Sucking Bites (San Francisco Vampires Series #3)

by Jessica McBrayer

  “I’m with you, Cherie,” he whispers.

  “I could put you in a trance, Lilith. I’m not sure what you will feel through it. Do you want me to try?” Aidan asks.

  “Yes, please.”

  He moves closer to me and touches my forehead. I feel a tingle go through my body. I sink. It feels like my body is swimming through deep water with my legs weighed down. I feel Helena start to cleanse my wounds with the mixture she’s created and there is a dull pain but I feel it from a distance. Then I am aware of Aidan whispering to me and I am coming up out of the water. I try to talk but everything is on fire and I can only manage a whimper so I clamp my jaw shut. Vamp up Lily, I tell myself, toughen up buttercup.

  “Easy, ma petite. Helena is mixing a potion for you that might help the pain,” Sebastian says.

  “Here, Lily, sip this. It has a lot of willow bark in it. I’m not sure how much it will help, but it’s worth a try. I cast a spell that should relieve you,” Helena says.

  I take a few sips of the hot bitter tea.

  “Sugar,” I squeak, hoping Andrew can make it potable.

  Andrew, his former experience as a coffee barista showing, reaches for the sugar bowl and doses the tea based on experience with my sweet tooth. I lay my head back down and wait for the charms and potion to take effect.

  “Thank you, Aidan, the trance really helped.”

  “Anything, love. I’m sorry I can’t lessen the pain altogether.”

  “What kinds of side effects is she going to have from the bite, Julian,” Sebastian asks, glaring at Aidan.

  “I don’t know. Because she is vampire, none of the rules apply. This is serious though. Usually, the bitten victim turns into a werewolf or their body isn’t able to adjust… and they die.” Five faces swivel towards me. “The illness manifests at the full moon. From what I have been reading tonight, the sufferer can have a relatively normal life in between cycles of the moon.” Julian leans over his desk, straightening his papers. That was a lot of bad news. “Silver may be an issue. Then again, Lily may be entirely different. Her body may fight the virus completely. We have amazing regenerative powers,” he concludes, although he doesn’t sound very confident.

  “The wounds have almost healed,” Helena says, underscoring Julian’s last hope-filled comments. “We can turn you on your back and put you to bed now, Lily. It’s almost dawn.”

  “Please put me in Bast’s room. In fact, I can walk, I think.”

  “Nonsense, I’ll carry you, ma petite.” Sebastian whisks me up the stairs.

  “You didn’t let me say goodnight to Aidan. That wasn’t very considerate.”

  “Aidan, will you come up stairs for a minute,” Sebastian shouts ungraciously.

  Aidan swooshes in.

  “Aidan. Thank you for saving me. You mean so much to me, my friend.”

  He nods, but his eyes glow.

  “Good night, Aidan.” Touching the warm hand he holds out to me, I squeeze it gently.

  “Good night, Lilith, and rest well.” I don’t even feel a change in the air pressure as he melts away.

  “Thank you, honey, I feel better now. If he hadn’t been there I would have had the true death.”

  “Let me help you into a clean gown.” Sebastian doesn’t comment further. He slips me into a fresh nightgown, helps me into bed, and props the pillows up behind me, then lowers to one knee.

  “I know we haven’t talked everything through, but would you do me the honor of marrying me?”

  Bad timing. I really have things to consider. I stall. “Sebastian. Now? I don’t know what is going to happen to me. You need to think about that. We both need to think about that”

  “Lily, maybe I want this because I am afraid after what happened tonight.”

  “Sebastian, my father had a mistress…”

  “Lily…” he interrupts.

  “Shhh. Let me finish. My mother suffered great indignities because of it.” I pick at the quilt as I work my way through the things I want to say. It’s easier than meeting his eyes. “He flaunted the woman around town and then took my mother to church on Sundays like nothing was wrong. My mother was supposed to keep house, breed children and attend social functions. The other women were for fun. He would trade up after a year or two.”

  Sebastian looks away out the window at the near dawn. We’d never discussed this before. I’d never told anyone this before. Sebastian shakes his head once before he turns back to me.

