Courage Runs Red

by W. J. May

  She stuffed her ear buds in from her iPod and began winding through streets in the neighborhood.

  An hour later Kallie found herself in front of Liam’s house. It hadn’t been planned, but somehow here she was. She hesitated only a moment before heading to his front door. Chances are he wouldn’t even be home, but it didn’t stop her imagination from running. She knocked lightly on the wooden door, testing to see if he would hear it. She imagined him lying on his bed, his eyes opening to the quiet sound. She would just ask one question and then she could leave him alone. She would prefer two, maybe three questions, but one would have to suffice. How he would react is what made her want to run and hide.

  The door silently swung open and he stood at the threshold with just a pair of blue shorts on. Bare chest with strong lines running up, down and across his stomach and chest, he couldn’t have seemed more perfect.

  All the air slipped from her lungs and she had to mentally remind herself to inhale the oxygen her body needed. She had pictured him lying down, not really thinking about what he might, or might not, be wearing. She sucked in a gasping breath. The anger she’d felt for him not replying to her messages seemed so wrong now. She greeted his surprised face with a voice that didn’t sound like her own. It seemed too strong. “Can you help my dad?”

  He stared at her, his blue eyes intense as they searched her face. “I don’t know if I can.”

  She blinked, the stress of the week coming to a boiling point. Not wanting to cry in front of him, she turned slightly and stared down at her shoes. She needed to be that strong person she just had been a second ago. Her dad needed her to be. The image of her dad after he came out of the abandoned building gave her the strength she needed. She met his gaze. “I don’t know who else to ask.” She punched his shoulder. “You’re an ass, by the way, for not replying to my messages.”

  “Sorry about that.” He fumbled with his hands, not sure what to do with them. “I figured it might be better if I left you alone.”

  “Why?” She waved her hand. “It doesn’t matter right now. I need you to help my dad.” She took a deep breath. “And I think you’re the only one who can.”

  “There are a lot of cops here.”

  “I don’t need the police.”

  He hesitated before glancing around behind her. “It’s probably better we have this conversation inside.”

  She stepped in before he had even finished his sentence. The entrance from the front door brought her into a large open concept kitchen-living room. It looked like a man-cave, a bit like what her basement now looked like; dark, lifeless. She moved to a black leather chair that matched a couch on the far side of the room. She sat on the edge of the chair’s arm. “What do you know about my dad?”

  Liam sat down on the coffee table and faced her. He rested his elbows on his knees, completely unaware he sat half naked in front of her. “I don’t know much. What do you know?”

  He was baiting her, trying to find out how much she knew. Her mother always said it was better to rip the band aid off fast instead of pulling it slowly. She decided to try and shock him. He’s a vampire. Okay, maybe I shouldn’t just blurt it out. She wasn’t sure telling a near stranger that her dad was a vampire would go off very well. “How do I know I can trust you?”

  “You’re going to have to risk it.” He touched her knee. “Go with your gut.”

  “I don’t think I have a choice.” She straightened her shoulders, trying to force courage inside of her. “You wanted to know what happened during the storm. When I crashed my car.” She swallowed. “The night of the accident… someone helped my father.”

  “Helped him?” He looked genuinely confused.

  “I don’t know. They did something. They changed him.”

  “Did you see who did it?”

  She shook her head, trying to remember the moments before the accident and at the same time, trying to forget.

  “It happened while you were driving.”

  “You mean after we hit the tree.”

  “It happened during.” He shook his head. “I was there.”

  Her head popped up so fast her neck cracked. She rubbed it even though it didn’t hurt. She couldn’t believe what he had just said. A million more questions blew through her mind. The most important came first. “Why didn’t you try to save him?”

  “I couldn’t.” His face filled with regret. “I thought I was too late.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but he held back.

  “Too late?”

  “Your dad had already died when I found him outside of the car. After you hit the tree, he flew out the front window and broke his neck. He died instantly.”

