Bloodgifted

by Tima Maria Lacoba

  ‘I’m sorry,’ I whispered.

  Matt squeezed my hand in return and looked up at Luc. ‘You know I can’t tell anyone. It would ruin my reputation.’

  And my life, I felt like adding.

  Luc nodded.

  ‘Laura, dear, I think it’s time you went home. Matthew has a lot to think about.’

  That was an understatement, but she was right. It had been a long day and now it was developing into a long night as well. We’d had enough shocks to last a lifetime and the impact was only now beginning to settle.

  ‘C’mon Matt, let’s go.’

  He looked down at me. ‘Yeah, we need to talk.’

  We rose from the settee. ‘I may need to question both of you further, in an official capacity. Please don’t leave the city,’ he said, his eyes on Lucien Lebrettan.

  Aunt Judy remained seated with Luc’s arm still around her. She hadn’t touched her drink. Neither of them moved as we made our way towards the front door.

  ‘Matt, I can’t just leave like his. Hold on a minute.’

  Without waiting for his reply I went back to the living room. She and Luc looked up as I entered. ‘Aunt Judy, please don’t be angry with me…’

  She rushed toward me with open arms, remorse etched on her face. ‘Oh, Laura dear, forgive me for that. I could never be angry with you.’ She hugged me. ‘You were frightened and it’s perfectly reasonable that Matthew would want to know why.’

  ‘If only I hadn’t insisted Alec show me. I really am my own worst enemy sometimes.’

  ‘You always were the curious one.’ There was no hint of accusation. ‘But, never mind that now, dear. It’ll be all right.’ She glanced behind me. ‘Matthew’s waiting. I don’t envy you the drive home.’

  I let out a deep breath and closed my eyes. Neither did I.

  It was quiet in the car and Matt’s hands clenched the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles gleamed white in the eerie dashboard lights.

  ‘Laura?’

  ‘Yes?’ I swivelled my head in his direction.

  ‘Sorry I didn’t believe you, Babe. I just…’

  ‘I know. You can’t help it. You’re so used to dealing with tangible evidence that when anything as weird as this comes up you need to find a logical explanation.’

  We were driving through the centre of the city when Matt stopped the car in a loading zone.

  ‘Why are you stopping? You’ll get a ticket.’

  He banged the steering wheel so hard with the palm of his hand I jumped.

  ‘My judgement has never been affected before! But this… this isn’t a normal situation!’ He reached out and placed his hand over mine. ‘I’ll never question you again.’

  ‘I’ll remind you of that.’

  ‘I wanted to kill him, Laura. Shit! I was scared, and that’s just not me.’

  ‘I know, but you’re only human, Matt. Who wouldn’t be affected being confronted by—well, the unnatural.’

  He banged the steering wheel again. ‘They’re real, they’re fuckin’ real!’ He rubbed his face with both hands. ‘And responsible for these murders.’

  ‘But not my aunt. Not her.’ Nor Luc or Alec. I thought it best not to voice that opinion.

  ‘No, not her. I believe she was genuinely shocked, but… I can’t believe what I saw tonight. That guy, Lebrettan, changed right in front of me, and the way he moved… Hell! No human being can move that fast! Every part of me is screaming that this isn’t real! My experience… everything I believe about life is…phhhffftttt!’ He flicked his hand. ‘I don’t know what to believe any more.’

  ‘Matt, look at me.’

  He slowly turned to face me, let his hands drop from the steering wheel and land limply in his lap.

  ‘Nothing really has changed. The world is still the same. We’re the same. Only there’s more in our universe than we thought.’

  ‘No Babe, everything’s different.’ His eyes looked bleak.

  ‘Even us?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘After everything you heard this evening, are you sure you want to be involved with my strange family? I’m vampire food, Matt!’

  That brought the spark back into his eyes and he placed both hands on my shoulders. ‘I’m not going to let that happen!’

  ‘And how are you going to stop it?’

  ‘We’ll think of something.’ He was about to start the engine when his mobile phone rang. ‘Oh, no, no, no. Not now!’ He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the back of the seat.