  “Lily, I’m not your father. I’ve had my fun.” He turns back to me and his fingers run lightly down my face.

  “I was angry at my mother at the time,” I continue. “I realize now why she didn’t say anything to my father. Now I can admire her strength. But it was humiliating for me seeing the pity in people’s eyes. I never want to see that look directed at me when I walk into a room, Sebastian.”

  “Lily, ma Cherie, when I was sleeping with different women every night, I never was dishonest about it. I have changed. Even before I fell in love with you I have cherished you from the day I met you. I will never hurt you that way.” I close my eyes. I don’t want to deal with any of this right now. Too much has happened tonight and too much is unsure. I haven’t changed my mind about marriage either.

  “I think you need some more time, ma petite. I want you to feel confident, about this. I want you to trust me.”

  He slips something back into his pocket and kisses my ring finger. Then he puts on one of his never-ending stash of silk pajama pants and the bed dips as he slides in beside me. I lay on my side to take the pressure off the bite wound. Even though it’s healed, it burns.

  “Seeing you hurt tonight brought up memories of people I have loved and lost. I don’t know what the future is going to hold for us now, but I want to share it together,” Sebastian whispers.

  “Bast, I’ve been in so much pain I’ve hardly had time to be scared, but I am now. I can’t commit to a situation no one can predict. I don’t want to be the animal in the secret room you have to fear and constantly monitor so I don’t hurt anyone.” I shake my head. Sleepiness steals over me with the sun’s rising. “Don’t want to be that animal…”

  “Don’t even think that. If it comes to that, I will guard you when you are dangerous and we will be together on the days you are safe. We’ll make it work, Lily. Now close your eyes and rest.” Sebastian lies so he can stare into my eyes before I fall asleep. He traces my cheek and jaw.

  It is dawn. I can’t reply even if there was something to say.

  ***

  When I wake, Sebastian is still in bed with me, reading the Chronicle.

  “You made the papers, Cherie,” he tells me, turning back to the front page. “‘Mysterious victim of animal attack walks away in Chinatown,’ ” he reads. “‘Yet another ‘Full Moon Victim.’ Witnesses describe the attack.’ They must have been dazed by Aidan’s blast because no one reported seeing a naked human running away.”

  “I’m glad we didn’t stick around for the circus.”

  “Quite. How are you feeling this morning?”

  “Stiff and sore but healed up.”

  “Let me see, turn around please.” Sebastian scrutinizes my back. We hear a knock at the door.

  “Entre Helena,” Sebastian says. “She has been checking in to see if you were awake for the last several minutes.”

  “How are you, dear?” Helena sits beside me.

  “A little sore.”

  Sebastian moves behind her when she lowers my gown to check my back.

  “Hmmm… you are not going to like this, Cherie. You will have a little scar. It is not too bad though. It is like two crescent moons.”

  “I can live with the scars. It’s the side effects I’d rather do without.”

  “Julian has been in chat with a professor in Romania all morning. They have been discussing your case. If you ask me they are a little too intrigued with the possibilities,” Helena says stiffly.

  “You can’t blame him too much, Helena. This i
s scientifically very obscure.” I give a weak smile. “Ever the scholar, our Jules. Besides someone should get something out of this.”

  “Yes, well I have to remind him that he is discussing you, not some anonymous case, every once in a while to bring him back down to earth.”

  “I need to take a shower,” I say, holding out my hand for Bast to help me up. Craving clean with lots of soap and scrubbing involved and at least half a case of hand sanitizer.

  “I should assist you in the shower in case you are a bit unsteady,” Sebastian says, his expression innocent.

  “Uh huh,” I say.

  He smiles.

  “That’s my cue to go. I’ll see you two downstairs,” Helena says.

  Sebastian starts the shower. We get in and the hot water helps ease all my aches and pains. Bast washes my back for me and then gently helps ease the rest of my aches. Damn he is good. He is an unselfish lover. How could I not love that? We get out and he towels me dry. He carefully pats my shoulder and back dry.