  “Dead?” She sounded like a broken record. Of course her father had died. He wouldn’t be what he was now if he hadn’t. “How did he become… become…” She stumbled and huffed a quick breath out. “A vampire. Who turned him?” There. She had said the words out loud. To someone who wasn’t her mother or father. Now there was no turning back. How did he get back inside the car before the paramedics arrived? She remembered coming to and seeing him lying beside her, his seatbelt on.

  “I have no idea.”

  “How did he turn into one then?”

  He looked as uncomfortable as she felt. He was answering her questions though and not putting cuffs on her or calling her crazy. That had to be a good sign. “Someone had to have given him their blood. Then when he died, he turned.”

  “You can’t become one if you’ve been bitten?” She covered her wrist, the two small jagged pin prick scars suddenly itchy.

  Liam shook his head. “You have to have vampire blood in you.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with you.”

  “Neither can I.” She sighed with relief, glad to know even if she had been bitten, she wasn’t going to turn into a vampire. “Why do you think some vamp fed my dad their blood?”

  He stared directly into her eyes. “I saw him on the street. You swerved to avoid hitting the bastard.”

  What? She hadn’t veered. Or had she? An image pulled at her memory but she couldn’t quite place it. She closed her eyes trying to picture the night she had spent so many other nights trying to block out. “I don’t remember.” A flicker of a flame, maybe two flames dancing side by side flashed in her memory.

  “I’m sorry, Kallie. I honestly tried. There was nothing I could do.”

  She appreciated his apology even though there was no need for it. It wasn’t his fault her father had died. It was hers. Because of her, everything changed that night. “It doesn’t matter. We can’t change the past.”

  Liam inhaled and released a long, slow breath. “I really wish we could.”

  She watched him, wondering what secrets he held that made him long for things to be different. If she wasn’t so worried about her father, she would ask him about his own past. “Do you know who changed my dad?”

  He hesitated just a moment longer than normal. “I don’t.”

  Liar. Whatever the reason he didn’t want to tell her, she planned to find out why. “Then why are you so interested in him?” She stood, feeling the need to pace. “You only agreed to the interview with me so you could ask me about my father, didn’t you?”

  “I wanted to see if he was all right.”

  She stopped pacing. Her heart rate accelerated. “Do you know what they are doing to him?”

  He stood, moving faster than normal, so he was inches from her. “Who are? What’s going on?”

  She hesitated, now not sure if he knew. She had assumed he did. “I don’t know who they are, but they’re hurting him. Every month they force him to come and… and they force him to let them feed off of him.” She was on the verge of tears. “He fights them but it doesn’t stop them. Last time he told me there are dozens of them! What’s he supposed to do?” She inhaled a shaky breath. It took a moment before she could continue. “They threatened him that if he didn’t do as they said, they would come after me an
d my mom!” She began to shake, nearly delirious with anxiety. Even her lips were trembling. “You’re a police detective and a werewolf. Can’t you stop them?” She hadn’t meant to tell him she knew what he was, it had just slipped out.

  He laughed and quickly covered his mouth. “Sorry. It’s not funny.”

  She stared at him, wondering if he was the crazy one.

  “I’m not a werewolf.”

  “You’re not?” She blinked and pointed to his eyes. “I just figured… your eyes are so blue.”

  He shook his head.

  “Then what are you?”

  Liam tilted his head slightly, his lips slightly open. His eyes darted from hers down to her neck, pausing a moment before meeting her gaze again. He scoffed, not in a mean way but something along the lines of disbelief. “I don’t understand why you thought...” He crossed his arms over his muscular chest. “Your father…”

  Kallie waited for him to finish, knowing he wouldn’t. She didn’t understand his confusion. “My father has red eyes. Yours are blue.” She stared, fascinated as his eyes turned a shade brighter. She grew warm. Calm your horny-tail down, Kalls, this is not the time! She couldn’t believe her body was thinking about his near-naked, sexy one while they were having this conversation. She mentally told her libido to get lost for a bit.