  ‘Can you ignore it?’

  He shook his head, retrieved it from his front pocket and answered it. ‘Sommers. Where? Okay, on my way.’ As he put it back in his pocket, Matt turned to face me. ‘Another murder. Sorry, Babe but I gotta go.’

  ‘Of all the lousy timing!’

  ‘I know and I hate to leave you like this, but… will you be okay if I drop you off home? I’ll try to get back as soon as I can.’

  ‘I don’t have much choice, do I? Don’t seem to have any choices anymore!’ His face looked crestfallen, so I ran my hand down his stubble and gave him my best lame smile. ‘Go, do your job. I’ll be okay.’

  Matt dropped me off at my flat and walked me to the door then, after kissing me goodbye, he raced back to his car and zoomed down the street.

  It was then I became aware of a presence, as if… I was being watched. Yet it could just be the result of the fright Alec Munro gave me earlier tonight. My nerves were probably on edge. Not waiting to find out which, I opened the door, hurried in and locked it firmly behind me. But, try as I might, I couldn’t dislodge the vampire’s face from my mind.

  Chapter 7

  Just Coffee

  LAURA

  It felt good to sleep in. If not for the sharp light finding chinks in my bedroom curtains I would probably have slept longer. After all, I was on holidays and there was no need to get up sooner than necessary. I made a mental note to get some block out for these curtains as the sun rose much too early in the summer.

  I stretched like a lazy cat and thought back to the events of last night. Was it a dream or was Alec Munro a delicious—but scary—figment of my imagination? Light glinted on the antique gold ring on my right hand and I sat bolt upright.

  It had been no dream.

  I turned my head and focused on Matt who lay stretched out next to me, fast asleep. Who knows what time he got back that he hadn’t woken me. It must have been very late. So much for a sexy night together!

  Careful not to wake him, I peeled back the light summer cover, climbed out of bed and tiptoed into the living area. On the way to the kitchen I glanced at the clock. It was nine-fifteen—time for coffee, but a sudden loud knocking on the front door had me racing to open it before the sound woke Matt.

  A teenaged kid stood there, grinning at me, his face nearly obscured by a glorious bunch of yellow roses. ‘You Miss Dantonville?’ he asked, looking me up and down.

  ‘None other.’

  ‘These are for you. Someone must like you!’ He thrust them at me. ‘You got a boyfriend?’ he asked with a cheeky grin.

  He looked no older than sixteen and I felt like clipping him across the ear. ‘Yeah, I do and he’s a cop.’ I grinned back. The kid couldn’t leave the building quickly enough. I closed the door quietly behind me, carried the flowers into the kitchen and opened the accompanying card.

  Laura,

  Please accept my apology for the distress I caused you last night and for my hasty exit. Grant me a chance to explain.

  Have coffee with me,

  10.00am ‘Orlando’s,’

  Darling St.

  Alec

  I could think of a dozen reasons to throw out the card, but not the flowers—they were too pretty—and never see him again. Yet what would happen if I didn’t see him? Would the ugly scenario Aunt Judy described to me last night really take place? The thought I could be taken by force chilled me. No matter how much I hated the idea, I needed Alec Munro. Monster or not, he
was my supposed protector and if I didn’t show up at the café this morning I could be putting myself in an even more dangerous position.

  What about Matt? I could guess what he would say—if he were awake. But he wasn’t, and I had to make a decision. I closed my eyes and weighed up the pros and cons, but really, the decision had been made for me. As of last night, my life was no longer my own.

  I jumped into the shower, after which I donned a white cotton blouse and floral knee-length, silk skirt. Since it felt like it was going to be another hot December day, I pulled my long hair back into a ponytail and slipped on a pair of sandals. And just in case Matt awoke before I returned, I left him a brief note explaining my reason for meeting the man he believed responsible for the latest spate of killings in the city. I then slipped quietly out of my flat.

  The café Alec indicated in his note was only a short stroll from my flat in Rozelle. It was located in Darling Street, right in the middle of the main shopping strip, surrounded by expensive boutiques and trendy delicatessen-style eateries. The craft market, in the grounds of the local primary school, was already teeming with eager shoppers while jugglers and buskers entertained passers by.

