Blood for Breakfast (Sydney Newbern Book 1)

by Helen Bell

  “What happened to you? Are you okay?” I asked.

  He closed the gap between us in a blink, and his gaze swept over me as if to check whether I was harmed.

  Looking relieved, he answered, “I’m fine. But Kelly, not so much. I ran into her in the Jungle.”

  “Gideon, she’s the real Ruler.”

  “I know. Djar is her brother.”

  At my surprised look, he said, “After you went to the party and I lost the signal from your tracker, I drove to the mansion, but I was too late. You, Kelly, and Brad were gone. I compelled Brad’s men, and they told me that Kelly was behind the abductions of the girls and also the true Ruler. I got your location too.

  “I took the bike and rode to the building where Brad kept you. There were dead bodies in water tanks and on the floor around the rooms. I didn’t see you or Brad, so I returned to the mansion, killed the guards, and searched for Brad. He heard me coming and somehow decided it would be a good idea to play hide-and-seek with me. Doors were broken down, windows were shattered, and eventually he got the message that I wasn’t in a mood for games.

  “That filthy piece of a human came out of his hiding. He willingly told me what he’d done to you and where I could find you in the Jungle. But before I left the mansion, I drank him dry, making sure the experience would be painful for him. After he died, I drove to Lydia, one of the few witches powerful enough to open a temporary gate to Ice Prison by using my energy.

  “In the Jungle, I was searching for you when I encountered Kelly. She was running from something and reluctant to answer my questions about your whereabouts, so it got messy,”—he nodded at his bloodied shirt—“and she eventually revealed everything before I drove a silver stake through her heart. Now here I am, taking you back to the portal before it closes.”

  I followed him through the forest and, after a few moments, we arrived at a gate to our dimension. To me, the gate was invisible; to him, though, it wasn’t. He took my hand and led me through the portal. His living room gradually replaced the green of the forest until nothing remained of it—no towering trees, no moist air, no sound of animals. Ice Prison was gone, and I was back home.

  Chapter 28

  After we returned from Ice Prison, Gideon updated Thomas about Kyla. Seeking retribution against everyone responsible for her death, Thomas flew out to New Haven. They looked for Djar. After his sister died, he came out of his hiding place to search for her, so it only took Gideon and Thomas a few hours to track him down. While they went out there to kill him, I stayed at Gideon’s house.

  When Gideon got back, there was sorrow in his eyes. I told him how sorry I was about Kyla’s death. He acknowledged it with a nod and retreated to his bedroom. I respected his wish to be left alone and went to my room. Feeling my eyes drifting closed, I lay down on the bed.

  I slept more than ten hours, yet I still felt tired. To stay in bed was tempting, but I had things to do, promises to keep. With a deep sigh, I willed myself out of bed and went to the bathroom. While under the stream of hot water, I mused over what I was going to do next. Happiness flooded me at the thought of Zoey, alive. But it was mixed with another emotion. An unexpected emotion. After Gideon drew my blood, I’d have to leave his house and never see him again. Because of Oberon, and because that was our deal from the beginning. So why was I sad? It was not as if we were friends. And he was a vampire.

  Well, it didn’t matter. It had to be done. Then, I’d find a job and a place to live since I couldn’t return home. A maniac was still watching my family, and I had dangerous black magic on my hand. I wanted my family to live a normal life, a life where the supernatural world was just a fantasy.

  Back in the bedroom, I dried myself off and put on jeans and a V-neck, long-sleeved shirt. I glanced at the time. It was eight p.m., and Gideon should be awake by now. It was time to uphold my end of our deal.

  The smell of tomato and omelet caused my stomach to rumble as I climbed down the stairs. In the living room, Gideon held a plate of food as he walked out of the kitchen, his mood improved.

  “I apologize for my lack of cooking skills. Obviously, human food is much more complicated than … well, vampires’.”

  I took the plate from him and put it on the coffee table. “Thanks, but we need to talk.”

  “First, eat. Your body is weak, and I heard your stomach rumble.” A short pause and a smile. “And don’t worry, there are plenty of Ben and Jerry’s waiting for you in the freezer.”

  “About our deal … It’s time for me to give you my blood.”

  He picked up the plate from the coffee table and handed it back to me. “Not before you’ve eaten.”

  My empty stomach protested again, the sound loud and demanding. “Okay,” I said and sat on the couch. Joining me, he drank blood from a glass that had been on the coffee table.

  He eyed me while I ate, silent. When I finished, he chugged the rest of the red liquid. These were my final moments with him, and I needed to get more information.

  “Gideon, I want to know, what is my blood for? And why did you kill all the US Rulers?”

