by Pace, Pepper
I stopped pacing long enough to give him a long look. “Newsflash. Blood loss causes death!”
He smiled. “You’re really worried about me. I’m not going to die. Mei Wah made me some soup that’s supposed to enrich my blood quickly. He says it happens to us donors all the time, especially in the beginning.”
We weren’t in the front room anymore but in the bedroom. “How did we get in here?” I looked around.
Paul pulled the covers up to his chest. “I carried you in here. I thought you’d be more comfortable.”
I stomped over to the bed and ripped the sheets and blankets back.
Paul was naked.
”Oh ... you bastard!” I screamed, averting my eyes from his nudity.
Paul jumped out of the bed, eyes wide. “I didn’t! I swear. Kim, you don’t think I’d—I’m not a necromancer!”
I pushed him back onto the bed. ”Necrophiliac, you dumbass!”
Paul sat up and grew even whiter. He closed his eyes and fell backwards against the pillows.
I climbed onto the bed and held him against me. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”
He pushed me away weakly. “Yeah. You did, if you think I’d take advantage of you like that.” He pulled the sheet across his lap, opened his eyes, and stared at me. “You really are dead when you sleep, Kim. It’s not just that you’re cold and motionless, but you’re ... not there anymore. And the reason I’m not wearing clothes is because Mei Wah is washing them for me.”
I remembered last night. My face grew warm. Yes, he would have needed to wash his clothes after that.
I stroked his hair, and he closed his eyes. “I’m sorry. I should have never accused you or even thought it.” He wasn’t lying to me. It didn’t take a psychic link to know this. Paul wouldn’t take advantage.
”Kim ...” he murmured as I continued to stroke his forehead.
”Hmm?”
“You know how I always feel so good when I give you blood?” The dark smudges under his eyes really made me nervous.
”Yeah.”
“You said some of what animates you enters your donors and heals us humans.”
“Yeah?”
”What if you give me some of your blood? Wouldn’t it heal me faster?”
I didn’t know how to answer that. Tige had given me his blood at the time of death, and I had been turned. That didn’t seem a smart idea—not until I talked it over with another Vampire.
”I don’t know, Paul.”
He struggled to sit up. “I’ve been thinking about it.” He sighed. “I’ve been thinking about a lot of stuff. I’m curious about how your blood would affect a human. Not a lot, just a bit.”
“You don’t think the idea of it is ... kinda gross?”
He shrugged. “A little can’t hurt. And if it’ll make me feel better ...”
Since it was my fault that he was feeling poorly in the first place, it seemed only right that I should do what I could to make things right. And I had to admit that I was a bit curious, too.
”Okay. But if you grow some Vampire teeth, don’t blame me.”
In the movies, a Vampire pierced a vein in a wrist with a talon and bled freely. My fingernails were only fingernails, and they could barely break the skin let alone pierce a vein. I had to concentrate on my hunger and lower my teeth. I pierced my wrist, which hurt enough for me to clench my fist.
Paul watched the blood as it began running down my arm. He brought it to his mouth before it could drip on the bed.
His lips were cool on my wrist, but his tongue was warm and soft as he lapped at the blood. It felt weird. Not bad weird—just weird, weird.
I watched Paul closely to be sure that he wouldn’t freak out or something. I don’t know. He seemed to be in deep concentration.
”Okay?” I asked.
He removed his lips from my wrist and frowned at me. “It stopped bleeding. There wasn’t much. Must be the coagulant in my saliva. Open it again.”
”Paul.”
”Kim, that wasn’t enough for me to feel anything.”
Using both teeth I bit down until the flow was steady. Using his tongue, Paul caught the blood before it spilled and covered my wrist with his mouth. This time I could see his throat working to swallow.
How much was enough? Too much?
When I felt myself tingling down low I knew that it was significant. Something was happening that involved more than an attractive man sucking on a body part.
