42nd & Lex

by Hofland, Bria

  “It’s okay,” she urged. “You won’t hurt me.”

  Mark was glad Sarah had such confidence in him but he was not as sure. “What if I can’t stop?”

  “You can and you will.” She placed his hand at her throat.

  This was so wrong. So very, very wrong. Mark tried to take a few more deep breaths but the smell of her filled his nose and overrode whatever willpower he might have hoped to possess. He leaned in close, opening his mouth just above her jugular. He took her in his arms, closing the last few inches between them, her breasts touching his bare chest. His new nature took over and he struck her neck with a force that caused her to let out a little squeak.

  “It’s okay, keep going,” she gasped. “This is amazing; it doesn’t actually hurt at all.”

  Mark had tried drinking blood he stole from an office blood drive a few months ago and it had had no effect on him, even the blood in the raw meat did little to excite him. But Sarah’s blood ran over his tongue like sweet wine and coated his throat. He swallowed and pulled more of it into his mouth. She moaned into his ear, encouraging him to continue his quest.

  Mark came alive. More alive than he’d ever been before becoming a Halfling or since. The room was instantly brighter, clearer, sharper. The sounds and smells of the room amplified to the point where he could hear the whir of the motor on the mini fridge and smell the bar of soap in the shower. He felt connected to Sarah in a way he had never been before. It was as if they were sharing the same life force. And, he guessed, in a way they were.

  Afraid of taking too much, he pulled back. Instinct took over again and he licked the two puncture wounds on her neck, sealing them. Two faint pink marks were all he left behind. So he was at least vampire enough to do that successfully. Pride swelled in his chest.

  “Holy shit, Sarah,” he said for at least the second time tonight. “I think I’ve been going about this all wrong. I do need blood. And maybe food too, I don’t know. But I’m never eating raw meat again.”

  “Raw meat?” she asked, fingering the tender marks on her neck.

  “I’ll explain later,” he replied, pulling her on top of him.

  ***

  Sarah woke the next morning feeling as if she’d spent a week at a spa. She’d never felt so refreshed and alive. They had made love at least a half dozen times. She had asked Mark if she could taste his blood but he had thought that was a bad idea and it probably was. She would ask Abri about it later. For now, she would just lay here and bask in the afterglow.

  Mark was already in the bathroom showering for work, singling along with a bad 80s tune on the radio. He felt like his old, human self again. It felt like old times, pre-vampire times, pre-New York times. He barely gave a passing thought to Serge recuperating only a few floors away. He couldn’t wait to get to work and bang out the finishing touches on his project. It meant leaving Sarah but she had a mission of her own today, convince Abri Cole and, by extension, Lucan O’Reilly, to help them.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  “Hey Abri?” Max says, poking his head into my office. “I have Sarah Ainsworth here to see you. No appointment. She looks real excited about something.” Max’s expression is somewhere between worry and exasperation like he’s sure whatever it is, it’s vampire related.

  “Really? Send her in.” I put down the file I’ve been reading all morning and clear my desk.

  Max shows Sarah to my office and shuts the door. I can tell he wants to stay and listen but I don’t make the offer. I can tell by the look on Sarah’s face that Max’s worry is probably well placed. So much for an easy Friday.

  “What’s up?” I ask innocently. “Did we have an appointment and I forgot?”

  “Ah, no. I just really wanted to say this to you in person and it couldn’t wait.”

  My heart skips and my stomach drops to my feet. She’s talked to Mark. The voice in my head is screaming, “Abort! Abort! Abort!” What the hell am I going to tell her? What could I tell her? I need Lucan. “Um, what couldn’t wait?” I ask as if I don’t know what’s coming.

  “I know you’re going to be mad, but I went to see Mark about the letter. I needed to talk to him and find out if it was true. And before you try and deny it, I know you know what I'm talking about.” Before I can respond, there is a knock at my door.

  “Come in,” I call, glad to have a few second to think about what to say.

  It's Max again. This time he gives me a tired, incredulous stare as he pushes the door the rest of the way open to let Lucan into the room without introduction. He turns on his heel and stalks off without a word.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask, relieved. I look to Sarah as if she might have had something to do with this. “I mean, I'm so glad you’re here.”

