Tainted Blood

by Sara Hubbard

  I sigh and consider it but know I can’t refuse, not when my sister’s happiness and life are at stake. I nod, just once.

  “And I also need one taste.”

  My gaze flashes back up to his bright blue eyes. “Of my blood? O…kay.” I hesitate at first, thinking I misunderstand him. He knows my blood can kill him. Does he have a death wish? I pull my long dark hair over my left shoulder and tip my head.

  He shakes his head. “I don’t want your blood, you silly girl. I want you to taste mine.”

  Alarm bells go off in my head. If he’s asking for me to drink from him, he has a reason, and I can’t help assuming it will turn around to bite me in the ass.

  “W-Why? What will it do to me?”

  “Don’t worry. It won’t make you like me. Let’s just say, it will connect us. Wherever you are, I will always be able to sense you. It’s an insurance policy—if you will—that will make it easier to find you when I want to collect on my favor.”

  He says it so matter-of-factly, and I have to admit I see the logic to it. He wants to be able to find me to collect his favor. Okay. But it also means he’ll be able to find me if he decides I’m no longer a benefit to him alive. I don’t want him to be able to sense me. I’ll never be able to get away from him until he meets his final death. Or I do, I suspect—whichever is shorter. But if something goes wrong and I don’t kill that vampire, this will ensure my sister is far away from here and safe. Plus, she’ll be able to get out of that wretched cell. So as much as the thought worries me, I agree to his terms.

  Slowly, I draw in a deep breath as he slices open a vein on the underside of his wrist with one of his nails. Burgundy-colored fluid breaks through the cut and pools before sliding over his flesh to drip onto the floor. I lick my lips and swallow a hard lump growing so large in my throat I almost can’t choke it down, and I mentally prepare myself to taste an immortal.

  7

  I don’t want to do this, and though every fiber in my body screams at me to stop, I can’t. If this sets my sister free, refusing it isn’t an option. I’ll just have to deal with whatever happens next. Somehow, I manage to come out on the other side of every obstacle I face, and I’ll face this one too.

  Standing in front of me, he holds up his wrist to my mouth. The smell of his blood is oddly intoxicating, and it arouses me—much to my surprise. Is this how all women feel when he offers them his blood? It has to be because it certainly isn’t him. Sure, he’s interesting in a Bram Stoker kind of way, and he looks like a tall, thick Viking with golden hair that frames his head like a halo. But he’s not my type. He’s the kind of guy you look at in magazines and drool over, but you’d never take your clothes off for because you’d be too self-conscious.

  I squint, prepared for the metallic taste, and I part my lips ever so slightly. A chill walks over my body as he presses his cold arm to my mouth. I press my lips to his cold, unyielding flesh. Kissing his skin is like kissing a rock, but a hunger deep in the pit of my stomach awakens, and I can’t push it away, no matter how hard I try to fight it. One long pull, and I’m ready to let go, but his long fingers wrap around the back of my neck slowly, like a caress.

  “That’s a girl. Just a little bit more.”

  I try to pull back, but he holds me firm. I want to stop, but I don’t. God help me. I can’t make myself. I drink large gulps now, the chilly liquid cooling me as it slides down the back of my throat. I grip his arm and suck harder, unable to pull his flesh in tight enough against my lips. More, my body cries. I want it all. A wave of euphoria fills me, and the world feels dreamlike. My body is weightless, and every fear inside of me sort of fades away. I don’t want to stop. I breath in deeply and let it out before taking an even longer swig, but his free hand grips my shoulder now and firmly pushes me away. My mouth stays latched like an eel and his stoney voice commands me, “Stop.”

  And I do. Immediately. I take a step back, almost stumbling, drunk on his blood. The room is foggy for a moment but comes into focus quickly as all of my senses sharpen to a point. I can hear someone humming in the next room, a faucet dripping nearby…or maybe far.

  “What’s happening to me?” I wipe his blood off my chin with the back of my arm. A hiccup escapes my mouth. The dim lighting blinds me.

  “Only a taste of what you’d be if you were vampire.”

  “No. I don’t want that. I never will.”

