Drawing Blood

by Mary Lou George

  “He does paint a rather rosy picture of his kind.” Holly agreed. They heard a sound and both froze. Had one of the children fallen out of bed? They looked at each other and waited. They heard nothing.

  Avery said, “This is a time when that super sonic speed would come in handy. You could just whip down there and check. I wouldn’t even have to stop talking to you. You’d be back before I noticed you were gone and before I finished your martini on you.”

  “You can’t help yourself can you?” Holly laughed.

  “Why stop now? Stephen is meeting with Stryker and a couple of his medical geniuses right now. Let’s not panic until we hear from him.”

  Holly nodded. She liked that idea. It was all she was capable of doing at the moment. She set the panic aside and picked up a pencil.

  * * * *

  Declan hung up the phone. So it was done. Stryker had forced the issue and stepped up their plan a little. No matter, he was very adaptable. When executing such a multi-pronged and complicated plan, one had to make room for the unexpected. Neither of them had imagined the unexpected would prove to be Stryker’s bloodmate.

  In a way, Declan envied his brother. From what he’d heard of bloodmating it could be the most fulfilling part of being a vampire. Few humans could understand what it was like to find the other half of one’s soul. Declan had seen it in his parents’ relationship. They’d made each other complete, but not in a way that made them incomplete on their own. If anything, finding your bloodmate meant you were never alone again. The love shared by bloodmates could survive beyond death. Just like they could walk in each other’s dreams, a bloodmate could conjure up the vision of a beloved departed partner with ease. Their love could live forever and need never be replaced.

  He’d accepted that it wasn’t meant to happen for him. Long ago Declan had married himself to a vision, one that would save his kind and human kind as well. It proved all consuming. His attention had to stay focused on the plan. It would take many years. It had taken many years, but he knew that the end product would be worth the wait and their hard work. Declan wondered if he’d live to see his plan come to fruition, but in the long run even that didn’t matter. There were those who would pick up where he’d left off.

  Now Stryker had told outsiders. It relieved Declan that one of them was a medical doctor. Finding brilliant human minds and helping them to understand the vampire species had always been part of his vision, but not this soon. Hundreds of years had taught him to work with what was handed him and it made sense to connect with Stephen Williams. The doctor’s trusted relationship with Holly Seaton aside, they couldn’t have found a more suitable human to bring in this early.

  Declan could tell by the sound of Stryker’s voice that he hadn’t explained things fully to Holly yet. He hadn’t spoken of it, he hadn’t needed to. Both brothers knew Stryker couldn’t wait much longer. Soon it would be too late for her.

  Chapter 19

  Holly kept her finger on the doorbell. She knew Arnie would eventually have to get up and answer the door, his mother had left for work hours ago and he was the only one home. She heard his voice through the screen. Grumbling, he swung the door wide.

  He blinked owlishly and looked past her for Avery.

  Reading him, Holly said, “Avery couldn’t come.”

  He looked so disappointed Holly laughed and said, “Now I feel like Jan Brady.”

  Arnie recognized the reference and whined, “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha.” He smiled at Holly and stepped aside to let her in. “Sorry, Holly, I was just hoping to get some advice from Avery. You see, there’s this girl…”

  Holly put up a hand. “Yeah, I remember you mentioned her the last time we were here. I’ll tell Avery to call you, but let me say that any girl you’re interested in is very lucky indeed.”

  The young man blushed and said, “Thanks. I took Avery’s advice. I sent her a picture of myself.” He looked enormously pleased. “And she didn’t shut me down at first sight. I think she might be the most amazing girl in the world. She sure looked beautiful in the picture she sent me. We’re going to meet as soon as I get this thing off.” He pointed to the police bracelet on his ankle.

  “I take it your girl doesn’t know about your run in with the law then?”

  “Actually she does. I decided to be totally honest with her. She was pretty cool about it.”

  “Well, then why wait until it comes off? Why not invite her here and meet as soon as possible?”