  “I have been thinking. I have a necklace of my mother’s that is silver. Remember? I wanted to give it to you as a wedding present. Let’s see if you can wear it.” He runs his fingers lightly across my shoulders.

  “Oh Bast, what a beautiful gift that would be. But surely you understand I need to wait until my situation is clear?”

  I turn in his arms, letting him wrap his strength around me. Standing on tip toe, I kiss him lessening the sting of my words.

  “I am not suggesting this to pressure you. Perhaps this could be the first test?” he says carefully. I agree. He’s right. It will be helpful to know if I can wear silver.

  Sebastian retrieves a large blue silk-covered box from the safe in his dressing room. I have only seen the necklace once before. He snaps open the lid and it is as beautiful as I remember. A thick collar, typical of the era, heavily laced with sapphires and diamonds, is displayed against a white satin lining. Sebastian’s family had been wealthy aristocrats and members of French court in the seventeenth century. I know he has several pieces of his mother’s jewels he has saved, although this is the most beautiful and meaningful to him.

  “Sebastian, it is exquisite.” I’m reluctant to touch it, though my glitter whorish heart wants it.

  “Let me put it on you, Cherie.”

  He opens the clasp and lays it on my neck. It immediately starts to burn my skin.

  “Oh God… get it off! Bast, get it off.”

  He removes it instantly, but not before we can smell my flesh burning.

  “Lily, fuck! I’m so sorry! Your neck! Helena!”

  Helena comes flying up the stairs and into our room.

  “What happened? Oh, darling. Let me get some aloe vera and I have some calendula ointment made up for the maid—she burnt her finger ironing last week. What did this?”

  “We tried on my mother’s silver necklace,” Sebastian says. She and Sebastian exchange looks—I don’t miss the concern in their eyes.

  “Well, we can deal with this,” she says calmly. “I’m tired of the silver coffee and tea service. I’ve been looking for an excuse to pack it up.” She smiles as if it will be easy to accommodate a ravening beast by putting away the silver.

  I nod, unable to meet their looks.

  “It’s all right, Lily. I have some beautiful china pots I have wanted to use and now Andrew gets to.” She gently rubs my shoulder and leaves to get the balm.

  “Cherie, I will have my mother’s necklace reset in platinum,” Sebastian says gently.

  “Bast, that will destroy the historical significance.”

  “I don’t care about that, I lived it—I care that it was my mother’s and now it will be yours and that will happen one way or another, I will see to it,” he says as he tentatively touches my shoulders.

  “Now we should probably get out of these towels and put some clothes on so Helena can doctor you up. You don’t want another scar and the mark will start healing fast.” He casually puts the jewelry away. “You know Zoe knew about these and wanted them.”

  “How did she know about them? Was she Queen at the time?” I ask with surprise. I stop in my tracks.

  “Yes she was Queen. Zoe was one of my many conquests, ma petite. It was about a hundred and fifty years ago. Before you were even born as a human,” he says gently taking me in his arms, recognizing my discomfort. “It was the fashion at court to get your humans drunk before you fed, so you would be drunk after you ate. Zoe and I were drunk on blackberry brandied blood and I was telling her about my mother. It turns out she knew her. Knew of the necklace, too. She wanted me to be her royal consort but I said no.” Sebastian kisses my forehead. “I thought she would be angry, but the brandy had made me bold and had made it easy for her to laugh it off.”

  I absorb this new information and store it for later use as we head downstairs to the library. Julian already knows about my reaction to the silver. He asks if he can inspect the burns.

  “How long did you have it on you, Lily?” he asks with concern.

  “Only a few seconds, Jules.”

  “Fascinating.”

  He goes over to his desk and starts scribbling in a brand new journal.

  “Merde, he has a new research project, Lily, and it’s you,” Sebastian scowls.

  I shrug. “I get the benefit of finding out everything he finds out.” We both know Julian’s quest for knowledge and his ability to evaluate facts are unequaled.

  “Julian, last night wasn’t a full moon. Why was she attacked?” Sebastian asks.

  “It seems the were cycle is one night before, during and one night after the full moon. The afflicted usually turn into a hairy creature, with little human resemblance. Long nails and sharp canines.”

