Bloodgifted

by Tima Maria Lacoba

  This was the place.

  I wandered over and sat on the leaf-strewn bench trying to imagine Luc and Judy in this spot fifty years ago. Had much changed?

  I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of the encroaching night; the local bird life noisily arguing over a disputed nest; the soft croaking of green tree frogs; the breeze whispering through the lofty branches of the fig tree above me, feeling it stir my hair and waft strands lightly across my face.

  A cool hand gently swept the stray locks from my cheek. My eyes shot open. Alec sat on the bench next to me, one arm bent on his lap, the other casually curling the loose ends of my hair in his fingers. It was enough to give me a cardiac arrest.

  ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘Checking if you’re okay. That was quite an ordeal you went through.’

  ‘Oh.’ I was about to tell him to go. This was my time and I resented the intrusion. ‘How did you know where to find me?’

  ‘Look at your ring,’ he said. ‘The serpent’s eyes glow whenever any of us is near.’

  I glanced down. A strong, warm glow suffused my hand. Why hadn’t I noticed it sooner? ‘Did it react this way with my mother?’

  ‘No. It was very faint, but enough to convince the Elders. It only flared brightly when your father was by her side. On her visits I passed the ring to Luc and left the apartment.’

  And now mine flared whenever Alec was near. I didn’t want to pursue the implications of that at the moment. ‘You rarely fed from her.’

  ‘I had my own—sources.’ He grinned.

  I bet he did. I could visualize women trampling over themselves in their stilettos to offer him their throats!

  ‘How are you?’ he asked with real concern, my hair twined around his finger.

  ‘Fine, oddly enough. It slots everything into place for me and I can’t hate them for what they did.’ I looked at him questioningly. ‘Does that make sense?’

  ‘Perfectly. Laura, that was the hardest thing anyone could face. By rights you should be angry, even knowing their actions stemmed out of their love for you.’

  ‘That’s the very reason I can’t be.’ I shook my head. ‘You know they sent me a gift every birthday? I never knew who it was from.’

  ‘That sounds like them.’ A warm smile lit his face.

  I sighed and bowed my head. ‘I would never want to be faced with a terrible decision like that—to give away my baby. No matter what the reason.’

  Alec dropped my hair and lifted my chin to meet his gaze. ‘That’ll never happen,’ he said with such passion in his voice I was puzzled.

  He would make a good father. Kind, caring and patient… I mentally shook my head to clear it of the images those words evoked. Why was I even thinking that way? I certainly had no intention of finding out. Desperate to get my thoughts on another track, I decided to bring up the subject of his kiss. Had that been part of the Ritual or not?

  I angled my chin out of his grasp—he held it for too long—and sat back a little further. It felt safer. The closer he came, the more he disturbed my peace of mind.

  ‘Alec, can I ask you something?’

  ‘Anything.’

  ‘During last night’s ceremony, you kissed me.’

  Alec leaned in closer and slid his arm along the back of the seat behind me. I continued. ‘Was that part of the ceremony or not?’ I tried to focus on his eyes, aware of the arm creeping closer to my shoulder, but I refused to budge.

  He paused and looked at me thoughtfully before replying, ‘No. I took advantage of the close proximity of your lovely mouth.’ His gaze went directly there.

  At least he was honest. I thought back to the murmuring I heard amongst the assembled guests and even among the Elders—Alec Munro had added his own personal touch to the Ritual. ‘It had nothing to do with the bloodlust!’

  He shrugged. ‘Perhaps a minor part.’

  ‘Then why?’

  ‘You know we can spend all day discussing the reasons why a man kisses a woman,’ he said while his other hand traced the line of my jaw.

  I moved away. ‘Don’t do that.’

  ‘Why not?’

  I slid back further, breaking my resolve to stand my ground. ‘It’s too intimate,’ I replied.

  He inched forward, closing the gap. ‘Why are you nervous?’

  ‘Who said I’m nervous! Besides, I’m not used to being in this position.’ I attempted to widen the distance between us. Unfortunately, I had run out of seat.