  I vacillate between introducing Sarah and Lucan like neither would have any reason to know the other existed and just pushing the detonator on the huge elephant-in-the-room V-bomb we all know is coming. Lucan saves me by speaking first.

  “I just came by to drop off the file you left on the dining room table, but Max told me I needed to come to your office, that Sarah was here,” he says, shutting the door. “Hello, Mrs. Ainsworth. I’m Lucan O’Reilly. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, especially under the circumstances.”

  Well I guess we are going to skip the this is my boyfriend/oldest childhood friend nice-to-meet-you’s and go straight for the V-bomb. I picture a giant mushroom cloud torching the sky in my head. Lucan gives me a peculiar look as he reaches his hand out to Sarah. Sarah gets up to shake his hand. The look on her face is self-satisfactory like Lucan’s entrance is all a part of her plan in coming here.

  “Nice to meet you, too. I'm glad you’re here,” she says politely. “I actually want to talk to you both.”

  Ah, so Mark has outted us all. I am going to remember to slap him next time I see him. Lucan takes the lead before either of us can say anything more.

  “What do you want to know, Sarah?” Lucan opens the door as wide as it will go for all things vampire.

  “Is it true?” she asks. “Are you a vampire?”

  “Well, that cuts to the chase doesn’t it?” he replies with a smile. “Yes, I am.”

  So it has all come full circle. Sarah knows about Mark, she knows about Lucan, she knows, or is about to know, about Serge. I have kept it all a secret for so long it seems weird to have it all out in the open. I feel naked. Max knew but that doesn’t count because he knew before I did. Sarah blinks a few times as if she expected Lucan to lie or at least deny it for a while before telling her the truth.

  “Oh,” is all she manages to say.

  “So what do we do now?” I ask them both in exasperation. “I'm assuming the reason you are here is because you and Mark want to get back together. Which is something I’m sure I can’t persuade you out of now that you’ve met Lucan.”

  “No, I don’t think you can,” Sarah affirms with a smile. “I love Mark. I love him no matter what he is now. The divorce only started because I didn’t have an explanation for his behavior. Now I do. I was—we were—hoping Lucan would help us.” She looks Lucan in the eye the entire time, daring him to challenger her. He meets her stare with a knowing smile I don’t quite understand.

  “What turn him completely?” I charge before she can explain. “Is that even possible?”

  “Aye, it is. But it will take someone very powerful to do it. More powerful than I, I’m afraid. I was actually on my way to meet with just such people now. Can you and Mark come to dinner tonight at my apartment? I believe Mark knows the location.”

  Sarah winces a little before she responds. I guess Mark told her about our first meeting. “Of course.”

  We exchange a few more affirmations about how this whole thing will be okay and how we will get to the bottom of it before Lucan excuses himself, saying Zaid is waiting downstairs.

  “So I guess this means you’re going to have to tell your boss you lost your biggest client, huh?” she says softly, fidgeting with her purse
straps.

  “Yup. But that’s okay, it happens more often than you’d think. That’s why the retainer was non-refundable. That’s all they really care about.”

  We laugh a little at that. I can’t find the right words to express my misgivings about all of this. Lucan is not helping me take a stand against it with his willingness to help Mark. Not that he shouldn’t help him given what Serge has done, but I worry for Sarah’s safety. There’s no guarantee Serge won’t come after her as well.

  “Are you mad, Abri?” Sarah continues.

  “Not at all. Worried, but not mad. If I was mad, it would be a little of the pot calling the kettle black, wouldn’t it? Why don’t you guys come over around seven o’clock and we’ll sort this all out.” If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, right?

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  When I step off the elevator Zaid, Amelia and Lucan are sitting in at the dining room table discussing something in earnest. My first stop is the SubZero for a beer. I’m going to need a drink to get through this evening.

  “So what’s the plan?” I ask since they look like they’d been discussing it for a while. “Zaid’s not going to kill Mark or anything, right?”

