Jane Vows Vengeance (35 page)

Before getting married, Jane and Walter had made a deal. Although both of them were willing to change for the other, neither was willing to ask the other to do so. And so they had compromised—when they had their first child, they would make the decision based on whether the baby was a vampire or not. If she was, then Walter would turn. If she wasn’t, Jane would use the Needle. That way they would all three be the same. They would then announce the results to their loved ones.

Now that the moment had arrived, though, Jane had no idea how to tell. Perhaps it wasn’t even something that
could
be discerned until a certain age. As she watched her daughter suckle, it occurred to Jane that once again she had failed to ask the proper
questions.
We always seem to be making it up as we go along
, she thought.

“It doesn’t really matter,” Walter said. “Not right now.”

“No,” Jane agreed. “It doesn’t.”

The baby opened her mouth and burped.

“Now, Cassie,” Jane said. “Is that any way for a little lady to behave?”

Cassandra Austen Fletcher opened her eyes very wide and stared at her mother and father. Deciding they would do, she then yawned, kicked her tiny feet, and went to sleep. It had, after all, been a very eventful day.

M
ICHAEL
T
HOMAS
F
ORD
is the author of numerous books, including the novels
Jane Goes Batty
,
Jane Bites Back
,
Z
,
The Road Home
,
What We Remember
,
Suicide Notes
,
Changing Tides
,
Full Circle
,
Looking for It
, and
Last Summer
.

www.michaelthomasford.com