Jack gritted his teeth and shoved Mira back as hard as she could. She was flung a surprising distance across the room, banging into a shelf on the other wall as she landed. She made a hissing noise and rose into an aggressive, crouching stance.
“Fool!” screamed Mira.
She tensed as she stood up straight, extending a dozen shadowy Spectral Hand tendrils out of her body from her shoulder blades. Several of them crashed out through the house’s window. Jack heard Gina squeal as Mira hauled her back inside along the same path, heedless of the way the remaining glass shards tore at her clothing and skin.
“What are you doing?” he shouted.
Mira had grabbed Johnny, too, though he seemed barely aware of what was going on. She held both of them aloft for a moment, and then stabbed her tendrils through them like spikes, killing them instantly. Jack felt a confusing surge of emotions as he watched them fall to the ground, the delicious smell of Gina’s blood almost overpowering him.
“You’re connected to these two,” said Mira. “And now, they’re dead. Another push, my sweet Jack. You’ll come around, soon enough.”
“You’re insane.” Jack glanced down at the bodies on the ground, then toward the door.
Mira moved before he could even attempt an escape. She seized him with her tendrils and pulled his arms out straight. Jack tried countering with his own, singular Spectral Hand tendril, but he felt like a toddler trying to fight off a fully-grown adult.
“You just don’t understand,” whispered Mira. Her eyes were glowing a deep, crimson red. “But I won’t give up on you, my sweet.”
The way the tendrils extended out from her body reminded Jack of a spider, and the thought only exacerbated the terror he felt as she drew in close to him again. She used one of her fingers to trace the line of his cheek bone, biting her lower lip slightly as she stared at him.
She started groping him, her hand cupping his crotch. She used her tendrils to pull one of his arms outward, forcing his palm onto her breast. Jack felt his body reacting, despite the opposition of his rational mind. Mira’s smile widened as she noticed the effect she was having on him.
“You are still a man, Jack,” she whispered. “Let me take care of you.”
She kissed him. He didn’t move his lips, at least not at first. She was good at seduction, so good that even when it was forced, it was compelling. Would it be so bad to give in to this? Would it really be so bad to stop fighting?
“Look at me,” whispered Mira. “Just look at me.”
She pressed her palm against his chin and tilted his gaze back toward focusing on her. Her other hand was still moving, rubbing over the zipper of his slacks and drawing out his arousal.
The house’s front door smashed open. Mira screamed and fell to the side. Jack blinked, his eyes focusing on the foot-long silver crossbow bolt jutting from her ribcage. Katie, clad in her leather catsuit, crossbow braced against one shoulder, stood in the doorway.
“You harlot!” screamed Mira. “You shall not interrupt us!”
Katie rushed to reload the crossbow. Mira lashed out, but not in time to stop her from getting another bolt in place. She still held Jack where he was and seemed to come to a decision just as Katie was taking aim for a second shot.
“I apologize for this, my love,” Mira whispered into his ear.
Jack felt one of her tendrils gouge into his chest. The pain was indescribable, simultaneously burning hot and icy cold. He gasped and then coughed, spitting blood onto the floor. His own blood tasted strange, coppery and thick, and unappetizing.
“No!” shouted Katie. “Fuck! You crazy fucking bitch!”
“Go ahead,” said Mira, holding a hand over the crossbow bolt still sticking out of her. “Kill me. End the curse now and see what happens to him.”
“I’ll make you pay for this,” said Katie. “I swear I’ll make you pay.”
Mira let go of Jack and slipped past Katie into the night. Jack fell back against the wall, sliding down to a sitting position. His vision was fluttering and filling with black spots as his body threatened to lapse into unconsciousness.
“Jack!” said Katie. “Come on, Jack. The car’s outside. You’ll be okay.”
“Katie…” he whispered. “I’m sorry…”
She slid under one of his arms and gently lifted him up. He put the last of his strength into his legs, trying to walk along with her as she started helping him outside. Blood was pouring from the wound in his chest. Too much of it. Too fast.
“You’ll be okay,” said Katie. “Vampires are made of tough stuff. Jack? Stay with me.”
He tried to nod in response, but only succeeded in letting his head droop forward.
CHAPTER 30
Jack floated in and out of consciousness. Reality was playing out for him in a series of disconnected frames. He was in the car. Katie was speeding down the road. She was helping him out, pulling toward the mansion’s front entrance. He was lying on the floor, wincing at the deep, thrumming pain of the gash in his chest as she wrapped bandages around it.
He fluttered into a half-awake state, lying on the mansion’s couch. It was dark, and there was a warm body next to him. Katie’s body. He felt her neck, so near to his face and mouth that he could almost…
He sank his fangs in without giving it a second thought. Warmth flooded through him as he took a deep drink of her blood. It tasted different, sweeter, with a minty edge. Not Katie’s blood. He wasn’t biting Katie.
His vision came back into focus, and he stared into Ryoko’s sleeping face. She was deep asleep, but she was still reacting to his bite, shuddering and pressing herself against him. Much as he had when biting Katie, he felt a sudden surge of arousal. Her body was so soft and perfectly feminine, ripe for the taking.