  He hesitated. “What do you know about the red dragon’s blood?”

  “Not much. Audrey said that if someone drinks it, he or she will never be on the dragons’ list.”

  “With a magical vial, the red dragon’s blood can be extracted from the person who drank it after he or she dies,” he said. “The dragons are responsible for keeping the balance between good and evil. Without it, chaos will rule the streets. The four US Rulers endangered this balance, so I killed them to pull the dragon blood out. Contrary to popular belief, it can be destroyed. To cast a powerful spell that will make the red dragon blood disappear, Lydia needs two things. One, a sufficient amount of it—like the quantity the four Rulers consumed. Two, something powerful to draw on. Unfortunately, my energy wouldn’t be enough.”

  “But my blood, which has strong black magic in it, will be,” I concluded.

  “Blended with mine inside my body. This will provide Lydia the power and energy to do the spell.”

  “But what about the vial that Edwin hid? Damon is searching for it.” I assumed Gideon knew the story about Edwin, the thief.

  “He is,” he replied. “Once he finds Edwin’s vial, he’s planning to drink from it and then duplicate the blood, risking the balance. I can’t have that, which is why I must locate it before he does and destroy the blood.”

  “Is it even possible to duplicate the red dragon’s blood?”

  “As far as I know, no,” he said. “But I’m certain that Damon will somehow find a way. If he succeeds, it’d give him power and money. He could get whatever he wishes from any supernatural beings who would want to buy the blood.”

  Silence fell on the room as I had no more questions on this matter. Now it was time to give him my blood. I stared at him as I tucked my hair behind my ear and exposed my neck to him.

  “It’s all yours.” I tried to keep my voice steady, my mouth dry. Would it hurt? What if it was painful? What if—

  “Relax,” he crooned, inching closer. His hand cupped my cheek before it trailed down along my neck. He cupped the back of my neck and tilted my head to one side, and his fangs came down. My heart raced when his mouth lowered to my throat. He licked my pulse point, and his teeth grazed my skin. I shuddered and gasped with anticipation before his fangs sank into my throat. I closed my eyes, bracing for pain. There was none. If anything, waves of passion began to build inside me, and spirals of pleasurable warmth spread through my body as my blood spilled into his mouth. My insides curled and tingled with every pull of his mouth. I moaned. He tightened his grip and drank deeper. A jolt of heat seared through my body, a shiver of pleasure racing over my skin. God, don’t stop! I begged in my head, but soon after, he did, and I almost groaned with protest. His tongue ran over the spot he’d drunk from. Then he pulled away from my neck.

  “You taste delicious,” he said, licking the trace of my blood from his lips. “I have to go to
Lydia now before my body digests your blood.” He must have seen the look of disappointment on my face, because a corner of his mouth lifted. “When I return, I’ll finish what I’ve started,” he added, brushing his fingers over my cheeks.

  The next thing I knew, the French doors opened and closed, and he was gone. On the couch, I reached up to my neck and caressed the spot he had bitten. My skin was not broken or sore. There weren’t any fang marks. His saliva had probably healed it.

  A knock at the front door pulled me from my musings. Who could it be? I stood up and went to it.

  “Who is it?” I said through the door.

  “Miss Newbern?” a male voice asked.

  “Who is it?” I repeated.

  “Oberon sent me. I’m here to pick you up and take you to the airport.”

  Airport? I looked through the peephole. A man in his thirties wearing jeans, a sweater, and a coat, stood by the door.

  I opened it with caution. He didn’t seem as if he was about to attack me. My muscles eased.

  “Oberon sent you?” I was surprised. “How do I know you really work for him?”

  He raked a hand over his bright brown hair, and I noticed he didn’t have pointed ears. His tired face grew impatient as I scanned him.

  “Look, pretty face, I don’t know the man, all right? A hot chick hopped into my cab an hour ago. Blonde, nice tits. She whispered some kind of mumbo-jumbo gibberish and boom—I can’t fucking do anything other than drive over here and take you to the damn airport. I’m supposed to inform you that a cab driver will be waiting for you when you land in New York. He’ll drive you home where you’ll see your sister reuniting with your parents.”

  Oh my God, Zoey … Oberon had done it! She was alive!

  “Oh, and I’m also supposed to give you this,” he added and handed me a brown envelope. I peeked inside. A large stash of money, a new ID, and one plane ticket to New York were in there.

  “Okay, I’ll go pack a bag.”

  “The blonde chick said to tell you not to pack anything. The money in the envelope is yours. You can buy whatever you need later.”

