Blood of the Son (Book #1 in the Skye Morrison Vampire Series) (Skye Morrison Series)

by J. L. McCoy

  By the time Tuesday morning rolled around, the construction crews at The Mausoleum were gone and the interior decorator was finished.

  “I’m coming, I’m coming,” I yelled out, setting my cup of tea down on the kitchen table and pulling my robe closed. It was 8:30am and someone was pounding away at my front door.

  I checked the peep hole before I opened it. Nikki was standing there with a huge smile and a plate of muffins.

  “Morning, cupcake!” she sang as she pushed past me and hurried into the kitchen. “I brought you breakfast! I decided to make my famous Organic Vegan Blueberry Oat muffins, ‘cause I know how much you love ‘em. I thought we’d celebrate your last day at Drop Kick Dan’s.”

  I smiled and shook my head. Nikki was so unpredictable sometimes and I loved that about her. I shut the door and followed her into the kitchen. “I think you just made my morning, girlfriend,” I laughed as I got out two saucers from the cupboard and poured Nikki a cup of hot water. I selected her favorite blend of tea, Tazo’s Wild Sweet Orange, and made my way over to the table.

  “Damn, those look good,” I said as she put a muffin on each of our plates.

  “They ARE good,” she smiled. “I had one while I got ready this morning.”

  I pealed down part of the muffin wrapper and took a big bite. “Oh, have mercy, Nikki,” I said as I closed my eyes and enjoyed the warm blueberry goodness. “These are just to die for. Have I told you lately how much I adore you?”

  She laughed and bit into her own. “Yeah, I thought you’d like them. I haven’t made them in a while and we were way past due for a sit down.”

  “Thank you so much, Nik. I was just going to have a banana for breakfast.”

  “A banana isn’t breakfast, cupcake. A banana is a snack,” she admonished. “I know you’ve been super busy lately with the two jobs, but you need to take time for yourself and eat a good meal every day. It’s no wonder you passed out last week.”

  I rolled my eyes and laughed. “Yes, mother.”

  Nikki gasped and her jaw dropped. “Oh, no you didn’t!” she screeched as she playfully threw her napkin at me.

  “Sorry, sorry, sorry,” I laughed as I help up my hands in surrender. “You’re right. Thank you for feeding me. I appreciate it.”

  “Anytime,” she winked. “So, how about we ride to work together today? You missed our Krav Maga class on Sunday and I haven’t had a chance to tell you about the new guy I’m seeing.”

  “Oh, yeah?” I cocked my eyebrow. “New guy, huh? I want all the juicy details.”

  After we finished breakfast and girl-talked a bit, I ran upstairs to get ready while she cleaned up. I brushed my teeth, did my makeup, and quickly ran a flat iron through a few unruly sections of hair. I picked out a black pleated mini-skirt, my tuxedo t-shirt baby doll top, and fishnets. I tossed a blood red demi bra, a black mesh long sleeve shirt, and my DIY (Do It Yourself) Christian Louboutin knockoff Alti spiked pumps into my messenger bag for later. I threw on my black Chucks and raced Styvi Nix down the stairs.

  I quickly put down some fresh food and water for her, kissed her goodbye, and followed Nikki out the door. We piled into her old brown Volvo wagon and chatted about our love life all the way downtown. When we got to Drop Kick Dan’s, I was in for a surprise. The bar was decorated with rainbow streamers and tons of balloons. There was a table set up by the stage that held a huge sheet cake, a veggie plate, flowers, an oversized farewell card, and a huge banner that said “We’ll Miss You, Skye!”.

  “Surprise!” Dan, Fiona, Angel, Roger, and Nikki yelled.

  Tears sprang to my eyes and I blinked quickly to try and keep them from spilling over. “Oh, you guys! You shouldn’t have…”

  Dan rushed over to me and hugged me. “We couldn’t very well let you leave us without showing you just how much you meant to us these last four years.”

  “We’ve got pizza and wings coming later,” Fiona said as she greeted me. “We’re throwing you a farewell party at five. All your favorite customers will be here. Dan’s running a drink special all day in your honor, so we are expecting a huge crowd.”

  “Yeah. We’re having $1 Kamikazes, $2 Margaritas, Sex on the Beach, and Red-Headed Sluts, and $5 domestic pitchers all day,” said Dan.