  Arnie looked thoughtful for a second then smiled. His face lit up and he looked as handsome as Holly had ever seen. Young love was miraculous.

  “You’re right. Thanks for the advice.” He looked at what Holly was clutching. “That’s it?”

  She nodded and handed it to him. Stryker had the disk delivered to Holly that morning. It contained everything his sources had discovered about Helene Seaton. Holly hadn’t the courage to look at the stuff herself. She’d immediately called Arnie and asked him to verify the information contained on the disk.

  Arnie said, “You want me to check this out? Dig deep to determine if anything has been fabricated or altered in any way?”

  Holly said, “Yes. I haven’t even loaded it on my computer. I want to know it’s authentic first. Do your magic, Arnie. Don’t pull any punches. Do everything possible to check out the information.”

  “Will do.” Without Avery’s presence and their business concluded, Arnie reverted to his customary shyness. Holly understood and put him out of his misery.

  “I’ll leave you to it then. Good luck with your lady love. I meant it when I said she’s a lucky girl.” She thanked him and took her leave.

  * * * *

  Days ago Stephen had returned to his wife filled with excitement. Stryker’s doctors convinced him that Stryker had indeed been telling the truth. Vampires not only existed, but were living among them. Stephen had tested the blood samples he’d taken himself. The samples were unlike anything he’d ever seen, definitely not human. His preliminary findings hadn’t really shocked Holly. There was a commonality between her blood and the vampire samples Stephen had taken.

  Still, she refused to see Stryker. Her life had been turned upside down and she wasn’t sure she’d have the strength to resist the temptation to run into his arms and let him take care of everything for her. Her dreams had been free of him lately, but instead of being relieved, she felt tense and on edge wondering, as she rested her head on her pillow at night, would she see him in her dreams? She didn’t.

  Stryker had taken Holly’s decision calmly, but he made her promise that when she was ready to talk, she’d come to him. He’d provided the disk containing Helene Seaton’s dossier and Holly was grateful for that, but she wasn’t yet ready to delve into more secrets. She was just getting used to what she’d discovered so far.

  Since Stephen had told her of his findings, Holly had dined at Avery’s every night, afraid that left to her own devices she’d wind up at Stryker’s door. Jessica, Aaron and Connor were able-bodied distractions and amazingly good conversationalists. They got that from their mother’s side of the family. Holly could remember countless dinners with Avery and her parents. Will Chase, Avery’s father, would throw out a provocative statement and wait for everyone around the table to respond. By the time dessert was served, they’d invariably exhausted the subject. At that point, Will would usually say something outrageous and they’d begin all over again. No one was made to feel that their input was unimportant. Holly had never felt so confident in her entire life.

  Avery’s home life was nothing like Holly’s. Alan Seaton rarely ate dinner with his children, citing work as the reason for his absence. Most evenings, Holly would sit in her assigned place in her family’s well appointed house in one of Toronto’s most affluent neighborhoods and make inane, but polite conversation with her brother and sister.

  Alison tried to be a friend to Holly but they had so little to talk about. In her teens, Holly got into the habit of asking Alison to tell her abo
ut her dates, and after a fashion, they’d bonded as much as two very different sisters could. Alison had endless boyfriends, whereas Holly could count her boyfriends on one hand and still have a finger or two left over, so Alison’s stories were fascinating to her less experienced sister. Their conversations helped make dinner bearable.

  Her brother Matthew, bored by what he considered their girlish chatter often read the paper, ignoring them entirely. There were odd occasions however when he’d tease his young sister and make her blush or giggle. He and Alison were very close, but he’d never been able to get close to Holly, his youngest sister. He’d always protected her though and had been happy to drive her places when she’d asked him. Holly had refused to have her father’s driver take her anywhere. Few of her friends had such luxuries and it embarrassed her that she did. It was a very patient Matthew who’d taught Holly how to drive. He’d paid the price though. Alan Seaton had forbidden Holly to try for her driver’s license, but they’d both disobeyed him. When he’d caught them, her father had looked at her with the all too familiar disappointed expression on his face, but he’d taken Matthew into his study. Two hours later her brother emerged from the room somehow smaller. He avoided her sympathetic gaze, quietly skulking away to his room. They’d never talked about it. She’d tried, but Matthew turned such a blank look at her, she dropped the subject. Holly couldn’t remember another example of a time when her brother had so blatantly defied their father.