  “But you did. For a moment, you wanted it desperately. I could smell your desire. It poured off you like feverish sweat.” His nostrils flare, and his eyelids flutter before he regains his composure.

  “Don’t pretend that was what I wanted. It was what you wanted me to want—some mind control you did to me that I’m helpless to fight against.”

  He chuckles darkly. “If you say so.”

  “I want to see my sister now.”

  “Of course. In the morning, I’ll release her as promised.” He reaches out for me, and I back away again. Oh, no, you don’t.

  “Remember, you remain here until the vampire is dead. You break your promise, and I’ll turn your sister and spend the rest of eternity torturing her for your betrayal.”

  I gasp. “No. That wasn’t part of the deal. You never said…”

  “I never said what? That I wouldn’t turn her?” He gets up and pours himself another glass of scotch. Holding the glass in his hand, he returns to his velvet chaise. “Stick to your end of the deal, and I’ll make good on mine. Clear?”

  “Crystal,” I shout as I storm out of the room.

  His chuckling travels with me as I jog up the stairs and roam the halls back to my room. But I don’t go in. No. I can’t sleep right now, and I can’t be trapped in a room that isn’t mine. They may not lock me in now, but it’s still a cell, and I won’t sit quietly while they make me do their bidding.

  At the end of the hall, I find the same staircase that leads to the basement. It also leads up. With my hand on the metal rail, I circle the stairs up to the roof. There are no torches at the top of the stairs, but with Alexander’s blood flowing through my veins, I can see through the darkness. I grip the handle and slide it open before pushing on the door. The cool fall air hits my mouth and fills my lungs. It’s fresher, like I’ve been trapped in a coffin with no air. I heave it in, unable to get enough. The white and gray moon beams down on me as I glance up at it. Then I close my eyes and prepare for what I have to do tomorrow.

  A deep voice startles me, and I jump back then spin around. Even with my heightened senses I couldn’t hear Sebastian as he drew near. He steps to the side, out of the way of a large air conditioning unit and mechanical equipment.

  I exhale and look away, to the expanse of trees below.

  “Don’t jump,” he says, his tone teasing.

  “Why is it that everywhere I go, you’re right behind me?”

  “Are you sure it’s me following you? Maybe you’re following me. I have that effect on women.”

  I raise my eyebrows in challenge, though I don’t doubt it’s true—except in my case. In mine, he really is stalking me. As he comes near, there is something about him that’s different. It takes me a moment to realize it’s not him. It’s me or, more specifically, my eyesight. Everything about him is sharper. I should have expected this. Any red-blooded woman would find him attractive, but now, he’s even more so. The slightest imperfections define his face—for the better. A pale mole dots the flesh to the left of his lips, and tiny freckles spatter the apples of his cheeks. He left eye has a speck of brown. Tipping my head to the side, I narrow my eyes as I strain to see the tiniest details. “What color were your eyes before you turned?” I find myself asking. I hadn’t meant to speak it aloud, but there it is.

  “One brown, one blue, although not this shade of blue. It was darker.”

  “Huh.” I walk to the edge of the roof and take a seat. My hands slide along a pebble, and I cut my hand. It’s small and superficial but enough for it to drip down my wrist.

  His nostrils flare, and he clo
ses his eyes as he sniffs the air. His eyes flash red when he opens them. “Such a tease.”

  I hold up my hand. “One drop couldn’t possibly hurt,” I say innocently.

  “Said the slayer to the vampire…”

  “Ironic, isn’t it?”

  He sniffs the air again and narrows his eyes while focusing on Alexander’s dried blood that I wiped off in the middle of my chest. “Why is his blood on you?” he asks though the set of his wide jaw gives him away. He doesn’t like the idea. That makes two of us.

  I shrug and give no response. He likely knows the answer already.

  “He’s letting my sister go,” I say. “In the morning.”

  He chuckles, this time without humor. “You drank his blood.”

  “I did what I had to do. I can’t have her stay here locked up while I live in luxury.”

  “You have no idea what you’ve done.”

