Drawing Bloodlines (The Princeton Allegiant Series Book 1)

by Deborah Garland

  “Hey, Dad,” I say and turn my back to Alex, violating a rule I heard about not turning away from an angry vampire.

  I invited my father to come over later and finish the leftovers he forced me to take home from Theresa’s thinking Annie would actually want more turkey, stuffing, and cranberry. Stephen’s mother goes completely overboard. The kid will be in a tryptophan coma by the time she gets home on Sunday night.

  With the storm gearing up, however he’s calling to say he’d rather not come by. “Oh.” I rest my hand against Alex’s chest gathering the soft material of his new Henley under my fingernails.

  He steps forward and presses his body against mine.

  “Okay. I’ll see you next week then. Bye.” I put the phone away and lick my lips.

  “What is it?”

  “My dad doesn’t want to come by because we’re going to get a lot of snow. So . . .” My hooded eyes raise to Alex. I turned into a junkie for this man. “Did you say something about my living room floor?”

  “Elizabeth,” he manages, growling at the crazy line which is now longer. “Please let me buy these items for you online. If it makes you feel better, I’ll make sure I get the same sale prices.”

  I walk over to an empty display table and dump the pile of gifts out of my arms. “Deal.”

  We get back to my house and I let Alex be who he really is: a beautiful possessive vampire who wants to fuck me wildly on the living room floor.

  Hours later, I wake and feel warm and tingly with perspiration.

  I roll over, still half asleep and cuddle into Alex’s arms. It feels like being wrapped in luxurious cool satin sheets. His hands slide down my back, and up again. He caresses my face and then my forehead. There’s a need in his touch, but I can tell he’s stroking me for my pleasure not his.

  I glance at the clock. Two-forty-seven a.m. It prompts me to start a conversation I often roll over in my head again and again. “I’m sorry,” I begin.

  “What on earth for?” He kisses me gently on the ear not crumpled against the pillow.

  “That I’m out of service for so many hours every night.”

  “Elizabeth,” he says with a slight grunt. “I’m quite used to the whole world shutting down every evening.”

  I roll onto my back and let his hands glide across my stomach. I keep my eyes closed, not wanting to fully wake up. Unable to resist me, Alex’s hand closes around one of my breasts. It makes the pebbled skin more puckered while his icy fingers roll my nipple to a taut and hard peak.

  I love how my breasts look in his hands; so round and centered on my body. Victoria Secret should design a bra around him. The Alexander.

  His mouth lowers to my skin and it’s like ice cubes gliding across my nipples. I can’t help but arch my back to increase the pressure. I’m suddenly aware of how sweaty he made me earlier, though. “Do you mind if I shower? I feel sticky.”

  “The only thing that touched your body was me. Did I make you feel dirty tonight?”

  “Of course not.” I lean into him.

  For a doctor, he conveniently forgets about things like sweat and hunger. “Go take a shower.”

  As much as I want scalding hot water to cascade down my body, I turn the cold lever all the way up. I want to feel like Alex, cold and hard, ready to strike.

  After the shower, I shake a few droplets from my clean body. When the cold air hits my nipples, they stand at attention. I return to my bedroom and Alex tosses his phone and growls.

  I sit on his lap and let him smell me. He is stripped down to a pair of briefs and moves his face across my collarbone to take in my smell. His sigh of relief, suggests he approves of my shower.

  I catch that sparkly hint of green, like emeralds. “Alex, I notice your eyes change color, sometimes. Right now, there’s an iridescent glow with a hint of green.”

  His smile drops and after he eases me off of his lap, he rushes to a mirror. Pulling his lower lids down, he examines each eye. “I never noticed this before.”

  “What color were your eyes when you were human?”

  Alex freezes. The way his jaw slacks, I have my answer. “It must have something to do with you. How I feel about you. I haven’t felt like this before, so my eyes have never done this.” He takes my hand and seats me back in his lap.

  He glides the backs of his hands across my cheeks. His lips brush against mine, but he pulls away to catch my eyes. “I love you, Elizabeth.”

  I want to respond, although a return of the exact sentiment will sound stale and hollow.

  “You don’t have to say anything.” Alex lets me off the hook. “As the man, it’s my responsibility to say it first.”

  “Because you’re really a nineteenth century man, hiding out in expensive twenty-first century suits?”

  After a throaty laugh he says, “Yes. But I’m also vampire and by telling you this, it means you are now mine.”

  Whatever I was going to say, dies in my throat as Alexander lowers his briefs to claim me physically until dawn.

  Chapter 16

  Driving to meet Francisco at his appliance repair facility in Trenton Saturday morning churns my vacant stomach.

  Not wanting to tell the head of my allegiant Elijah hacked his phone, I called him about another matter and waited for him to bring up the meeting. Irritatingly, he suggested we meet right away. As my commander, I can’t deny him.

  What worries me is I reek of Elizabeth. We were going at it almost nonstop for two days. She left me briefly to spend Thanksgivings with her father at a friend’s place. We left her house to shop at a mall on Black Friday. I was ready to kill everyone in the place, all the pushing and shoving.

