Blood Rising

by Amber Anthony

  Matt drew in a deep breath and sighed it out. “I make no promises, but I’ll try not to make any decisions until the change is over.”

  Rick nodded, and clapped Matt on the shoulder again. “Now, safety. We have to be proactive. I think the two of you should move into the mansion with me as soon as possible. If you’re together when it happens, I have the staff and security to keep Cat safe. None of us thinks a human is safe with a newly turned vampire.”

  Matt watched Cat and Georgia meet up on the balcony and head their way. He struggled to put a smile on his face. “On that, you and I agree completely, brother. She has to stay away from me. The trouble is, she’s a little stubborn.”

  Cat took Matt’s arm when she reached him. “Dance with us, gentlemen,” she implored. “We’ve done our bit for business tonight.” She smiled at Rick. “Now, there’s an excellent orchestra playing, and we deserve a little reward, don’t you think?”

  Rick bowed to the women. “I wholeheartedly agree.” He took Georgia’s hand in his and led the way to the dance floor.

  Cat relaxed into Matt’s embrace and swayed to the music. “And if anyone tries to cut in, you have my permission to beat him up.”

  “That wouldn’t be very gentlemanly.”

  “No, but it would be very satisfying.” She sighed. “My feet hurt and I miss the beach. When can we go home?”

  “Rick and I were just discussing that. We’ll cut out after this dance, and when we get home, you and I need to have a serious talk.” She looked at him curiously, but didn’t push it.

  A high-profile gathering with so many bigwigs required extra security, including guards with dogs patrolling the grounds. Limos came and went, and Matt waited impatiently for theirs to arrive, just so they could get the hell out of there. He was briefly embarrassed when one of the dogs caught his scent and barked ferociously. Cat took a shocked step back, and when Rick and Georgia joined them, the guard dogs went berserk, barking and even howling, to the astonishment of their handlers. Rick and Matt ignored the cringing, growling dogs, but Cat’s eyes went wide.

  “Gosh,” she glanced in Rick’s direction, “I guess animals really are naturally afraid of vampires.”

  Matt smiled, but said nothing. He wanted to get home and get this over with. He was feeling less and less human by the minute.

  * * * *

  Cat watched uneasily as Matt withdrew further and further into a bleak mood. The drive seemed interminable by the time they dropped Rick and Georgia off, and then returned to the beach. Just as the limo pulled up to their door, Matt broke out in a profuse sweat.

  “Cat, I need to tell you…” His steps faltered as they walked through the door. “Just let me sit down for a minute and I’ll be okay. Then, we have to talk.”

  As relieved as Cat was to be home, fear insidiously niggled at her. Something was desperately wrong with Matt. With the Humanité in his system, could he suffer human maladies? Oh, God, please let it be that simple.

  “You want to come out onto the deck and sit? Get some fresh air?”

  “Yeah, good idea.”

  She preceded him onto the deck and looked up at the stars, rubbing her arms to ward off the chill night breeze, or maybe it was the deep sense of foreboding.

  “You want a nightcap out here to unwind?” she asked.

  He pulled impatiently at his tie. “No, I’m exhausted. I’m going to bed.”

  She studied his face. He looked haggard and pale under his tan. “You said you wanted to talk. I’ll come with.”

  She looped her arm through his, but he ignored her. He stopped next to the bed, stripping off his jacket, and then letting it fall to the floor. A very uncharacteristic thing for Matt.

  “Matt.” She reached out just as he fell as a dead weight onto the bed. He was ashen. “Matt! Matt!” He opened wounded eyes. “What’s wrong, baby? Are you sick?”

  “Yeah. Yeah.” He rolled and curled into a ball. “I think I am.”

  Cat’s nurturing instinct kicked into high gear. She felt his forehead, trying to decide if he had a fever, but no, he was cool, even clammy.

  “Oh! I’m gonna be sick!” he declared, leaping up and staggering for the bathroom. He vomited up the entire contents of his dinner before he got to the door, and then sank weakly to the floor, looking around helplessly for a towel.