  “$2 Red-Headed Sluts…I love how you included that,” I said and we all laughed. I looked around at all the beautiful decorations and couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. “Gosh, y’all are so sweet. This is just amazing. Thank you,” I said as I took turns hugging each one of them.

  “We hate to see you go, cupcake, but we are so happy for you,” Nikki said, throwing her arm around my shoulder. “If you ever get tired of those gorgeous men, you still have a place here.”

  I laughed and bumped her with my hip. “Like that’ll ever happen,” I joked under my breath.

  Dan broke up the gathering and put us all to work. I helped Nikki cut up the drink garnishes behind the bar and then I worked the floor. We had a steady inflow of summer tourists and regulars all afternoon. Dan made sure our regulars went by the party table and signed my farewell card. It looked as though he had been busy gathering signatures on it all weekend. I tried to take a peek at it a time or two, but Dan caught me every time. He said that I had to wait for my party this evening.

  Around four o’clock, two more employees showed up to lend a hand for the rest of the night. Dan had hired two new girls to replace me and Heather. They were both around my age and as sweet as could be.

  The bar was filling up quickly and I was glad for the extra help. Dan and Nikki were slammed at the bar with drink orders. Dan’s drink specials were a huge hit with everyone. At 5:00pm Mallory, one of the new girls, took over my section and Fiona took over for Dan behind the bar. I walked with Dan to the back office and cashed out for the last time.

  “Damn, girl,” said Dan as he was calculating up the tips I got today from the debit and credit card payments. “Do you have any idea how much you made tonight?”

  I laughed and took out the wad of cash from my front pocket. “$286 in cash. What do you have?”

  He looked at me with wide eyes and shook his head. “$412. I’ve never seen anything like it, Skye. You’ve made more money tonight than I’ve seen anyone do. People were leaving you $50 tips all day.”

  My jaw dropped and I was speechless for a few moments. “You’re kidding me. That’s…what…$698. Oh my gosh! $698!” I said as I sat down on the edge of his big desk. “I can’t believe it, D. But, I can’t take all that money. You guys deserve some, too.”

  Dan shook his head and smiled. “You’ve earned every cent of this money, doll. I wouldn’t dream of allowing you to split this up. Your customers wanted to show you how much they have appreciated your service over the last four years. They love you, Skye.”

  I felt tears sting my eyes and quickly looked down at my hands. “I’m really going to miss it here, D. I’m going to miss everyone so much.”

  Dan stood up and pulled me into a hug. “We are going to miss you, too, doll. The place just won’t be the same without you.”

  I looked into Dan’s eyes and saw tears in them. “Oh, D., not you too,” I cried as I buried my face in his chest.

  “I can’t help it,” he sniffled. “You give this place life. It’s going to feel a little empty when you’re gone.”

  “I’ll come by and visit you guys as often as I can,” I promised. “You’d better keep in touch with me, D. Just because I won’t be working here anymore doesn’t mean you’re off the hook for our girl talk.”

  His chest rumbled with laughter. “I wouldn’t dream of it, kid.”

  I stood on my tiptoes, wrapped my arms around his neck, and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

  “Come on,” Dan said, reluctantly letting go. “Your party is starting and you don’t want to be late, do you?”

  I shook my head, stuffed tonight’s tips in my messenger bag, and slung it over my shoulder. We walked out of the office together and made our way over to the
floor door.

  As soon as I pushed through the swinging door, the entire bar broke out into song. Everyone had their glasses raised and were singing “For She’s a Jolly Good Fellow” which was led by Angel on the microphone.

  I laughed and felt a blush spread across my cheeks. I allowed Dan to lead me to the stage and pour me a glass of champagne. I looked around at the large crowd and saw that it was filled with regulars and friends. Nikki’s entire roller derby team was here, my favorite regulars Jackson Ewing and Johnny Kilgore, Dan’s rugby team, and many others that I had gotten to know and serve over the years.

  Dan took the mike from Angel and quieted the crowd. “Thanks for coming everyone. It’s nice to see everyone come together to celebrate this big day for Skye. As some of you know, Sky here just finished her degree and is moving on to bigger and better things. She’s been here for the last four years and has helped make Drop Kick Dan’s what it is today. She has been an integral part of it’s growth and continued success and we sure are going to miss her. If you will all please raise your glasses.”