  He catches me off guard. He almost sounds as if he cares. “You’re right. I don’t. But I’d do anything for you to release my sister, so…there it is.”

  “You foolish girl. You’re going to get yourself killed.”

  “Don’t pretend you care. I’m sure at the end of all this you’ll kill me anyway. Or Alexander will. But now I owe him a favor, so maybe he’ll let me live long enough to collect.”

  “He doesn’t need to kill you now.”

  I spin my head in his direction. “What do you mean?”

  He finds the rock I cut myself on and takes it, examining my blood carefully as he holds it up to the light. Then he chucks it into the night, and I swear it climbs forever. It just might reach the moon.

  “I’m not too proud to admit I’m out of my league. I don’t expect you to help me, and I’m done giving away favors, but…if you can tell me what taking his blood will do to me, I’d really appreciate it. You said before you want us to trust each other. It goes both ways. I can promise you I’ll put my trust in you if you do the same for me.”

  He huffs. “Wherever you go, from now until the day you die, he’ll sense you. He’ll be able to track you, sense your emotions, influence your thoughts, although I don’t know if the bond will work as strongly with someone like you.”

  “He never said.”

  He laughs. “Are you surprised?”

  “No. I guess not.”

  “Never drink a vampire’s blood again.” His tone is severe, reprimanding. “Never.”

  “Except yours?” I say, more as a joke.

  He surprises me when he says, “Not even mine.”

  “You’re hard to figure out,” I say softly. “You act all hard and vampire-like, and yet I get the distinct feeling that you want to help me. I just don’t understand why.”

  “I’ve already told you.”

  “Sure, you told me the official reason, but I think there’s more to it than that.”

  He eyes me, the whites of his eyes glowing in the darkness.

  “You’re not going to tell me though.”

  “No.”

  “Well, I expected that. So what will we talk about? I doubt you’re going to leave me anytime soon.”

  “I’m just making sure you don’t jump,” he says.

  “Sure you are. And five minutes ago, I might have preferred jumping to spending time alone with you.”

  “And now?”

  “I don’t know. I thought I wanted to be alone, but…now, I think I prefer the company, even if it’s with a vampire.”

  “I knew you’d come around.” He nudges my shoulder with his own.

  I let out a genuine laugh, and it echoes in the night. The moon shines down on us, and the light dims as dark clouds pass overhead.

  “Alexander also told me about your infatuation with Cassandra. I’m sorry about her, by the way.”

  He almost growls. “Infatuated. She was just a woman I spent time with. Nothing more. And he changed her to keep me close to him.”

  “Do you and your brother not get along?”

  Delicate frown lines cover his forehead as he considers my question. “Alexander and I are oil and water. We stay together and part ways, then come together again, over and over again. He thought a woman would add to our family and keep me close to him. But she only frustrated me.”

  “Because she was reckless? I mean, that’s what he said.”

  Sebastian nods and shifts on the roof to hang his legs over the edge like me. Usually, I don’t like heights, but tonight, it doesn’t bother me at all. Another effect of the vampire blood? “Alexander also said she was a distraction to keep your mind off a woman you loved.”

  His face changes; his eyes flame. With my keen new eyes, the color is more defined: a deep red with hints of orange and gold on the edges. He catches me staring longer than I should, and I snap my head forward to focus on the long driveway and the half-dozen white lights that line it like a runway.

  “What was her name?”

  Although I don’t think he’ll answer, he does. But his voice is soft and a little choked up. “Penelope.” In her name, I see a very different side of him. He won’t look at me, and I want him to, if only to search his eyes. He’s not as cold as he seems, and my heart breaks for him a little. I don’t know their story, but I know in my gut it was tragic.

  “That’s a really nice name.” I shift on the roof, the cool tin chilling my backside. A crow flies overhead, crying at us before settling on the chimney that is farthest away from us.