  “Oh, Matt!” Cat was instantly beside him, seizing the waste basket and placing it in easy reach. “Honey!” She brushed his hair back, and he stared up at her with blank eyes, opalescent eyes. “I’m here, Matt. I’m right here,” she reassured him, touching him with gentle fingers, feeling anything but calm. Now, she knew what was happening.

  Chapter 16

  Cat observed the unmistakable changes ravaging Matt with horror. A knowing part of her, deep inside, recognized his transformation, but was unwilling to acknowledge it.

  “Get out of here, Cat! Please!” He growled sickly. “Get out! I’m dangerous! Call Rick. Please, if you love me, get out!” His plea seemed to have taken his last bit of strength, and to her astonishment, his body was suddenly out of control.

  “Oh, no, Matt!” she cried, not knowing what to do to help him. “I’m calling Rick right now. I’ll be back, baby. I’ll be right back! Just hold on!”

  She stripped off her soiled, expensive gown without another thought as she ran for the phone. It took her several agonizing minutes to convince Rick’s assistant to put him on, and that this was Matt’s emergency.

  “What’s happening, Cat?” Rick asked, using the speaker phone.

  “Rick! Matt’s sick… I think he’s turning!”

  “His biggest concern is for you. Get out of there.”

  “He’s thrown up, and he’s clammy—”

  “And he’s lost all control of his bladder and bowels, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “He’s turning. Very soon, he’ll be ravenously hungry—for blood. I’m heading for the beach house right now. This is what I want you to do. There’s blood in the freezer in the garage. You know the one I mean?”

  “Yes. Yes.” She shook so badly she could barely speak. “That freezer’s locked.”

  “The key is in the right-hand drawer in the kitchen desk. I want you to go there and find it, now.”

  How could he be so calm when her whole world was coming to an end? She detoured through the bedroom on her way to the kitchen, and found Matt still as she’d left him. He hadn’t moved. She didn’t know what terrified her more, his stillness, or the possibility of uncontrolled blood lust. She tore open the kitchen desk drawer, and then closed her hand around the key.

  “Yes. Yes. I have the key. Now what?”

  “Good girl. Now I want you to unlock the freezer and get out three, no, make that four packs of blood. Do that now.”

  She dashed to the garage, and with fingers made numb by fear, she finally got the lock open. The freezer was stocked full of blood. She pulled out six units. It couldn’t hurt to have extra.

  “This blood is frozen solid, Rick.”

  “I know, I know, but it’ll be okay for now.” He continued on in the same infuriatingly calm voice. “Go to the bathroom, stopper the drains and fill the sinks and tub with hot water. After you’ve done that, put a pack in each sink, the others in the tub and get the hell out of the house!”

  “What? You want me to just leave him here like this? With no help?”

  “Yes, Cat. I want you to leave him there. I’m already on my way. I’m in the car. I’ll be there as soon as I’m able. You’ll have put blood there for him. You’ll have done everything you can.” He sighed, but his voice became sterner than she’d ever heard it. “Listen to me, Cat, get out of the house. He may have no more control than a fledging. He could kill you and not even realize he’s done it. I can’t let that happen.”

  “I’m not leaving him here alone, Rick.”

  “This isn’t a debate!” he shouted. “It’s what Matt wants!” The line went dead.

  Cat hurried to the bathroom, and
then ran the hot water as Rick directed. She turned and bent over Matt. He was still out of it. Once the water was hot, she set the packs of blood into it to defrost.

  Matt moaned and stirred behind her. “Matt!” She was on the floor next to him in a flash. His eyes opened and his gaze met hers with dim, opaline recognition. “Hey, baby,” she cooed softly, wiping damp hair away from his face. “I’m here. Rick’s on his way. You’re gonna be okay.”

  Matt’s fangs descended and he growled. Weakly, he tried to push her away. How long would the weakness last, she wondered. Long enough for Rick to get there?

  “Do you think you can stand?”

  His head fell back, and with an enormous effort and her help, Matt managed to lever himself up against the wall to a standing position. Together, they staggered toward the shower stall. Cat turned frigid water on full blast and stripped off his clothes as he rested against the cool marble walls.