  “No, of course not,” Zaid confirms. He doesn’t even look disappointed about it either. “Mark is an ally as far as I'm concerned. He doesn’t like Serge anymore than we do.” He is pushing the copy of Mark’s letter around the table while he talks.

  “Good.” I excuse myself to change out of my work clothes.

  Mark and Sarah arrive at seven o’clock sharp and Lucan leads them into the living room. We make the introductions and settle in around the giant coffee table. I haven’t even thought about food but we have invited them to dinner. I guess we can always call for take-out, although I have a feeling this conversation is going to leave everyone without an appetite.

  “Abri, before we go any further, I feel I need to apologize to you for our, uh, first meeting,” Mark offers. “I was not myself back then, as you might have guessed. I am really sorry I scared you.”

  “No harm, no foul,” I say. “I understand you couldn’t help it.” My adventure in the elevator the night before gave me an up-close look at what bloodlust could do to a person. I imagine venom rot, or whatever you call it, was much the same. Any anger I’ve had towards Mark is vanquished.

  “Thank you, Abri. And Lucan, I'm sorry for breaking in here. You’re one hell of a fighter though, I have to say.”

  “All is forgiven, Mark. No hard feelings. In fact, Zaid and I want to help you in any way we can. All we would ask in return is that you accompany us to the Enclave tomorrow to meet with the Council regarding your situation.”

  “Enclave?” Sarah asks.

  “That’s where Serge works, right?” Mark adds. “Is it a place for vampires?”

  God, that jerk hadn’t told him anything. Mark and Sarah listen while Lucan explains the Enclave and its hierarchy and the investigation into Serge creating Mark. Sarah’s face is pale and Mark is tapping a nervous foot on the floor before Lucan is done.

  “Is there a cure for me? I can hardly function in this state. Serge hasn’t told me anything about being a vampire and what I’ve learned has been from my own trial and error. Can I be made whole again?”

  “A cure? No, but a very powerful vampire could turn you completely. Then you would be able to regain normal function. Well, outside of the whole drinking blood thing,” Zaid replies, not mincing words as usual. “But you get used to that.”

  “It can’t be any worse than eating raw meat like you have been,” Sarah chimes in and all eyes turn to Mark.

  “Raw meat?” we all exclaim at once.

  “Ah, yeah. I think I still need to eat food but my mental clarity improves greatly when it’s raw, bloody meat. I figured that out after our first meeting… sorry.” He offers me an apologetic smile.

  “That’s fucking ingenious, man. How did you come up with that idea?” Zaid claps Mark on the back and Mark’s eyes bug out form the force. “Most Halflings die within their first few months from starvation. Literally rot away into a pile of steaming goo.”

  “You’ll have to forgive Zaid,” I add. “He’s incredibly macabre and horribly blunt.”

  “It’s true though,” Zaid defends. “How did you figure that out?”

  “Ah, well, I’m a big meat eater as it is and it just sounded like a good idea one day to combine food and blood in one. I noticed a huge difference right away so I just kept at it. I didn’t have the guts to try human blood until….” Mark looks down at the floor. “Until last night.”

  I want to scream. From jealousy or concern, I’m not sure. Sarah’s face is as red as fire but Mark pats her on the knee in comfort. Lucan is fidgeting next to me and I quickly calm my thoughts. I understand why he can’t take my blood but it still irks me for some reason. It is the final step in bringing us together and I ache to be joined with him. That magnetic pull in my chest flares up in response.

  “Since then I’ve felt like my old self. So I’m thinking the blood drinking thing won’t be an issue for me,” Mark finishes and then looks at Sarah and smiles.

  “Sarah, my dear, you’ve been quiet. Is there anything you want to know?” Lucan asks.

  Sarah clutches Mark’s hand before she speaks. “We can stay together right? I mean, this Council’s not going to make Mark leave me because I’m human, are they?”

  A wave of pity overtakes me. I’ve been so confident in my future with Lucan and the whole Sodali thing that I've never really considered that vampires and humans make an odd, if not impossible mix.