  ‘What position is that?’ he said in a low voice, and his eyes strayed back to my mouth.

  The wrought-iron arm of the garden seat dug into my back. There was nowhere left to go. ‘In a relationship with one man and…’

  ‘And?’ he prompted, while the hand on top of the seat pressed against my back and slid me across the bench, drawing me to him. The movement was so sudden I thought he must have oiled the seat!

  ‘… Seduced by another!’ I gasped.

  ‘Is that what I’m doing?’ He bent his head to nuzzle the side of my neck.

  ‘You—very well—know—it is!’ I barely managed to say, while guiltily enjoying the delicious sensations his mouth on my throat elicited. His lips were soft and cool and oh, it felt so good!

  ‘Is that a problem?’

  He had to be kidding! But still I didn’t pull away. ‘Being seduced by you? Yes!’

  With my hands against his chest, I battled the twin urges to either push him away or wrap my arms around his neck. Stalemate.

  His mouth slowly slid along my jaw. ‘Do you love him?’

  His question jolted me. ‘You asked me that before and I said it was private.’

  He raised his head and looked me full in the eyes while his hand stroked my cheek. ‘If you can’t answer, then something’s amiss!’

  Rather than disagree with him, I found myself questioning my own feelings toward Matt and a sense of unease stole over me.

  Alec didn’t wait for my response. His hand moved from my cheek to the back of my neck, stroking and caressing while his arm tightened at my waist. All the while his eyes never left mine and I knew I was in danger. Not in any physical sense, but he was an incredibly attractive man and, in a way I felt flattered by his advances—too flattered. Then as his eyes travelled down to my mouth and his head bent toward me, he said, ‘I’m going to kiss you. Any objections?’

  The sensible part of me—my head—wanted to push him off and rush back into the house, but that other—my heart—said the opposite. For better or worse, I listened to my heart and hoped I wouldn’t regret it later.

  ‘Yes!’ I lied. My eyes closed as he bridged the gap between us.

  His lips were warm yet firm, demanding, insisting on my response. The tip of his tongue tantalizingly traced the outline of my lips before parting them and plunging in. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced. Total possession. Instead of fighting it, I pressed myself to him. Just as I started to return his kiss he stopped and my eyes shot open.

  Alec looked down at me with half-lidded eyes. ’This is only the beginning.’

  He lowered his head again and began to work his way slowly and sensually across my face, tenderly kissing my forehead, each eye, the tip of my nose, my cheeks, deliberately, lingering torturously at the corners of my mouth before skimming over the surface of my lips on his way down to my chin. Then he returned to hover teasingly above my mouth while his breath mingled with mine.

  It was deliciously agonising and I felt like grabbing his head and forcing his lips back to mine. He took hold of my hands and raised them up and around his neck, before slipping one arm around my waist, and another behind my knees to lift me onto his lap. He then gently lowered my body so that I leant against his hard shoulder and his mouth was back on mine.

  My response staggered me.

  It was only a kiss, yet my breath came in gasps and my poor heart beat so strongly I thought it would burst. His presence was overwhelming: his scent, strong and masculine; the slight abrasiven
ess of his skin as it brushed against mine; the sound of his breathing, and the strength of his arms tight around me. His shoulders were broad enough to envelope me totally.

  Was he just as affected? I felt his heart beat strongly once or twice against my breast, his breathing just as ragged as my own. My earlier decision to keep our relationship strictly platonic now seemed to belong to the realm of fantasy. How on earth was I going to cope with this if we were to meet several times a week?

  Now I understood why Judy had Luc nearby. Could I do the same with Matt? If not, I was in trouble for I sensed my growing feelings for him couldn’t be blamed entirely on the blood bond between us. Yet I was too afraid to admit to anything more. Maybe… just maybe it was only an infatuation…?

  The depth of his kiss increased as he crushed me to him and plundered my mouth like a starving man. His hand moved from my back to the curve of my breast and his thumb teased my nipple in slow rhythmic circles, sending waves of electricity pulsing through me. And heaven help me, I didn’t want him to stop!