  Alec sat at one of the outside tables, in a black T-shirt that seemed to emphasise every taut muscle, stone washed jeans and designer sunglasses. One leg casually bent over the other, he was seemingly immersed in a newspaper ignoring the attention two women at a nearby table were giving him. He looked so human I almost began to wonder if what I’d seen last night was real.

  He looked up as I approached, smiled and removed his sunglasses. In the daylight, his lavender-coloured eyes looked even more stunning. ‘Laura. Thank you for coming,’ he said as he stood and pulled out a chair for me. ‘Can I order you something?’

  ‘Skim cappuccino, thanks. Oh, and thank you for the flowers, they’re lovely.’

  ‘You’re welcome.’ He waved the waitress over and gave our orders, then settled back in his chair.

  ‘I didn’t know vamp… your kind can drink coffee?’ Worried someone may have overheard, I dropped my voice and quickly glanced around.

  His eyes turned a deep and even more attractive, shade of violet. ‘It’s one of the few drinks I can enjoy.’

  ‘Any others?’

  ‘Some liquors, red wine, brandy.’

  As the waitress returned with our coffees—Alec’s was a short black—he took a few swallows. I looked on, fascinated.

  ‘Convinced?’ he asked.

  I smiled and sipped my own.

  ‘Last night… I took the risk of revealing,’—he lowered his voice—‘what I am.’

  ‘At my urging,’ I reminded him.

  ‘It’s dangerous to tempt evil, Laura, and I don’t recommend you do it often.’

  I swallowed. Even in that bright morning sun he exuded a tightly controlled power that, I felt, could break loose any moment.

  ‘You warned me, but I wanted to see for myself.’ And it got me into trouble.

  ‘The beast you saw is powerful and sometimes I forget my own speed and strength.’

  ‘Why did you run off?’

  He looked away. ‘I didn’t think we’d be interrupted. As it was…’

  ‘I screamed and half the cathedral staff came running, including my boyfriend, Matt. I’d asked him to pick me up within an hour. I honestly thought that would be enough time—’

  He turned back to me. ‘Of course, on finding you distressed—’

  ‘With red marks around my wrists…’ I held them out for him to see.

  ‘He wanted to know what happened.’ He said this more to himself than to me.

  I nodded.

  Alec inhaled sharply and stroked the marks with his thumbs. Overnight, the initial redness had become pale purplish blotches.

  I pulled my hands free and wrapped them around my coffee cup. ‘So he knows about you, now. And, something else,’ I paused wondering how I was going to tell him about Matt. ‘He’s a detective and there’s been a spate of murders involving young people.’ I looked up at him tentatively. ‘Their bodies were… exsanguinated.’

  ‘Does he love you?’

  I couldn’t see the connection and was that any of his business? I replied anyway. ‘Yes.’

  ‘Then he has every right to know and be afraid for you. After all, you were alone with me last night,’ he said, and looked at me in a way that left no doubt he could have taken my blood whether I offered it or not.

  ‘But he sees you as a suspect. Aren’t you worried he’ll expose you?’

  ‘Do you want him to?’

  ‘No!’ The truth of that surprised me. Was it for Alec’s sake I didn’t want his kind exposed or more for my aunt’s? I really didn’t know.

  ‘Then I’m in no danger. Think about it. Who’d believe that a real blood drinker is committing these crimes?’

  Good point. Mention the word “vampire” and Matt could kiss his career goodbye.

  Alec looked at me quizzically. ‘So you thought you’d ask some questions of your own.’ He leaned toward me over the table and placed his folded hands much too close to mine. I inched back a bit and didn’t reply.

  ‘How do you know I didn’t do it?’ he said.

  Could he have done it? Would a real killer have thrown suspicion on himself, even as a joke? I had a feeling Alec Munro was playing with me. ‘Didn’t you say it’s forbidden for your kind to kill? You’d be breaking your own laws.’

  ‘True, but regrettably, accidents do happen.’

