so, Tanya believed.

"I am looking for James," Tanya stuttered.

"He is with somebody else at the moment. Is there something I can help you with, though?" she asked. Her voice was high-pitched and light, bizarre coming from someone with her appearance. 

"No. I am sort of...family," Tanya wanted to say that she was his niece, but she was not sure if that was the correct answer, now.

"Oh!" she grinned and held her hand out. "I am Lorna."

"I am Tanya," she muttered, wishing she could retreat back to her car and avoid all of this. "Any idea how long until he is done with his meeting?"

"No idea, but knowing him it could be a while." Lorna laughed and shook her head. "I think he spends more time creating a friendly bond with the customers than he does selling off anything." 

"What do you do here?" Tanya asked, trying to pass the time and being polite as well, under the circumstances.

"Me? I work behind the counter," she replied, pointing to the checkout counter at the front of the store. "I have been for almost three years now, and don't tell James, but I still don't know about half the junk that people bring here."

"Yeah, I have never been much of a car person either, Tanya replied."

Before Lorna had a chance to say anything else, James came walking out from the back of the store grinning and shaking his head. He looked just as Tanya remembered him, just a bit heavier. He was a bulky man, with broad shoulders and muscles fit for a wrestler. His appearance had always intimidated Tanya, but despite the way he looked, he was a gentle person. Atop his head was a thick mane of red hair, that she was grateful she had not inherited from the family genes.

"Tanya!" he said, walking in her direction with the grin on his face widening more than she thought possible, then suddenly he engulfed her in his arms.

"Hey, James," Tanya squeaked under the pressure of his hug.

He released her, the grin never leaving his scruffy, oil-stained face. "Happy Birthday! Tanya."

She frowned. "I guess you wouldn't forget a day like that, huh?"

"What? Forget my favorite niece's birthday?" He laughed and ruffled her hair like he did when she was a kid. "What brings you around this part, have some car trouble? I told your mom that..."

"Mom gave me a letter last night," she interrupted him, lying a little, not mentioning that Alex had filled her in on the rest of the story.

"About what?" James didn't seem to have any clue why she was here. She glanced past the aisles and customers and through the windows at Alex, wondering if it really had all been some sort of elaborate prank. But Alex had not moved an inch.

"About Adriana and Mark not being..." The words caught in Tanya's throat. "About them not being my real parents."

"Oh..." he muttered, looking at Tanya in shock. "Do you want to go to the back room?"

Tanya could feel Lorna's brown eyes gazing curiously at them. She nodded her head slowly and followed James into the back. They were surrounded by boxes of car parts that weren't out on the shelves yet. In the far corner was a desk cluttered with coffee mugs, scattered papers, and a checkbook. James took a seat behind the messy desk, and she sat in the seat on the opposite side.

"What exactly did she tell you?" James asked, pushing some of the debris away so he could lean forward with his elbows against the wood top.

"She told me that you are my real...my real father," Tanya replied with some difficulty. "Is it true?"

He appeared just as uncomfortable talking about this as she was. "Yes, Tanya. I am your father." His voice was barely audible.

"Why...why didn't anyone ever tell me?" she asked.

"It was for your own good," he said with a sigh. "I was just trying to protect you."

"Protect me? Protect me from what?" Tanya asked him.

"From me...from my lifestyle." James appeared to be having trouble discussing it.

Tanya frowned. "I don't understand, because you are a mechanic? How would that affect me? Or is it because you are a single father or something, and you didn't think it was possible for you to raise me single-handedly?"

"That is not all...I am just not the fatherly type," James replied. 

"I find that very hard to believe." Tanya then laughed, although it lacked any humor. "You have always been a good uncle."

"It is much harder than you could understand, Tanya. There is more to it than all that." James sighed heavily and ran a hand across his face, in the process smearing some of the oil around. "I take it Adriana did not explain much, huh?"

"She didn't really give me much more than "James is your dad!" She felt it was wrong lying to James about some of the details, but the way, Alex had reacted to the idea of even entering the building gave her the feeling that he did not want James knowing that he was involved.

He smirked. "That sounds about right for her. This isn't easy for me to tell you..."

"What isn't?" Tanya was getting impatient; someone needed to give her a straight answer soon before she went insane!