  His hand moved slowly over my fluttering stomach, my hip, and even further, sliding beneath the hem of my shorts to stroke my inner thigh.

  I gasped and grabbed his wrist.

  ‘No, Alec. Please.’ Only Matt ever touched me there.

  ‘If you’re worried about anyone seeing us, don’t. The men won’t rise for another half hour, Luc and Judith are in the house and there’s no one else around. We’re quite alone.’

  ‘It’s not that…’

  ‘Then what is it?’

  In a desperate effort to regain some control I uncoiled his arms and stood up. To my embarrassment, my body began to tremble and this time I had no bite to blame it on. ‘Why are you doing this?’ I asked.

  ‘I want you, Laura!’

  His blatant honesty stunned me. ‘What if I don’t want you back?’

  He raised one eyebrow and a slow, sardonic smile crept across his face. ‘Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy that. I know otherwise. Your body sent out a very distinct message!’

  Traitorous body! ‘Well my mind is giving me another message entirely and I’m listening to it!’

  The smile disappeared and he rose. I had to angle my head to look up at him. ’You’re the one who let me go that far. I was wondering when you’d tell me to stop.’

  ‘That’s not fair! You came onto me so quickly I was overwhelmed.’

  ‘You’re a grown woman, Laura. You knew exactly what I was doing!’

  I hated to admit he was right—I did let him go too far. Angry, I bit my lip and glared back. ‘Don’t ever touch me again!’

  ‘That’s going to be a bit hard, darling, seeing as we’ll be in close proximity for the next fifty years!’

  I baulked at the way he facetiously called me “darling.” I clenched my fists and said, ‘From now on, Matt’s going to be with me every time you feed from me. So when that rotten bloodlust hits, he’ll be there to satisfy it. Not you!’

  We stood facing each other. Judy’s voice from the other end of the garden startled us both.

  ‘Laura! Matt’s here. He’s in the reception room with Luc.’

  Crap! Crap! Crap! I turned away from Alec, berating myself for listening to my stupid heart! It was lust, silly woman! Pure lust! Or was it? I wiped tears of anger with the back of my hand.

  ‘Laura? What’s wrong, dear?’ Judy asked as I met her halfway.

  ‘Nothing! I’m… just tired, that’s all. I’d better go to Matt,’ I said and kept walking, my heart pounding in my ears like an amplified drum.

  ‘Dear,’ she said a little breathlessly, as she caught up to me. ‘Before you go in, you must know that your father and I had a chat with him.’

  I stopped. ‘What did you tell him?’

  I must have looked panicky, for she patted my shoulder and said, ‘It’s all right. We thought you might find it difficult to tell him about… everything, you know.’

  She was right. Where would I even begin? ‘How did he take it?’

  ‘He’s very quiet, dear.’

  I groaned inwardly and leaving her there, re-traced my steps using the same path that led from the dining room, through the wood panelled hall to the front reception room.

  Luc waited outside. ‘Would you like me to go in with you, ma petite?’

  I was grateful for his offer, but I needed to see Matt alone. ‘No, I think it’s best I speak to him alone.’

  He nodded and gave me a hug. I tried not to remember what had happened with Alec as I opened the door, walked in and closed it firmly behind me.

  Chapter 18

  Mess Up

  ALEC

  Damn! I seriously miscalculated Laura’s attachment to Sommers and now it appeared as if I only succeeded in driving her further into his arms. But her sweet, little body didn’t lie, despite her protests. And if little Miss Ingenii thinks I’m going to tolerate her boyfriend being present while I feed from her, then she’s in for a surprise!

  I paced the scented garden, reliving every word and expression of that last hour. She had been so responsive in my arms I even dared to run my hand down her lovely body and it was an effort to stop. In fact, if she hadn’t… Damn, but I wanted her! That had been no lie, and it had nothing to do with Luc’s infernal ultimatum, either.

  ‘Alec?’ Judith came back into the garden and gave me an intent look. ‘What happened? Laura was upset.’

  I wondered how much she knew of Luc’s Machiavellian plans. ‘Misunderstanding on my part, that’s all.’