  We sit in silence for a long while. When the blood starts to wear off and my eyesight returns to normal, it takes me some time to adjust. It makes me realize how little humans really see compared to them. I have to admit I enjoy the different perspective. And maybe that will help me in the future. Know your enemy and all that…

  As the night grows colder, I fold my arms over my chest and crisscross my legs. Sebastian doesn’t hesitate to offer me his leather jacket. “Thank you,” I say as he drapes it over my shoulders. His scent is all over the jacket, and I find myself drinking it in. Vampires. Intoxicating. It’s really not fair. If I had an ounce of their juice in high school, I might have had a few boyfriends. I uncross and cross my legs again, shift a little uneasily, and put my hands down to steady myself.

  “Careful. If you fall, it’s game over, regardless of whether you drank from Alexander or not.”

  “You wouldn’t catch me? I haven’t killed that vampire yet.”

  “Even if I could fly, I’d let you fall.”

  “Well screw you, too,” I say, earning me a chuckle.

  “I’d catch you, Emily, even if you asked me not to.”

  I open my mouth but snap it shut. For a moment, I almost forget he kidnapped us, that I’m his prisoner, and he’s a vampire, and I’m the very thing meant to kill him and all those like him.

  “If this vampire tries to kill me,” I begin, “will you help me then?”

  He lets go of a long sigh. “I think it’s time for you to go to bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

  Hmm. I guess that’s as good a response as I’m going to get, and it disappoints me. I don’t expect him to care about me. Hell, it would be crazy for me to want him to, but since finding out what I am, I feel a touch alone. No one can really understand what I’m going through or know how much I fear what I am and how I may never measure up. Owning your role as a witch vampire hunter is a tall order to fill for a super human, let alone an average girl like me.

  I slip off his jacket and hold it out to him. When he takes it from me, his fingers brush over mine, and the cold doesn’t shock me or make me flinch this time. He slides his arms into the sleeves and stands, offering me a hand, which I take to help myself up. The chilly roof worked its way through my clothes, and now the backs of my thighs and my lower legs are numb.

  “What are we doing tomorrow?” I ask curiously.

  “I thought we were freeing your sister.”

  This makes me grin up at him. And the grin he returns dazzles me. He has a cheeky smile when he’s trying to be funny
or cute, but this smile is different. It’s genuine, and it softens all the hardness in his soul and his face.

  “It’ll be a good day,” I say.

  “Hmph. Well, that’s not the only thing I have planned.”

  His tone leaves me hanging, but when I ask him for details, he only says, “It’s a surprise.” I can’t tell if it’s a good or bad one.

  “I need you to remember who you are,” he says simply.

  “Wait…does that mean you’re going to help me find out more about my past?”

  He starts walking away from me backward and points to the roof. “I think you dropped something.”

  I glance down, and an old brass key sparkles under the moonlight. “That’s not mine.”

  “Are you sure? It’s not mine.”

  I bend at the knees and pick it up, surprised by its weight. It’s circular on the end, and there’s a B carved onto the flat space. “B? What’s this for?”

  He holds a finger to his lips to silence me. As I stare at him with an arched eyebrow, I clutch the key to my chest.

  “All the answers you need are here. You just need to find them.” A whoosh of air has me shivering as he disappears in a hurry. I stare at the key, turning it over in the palm of my hand, as I wonder what room it opens and why he wants me to know secrets he can’t just share. The answer is clear, though, when I think about it. His brother wants to keep me in the dark. Going against his brother like that and trying to hide it from him... I now know their relationship isn’t perfect, but perhaps it’s more strained than Sebastian suggested. Maybe there is no love lost between them at all. I don’t understand it. I certainly don’t envy it. How lonely forever must be when you can’t even enjoy or trust your family.

  Assuming the key leads to a door in the basement, I head there first. I’ve always had a great sense of direction, and it proves useful tonight as I make my way to the basement lab. When I get there, I slowly open the first door, cringing as it quietly creaks. It must be well into the middle of the night, and though in most homes, all living people should be asleep, I’m not in a house of living people. Vampires could be anywhere. But only one in particular scares me. Alexander. With my back almost against the wall, I tiptoe to the glass wall of the lab. The lights are all off, and though I strain, Alexander’s blood and the supernatural benefits it gave me are now gone. I hear nothing. How much trouble will I be in if he finds me? I don’t want to find out.