  Holly’s own big rebellion had been moving to Muskoka. Despite what was going on currently, she was pleased with that decision. She looked around the table and smiled softly. Dinner with Avery, Stephen and the kids was an entirely different experience than what Holly had known growing up. At Avery’s home, dinner was family time, an impenetrable safety zone. There was no uncomfortable tension or fear.

  Stryker had been as good as his word. He’d assigned three men on 12 hour shifts to watch over Avery and Stephen’s children. These men were very good at staying out of sight. The kids had no idea they were so protected. Hyper aware of their presence, Holly rarely caught a glimpse of them, but occasionally she’d see something move in her peripheral vision and assumed she’d glimpsed their impossibly quick movements.

  “Come on kids, I rented a movie.” Stephen said. “We can eat dessert while we watch it.”

  Aaron looked at his mother hopefully. “Are you and Holly gonna watch too?”

  Avery touched his hair gently and said, “Not this time, bud. I’m going to clear all of this away. Holly’s going to help me and then go home. She needs her rest. I’ll read you a story before bed.” With that having been said, six little feet hit the floor and the kids hurried after their father who had walked into the TV room with four well endowed, top heavy cupcakes on a plate. The dogs, Austin and Micah followed in their wake.

  Avery didn’t waste time. She said, “Enough is enough, Hol. You have to talk to Stryker tomorrow.”

  Holly looked at her in shock.

  “I’m sorry to be blunt, but you’ve stewed over this long enough and I’ve kept quiet knowing you needed time. I don’t think it’s healthy for you to put off talking to him any longer.” She paused and finally said, “It’s not like you to be cowardly.”

  Holly opened her mouth to defend herself, but closed it again with futility. She knew Avery was right and her practical side appreciated her friend’s candor. She looked into Avery’s sympathetic blue eyes and said, “I know. You’re right, but that doesn’t make it any easier.”

  “You know, kiddo, I’d never pressure you to do something I thought wasn’t in your best interests. Reach out to Stryker. Stephen is more impressed with him the more he gets to know him.”

  Surprised, Holly turned to Avery and said sharply, “Really? Has Stephen been spending time with him?”

  Avery gave her friend a knowing look. “Yes, he has and I’m not going to ask Stephen how he’s feeling…you know like high school? Find out from Stephen if Stryker likes me, but don’t tell Stephen that I like Stryker, because I don’t want him to know that I like him until I know if he likes me. Just tell him that I said hi.” She said the words without taking a breath and at the end, dragged in air noisily.

  Holly laughed. “Ah, good times.”

  “I think your future good times may rest in Stryker’s hands. At the very least you should explore your latent abilities. He’s the only one who can help you with that. It’s dangerous to ignore them for long, given what we know now.”

  “You’re right of course. I’ll talk to him tomorrow.” Holly ran a hand through her hair and said, “So I guess you’re kicking me out.”

  “And kicking your ass. Off you go.” She made dismissive motions with her hands, but Holly pushed them aside and hugged her close saying, “Thanks.” As usual, Avery hugged her back enthusiastically.

  * * * *

  The path between their houses was so familiar to Holly she could have walked it blind. She looked up, hoping to spot the moon, but found only darkness. Heavy clouds hung low in the sky like a black canopy. Holly was grateful that she knew the path so well because there was very little light illuminating her way.