I pulled away, and he let go reluctantly. The blood was still flowing, and I stopped it with my tongue while watching Paul.
He smiled and fell back against the pillow.
”Okay, how are you feeling?” I asked.
“It’s ... I don’t know. I feel it ... but I don’t know. I can tell you that I don’t feel like a Vampire, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
I giggled. “That’s what I was wondering.”
”I just want to sleep,” he mumbled.
Should I let him sleep? I mean, it wasn’t as if he had a concussion or anything but ... I guess he needed it. I lay down against him as he dozed off. He reached over and put his hand in mine. I smiled. That was so sweet. A long time ago this man could have been my boyfriend.
When I thought he wouldn’t awaken if I moved, I gently slid out of the bed. I was going to search for Mei Wah and find out exactly how badly I had hurt Paul.
I changed into the black jeans I had packed from my house and the T-shirt that Paul had loaned me.
I brushed my teeth, splashed my face, and pulled my hair back into a ponytail. Glancing over at Paul, I noted that he was sleeping comfortably. He needed the sleep.
Using my super speed to materialize upstairs, I searched for Mei Wah and found him in the sitting room reading.
”Miss Kim.” He started to stand.
”Please, don’t get up.” I sat across from him.
He placed the book he was reading on the side table. “Is everything okay?” he asked.
”I’m worried about Paul.”
Mei Wah nodded. “Oh. Yes. He lost much blood and he lost it quickly. But he will recover in short order. I made a special soup that will fortify his blood.”
“How close did he come to dying?”
“Close enough that I would not let him go home in case he got hurt and lost more blood. He has no reserve. Do not feed from him for one week.”
I sighed.
”Don’t be hard on yourself, Miss Kim. Many newbies kill their first food. It’s pretty obvious that you really care for Mr. Paul. He will be all right.”
”Tony freaking out that he stayed?”
”Tony left as soon as he awoke. He will not return for a couple of days. He said that you and Mr. Paul could make yourself comfortable here and that I was to take you anywhere you needed.”
I wondered how much of what Mei Wah had said was his own polite interpretation.
”What I need is to get to those other donors.” I wasn’t comfortable with it, but I would need to feed quickly. Last night wasn’t enough, and I surely couldn’t put Paul at risk by taking any more of his blood.
”Mr. Paul was talking to them earlier on the phone. He made arrangements for them to arrive at about nine o’clock.” Mei Wah stood. “If you’ll excuse me, there are some things I must prepare for the guests, and I need to get Mr. Paul’s clothes from the dryer.”
”Okay. Thanks, Mei Wah ... for everything.”
”It’s been my pleasure.” He turned to leave but stopped to look at me. “Miss Kim, excuse me for saying, but Tony has been so lively since you’ve been here, even when he’s angry. I believe that your presence is good for him. I know ... that he cares for you even if it doesn’t always seem that way.”
I nodded. I didn’t know if I believed that completely. Any feelings Tony might have had for me had been overshadowed by my selfishness—though I wasn’t the only one who had made mistakes. I would have never had to sneak into Council meetings if he had brought me in correctly!
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“Thanks for letting me know that. Sometimes it’s hard to tell.”
Mei Wah left, and I decided that it was the perfect time to handle some of my own loose ends.
I called my Mama—for the last time. After this I would never talk to her again. I sighed. I would die in a horrible crash or something, as it should have happened weeks before. Yeah, I’ll be faking my own death as Tony had suggested.
”Do you ever pick up a phone?” she chastised.
I smiled. For once it felt good to get chewed out by my mom. She brought me back down to earth.
After spending five minutes apologizing, we talked about my sister and the kids, church and the pastor—who I believe my mom has a crush on, and a hundred little things that once upon a time had seemed mundane. Now I cleaved to the discussion because I knew it would be one of the last we’d share.
When I hung up I felt a mixture of joy and sadness. I checked out the clock. It was getting late, and I needed to wake Paul before the ladies got here. He also said that he had wanted to talk to me, and I wanted to do that first and foremost.