  “That’s definitely what I felt and smelled. Why did I see a human running away though?”

  “I think Aidan’s blast disrupted the creature’s phase. It will be useful to remember that,” Julian says as he taps his chin, thinking.

  “Great, hairy humanoid creature with long nails and fangs on top of fangs. I should be a real looker three days a month, honey. I’m giving you a chance to bow out of this gracefully, free and clear,” I say to Sebastian. Giving myself another lecture on vamping up.

  He takes me in his arms and kisses my ear.

  “Lily, I don’t think you will have the hypertrichosis-severe hair growth,” Julian reassures me. “You didn’t display any of it last night and I think you would have started to if you were going to. But we will have to wait until the next moon cycle to know for sure.”

  “Julian, you might think I’m shallow, but that really makes me feel a lot better. I think I can handle some of the other symptoms if I don’t have to turn into a wolf dog.”

  “Lily, I understand completely, dear,” he comments quietly. “It’s your mind I’m most worried about. We have yet to see what will happen when the full pull of the moon is on you.”

  “What effects are you referring to?” Sebastian asks.

  “She could have a strong urge to run with a pack. Of course we don’t know who the pack might be. She will want to hunt without the control she’s developed in the past decades. She will probably be much more aggressive and volatile. We’ll just have to find out,” Julian says.

  “Sounds peachy,” Hannah, my best friend, says from the doorway.

  “Hannah, Diel, when did you get here?”

  Hannah is one of my best friends. She lives in Berkeley. Diel, her demon life mate, is at her side. And of course she never goes anywhere without Hades, her hell hound. Hannah has a penchant for hippie blood, or I should say any ‘herbally enhanced’ blood. She finds a good supply in the college students.

  “I just walked in. Just in time for Julian to say you were going to run with the pack. What the hell happened this time? I can’t leave you alone at all. Where is Aidan?”

  “I don’t know. He should be here by now,” Helena says.

  “I was attacked last night. Bit by a werewolf,” I groan. I’ve
been the victim of too many attacks this year.

  “No effing way! I didn’t know we had werewolves in San Francisco. Julian, why didn’t you tell me this?” Hannah demands.

  “I didn’t know, but apparently we do. I think it is a relatively new infestation.”

  “Hey, watch the infestation talk. I’m one of them now and I don’t want to be talked about like I’m a cockroach or something,” I say wearily.

  I feel a familiar whoosh of warm air.

  “Aidan,” I say.

  Everyone looks up. Why am I still the only one who can tell when he’s coming?

  “Lilith, how are you feeling this afternoon?” he asks assessing me closely, ignoring Sebastian’s stony glare.

  “Much better. We found out silver burns me, though,” I say showing him my burn mark.

  It’s starting to heal. He touches the side of my face once and then steps back. His one touch says everything he can’t and I understand. So does everyone in the room. Hannah gives an uncomfortable little cough.

  “Hello, Aidan, haven’t seen you in a while—Hades is missing his godfather. What have you been up to?” she asks.

  “I visited Greece for a couple of weeks. It was beautiful,” he says turning to smile at her. “How have you been, Ganja Girl?”

  That is Hannah’s preferred, self-proclaimed super-heroine name.

  “I’ve been good, you know. Dyed the hair purple. No one even commented. Of course I wasn’t bit by a werewolf, so I don’t exactly compare on the weird-o-meter.” Diel pulls Hannah into his side and kisses the top of her head, chuckling. I’m envious, her choice was simple. Once Hannah and Diel decided to hook up there was no looking back—demons tend to be that way.

  “Hannah, your hair is gorgeous. It highlights your black nail polish,” I say.

  “Thanks, Lily,” Hannah says.

  “Where did this happen, Lily?” Diel asks.

  “In Chinatown. I was hunting.”

  “If you would just hunt with me in Berkeley, this kind of thing wouldn’t have happened to you,” Hannah says.

  She had a point. The most dangerous thing that ever happens to her is her wardrobe. Right now she is wearing black converse tennis shoes with a jean mini and a vintage tee. She has a leather bracelet and a leather choker on.