  “Fine, but I gotta write a note to someone. I’ll be quick,” I said and stepped inside the house to look for a pen and paper, then scribbled down a note for Gideon.

  Hey,

  I won’t be here when you return. Now that our deal is over, it’s time for me to leave. I wish you good luck with finding Edwin’s vial and pray that you find it before Damon does. For everyone’s sake.

  Thank you for everything.

  Sydney.

  As I put the piece of paper on the coffee table, something tugged at my heart. I ignored it as I strode out of his house and out of his life. I climbed into the man’s cab, and we drove off.

  After I landed in New York, I met another cab driver at the airport. He held a sign with my name on it, and he too seemed under the influence of magic. When we reached my parents’ house, he parked three houses down.

  “Before you get out, take this.” The driver handed me a baseball cap. “I’m waiting here until you finish with your business.”

  I put the hat on and stepped out of the car, walking in the direction of my parents’ house. I stopped across the street from it, standing under a broken streetlamp emitting a weak flicker of light. My peripheral vision caught a movement. I turned and saw a beautiful blond girl approaching me. Although it was cold outside she was clad in a thin jacket and a short black dress revealing long legs. She smiled at me, her eyes bright blue, the color of the morning sky, her long wavy hair touching her waist.

  When she reached my side, she said, “My king wanted you to witness the safe return of your sister. He’s swamped, so I’m here on his behalf. I apologize for the long ride, but since I’m not a royal fae, I don’t have the ability of teleportation. On the plus side, you can look at me without any danger to your well-being.” Her gaze moved to my parents’ house. There was a long pause before she continued. “Right about now, not far away from here, a police officer, a friend of your father’s, is noticing a disoriented girl walking inside the station.

  “He recognizes her. ‘Jesus, it’s Newbern’s daughter,’ he says and calls your father. He’s answering his phone at this instant.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder, and a happy scream came from my parents’ living room. “Your mother has just received the good news about Zoey. The officer is taking her to his car. In a few moments, she’ll be on her way over here.”

  The front door of my parents’ house opened, and they stepped outside, waiting for her on the sidewalk.

  I took a step back and pushed the baseball cap down farther to shield my face from them. “What does Zoey think happened to her?”

  “She thinks an obsessive admirer kidnapped her, and after a while, he let her go without harming her. The memories of Ice Prison and everything related to it, like Brad and Kelly, have been erased from her mind. Her friend Izzy, who died, will not be in her memories as well,” she answered.

  “Zoey will still put herself in danger to look for me, as I don’t plan on returning to my home soon. I can’t. Not until I figure out who kidnapped me, and get rid of this black magic inside me.”

  “My king assumed you wouldn’t wish to contact your family in your current situation, hence the baseball cap. He ensured that Zoey will no longer feel the need to investigate your disappearance. To your family, you’re missing, but they’ll leave the search to the cops.”

  Good, Zoey would be safe and away from the supernatural world.

  We waited about twenty minutes before a police car pulled up to the curb, and my sister got out.

  My mother shouted, “My baby! My baby girl!” She ran to her. Zoey, in a coat and beaten jeans, hugged her. They cried with excitement and joy. Even my father, the tough detective, had tears in his eyes. He gathered both of them into his arms. They looked elated, and I smiled. Zoey was alive. Emotion clogged my throat as I wiped my own tears away.

  “I’ve booked you a room in a hotel,” the fae said. “It’s under your name. The taxi driver will take you there when you’re ready to leave. The money in the envelope is yours. Use it wisely, and remember: you will stay away from Gideon, the vampire.”

  I nodded, and she walked away. My parents and Zoey went inside the house and closed the door behind them. I took a deep breath. My heart ached that I couldn’t join them.

  I glanced around. Were they being watched at the moment? As I asked myself this question, I knew what my next plan had to be. Find the man who destroyed my life. And get answers to questions like why he put black magic in me, why it was counting down, and why it gave me martial art skills and physical strength. Then I’d force him to de-spell the tattoo.

  Until then, I couldn’t come back here. In my search for that man, I’d be dealing with dangerous creatures that I did not want anywhere near my parents and Zoey. Not ever again. My family was safe now, and I intended to keep it that way.

  I turned and walked back to the cab. When I slipped into the back seat, I stared down at the number on my palm. 700. I brought the image of my kidnapper to my mind. Whoever you are, whatever you are, I am coming for you, and I swear to God I’ll make you pay.

  “Miss, you ready to go?” the driver asked, looking in the rearview mirror.

  “Yes, I am ready.”

  He stepped on the gas, and I looked outside the window. My house became smaller and smaller as we drove farther down the street. I placed my hand on the window glass. I’ll return someday. I promise.