  I watched as the whole room lifted their glasses and bottles of beer. I spotted Jamison by the bar talking to Nikki and smiled.

  Dan turned to me and continued with his toast. “May love and laughter light your days, and warm your heart and home. May good and faithful friends be yours, wherever you may roam. May peace and plenty bless your world with joy that long endures. May all life's passing seasons bring the best to you and yours! Here’s looking at you, kid! Sláinte!”

  “Sláinte!” the whole bar erupted. Everyone drank from their glasses and someone started a chorus of “Speech! Speech! Speech!” It was quickly followed by others and I laughed.

  Dan handed me the mike and I timidly accepted it. “Uh. Okay. Hi, everyone. I’m not big on speeches, but I’ll give it a go. I’d just like to say that working here at Dan’s has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. Meeting all of you over the years has been a real joy. It has been my absolute honor to serve each and every of you. I really appreciate all of your words of encouragement as I went through school, and I appreciate you coming in and seeing us as often as you all do. Having customers and co-workers like you is part of the reason that I stayed here for as long as I did. You made each day wonderful for me and I thank you for that. Drop Kick Dan’s has become like my second home and I just want you all to know that I will miss you greatly. Some of you have become like family to me and I’ll never forget you. Thank you for coming everyone, it means a lot to me that you are all here. Sláinte, everyone!”

  “Sláinte!” the whole bar repeated, took sips from their glasses, and clapped.

  Dan took the mike back. “We’ve got pizza, wings, cake, and other goodies up here at the table, so everyone dig in. Don’t forget our drink specials tonight in honor of Skye. Ask your waitresses for details. Skye will be here until seven o’clock, so make sure you find her and say hi. Enjoy your evening, everyone and thanks for coming by!”

  Dan grabbed my hand and led me to the bar. “Get this girl a drink, Nikki. I’m going to go grab her present.” I smiled as Nikki slid me a Red-Headed Slut. I thanked her, grabbed the drink, and turned to Jameson. “I had no idea you were coming in today.”

  Jameson smiled. “Danny boy called me yesterday and told me about the surprise party they had planned for you. I told him I wouldn’t miss it.”

  I gave him a quick hug. “I’m glad you’re here. How’s everything at The Mausoleum? Did they replace the bar top today?”

  Jameson shushed me. “We’ll have no talk of work during your party. There will be plenty of time for that later.”

  I rolled my eyes and swallowed my drink. “Whatever you say, hon. Listen, Nikki brought me to work today, so I don’t have my car. Can I ride with you over to the club later?”

  “Aye. I’ll even give you a ride home.”

  I smiled and hi-fived him. “Woo-hoo!”

  Dan came back and handed me a small box. “This is just a little something we wanted you to have. We all pitched in.”

  “Aw! Thanks you guys!” I said to Dan, Nikki and Fiona. I untied the turquoise ribbon and pulled it off of the black velvet box. I slowly opened it and smiled. “Oh, my goodness!” Inside was a shiny Claddagh ring. It had a crown above two hands clasping a heart in the middle.

  “It’s white gold and emerald. We had to special order it,” Fiona said, grinning.

  I slipped the ring on my right ring finger, heart facing away. It was a perfect fit. “It’s beautiful! I love it! Thank you so much.”

  “You’re welcome, doll,” Dan said as he resumed his place behind the bar. “You should probably make the rounds and say hi to everyone.”

  I nodded my head. “I’ll be back guys. Thanks again for the ring. It’s absolutely perfect.”

  I left Jamison at the bar chatting with Nikki and Dan and made my way around the room. I said hi and chatted for a few minutes with each of my regulars. People kept giving me shots and beers from their pitchers and I was glad I had a ride to The Mausoleum later. I didn’t think it was safe to drive. I wasn’t full on drunk, but I had a good buzz going.

  Jamison stole me away from one particularly chatty table when he saw that I was there for more than 10 minutes. He put his arm around my waist and led me over to an empty booth. He sat me down while he went over to the party table and piled a paper plate full of food.

  “Here, love,” he said, setting the plate down in front of me. “Eat you some dinner before we have to go. Archer is back and he was asking for you.”

