Sucking Bites (San Francisco Vampires Series #3)

by Jessica McBrayer

  Liam’s face mirrors my own uncertainty.

  “It will work out. We can play cards through the slits in the door, Liam,” Andrew offers.

  Liam takes his hand and squeezes it. Andrew’s expression tells it all.

  “Where are you going to put these two?” Diel asks, nodding at me and Liam as he pulls Hannah into his lap.

  “Liam is staying here and Lily will stay at Aidan’s,” Helena says.

  “Where do you want me? I am definitely helping somewhere. I just can’t decide where the most fun will be.” Hannah looks conflicted—too many choices.

  “Why don’t you switch off, Hannah?” I offer. “I think Julian is going to make an appearance at both places. You can sleep in our room while you are here. Liam is in the guest room. When you are at Aidan’s we will figure something out.”

  I hope Hannah and Diel can help diffuse the tension between Aidan and Sebastian.

  “It will just be my lovely mate helping out with the wolfies. I have a royal function to go to,” Diel says regretfully and Hannah rolls her eyes behind his back. I suspect we have similar opinions about interfering royalty.

  “Who’s keeping Hades?” I ask.

  “I think I better take him. You guys will have enough to worry about,” Diel says. “You probably don’t need another set of fangs.”

  “I think it is time for Lily to go to bed now, especially if she is not feeling herself,” Sebastian says. I get the hint that he wants to be alone with me.

  I think that everyone else gets the hint too. Hannah and Diel say their goodbyes. Hannah promises she’ll be back tomorrow. Liam heads off to bed. Aidan kisses me on the cheek and says he’ll see me tomorrow before he pops out. I appreciate everyone’s commitment to sticking by us.

  Sebastian and I say goodnight to Helena and Julian before retiring. When we close the door, Sebastian sighs. His shoulders slump. He moves next to me and stares deeply into my eyes.

  “Lily, I swear, I will kill Celine and the Queen herself, if I have to. I will not let them hurt you. I will get Aidan to take you somewhere and then I will meet up with you and we will live off the radar. Whatever it takes. You will be safe and you will be mine forever.”

  I walk over to Bast and take his face in my hands. I stare into his eyes and then kiss him. Suddenly I’m overwhelmed by my impending change. Our kiss turns frantic. Then we tear each other’s clothes off. As if this was our last night together before everything changes. Everything will be different. I will be different. I will no longer be the same person. We can never go back. We make love savagely, passionately, with vampire stamina. Sebastian is still inside me, depleted and kissing me when dawn comes. I fall asleep sated, but panic hovers just at the edge of awareness. I wake up in a fit of anxiety. Sebastian is there holding me.

  I don’t need to say anything. It’s as if he knows what I’m thinking. He gathers me closer to his body and I cry. He rubs my back and tells me it is going to be all right.

  We get ready for the day and migrate to the library.

  “I’m scared, Helena,” I say to my mother in all things vampire.

  “Shhh, ma petite,” Sebastian says.

  Liam walks in. He looks like I feel. Helena holds out an arm and gives him a hug, while Sebastian keeps his arm tightly around me. Andrew comes in and sees Liam. In a moment of complete and utter loss of decorum he launches himself at Liam. It helps. Liam is now comforting Andrew. He is not looking so worried, distracted by Andrew’s distress.

  “Liam, it will be fine. You are among friends this time. No one will let you hurt anyone or yourself. You are going to be okay,” Andrew says, finally releasing his death grip.

  He gives Liam a tight squeeze and leaves to get everyone coffee. Liam rubs at his eyes quickly as his gaze follows his friend.

  “Thank you, Helena. I’ve felt so alone through all this. It’s hard to know what to expect. Not only didn’t I know what was happening to me, my life was turning to shit. No job, blacking out, my lover leaves—almost killing Lily—then you save my life,” Liam says.

  I look for hand sanitizer. Sebastian reaches it first and squeezes some out for me.

  “I’ll just keep this handy for you, Cherie, okay?”

  “Thanks, Bast.”

  I squeeze his hand. He returns the pressure.

  “Are we passing out hand sanitizer?” Aidan says from the doorway.

  “Yes,” I admit.