He couldn’t stop himself as he continued feeding. One of his hands slid under her shirt and across her taut stomach. He slowly began grinding into her, and Ryoko’s body reciprocated almost immediately, even though she continued to breathe at an even, sleepy pace.
It went on for several seconds until he finally had the presence of mind to pull his mouth back. Jack shook his head in horror and tried to roll away, wishing he could take back what he’d just done. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Katie standing behind the couch.
“Are you okay?” she whispered. “The blood should help your body heal faster, but you’re still wounded. Try not to move if it hurts.”
“Katie,” he said, his voice shaky. “What… have you done? You made me… bite Ryoko?”
“It was the only way to keep you from dying,” said Katie. “If I’d waited to make another batch of the potion and take it myself, it would have been too late. She should be fine, though, as long as she drank some of her tea tonight.”
Jack remembered her drinking some with the pizza, which was probably why she’d fallen asleep so early. It didn’t lessen the guilt and shame he felt over it, however. He’d bitten Ryoko without her knowing. Biting Katie, fully informed about the supernatural and willing to take the risk, was one thing. Even biting Gina, who’d been guilty of crimes of her own, had been somewhat justifiable. This was different.
“Why are you making that face?” asked Katie. “You’re alive. Be grateful.”
It was entirely his fault. He’d lied to Katie about feeding off Ryoko already. She’d assumed that he’d be all right with taking her blood again, and maybe even that he preferred it. Jack gritted his teeth, berating himself internally for being such a complete, utter, fool.
“It’s not fair,” he said. He wasn’t even sure whether he was referring to Ryoko, his own situation, or both. “None of this is fair. I barely feel like I’m in control of myself anymore.”
“Hold it together, Jack.” Katie crouched down next to where he was sitting. Her hair was up in a bun, but the chaos of the night had scattered a few strands loose. “We almost had her. There will be a next time.”
“Right,” he said.
There would be a next time. B
ut would it be before Jack hurt someone else? Would they resolve the situation before he started to feel the dark urges that had compelled him to bite Gina and punish Johnny? And what would happen to Ryoko, oblivious and vulnerable, an unaware mouse in the den of a wolf?
“Are you going to be okay?” asked Katie.
Jack stood up and took stock of his body. His wound had healed remarkably well, given how deep it was, though he could still feel the scab covering the gash in his chest threatening to break as he shifted.
“I’ll be okay,” said Jack. “Thanks for your help.”
“What the fuck were you doing out there on your own, anyway?” she asked. “The only reason I managed to find you was because of how much noise you were making.”
“I…” He hesitated. “I don’t know. I guess I was just trying to do the right thing.”
“Well, knock it off,” said Katie. “Get some sleep tonight and quit going out on your own. Wait for me next time.”
“You sound almost worried,” said Jack. “I’m touched.”
Katie glared at him, but she was blushing a little, behind the expression. Jack smiled in return, stifling a weak laugh.
“I should get going,” she said. “Bruce is already going to be annoyed at me for ditching him tonight.”
“Right.” He nodded to her, and an awkward tension settled over the space between them as they continued to look at each other.
“I guess I don’t really need to be over here so much anymore, since you can feed off Ryoko now,” said Katie.
Jack raised an eyebrow at her tone. Katie sounded almost disappointed. It reminded him a little of how Gina had sounded when talking about how much she enjoyed his “neck kisses.” But Katie had been taking the anti-enthrallment potion, which should have countered any of the lingering effects of his bite.
“I won’t always be able to feed off Ryoko,” he said, with a shrug. “It’s not like I can bite her when she’s awake, anyway.”
He wasn’t really willing to feed off Ryoko at all, if there was a better option. Katie looked conflicted, as though she’d only just realized where her comment and Jack’s response could lead. He was suddenly aware of her smell, along with the fact that his vampiric healing was taking a toll on his blood essence reserves. He could already feel his bloodthirst starting to build again.
“We’ll talk later,” said Katie. “Don’t do anything stupid, okay?”
“I’ll do my best,” said Jack.
Katie nodded to him. She rubbed her neck with one hand as she turned and walked down the hall into the foyer. For a moment, Jack wondered if she’d be all right heading out into the night alone, before stopping to consider that Mira was probably in a similarly injured state.
He made his way over to the couch where Ryoko was sleeping peacefully. His body didn’t feel up to carrying her to her bed, so instead, he made sure she was still properly tucked in with the blanket before heading upstairs.
It didn’t take him long to get to sleep. He felt like he needed it.
CHAPTER 31
“Sir?” whispered Ryoko. “Mr. Masterson, sir?”
Jack was in bed, and Ryoko was sitting next to him, gently shaking him awake. He still felt groggy and captured by the gravity well that all warm beds seemed to emanate each morning. His eyes fluttered open for a moment. It wasn’t morning.
“Mr. Masterson,” repeated Ryoko. “I hate to wake you, but it’s getting late into the afternoon. I thought you might want a chance to eat something before tonight.”
Jack sat up. His body felt remarkably recovered from the day before. He ran his hand over where his wound had been on his bare chest, finding only an odd, shiny spot, more like the aftermath of a moderate burn than a life-threatening injury.