  Her touch was impersonal now, devoid of emotion. She needed to stay that way to keep from screaming her agony and falling apart completely. She grabbed the bath gel and used it liberally, washing off the filth covering him, washing his hair, and rinsing him completely. She hoped for his sake he wouldn’t remember this tomorrow.

  Matt caressed her cheek as she turned him to rinse his back. His gentle stroke was marred by long, claw-like nails tearing her delicate skin and starting a trickle of blood. She didn’t feel the cut, but obviously Matt smelled the blood. They looked down at it covering his fingers, and Cat touched her face, feeling the sting of the abrasion. He roared in a frenzy, the vampire within becoming fully engaged. She drew back, every limb quaking as she watched him.

  He gasped, and when he spoke, his voice was rough and inhuman. “I’m begging you, Cat, get away from me.”

  Cat refused to leave. Instead, she wrapped him in a bath towel and spoke soothingly. “I have some blood thawing for you right now. Come on, let’s get you into bed and you can have some.”

  Matt resisted her with a low growl and hiss. He was quickly gaining strength. His hold on her was now effortless and as strong as steel. He sniffed her neck as if scenting the tantalizing aroma of her blood. Cat froze. He’d told her once the neck was a dangerous place to bite. The wrist offered much more control. She knew without a doubt she was now in mortal danger. She had to be smart about this, had to minimize the danger if she hoped to survive the night.

  “You want my blood, don’t you?” Cat surrendered to the inevitable. He growled low and juicy, transfixed on her neck. “Okay. Okay. Let’s sit here, and you can have it.”

  The monster inside him whined and cocked his head as though seeing her for the first time, and settled abruptly onto the marble shower bench. His claws nearly pierced her skin as he drew her roughly toward him. Cat did her best to drape herself across his lap, and lean against the cold marble wall. She prayed now. Prayed he had presence enough to hold her, so she wouldn’t black out and hit her head against the unforgiving marble floor. She prayed Rick would get there in time, prayed Matt wouldn’t kill her, blame himself and take his own life in remorse.

  He was at full vampire’s strength now, but his self-restraint disappeared along with his humanity. A sudden calm descended over Cat, and with a gentle sigh, she consciously decided to meet her fate at his hands, whatever that might be. Maybe, if she gave herself to him willingly, he’d remember it and not be devastated by guilt when he killed her.

  “Here, baby.” She spoke gently, as she would to the gravely ill. “Here’s my wrist. You take my blood if you need to.”

  Matt sniffed her arm for mere seconds before biting fiercely into it. She was amazed that somehow, by the grace of God, he’d missed an artery. Pure instinct guided her now. He drew hard upon her wrist, great swallows and mouthfuls of blood, paralyzing the nerves from her shoulder to her fingertips, and making it feel as if her whole hand was on fire. She stifled a moan, knowing instinctively she must keep quiet, still, and wait for Rick.

  She watched Matt’s face, and the intensity with which he fed. She couldn’t help it, she knew she shouldn’t move, but the man beneath the monster was still her Matt. She reached out with her free hand and gently ran it across his handsome cheek, now so distorted with his voracity to feed.

  His bloody gorging slowed. He came to himself, briefly. His head twitched, and he looked at her. His fangs retracted instantly, though the vampire’s roar reverberated against the stone walls. It was the blood lust, Cat knew. He was close to killing her, but somewhere he must have found the will to resist. She closed her eyes and drifted away into a soft oblivion.

  * * * *

  Matt was still the man who loved and protected Cat, and by some miracle he managed to subdue the overpowering need of his vampire. He listened to her heart beat, slower, fainter, but not fatal. Not yet. She swooned, and he held her fast, lowering them to the floor of the shower, her magnificent love-filled blood strengthening him. He didn’t have the control yet to stop feeding entirely, so he concentrated instead on keeping his fangs retracted, letting the wounds naturally pool the blood up to him, taking small amounts. Had she said Rick was on his way? Please, God, he prayed, holding her tightly in his arms, let him not be too late!