  “The Council won’t make you get a divorce, but if Mark becomes a full-blooded vampire he will become immortal. That doesn't mean you can't be together, but well, you can guess where I’m heading with this,” Lucan answers, trying to be as sensitive as possible. Actually, I am glad he is the one to answer and not Zaid. No telling what Zaid would have said.

  “Am I aging now?” Mark asks. “There is so much I don’t know.”

  “There are many things we don’t know as well. Sadly, since most Halflings die or are killed out of mercy before their first year there’s not a lot of long-term knowledge on the subject. The rest are able to be turned completely. To answer your question, you are more human than vampire at the moment. You had just enough vampire venom to start the process, but not enough to transform you into an immortal. Constantly replenishing your blood supply is what’s letting your human side stay intact and keeping the venom from killing you.”

  “Would they turn me as well?” Sarah’s voice is quiet but seems to echo around the apartment deafening us all.

  A collective gasp goes around the room. No one here was turned of their own volition. That thought has never even entered my head, even before Zaid and Amelia explained the anti-aging power swap thing. Amelia looks sickened by the thought as well.

  “The Enclave is not in favor of making progeny,” Zaid answers. “I have seen it allowed in the right circumstances, but it’s not something that is well received, even for love.”

  Sarah’s face falls. I can tell then that her love for Mark is deep and I feel bad for thinking her incapable of such things when she first came into my office. He strokes her arm reassuringly. “We’ll figure this out. I promise. I would not wish this life on you at all. I imagine none of us would. If I can live on as a Halfling and finish out my life with you as nature intended, then that is what I will do. At least we figured out drinking blood helps.”

  He seems so calm and resolved, nothing like the snarly halfwit I met in this very room only a few weeks earlier. My mental replay of that night cues Lucan to steer our conversation to the bigger issue at hand: Serge.

  “Mark, rest assured that we will do everything we can to make sure you are both able to go on living as you choose,” Lucan promises. “But let’s get to the bigger issue, at least for us anyway, Serge.”

  Mark lets out a quiet hiss at the mention of Serge’s name. I can’t say I don’t feel liking
doing the same. I have been quiet up until this point in the conversation but I my feelings towards Serge are too strong not to interject. “So what is it going to take for the Council to let you do something about this asshole?”

  Lucan reaches for the report he and Zaid have worked on over the last week. “We gave the preliminary report this afternoon but after I told them of meeting Sarah this afternoon, the Council wants us to come back again tomorrow. All we need is testimony from you and Mark and they will have no choice but to invoke the death penalty.”

  “Wait,” Mark exclaims. “You’re going to kill him?”

  “Vampires have laws not unlike humans. Serge has broken quite a few in making you and in attacking Abri. He must be punished if we are to keep order.” Lucan’s voice is stern.

  “Oh, it’s not that I don’t want him to die, I just hoped he’d suffer a little bit first.” Mark says, giving Sarah a look of apology for his bluntness. “For me and for Abri.”

  “I like him,” Zaid grins and Lucan and me. Of course he does.

  “So where is this Serge idiot?” Sarah asks.

  “At the Essex House. I was just coming from the room I stashed him in when I ran into you last night. If you had been even five minutes earlier…” Mark clenches his fists and glides his tongue absentmindedly over a fang as it extends. “I rented an apartment on the top floor because I couldn’t risk him draining the maid while I was gone during the day. Nice work by the way, Lucan.”

  My stomach lurches. Sarah starts to ask what Mark is talking about but one look at my face makes her sit back in silence. “How long do we have before he’s, uh, mobile again?”

  “My guess is a few more days, if not a week,” Zaid answers. “When was the last time he had any blood?”

  “Just a pint from a blood drive a couple of days ago. I was supposed to bring him some last night but Sarah showed up and I never went back. He was still a blind southpaw the last time I saw him.”

  Sarah flushes a little at Mark’s confession that she stayed the night. I wonder if Sarah and Mark being together is anything like being with Lucan is for me. I’ll have to ask her later. Damn, Lucan probably heard that. I look at him but his face is blank. Maybe he is too focused on the audible conversation to listen into my mental dribble. I tune back in just as Zaid and Lucan are getting up from the couch.