  “Well good, then you will need these,” he says.

  He presents two bottles of my favorites, the raspberries and chocolate kind, that I love and can never find. I give him a weak smile.

  “That’s better,” he says and kisses my cheek.

  I hand a bottle to Liam.

  “Does this really help?” he asks.

  “It helps me and you can never be too germ free,” I add sagely.

  “Whatever works!” he says slathering it over his hands and forearms.

  A couple of hours later, Hannah and Diel drive up in Diel’s Porsche. He kisses Hannah goodbye and leaves for Hell or wherever the demon get-together is scheduled. Hannah sighs, grabs her bag and heads into the house. Sebastian and I return to our room to pack jeans and tee shirts, some night gowns for me and tennis shoes. I’m not sure what to bring. So I lean towards practical because we expect a lot of action. We meet up with Aidan, and Hannah.

  I hug Liam and he clings to me—so much depends on what happens to me. Julian wants to wait until evening before getting Liam settled in the cellar.

  After my goodbyes, I join hands with Sebastian and Aidan. Aidan takes Hannah’s hand we transmanifest to Aidan’s apartment.

  “Home sweet home,” Aidan sings out once we land.

  I give him a small smile and Hannah laughs. Hannah is nosy by nature, and has no shyness about checking out every corner and room, just like Sebastian had a few days earlier. He was a bit more subtle. There were only two rooms yesterday and today there are four.

  “Nice place, Aidan. Where can I put my things?”

  “Why don’t you all put your things in the guest bedroom for now? Lily and Sebastian need to feed tonight. It might be a good idea if you do as well, Hannah.”

  “I just fed last night, so I’m good.”

  “Excellent,” Sebastian says as he walks back into the room. “You can help us keep an eye on Lily. It’s too close to the full moon for my comfort.”

  “Why don’t we watch a movie or something to pass the time? Everyone is so tense. It might do to get our minds off things,” Aidan suggests.

  “I haven’t watched a movie in a long time,” I say. “What do you have?”

  “Anything you want, love.”

  “Let’s watch a comedy. I’m not up for anything else.”

  “Your wish is my command,” Aidan says mockingly. I smirk.

  We all settle on his couch to watch a movie that’s still in the theaters. It’s a great distraction. I forget the real reason we’re here. Aidan summons wine for us. But when the movie is over reality lifts its doggy head. We avoid the subject weighing most on our minds. Soon it’s dark, time to feed.

  Aidan summons something alluring, though I notice it’s not as provocative as the last time. Once again our strategy is for me to act as bait. This time Aidan won’t let me out of his sight.

  Dark, promising shop fronts are common in Chinatown, so I pick one at random. Sebastian stands behind me. Aidan and Hannah observe from across the street in another doorway. A young man approaches me. He looks like he plans to pay for a little fun. I snatch him and pass him to Sebastian. We’ve planned it this way so Sebastian’s safe to watch me. They might have to pop me to Aidan’s if my bloodlust starts. I have to admit, listening to Sebastian feed is difficult. Much more difficult than usual. My fangs come out and I start to salivate. My stomach tightens and I have a strong urge to tear the man away from Sebastian. I keep a grip on myself knowing that I will be next.

  Soon after, another man finds me. I have my handi-wipe ready, I grab him and have hi
m wiped and bitten before he knows what hit him. Garlic—ick, the downside of hunting in Chinatown or Little Italy.

  “Yuck! Garlic!”

  “I know, Cherie. Mine too.”

  “At least we know I’m still okay. Hopefully it will only be a serious problem for the three days of the moon phase. I’m tired of worrying. I’m still hungry. I don’t know if I can handle more garlic though.”

  “You shouldn’t be hungry, ma petite,” he says with a frown.

  “I know, but I am, I’m famished. I quit feeding out of habit. I wasn’t paying attention to my hunger. I also couldn’t stomach the garlic.”

  “Let’s get you some more dinner. It won’t hurt you.” He steps back into the shadows.

  We wait. This time a woman walks by a little too closely. She doesn’t see me and I pounce. She yelps, but I am on her with my fangs out and no handi-wipes. I bite savagely and drink hard. I am still drinking when Sebastian and Aidan pull me off her. I growl at them.