  When we were in that house though, I was inside that woman. I took her again and again and she always wanted more.

  If I had more notice from Francisco I would abstain from her for a few days to let her intoxicating scent dissipate. I squirm though, concerned if I could actually do that at this point. I check my eyes again and they are back to jet black. Is this a vampire side effect of being in love? Or the powerful possessiveness I feel toward Elizabeth? I still have no idea what I am doing with her. I have no intention of making her like me. I hate what I am.

  Being in love feels so damn good, I had to tell her and had no expectations of her to say it back.

  When Elizabeth is ready, she’ll return my affections.

  If my relationship with her comes up with Francisco however, my defense is she figured out about me, albeit through my carelessness. Keeping her is a way to ensure I’m not in any danger.

  The husky vampire standing outside the door to Francisco’s shop halts my hurried steps. A sudden burst of dread crashes through me and the vampire’s massive head jerks up. He smells my venom and settles into a protective stance.

  Zander is from Philadelphia. He’s her personal guard. Damn it. She’s here. Christiana.

  As I pass, Zander tips his immense head in a delicate bow and a long golden-brown ponytail tumbles across his shoulder. He opens the door for me, but his lips are taut like he’s angry.

  I nod to Marisol, Francisco’s counter clerk, and she points toward the back room. The place resembles a pawn shop from the fifties. Its banality is what Francisco feels keeps him under the radar, but it’s so outdated that soon it will scream front.

  This urban neighborhood is where his business thrives, but he lives in Princeton in a mansion. The French aristocrat turned vampire dresses in either exquisite suits or expensive jeans and silk button-down shirts. When he’s not fixing toasters.

  I knock out of respect and before my knuckles hit the wood a second time, the door wedges open a sliver.

  “Alexander,” Francisco greets me warmly. “Thank you for coming on short notice.”

  “Of course. Any time.” I step inside
when he opens the door further.

  As dingy and plain as the store is, Francisco’s office is opulent. What must Marisol think about her boss?

  Or the stunning woman he’s meeting with at the moment.

  “You remember Christiana, don’t you?” Francisco asks with open palms toward her.

  “Yes, of course.” I approach the lady vampire and take the hand she holds out for me.

  As second-in-command of Philadelphia, I show my respect and bend one knee. I had her on both knees more times than I care to remember. As far as I know, Francisco knows nothing of our sordid past.

  Long dark hair curtains a snow-white face and her eyes sparkle. Black. They were always black. She kept our secret all these years. Shortly after feeding off humans and having intimate relations with them was outlawed, I had my ‘accident’.

  Christiana was a low-level sentinel from the New York Vampire Command sent to ‘deal’ with me. Before she moved to Philadelphia, the payment for the lenient report that absolved me was to submit to her sexual needs.

  It’s why I’m now sickened by feeding off humans during sex and sex with female vampires.

  The last contact I had with Christiana was a few years ago when she came to New Jersey to collect a few of her goons who crossed the state line without permission. Zander out there was one of them.

  “Christiana has been given full command of Philadelphia.” Francisco prods me out of my thoughts, to which I’m grateful.

  “Congratulations,” I say in earnest and work to remove the scowl that appears on my face when I think about Christiana and the past. “What happened to Aiden?”

  Francisco and Christiana exchange a cagey glance. It’s he who answers. “Disappeared.”

  “Disappeared?” If I sound bewildered it’s because vampires that old and prominent, don’t disappear.

  “It’s odd, yes.” Christiana speaks while her slim hands sit folded in her lap. She comes off as soft and innocent, but the seven-hundred-year-old vampire is cunning and ruthless. “I reported it to New York, but you know how they are. Even if they find him, he won’t be commanding anyone any time soon.”

  The New York Vampire Command, run by four vampires who measure time in centuries, mete out decrees, promotions and punishments. They rule with heavy fists and show little mercy.

  When Aiden collected his goons that time, my impression of him was that he was fair and reasonable. Having an ice-queen as his second, I guess, let him leave most of the discipline to her. I remember she likes discipline.

  Christiana stands. “Francisco, I’ll leave you to your business. You’ll call me soon?”

  Her tall, lean frame perfectly fills out what I’m sure is an expensive designer suit. The red soles of her shoes, barely scuffed suggests she owns several pairs.

  “Yes, of course.” He shakes her hand.

  When she passes me, I again bow my head, but her cool fingers catch my chin and raises it so our eyes meet. “There will be no need for that,” she says and runs her hand down the center of my shirt, smoothing my tie. A flinch from her nose raises her black eyes to mine. She smells Elizabeth, but I smell Zander on her.

  “Nice to see you again,” is all I reply, since stay the fuck away from me is probably not the thing to say out loud.

  Like a blizzard’s frigid gust, the breeze she leaves behind makes me shiver. I close the door. Even the goddamn knob is still cold. I turn back to Francisco. Ordinarily, I can say anything to him. It’s one of the things I enjoy about being aligned with him. Christiana’s presence, however leaves me apprehensive.

  “Interesting turn of events.” He gestures for me to take the seat Christiana occupied.

  Not wanting to feel anything that woman touched, I sit in the opposite chair. “Interesting indeed. When was the last time you spoke to Aiden?”