  I felt my face flush hot and looked down at my pizza. “He was? What did he want?”

  Jameson smirked. “You’re blushing,” he teased. “Don’t tell me you still have a thing for my brother.”

  I quickly shook my head. “No. No, that’s not it. It…It’s just the alcohol.”

  Jameson chuckled. “Uh-huh. Sure.”

  I didn’t want to tell him that I did indeed have a thing for his brother. I didn’t want Jameson to know that I’d been thinking about Archer non-stop since he left my house on Thursday night. Archer wanted us to take the time during his absence to evaluate our feelings for each other. I was sure that once he and his vampire pheromones were far away from me, that I wouldn’t have feelings for him. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Not only did I think about him several times a day, I also found that I missed him. I knew that Archer wanted to talk to me when he got back and I was nervous about admitting my feelings to him. Would he feel the same way about me? Or would his feelings for me be nothing more than simple blood lust?

  I cleared my throat. “So? What did Archer want?” I said as I bit into a slice of cheese pizza.

  “He didn’t say. He just said that he wanted to see you,” Jameson said suspiciously, crossing his arms over his chest. “Is there something I should know about?”

  I shook my head and struggled to meet his eyes. “Nope. Nothing I can think of.”

  “Uh-huh,” he said, pursing his lips.

  “What? There isn’t,” I argued. “He probably just wants to yell at me for the employee lounge.”

  Jameson shook his head. “No. He loved it. I told you he wouldn’t care.”

  “We’ll see,” I said, biting into a wing. I finished a few more wings, my slice of pizza, and a couple of celery sticks.

  Dan brought me over the oversized farewell card and bouquet of spring flowers. “Okay. I got everyone to sign it,” he said setting the crystal vase on the table. He handed me the card and I read the signatures and little notes.

  “Oh my gosh, D. Did you see this?” I laughed. “There are like twenty guys numbers on here.”

  Dan looked and laughed. “Well, look at that! No more Saturday nights alone.”

  I playfully smacked him on the arm. “Don’t be mean. I happen to be picky, thank you very much. Unlike some people I know.”

  Dan pursed his lips. “You’re not going to ever let me live down Lola Finch are you?”

  I laughed and sho
ok my head. “Nope. Not a chance in hell.”

  Dan laughed and ruffled my hair. “I’ll see you later, doll. I’ve got to get back to the grind. I just wanted to make sure that you got your card and flowers before you left.

  “Thanks, D.,” I said, standing up and hugging him. “This party has been really great. Thank you so much for everything.”

  Dan softly cupped my cheek. “No. Thank you, doll,” he said as he placed a tender kiss to my forehead. He looked deep into my eyes for a few moments before he turned around and headed back to the bar. We both knew that if we had looked at each other any longer that we’d both be crying soon.

  I took a deep breath and turned to Jameson. He looked at me with sad eyes. “It’s hard for you to leave here, isn’t it?”

  I swallowed hard and surveyed the room before I answered. “Yeah. You have no idea. This place is like home to me. I’m really going to miss it.”

  “I’m sorry,” Jameson said quietly.

  I walked the couple of steps to his side and tucked a stray stand of his long hair back behind his ear. “No, hon. Don’t be sorry. I’ve had an amazing four years and have so many awesome memories that I’m taking with me. I’m not sorry I took the job with you and Archer. It was time to move on.”

  He stood up and smiled a small smile. “Good. Are you ready to go?”

  I nodded my head and bent over the booth to retrieve my messenger bag from the bench seat. Jameson grabbed my flowers and card and lead me to the employee only door. I took one last look around, waved to Nikki and Dan, and followed Jameson out to the car.

  I waited as Jameson carefully loaded my things into his car. He opened the door for me and I slid down into his cool leather seats. We drove the few blocks over to The Mausoleum in silence. I kept looking at the white gold Claddagh ring that rested heavily on my right ring finger. I felt a little guilty for leaving everyone a Drop Kick Dan’s and I was trying hard to put that feeling behind me.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  We pulled into The Mausoleum employee lot and Jameson grabbed my messenger bag for me. I told him that I’d catch up with him in a few minutes and made my way through the back door and into the employee lounge. The room was completely empty but I wasn’t surprised. The dancers weren’t scheduled to be back until we opened tomorrow night.