  “What the hell?” she thought. “No harm in trying.” She closed her eyes and concentrated on each of her senses. Sight was the easiest, so she opened her eyes and tried that first. She brought the trees into focus and with determination, pushed past previous limits. The night busted open, taking shape before her eyes. She could see the path clearly. Surprised, she looked up expecting to see the moon shining through the dense cloud cover. All she saw was blackness. She blinked repeatedly, convinced she’d imagined it. But no, there was no doubt about it, she could see almost as well in the darkness as she could in the light. Her heart pounded, excitement rose from her belly up to her chest and exploded in delighted laughter. She spun around, seeing her surroundings as if for the first time. Her blood rushed through her veins and she reveled in it. Despite her rapid pulse, her hands were steady as she touched a silver birch. The white paper-like bark looked remarkably bright through her newly discovered night sight.

  For a moment Holly prepared to explore another sense, but a sound in the forest behind her made her freeze. Her previous feeling of exhilaration was sucked away only to be replaced with naked terror. Had another sense awakened in her? The fine hair on the back of her neck stood up and she knew she was in danger. Instead of rejecting the fear, she embraced it like a wild animal would, and took off at a run. Her fear gave her a burst of speed and she took advantage of it. Whatever was stalking her followed at a consistent distance, neither closing nor widening the gap between them, toying with her, as if it enjoyed the chase. Holly ran as fast as she could, instinctively relying on her newfound sight to navigate the winding path that led to her front door.

  She took her porch steps in one leap and slammed into the front door. Her hand had precise aim as she fit her key into the lock and fell inside. When the door swung shut loudly, she locked it, leaned against it and slid to the floor with relief.

  She listened intently to determine if she’d been followed home. There was nothing, no sound at all. She stood up and looked through the window. Maybe it was the glass but for some reason, her enhanced sight deserted her. All she could see was the dense darkness. Holly walked from window to window, checking all the locks. She wasn’t sure if it made any difference because she knew not what had stalked her in the night, but somehow she felt safer behind locked doors and shuttered windows.

  As her pulse slowed she picked up the phone and dialed Stryker’s number.

  “Holly,” he said into the phone.

  For a second she thought he’d known it was her because of telepathy until she realized he must have call display. She felt foolish and berated herself silently.

  “Holly? Are you okay?” He sounded alarmed.

  Breathless, she hurried to reassure him, feeling a little silly now. “I…I’m fine.”

  “No, you’re not, I’m coming over.”

  Okay, so
maybe telepathy wasn’t out of the question. Holly thought after he hung up the phone. She was left frowning down at her receiver. He wasted no time. She wondered how long it would take him to get to her place. She didn’t have long to speculate because within mere minutes, he was knocking at the door.

  Before she could close the door behind him, he took her in his arms and pressed her cheek to his chest. The tattoo of his heart gave him away. Pure one hundred proof adrenalin must have pumped through his veins like a wildcat oil well. His pulse beat so rapidly Holly couldn’t hear the pause between thumps. His chest positively hummed.

  “Tell me what happened.” He ran his fevered eyes over her to make sure she was okay.

  “Sorry, Stryker. I didn’t mean to alarm you. I was being foolish. I could have sworn something followed me home from Avery’s tonight.” She looked up at him helplessly.

  He sighed deeply and said, “You were not being foolish. Your instincts sensed danger and you heeded them. Good girl.”

  His praise made Holly feel ridiculously pleased. Get a grip woman, she berated herself silently.

  He walked her to the couch and made her sit down. Standing over her, he said, “I’m going to check to make sure whatever it was is long gone. Stay here.” He disappeared before Holly could take the breath needed to object and returned almost as quickly. He wasn’t even breathing heavily when he said, “You were right. Someone followed you.”

  She frowned and said hopefully, “Could it have been one of the men who are watching the kids? Maybe he was just checking to make sure I was safe. Couldn’t it have been harmless?”

  Stryker didn’t lie to her. “My men are assigned to the children. They would die rather than leave them. It was a human.”

  Before he could say more, Holly piped in, “Don’t tell me. You could smell him.”

  Stryker nodded gravely. “Exactly, and soon with some guidance, you will too. It’s started already. You knew you were in danger and acted immediately. Humans are socialized to ignore their animal instincts. We vampires have learned to heed our inner warnings or die.”