I stood and felt sick again. I was hungry although not starving, which was rare for me.
Tony must have still been holding onto my hunger. I shook my head. I wish he hadn’t left. I really wanted to set things right between us—whatever that would mean.
I didn’t use the super speed to get down to my suite, although it was getting close to nine o’clock. It seemed that I had done nothing but rush from one place to another ever since being turned. If things went my way, I’d have a long afterlife and I was not going to spend all of it being stressed out. I mean, there was plenty to do now that I had the night hours—movies to rent, music to enjoy. And let’s face it. There are some definite perks to being a Vampire. I looked damn good. I was pretty much invincible. Money was never going to be an issue. And in my case, everyone I took blood from instantly desired me.
I opened the bedroom door softly and peeked in. I hated to wake Paul because he really needed the sleep.
But he wasn’t in bed.
”Hey, there you are.” He was behind me coming out of the bathroom with one towel wrapped around his waist and another drying his damp hair.
Wow! Okay, Paul is handsome, but suddenly he was ... wow.
”I ... uh ...”
He had a six-pack that was out of this world. Did my blood do that to him? If not, why hadn’t I noticed this when he was naked in bed with me?
I kept my eyes averted from the towel around his waist. It was hard not to recognize that the only thing shielding his nudity was that one little towel. Zing! Instant flash back to what we had done last night.
I cleared my throat. “You look like you’re feeling better.” He did, even though he still had dark hollows under his eyes. His color was back, and he looked refreshed after his shower.
”Yeah. I’m feeling a lot better. I think your blood did the trick.”
”Do you feel ... abnormal or anything?”
”No.” He smiled. “Not at all.”
”You don’t ... think that you look any different physically, do you?”
He frowned then shrugged. “I don’t think so.” He touched his chest and looked down at himself.
I swallowed. Lord, help me … he’s sexier than he had been earlier. But I didn’t think it was my blood. I think it was because I’m hungrier now.
He looked at me. “You think I look different?”
I turned away and shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe not.” I fiddled with a bottle of perfume on the dressing table.
”Mei Wah brought my clothes so I’m going to get dressed. I’ll be right out.” He left the room. “Oh, the girls are coming over shortly, so we need to have a sit-down before they get here.”
”Yeah, Mei Wah told me,” I called. “Tony’s going to be gone for a couple days. He didn’t say where.”
Paul came out of the bathroom buttoning up the shirt he’d worn the night before and was now wearing pants. ”I know. I actually talked to him before he left.”
”Really?” I asked. “Did he say where he was going?”
”He said very little. Just that I looked like shit and that I needed to go back to bed. I was trying to take care of some business before you woke.”
”He wakes before me,” I said half to myself. “I’ve noticed that.”
”Well, he gave me permission to stay here, although I’m not going to.” Paul grasped my hand and led me into the front room. “These rooms are a bit much for me.” He sprawled out on the cushions, and I sat across from him.
He watched me for a moment. “I think the fancy clothes are great, but you really look good in jeans and a T-shirt.”
I smiled shyly. ”Thanks. You look ... equally good in a towel.”
He studied one of the cushions.
It seemed we were both making an effort not to relive the night before.
”Amanda and I broke up,” he said.
”Oh, Paul. I hope it’s not because of me because I didn’t want to disrupt your life.“
”No.” He shook his head. “She came to my apartment last night and found your pajamas, and then she saw my bloody T-shirt. I never did clean that mess up off the floor, and there was blood all over the place apparently. It scared her, and she tried calling me on my cell and at work. The job said that I hadn’t been in, and well ...”
”So she broke up with you?” Yeah, that’s the first thing I do when I’m afraid for my man. I break up with him.
”No. It was me. I started making up lies ... and then I realized that it wasn’t right to start with the lies. I mean, it’s always going to end up being lies.”
I looked away. “Shit, I could bite her,” I said brightly.