  One step and Liam was less than an inch from her. He wrapped his arms around her. The hug came quick and tight. She barely had time to get her hands up and out of the way. They ended up on his shoulders. “Shit!” he murmured into her hair. “I didn’t know your dad was… I assumed.” His head moved side to side as he shook it in dismay. “That changes everything.”

  “What are you talking about?” Kallie didn’t try to move away from him. She enjoyed the cool comfort his steely arms gave. She felt oddly safe, like he would protect her from anything. Her insides apparently seemed to be melting from his touch, regardless of the cool skin. “What are you?”

  He leaned slightly away, but didn’t let her go from his arms. “I’m a vampire too.”

  So he wasn’t a werewolf like she thought. “How’s that possible?”

  He stared at her and slowly shook his head. “I always imagined the first person I told that to would take off running and screaming.” He smiled. “How are you able to stay so calm? Here you stand, not even trembling… at least by what I’m telling you.”

  She felt her face burn. He apparently had the ability to hear or smell or sense her body’s reaction to him. “My daddy can kick your ass,” she joked.

  “He probably can. He just doesn’t know it.”

  “What do you mean?” She couldn’t imagine anyone being able to hurt Liam, especially knowing he was a vampire now.

  He picked her up like she weighed nothing and carried her to the leather couch. He set her down and sat beside her. “Are you ready for all this?”

  If he was referring to blowing her mind with more information, he was in for a surprise. After finding out her father needed blood to live off of, nothing would shock her anymore. She pretty much believed in everything now. “Try me,” she teased.

  He wiped his hands against his shorts even though they wouldn’t be sweaty.

  Probably an old, nervous habit he had. She wondered how long ago he had turned. Did human habits start to die away over time? Or like someone who’s lost a limb and still had that ‘ghost’ feeling, did it linger?

  “I don’t think you know everything. I’ve wondered for the past two years what your father knew. But you or your mother never showed up dead so I figured he was being taken care of.”

  He was, by me and my mom. “What don’t we know?”

  “You ready for Vampire one-oh-one?” He tried to smile again but it looked forced. “There are two types of vampires. If you knew that, you would never have approached me to help your dad.”

  “Oh.” She didn’t know what else to say.

  “The two types are referred to as the Red Bloods and the Blue Bloods.”

  She tried not to laugh. Nervousness sometimes made her giggly and she was edgy from his comment about her not approaching him. “Very original names. Did you come up with them? What do they represent, red blood and blue blood?” She lifted his arm and pretended to check his veins. “They look blue to me. Might have to pop open an artery to double-check the oxygenated blood.”

  A low laugh escaped his lips. “No need for oxygen here.”

  “Oh yeah, right.” She should know that, she’d watched enough TV shows and movies to know part of whatever tales they told had to be true. “It’s because of your eyes.” She paused a moment to try and organize her crazy thoughts. “Why are there two kinds?”

  “I haven’t figured that one out yet, but they don’t get along.”

  Why does he say they instead of we? “Really? What happens? A Red Blood sees a Blue Blood and suddenly they start tearing each other apart?” She was joking, but couldn’t help but be paranoid Liam might say it was true.

  “Sort of. I’ve yet to see a Red Blood I didn’t want to tear apart.”

  His comment sent a chill down Kallie’s spine. “Stay away from my father, then.” She went to stand and Liam rested his hand on her knee, forcing her to stay seated.

  “I won’t hurt your dad. I only go after the ones that murder and kill. Red Bloods seem to have made it a sport. Hunting down and killing innocent people.” He shook his head, disgusted. “Bastards.”

  “How do you know my dad isn’t one of them?” Was that why he locked himself in that room in the basement?

  “He hasn’t killed a human yet. When Red Bloods kill, it triggers something inside them and they become aggressive. Over aggressive.”