  ‘I see.’ Judith was regarding me poignantly. ‘Is everything all right between you?’

  ‘Yes, yes, it’s fine,’ I lied and I let out a tense breath. ‘Luc spoken to the boyfriend yet?’

  ‘We both did. Luc’s still with him.’

  ‘What did you tell him?’

  ‘Laura’s bloodline, possible lifespan and the fact she’ll outlive him by centuries.’

  That would have been interesting. ‘How did he take it?’

  ‘Hard to tell.’ She frowned and bit her lip the way Laura did. I tried not to smile. ‘Any chance he might be scared off?’

  ‘That’s what we’re hoping,’ she paused. ‘Pity he hasn’t any Pictish blood. I quite like him.’

  For some reason her remark bothered me, but there was no time to pursue it. ‘Did you mention the danger she could be in?’

  ‘I left that to Luc.’ She gazed at me a moment longer and appeared as if she was about to say something, when she shook her head and went into the house, leaving me to my thoughts and the clicking of night crickets.

  The sun had long set and I sensed the rising of the others. Two were already in the kitchen pouring small bags of blood into glasses—snacks. I decided to join them, at least for a while, to keep my mind off Laura.

  ‘What’s been happening?’ Cal asked when I walked in. He’d just placed some blood in a shaker and was in the process of creating his own cocktail with some of Luc’s fine Irish whisky and ice cubes.

  Jake shook his head and laughed. ‘There’s no accounting for taste!’

  Cal ignored him and gulped his concoction down with relish.

  I sat on the lower steps that led up to the hallway. ‘Laura’s human is here to take her home.’

  ‘You mean the one’s who’s been coming and going from her place? The cop?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Seen him a few times when I was on guard. Possessive type. Tried not to listen in sometimes, but you know.’ Cal shrugged.

  His remark interested me. ‘Possessive? In what way?’

  He gazed at me over the rim of the shaker as he swallowed down the last drop. ‘Likes to know where she is, what she’s up to. That kind of thing.’

  From the expression on Cal’s face I’d say he didn’t like Matt Sommers.

  I thought back to my meeting with the man the other day and knew Cal’s comment to be true. Laura would have a hard time breaking up with him—when the time came—if our observations were correct.
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br />   ‘Does he know about… us?’ Jake queried.

  ‘He knows.’

  He and Cal exchanged a quick look. I wasn’t in the mood to explain as I tuned in to what was happening above stairs. Laura had just left the house with Judith, which meant Luc was alone with Sommers. I wanted to be there.

  Chapter 19

  Safe and Familiar

  LAURA

  The room Luc used to receive guests opened directly from the wood-panelled hallway and was composed of warm browns and tan tones giving it a cosy and welcoming feel. Three large bay windows allowed the last of the fading light to flood the room and bounce off the stuccoed ceiling. A hefty circular, glass and metal table, with a small bronze bust of Voltaire sat at its centre, and scattered around were various-sized leather and fabric armchairs. The floor was covered in a soft beige carpet, except for the area near the handsome marble fireplace, which had jade and cream Victorian flagstones on the hearth.

  Matt stood by one of the large bay windows, looking out and turned as I entered. He’d just finished a long shift. He looked tired, but the circles under his eyes reflected more than that. The look on his face made my heart sink. There was a sadness I’d never seen before. We looked at each other for a long moment, then Matt opened his arms and I rushed to him.

  He leaned down and kissed me. Even that felt sad. There was no teasing in it, like last time, and I wanted to cry. Matt must have sensed that, for his hand moved to the back of my head and he pressed me closer, parting my lips, his tongue entwining with mine. I clung to him, almost willing myself to tremble at his touch—but nothing came.

  He lifted his head to look at me, then bent down to kiss me again—deeper and longer this time.

  My body remained calm, as always.

  Matt was familiar and it felt good to be in his arms again. I tried to put Alec, and had what occurred between us less than a few minutes ago, from my mind. But things had changed and I couldn’t deny that. My own wretched blood-inheritance was the cause and there was not a thing I could do about it.