  * * * *

  Rick tore into the room. “Matt! Where are you? Matt!” He steeled himself against the unmistakable and disgusting odors. Steadying himself against the door of the shower, Rick watched Matt, listening for Cat’s heartbeat and her breathing. They were there. Not great, but not life threatening. Not yet, anyway. “Dear boy.” He spoke calmly, avoiding eye contact, careful not to inadvertently challenge a newly turned vamp feeding from his prey. “Cat called me. Looks as if she got you some help.”

  Matt looked down at the pallid, beautiful woman in his lap and held her against his chest, rocking her gently. His eyes were brightly human. He looked up. “Help us, Rick. We need help,” he whispered before he lost consciousness.

  Rick didn’t hesitate. He grabbed Cat out of Matt’s limp arms, taking her to the safety of the spare bedroom, and then laying her gently onto the bed. He stacked pillows under her feet and blankets over her in an effort to ward off shock. On his way back to Matt, he called the responders for help.

  “I have an emergency.” He gave the address to the businesslike woman on the other end of the phone. “We need blood transfusions of O negative. It’s a human recipient.” He listened to her response with irritation. “Yes, we’re trying to save her! This is Rick Hiatt. You tell your boss if he’s not here in fifteen minutes, he’d better look for another line of work, because he’ll be out of business! You got that? Very well, that’s better…the door’s open, tell him to come to the master bedroom.”

  Matt roused swiftly, his eyes opaline again, his fangs descended. Rick picked him off the shower floor, and put him on the bench. He looked over at the sink. Two thawed units of blood floated in the water, four more waited in the tub. He smiled. Clever girl. Kept her head through this whole mess. He grabbed the thawed blood, and then drained the sinks.

  “Here, Matt! Here’s some blood until we can get you to the Gaoler for some fresh donors.”

  Rick tore the seal from one unit, letting Matt drink straight from the bag as he emptied the other into a glass. Matt drank ravenously, emptying the bag in a few gulps before accepting the glass Rick eagerly thrust into his hands. Rick saw he was gaining self-control quickly now. He’d probably consumed at least four units of blood between what he took from Cat and the bagged stuff. Just to be sure, he planned to give him one more before they left. Matt’s fangs retracted, his eyes normalized, and he stood on strong legs again. He voiced his first coherent thought.

  “Where’s Cat?” he whispered, dread suffusing every syllable.

  The responders thundered into the bedroom, dressed in their innocuous blue jumpsuits. “Where’s the woman?” the lead vampire asked without preamble.

  * * * *

  Matt fought panic, the dread inside him exploding. He resisted Rick’s restraining arm, terrified
of what he’d find, but desperate to get to Cat. The other somber vamps in the group of responders stood holding their high-tech cleaning supplies, respectfully out of the way of the unfolding drama.

  “She’s all right!” Rick answered them simultaneously. “She’s all right. She’s in the spare bedroom down the hall. She’s had some blood loss, but with a transfusion, she should be fine.” He turned to the vamp with the medical bag. “Thanks for coming. I know this isn’t your usual case. Tonight you’re Florence Nightingale in blue coveralls.”

  “Always available to help you, Mr. Hiatt.” The man bowed formally, and then set off down the hall.

  Rick turned to Matt. “I’ll take you to her. She’s unconscious right now.”

  “Oh, God!” Matt groaned.

  “Unconscious, but unhurt. They’ll have her patched up in no time. Just take it easy, you don’t want to scare her, do you?”

  “No, of course not,”

  “Then, take it easy. Try to act as if this is normal procedure, okay?”

  “Yeah. Yeah. Just let me go to her.” Rick paced Matt down the hall, holding him to a walk.

  The light from the hallway reflected on Cat’s face as Matt entered the room. Her waxy, pale color nearly brought him to his knees. The responder clicked on the overhead light, deftly setting up the intravenous supplies and blood. Matt stood at her bedside, sucking in unnecessary breaths, hoping to calm himself. He listened to the slow, faint thudding of her ravaged heart.

  The responder stood at his side. “Excuse me, Matt, I need to get in here to start the IV.”

  “Sure, Boris, thanks,” he murmured, giving him room. “Humans need to have blood that matches their type,” Matt reminded him.

  Boris smiled reassuringly. “I’m aware of that. She’s in good hands. Why don’t you get dressed? She’ll probably be coming around when you get back.”