  “I saw him in New York a couple of months ago.” Francisco leans back in his chair. “I honestly did not detect any discontentment.”

  “What do you think happened?” I ask softly.

  “The most likely scenario is that he fell in love with a human and instead of risking his position or his people, he found a way off the grid.” Francisco eyes me cautiously offering his opinion.

  Immediately I think of Elizabeth and worry. If Francisco’s theory is right, what would happen to Aiden if he were found? What would they do to the human?

  “So, Alexander, in addition to Christiana telling me the news about Aiden, she asked a favor of me.” Francisco tents his fingers.

  All I hope is she asked him to help in her command and he will be absent for a while. Considering how my relationship with Elizabeth is progressing, this may be good news for me. “What is that?”

  “You should feel very proud of yourself, Alexander. She wants you to be her second-in-command.”

  A shot of venom surges through me. That’s not happening. Collecting myself, however I say, “That is certainly an honor. Philadelphia is an impressive allegiant. But I’m quite happy in Princeton with my work and more importantly, my anonymity.”

  Francisco smiles. “Oh my dear, Alexander. It’s actually not a choice for you to make. She has chosen you. It’s done. To refuse would make me send you to New York to be counselled.” He releases an ominous chuckle. “I don’t think you want that.”

  I shoot to my feet. “Are you kidding me? I have to leave just because she picked me? Why me? I’m not even two hundred years old. There has to be others who are more qualified. In DC. Or Boston even.”

  “She likes you.”

  The way she touched my skin affirms she didn’t forget what I did to her body. Even if it was under duress. I was fighting for survival. I went at her like a maniac and prayed she would tire of me. Every second with her made me sick and I was fucking ecstatic when she told me she was joining the Philadelphia command. I was in the middle of one of my medical residencies and couldn’t go with her. Not that I would have even if I were homeless.

  “Francisco, I beg you to get me out of this. Say you need me to be your second.”

  “I have a second.”

  “Victor is traveling the globe. How the hell is he helping you?”

  “That’s just it. I don’t need a second.”

  “Francisco, why are you willing to give me up?”

  “I can’t deny New York, if they approved the exchange.”

  I’m being traded like a horse at an equestrian show. I turn around as blinding panic settles in. This is real. “Francisco, I’m a doctor. I can’t just apply for a job in Philadelphia. I’m licensed here in New Jersey. There’re boards to take, paperwork, and background checks.”

  “Elijah will make sure your information transfers flawlessly.”

  “But it will take time. He can’t forge certifications.”

  He nods his head. “That is valid.”

  “And I teach at the university. I can’t just leave in the middle of the semester. We work so hard to exist in our charades. I’m sorry Philadelphia had an upheaval, but that shouldn’t throw us into turmoil.”

  “I will speak to Elijah to see how much time he will need to transfer your identification. I’ll simply explain to Christiana we are making our preparations. But I can’t expect her to wait more than thirty days.”

  “Great.” Elizabeth was worried about years coming between us. Now, we only have days.

  “It’s probably a good time for you to take on a new identity anyway. I’ll have Elijah send you a list of available names.”

  I’ve been Alexander Manning for so long, I can’t imagine being someone else. It’s a common enough name so I was able to recycle it. My best move is to just agree with Francisco and get the hell out of here. “All right. But please know I don’t want this. I don’t want to leave you. I don’t want to leave the life I made in Princeton.”
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br />   His eyes narrow on me. “I understand.” He extends his hand toward me.

  I would normally shake it, but considering the respect I showed Christiana, I kneel before him as well.

  “That is not necessary.” He gently eases me up. “I never wanted to be worshipped like that. I’ll be in touch, Alexander.”

  I drop my head in short nods and turn to leave.

  “Oh, Alexander, there is one other thing.”

  Uh-oh. “Yes?” I ask and turn to meet his eyes.

  “You will be expected to mate with Christiana as well.”

  My brain rushes venom through my body at such an alarming rate, that I back away from Francisco unsure I can control myself. If poor Marisol walks in the office, I might attack the poor woman, too. “No. No, Francisco.”

  “No what, Alexander?”

  “No, to all of it. This is really infuriating. One hundred and twenty years ago I also had to marry a woman I hated! Give me the name of who in New York I have to appeal to. I’ll offer my services to them if I have to. I imagine a doctor would be useful to them. Especially the older . . .” I lower my voice. “Vampires.”

  “The decree came from New York. You don’t think they would just hand over a busy allegiant like Philadelphia to Christiana without the guidance of a male at her side. You should be grateful they are essentially entrusting you with the entire city, as well.”

  I can’t imagine anything I want less. I am not a warrior nor a politician. How can New York think I can be of service to such an important allegiant? No. No. No. “There has to be an appeals process. I should be allowed to address my own fate.”

  “I’m afraid the way I run our state with a sense of justice and fairness gave you a false sense of true vampire politics. There are no hearings or appeal processes in New York,” he says as if I asked him if Godzilla guards their lair.

  “Then . . .” Fear pulses through me for what I’m about to say. “Then I’ll go to Loren. I know New York will listen to him.”