“I slept in late, then,” muttered Jack. “Thank you, Ryoko. It is time to get up.”
“You’re welcome.” She didn’t smile at him, but there was something very pleased about the tone of her voice. Ryoko was doing a good job of keeping her gaze averted from him, probably due to the fact that he only had on a pair of boxers, but Jack noticed her sneak a quick glance as he shifted his legs off the bed.
Had the anti-enthrallment potion worked well enough on her? She seemed a little more affectionate toward him than usual, but that could be due to the two of them drawing closer during dinner and the movie the night before.
And it wasn’t as though Jack could give her a harmless command as a test. Her default state, as a maid, was to follow his directions. He frowned slightly, looking at her with a discerning eye. Was there any way he could know for sure?
Ryoko noticed him staring, and her eyes met his for an instant. She immediately glanced away and stood up, apparently deciding that she didn’t need to linger around him in his near naked state any longer than necessary.
“Should I prepare an early dinner for you, sir?” asked Ryoko.
“No,” said Jack. “I’m fine. If I get hungry, I’ll raid the fridge.”
Ryoko bowed and left the room. Jack pulled on some casual clothing, still feeling a bit drained, even though he’d slept through most of the day. His bloodthirst was affecting him in a few subtle ways, but it seemed to fade into the background as he focused on what he was doing.
It was a strange sensation to wake up and walk out into a mansion lit by the late afternoon’s orange-tinted light. It made him feel nostalgic, though whichever memories the ambience was tied to were beyond his recollection.
It made him think of one of the few times he could remember with his grandfather. They’d been outside, in the mansion’s courtyard, playing hide and go seek. Katie had been there, too, and his grandfather had been trying to find them both.
He’d known where they were, of course, but he’d made a show of being unable to find them, until Jack and Katie’s excited giggling had made it too obvious to even pretend to ignore. Jack felt as though the game had swung around full circle. Now he was the one searching, looking for clues about what kind of man his grandfather had been and what he would have done in his shoes.
Jack was drawn toward the basement, to the hidden door that led into his grandfather’s workshop. It took him a few clumsy minutes of searching to find and activate the secret panel. The number lock input hidden behind it proved to be another worthy obstacle, and he ended up getting Katie’s number from Ryoko so he could text her to ask for the passcode.
She called him back to give it to him, listing off each number in her no-nonsense style. It took Jack two attempts to enter it successfully, but the door finally slid open once he’d punched it in.
The workshop had a musty smell to it, like incense and dried flowers. Jack had been caught up by the effects of his bloodthirst the last time he’d been inside, and he hadn’t gotten a chance to get a good look around. It was his grandfather’s workshop, and it was just about all he had left to know the man from.
Jack ran his fingers across the spines of old books, some of the titles written in languages and scripts that he didn’t even remotely recognize. On top of the bookshelf was a ship in a bottle, and he had to do a double take when he noticed what was off about it.
The ship was really floating, suspended in water that had been enchanted to flow incessantly, simulating the waves of the ocean. It rocked up and down, navigating a stationary yet turbulent sea like a man sprinting on a treadmill.
The weapon rack which had drawn Jack’s attention the first time he’d been in the workshop now seemed almost tame, in comparison. But there was one weapon which he hadn’t paid much attention to, before.
An old, gnarled wizard’s staff hung from two metal hooks above the swords and conventional weaponry. Jack reached out and set a single finger against it. Almost instantly, he felt a cold chill run up his arm and had the sense to pull back.
There was a hidden history behind the staff that he couldn’t help but wonder about. Had his grandfather used it as a magical focus for casting spells? How many enemies had he fought against with it? What kind of power was hid
den within its knotted wood?
He made a mental note to ask Katie if it might be something he could use as a weapon, then immediately discarded the idea. He had a feeling he knew how she’d react to the idea.
Directly to the right of the weapon rack was a wooden plaque, embossed with several lines of intricate script. Jack ran his fingers over the title, which read “The Masterson Code.” He remembered Katie mentioning it right after he’d first been turned into a vampire.
You can’t save the world, but you can probably change it
Trying is accomplishment’s underrecognized little brother
There is no such thing as good and evil, only different perspectives
Never trust an illusionist, succubus, or vampire
Jack winced as he read the fourth line. It was strange how strongly it made him feel like he’d disappointed his grandfather, despite how distant they’d been for most of his life, and despite the fact that he was dead. He sighed, wondering if coming into the workshop had done more to damage his resolve than restore it, then moved on to the fifth and final line.
Jack would forgive you.
It was hard for him to read those words without feeling a little annoyed, like he was getting a glimpse of a secret he wasn’t in on. Forgive him for what? Jack didn’t have any memories of his grandfather having wronged him. Of course, the gaps left in what he could remember during the time around his parents’ deaths were still unknown to him. Just why was that, he wondered?
His gut had been telling him for a while now that there had to be more to the car accident than what he’d been told. It was hard for him to not wonder if there’d been a supernatural element to it, beyond the story he’d been told. But it was also possible that his judgement was clouded, and he was letting his reaction to the changes in his life color his assumptions.
Blood Mage (Dark Impulse Book 1) Page 17