  “Is that why they are feeding off of him?”

  A look crossed Liam’s face that Kallie couldn’t mistake for anything other than pure pity.

  Chapter 7

  “What is it?” She didn’t like his pity, it made her feel even more helpless toward her dad. She should be feeling mind-blown, like none of the world made sense. Except she had been through that two years ago and these days, nothing seemed like it could shock her. However, she had no problem being scared. Everything scared her now.

  “I don’t know how your dad’s surviving.”

  “What do you mean?” Panic welled inside of her, which made her eyes fill. She blinked rapidly, not wanting to cry but very close to being unable to stop herself. “What’s going on,” she whispered.

  Liam reached for her hand and held it tenderly in his as if she were a fragile teacup. “Your dad has never fed off of you has he?”

  She shook her head. “My mom’s a nurse. She’s been bringing bags of blood home from the hospital. Her and I also pump blood and store it for him when he runs low.” Should I be telling him this? She wasn’t going to find answers if she didn’t.

  He nodded. “Impressive. That’s a great idea. Your mom’s a smart lady.”

  She appreciated the compliment, but she didn’t care. She wanted to know what had Liam looking so sad a minute ago. “Why does it matter if he’s never fed off of me? He’s had my blood.”

  “But not directly from the source.”

  “No. Is it key he needs to drink from me?” If it was, she would force her dad to do it. If it meant stopping the horrid full moon nights. She would do pretty much anything.

  “It’s not just you.” He smiled and winked. “Though I’m quite positive you taste delicious.”

  She could see a slight point to his canines that her father had when he laughed. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed it on Liam before.

  Liam looked down a moment when she didn’t reply. “Sorry. That was inappropriate.” His face turned serious again. “Your dad hasn’t drunk from any vital source. He’s never bit into flesh and drank directly. From anyone.”

  Kallie didn’t know, but she was pretty sure Liam’s assumption was correct. “I don’t think he has. He spends most of his time locked down in the basement these days.”

  “He’s a
good man. He should have been turned a Blue Blood. If he was, he wouldn’t have these issues. He’s doing everything he can to fight his body’s urges. He’s incredibly strong.”

  “Can you turn him into a Blue Blood?” Kallie somehow knew the answer already, but she tried arguing her point anyway – more at herself than at Liam. “What if you bit him? Let him feed off of you? Or whatever you guys do. Would that turn him into a Blue Blood instead?” She pulled her hand from Liam’s and grabbed his wrist, putting it close to her mouth. “What if you let me feed off of you and then my dad drank my blood with yours in it?”

  Liam gently but forcefully lowered his wrist. “I don’t think that’s going to work.”

  “How do you know it won’t? Have you tried it?”

  “Kallie,” he said, his voice soft. “It won’t work.”

  “Then tell me something that will!” she yelled, not meaning to be so loud, but unable to stop herself.

  “They’re feeding off of him because he’s never fed! He’s still a virgin, in a sense.”

  The word made her ears burn. She was no doubt one herself, but he surely didn’t know that. He wasn’t calling her out with the reference, but simply pointing out the reality of her father’s situation. Her heart palpitated and the slight flare of his nose let her know that whatever hormones were boiling in her blood were putting off a noticeable calling card.

  “Your dad’s blood is completely pure. In that purity there is strength and power. The Red Bloods are taking his strength from him.” He rubbed his chin. “Possibly to protect themselves.”

  “What do you mean?” A glimmer of hope shot through her. She didn’t want to put everything into it… yet.

  “If your dad didn’t let them feed from him during one full moon, he would be stronger than ten of them.”

  “So if he had two full moons of his strength, it would make him even stronger?”

  Liam nodded.

  “Incredible. He has no idea, and if a couple of months could make him strong, then six month’s might make him invincible!” She stood from her seated position and began to pace again, the realization that there was a fighting chance washing over her and offering a small wave of peace.