He shook his head. “No. Then she’d be attached to me forever. And knowing that I don’t want that makes me understand exactly how I feel about her. Long and the short of it—I love Amanda, but I’m not in love with her. And frankly, I have other interests that supersede me playing that role with her.”
I cocked my brow at him. O-kay, then.
”But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. Kim, I want you to turn me.”
”What?” My mouth dropped. “Paul.“
”Hear me out. I want you to turn me so that I can be your Second.”
”I can’t ... do that. I’d probably turn you into some kind of were-rat. If a Second creates a lowly Third, can you imagine what a Third would create?”
”But you’re not a Third. As of last night you are a Master and a Council member. Your bite will create a Second.”
Oh yeah. I was a Master. Gee, I didn’t feel like a Master. “Okay. But Paul, you’re asking me to kill you ...” I couldn’t finish that thought. My brow knitted, and I had to stand up and pace.
”No, I mean, yeah. Technically. But if I were your Second, Kim, you wouldn’t have to rely on some stranger with a hidden agenda to have your back.”
I stared at him. “Uh uh, this isn’t about me. This is about you.”
“You know how your life has taken on a change since becoming a Vampire? You’re not worried about the he-said-she-said in the office. You’re not worried about what to pick up for dinner tomorrow. Your outlook has taken on a total change, right?”
I nodded.
”Mine has, too, now that I’m your donor. My nine-to-five job and listening to my girlfriend discuss which curtains to hang up in my kitchen mean nothing to me anymore. And guess what? It never will again. Now that I have seen Vampires, the door is opened to another type of awareness. There are Vampires, there are probably werewolves, and leprechauns and ... ghosts. So, the chance that I will just go back to my humdrum life is pretty much nil.” Paul sighed then smiled. “And I have to thank you for that, Kim. Thank you for taking me on this ride with you because this is what I want to do.” He stood, walked over to me, and placed his hands on my shoulders. ”Tony can turn me if you can’t.”
I flashed him an angry look. “Tony? Then you will
be like the rest of them. You won’t still be human.”
”Now is as good a time as ever for you to turn me. A lot of my blood is gone already.”
I pushed his hands off my shoulders. ”You can’t be my Second anyway. Remember I’ve got hundreds of Vampires bidding for the spot. What do you think they’ll do come next Saturday when they’ve brought in all my Rogues and I tell them that I made someone else my Second? We’d both be lynched.”
Paul walked away from me. “You are right about that.”
I followed him and put my hand on his shoulder. “And you are invaluable to me as a human. You see things in ways that Tony no longer can. Who will I trust to take care of us during the day? Not to mention the fact that you’re my …“
”Food?” he interrupted.
”Donor is what I was going to say. But yeah. I thought it was pleasing to you.”
He glanced at me from over his shoulder. ”Is that all I’m ever going to be to you? Your food?”
”How can you ask me that after last night?” I flopped down on the couch and rubbed my belly. It was all twisted in hunger.
“Hungry?”
”Hungry doesn’t describe it. Needing blood is like going through withdrawal.”
He sat next to me and rubbed my hand, which wasn’t a smart thing to do. “Dinner will be here soon.”
I stared at him, and he looked away ... but in a really cool way. Not as if he thought I was going to drain him of blood. It would be a really good time to turn him, if I was going to, that is.
I shook my head. Paul is my friend.
”After you’ve fed, we can practice dropping and retracting your teeth.”
”Dropping them won’t be any trouble right now.” I opened my mouth and allowed them to drop. I drooled a little, too.
Paul looked at his wrist. “Where are those girls? It has to be nine ...”
I blinked. I didn’t want to feed from those girls. “What if it gets ... weird?”
”God, I hope it does.”
”Paul!”
”I’m sorry, I forgot not to use the ‘G’ word.“
I threw a pillow at him. “Not that, fool!”
”I’m sorry, okay. I’m just a man.” He laughed.