  ‘So they may not be murders, but as you say, accidents?’ I couldn’t disguise the horror in my voice.

  ‘Possibly. I can’t be certain till I get more details.’

  ‘Have you had any “accidents”?’ After seeing him change before my eyes last night, I believed he could kill. He even said so.

  ‘No.’ His eyes looked candidly into mine and I felt the need to believe him. But was that “no” a, “no, I don’t have accidents”, or “if I kill, it’s no accident”?

  I thought it best not to press the issue.

  As we spoke, I noticed the way he shifted his chair further into the shade as the morning sun began to slowly encroach on our table. It seemed so normal sitting here having coffee with him I’d temporarily forgotten his sensitivity to sunlight.

  ‘How much longer can you stay out?’

  ‘Another hour, not much more.’

  ‘Then I’d better go and let you get under cover.’ I stood up to leave.

  ‘Not yet.’ Alec reached out, caught my hand and my body gave a jolt. ‘There’s something I need to tell you, that’s the other reason I asked you here.’

  I snatched my hand back and sat down.

  ‘This coming Monday, first full moon after the coming-of-age of a Bloodgifted, we will hold a special ceremony where you’ll be introduced to the rest of our community. This Coming-of-Age ceremony publicly endorses the Bloodgifted and chosen guardian. We simply refer to it as the Ritual.’

  I didn’t like the sound of this, but it was important for me to know exactly what to expect. ‘What kind of ceremony?’

  Alec lowered his voice further and I shifted my chair closer to his, into the shade. The café was quickly filling up with a Saturday crowd and, understandably, he didn’t want to be overheard. I noticed two women at the next table stop talking and they seemed to be eavesdropping on our conversation.

  Good luck to them, I thought. Who’d believe it!

  With his face barely inches from my own, I became conscious of his scent—pine and something woody. It reminded me of a walk in the woods after a rain, fresh and exhilarating. My body tingled, but I didn’t dare move my seat back as I didn’t want him to think I was afraid. In some respect I was, but not in any physical sense. Alec Munro had me thinking about my relationship with Matt and why I’d never experienced such a thrill in his company. I was beginning to fear what it meant, and was unsure what to do about it.

  ‘This ceremony is one of the most important ceremonies for our k
ind,’ he said, breaking into my thoughts. ‘It’s a public affirmation of the Bloodgifted and Guardian. You’ll be presented to the Brethren and their donsang—’

  ‘Their what?’

  He smiled. ‘Sorry, I’m so used to these terms I forget you’re not familiar with them. Donsang is our word for blood givers. I’m the current Princeps.’

  ‘Princeps?’

  ‘The guardian responsible for the Bloodgifted. It’s a position of power—I’m counted among the Elders and with them, make judgements of life and death. In some cases, mine is the final decision. I’m also responsible for upholding Brethren Law in this city, thus keeping both sides safe and one blissfully unaware of the other.’

  ‘You have quite a job! Something like a prince, then?’

  ‘Something like that. ’

  ‘I’m in the presence of royalty am I?’ I teased.

  He stopped speaking for a moment, as if stuck for words, then lowered his head and chuckled. ‘Yes, I suppose I am, but only because,’ —he raised his head—‘you are a princess.’

  ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘Laura, your bloodline makes you royalty among my kind and it’s only my association with you that makes me Princeps.’

  ‘Oh.’ Now I was the one stuck for words, but before I had a chance to ask him to elaborate on that, Alec continued.

  ‘As I was saying, you will be publicly asked to choose your guardian and you must name me, after which we will raise our rings to all assembled and wait for the serpents’ affirmation.’

  I looked down at my ring. ‘You mean the glowing eyes, like they did last night?’

  ‘Exactly like that.’

  ‘And if they don’t?’

  ‘I might be challenged and another blood drinker will be given the opportunity to claim my position and you. If the serpents eyes flash while on his or her hand, it’s they who become your guardian.’

  ‘What happens to the loser?’

  ‘They die.’

  I must have looked alarmed, for he quickly added, ‘That hasn’t happened in a very long time.’