  “Easy, Lily. Easy, you are taking too much, ma petite.” Sebastian says gently. He has me in a tight grip. Aidan pries the woman from my bite.

  “But I want her! I need more! Sebastian, let me go,” I hiss.

  “I think you have had enough, darling. Hannah, hurry. Aidan, let’s go.”

  They grab me and we transmanifest into Aidan’s flat. I pace like a caged animal. I’m so hungry.

  “Look at her eyes,” Hannah whispers.

  I run to a mirror. My pupils are large and silver, eclipsing the irises.

  Sebastian calls Julian and asks about Liam. They have put Liam into the wine cellar. He is barely able to carry on a conversation.

  “Bast, what’s wrong with my eyes? Why am I so hungry?”

  “I think we can count on this being a phase of your change. I don’t know what we can do about the hunger, Cherie. You would have drained that woman, if we hadn’t pulled you off her.”

  “We do know we can pull her off, though,” Aidan says. “I hate seeing her hungry.” Even in my “state” I stare at Aidan. Is this the vamp hating djinn I’ve come to love and trust?

  “We could take her down to the docks. Easy pickings down there,” Hannah offers.

  “Yes. Please. Anywhere. I’m hungry. Just don’t let me kill anyone.”

  Aidan takes my hand, Sebastian takes the other. Hannah links up on Sebastian’s other hand. We pop to the docks. It’s dark and foggy. The waves gently wash into the pier and breathe in the smell and it overwhelms me—boats and fish and warm bloods covered in sweat and grease. My friends back into the fog a bit and I walk over to some of the men. One of them hits on me. I lure him into the fog. Within seconds Aidan and Sebastian flank me as I start to feed on him. It seems like I barely start before they are pulling me off of him.

  “I need more,” I say hoarsely.

  “Oh, God,” says Hannah. “She’s going to burst.”

  “No, I think her metabolism is speeding up. She’s starving for fuel,” Aidan says.

  “Another feeding and she will have had enough to have drained a human,” Sebastian figures. “One more, Cherie, and you will have had enough, I think.”

  This time Hannah lures a donor to me. Sebastian wipes him down while I get ready to bite. He barely gets his hands out of the way. The blood tastes sooo good. It runs down my chin and I lick it off his neck, sucking for all it is worth. Unsurprisingly, I feel Aidan and Sebastian start to pull me off of him. Relinquishing my quarry is easier because my hunger is waning. Blood spatters the front of my clothes. I’m a mess.

  “You look absolutely wild, Lily,” Aidan says.

  “Let’s get you out of here,” Hannah says.

  They take hold of me and we pop back to Aidan’s flat. The blood excites Hannah and Sebastian—they get restless. Time for me to clean up. After a quick shower, shampoo and fangster brush, I join them. I can tell they have been talking about me.

  “Well, I feel a little less vamped out,” I say.

  They seem to relax.

  “I was beginning to wonder if we were going to have to hunt all night,” Sebastian says as he runs a hand through his unruly chocolate curls.

  “I was going to suggest some hippie blood. Nothing like a good buzz to mellow you out,” Hannah says, not an unexpected suggestion coming from the Ganga Girl.

  “Your eyes are still bright silver, love. What other changes are you feeling?” Aidan asks. He peers into my eyes, feeling my forehead, checking my pulse.

  “I’m feeling a lot calmer. I was just really, really hungry.” I look from one concerned face to another. “It isn’t a full moon until tomorrow night…” I stop. I can’t put my fear into words.

  Sebastian’s eyes meet mine. “I need to call Julian and let him know what is going on. I’ll get an update on Liam too,” he says. He has his cell out and calls Julian before he disappears into the bedroom to have the conversation.

  “It’s almost dawn. I guess we will know soon if you can sleep or not,” Aidan says. He touches my face with his hand. Aidan the djinn, who has been in existence since the beginning of time, cares for a bloodsucker enough to watch a feeding frenzy.

  “It will be okay, Aidan,” I say and I mean it. “I don’t know why, but I am feeling more confident of that now.”

  “It must be all the blood. When’s the last time you fed like that?”

  “Not since I was a new vampire and didn’t know any better. We just don’t need that much blood as we get older.”

  “You’re flushed. You have color in your cheeks. It is very becoming,” he whispers.

  “Hey now, no mushy stuff on my watch,” Hannah says.

  We both start laughing.

  “Hannah, you are looking scrumptious tonight too. I don’t tell you often enough. I’m sorry,” Aidan says.

  “That’s better, Aidan. I’ll bask in your praises,” she says.

  “Aidan, what can you whip up for Hannah’s room?” I ask.

  “Let’s see.”

  He starts waving his hands around theatrically and in the corner of the new room, a twin size wrought iron bed appears with a silken spread and lots of pillows. He adds an elegant screen in front of it for privacy while she sleeps.

  “Oh, Aidan, it’s perfect!” Hannah says. “You have to promise to watch over me when Lily wakes up, since she will be awake two hours before I am. Please,” she says as we walk back into the living room. “I wish age mattered and I would wake up earlier. It sucks!”

  “Of course, dear. I will save you from the big bad wolf,” he says.

  I throw pillows from the couch at him, which he promptly throws back at me. Sebastian walks in right then, of course.

  “I take it you are feeling better, Cherie?”

  “Yes, Aidan is making fun of me. He set up a beautiful sleeping arrangement for Hannah.”

  “Excellent. I can read and check in with Julian while you are sleeping. What are you going to do, Aidan?”

  “I thought I would read for a while and then maybe interest you in a game of chess? It has been a long time since I had someone to play with.”

  “That would be agreeable. Lily doesn’t play and Julian always wins so it will be nice to pit my skills against a new opponent.”

  I smile to myself. It is an unexpected gift that they would try to get along like this. It’s a good omen. We have three days to make it through. Hannah and I change into our bed clothes. Me into a night gown and robe, Hannah into pajama pants and a tee shirt. I kiss Aidan goodnight on the cheek to thank him for his hospitality and help and because I love his sweet and generous spirit.

  “You know you have only to ask for something and it is yours, Lilith,” he says.

  He bends and kisses my mouth chastely. I squeeze his hand and turn toward the bedroom.

  Sebastian lies on the bed in pajama pants and nothing else. My iPad is lying off to the side. He opens his arms and I climb in and fold into him. I feel at home with him there, even in this bed, now with Bast. He sighs, tightens his arms around me, and k
isses the top of my head.

  “I don’t know what tomorrow may hold, but I’m glad you will be by my side,” I whisper.

  “I shall never leave you.”

  I fall asleep with Sebastian kissing me.

  I knew exactly when Lilith fell asleep. Hannah also is sleeping. I hear Sebastian get up and dress. He finds me in the living room and I can tell he wants to talk.

  “She’s sleeping. I thought this would be a good time to let you know what Julian said,” Sebastian says as he finishes buttoning his shirt.

  “How is Liam doing?” I ask, ignoring that he was skin against skin with my Lilith.

  “He’s still pacing and starting to have a difficult time with the confinement. I think they are going to need us to trade with them. Lily, so far, is having an easier time of it than Liam. What do you think?”

  “I think we should trade places with them, at least while she sleeps. I know Julian wants to observe her, so we could trade out for that too. She seems to be handling it fairly well so far, apart from the hunger,” I say. I see Sebastian feels the same way.

  “Yes, I have to say that scared me at first. She’s never growled or hissed at me before. In fact I’ve never heard her growl. I wonder if she will be hungry like that tonight.”

  “I don’t know. If that is all that she has to deal with, it’s a small price to pay compared to what it could be,” I say imagining what Liam is going through.

  “Exactly what I’m thinking. Julian also had some disturbing news. Celine was lurking around the manse. She keeps her distance, but makes sure that everyone can see her all the same. She seems to have backup with her. A woman and one of the goons,” Sebastian snarls the last bit about Celine. At least we are in complete agreement about her.

  “The bitch! At least we know that Lilith is safe. She won’t find her here. Still, we have an obligation to Liam too. What are we going to do about Celine?”

  “I don’t know. We can’t just kill her. She’s the Queen’s own,” Sebastian says, exasperated.

  “Maybe Julian, Helena or I can glamour her and convince her they are no threat?” I suggest sitting down on the couch.