by Myla Jackson
“I don’t know. You seem different somehow.”
A soft snort escaped her lips. “You’re telling me.” She looked into his eyes. “Just promise me we’ll talk later.”
His gut knotting, Roger replied, “You bet.” What could be so dire that Julie wouldn’t look him in the eye? And she hadn’t smiled at him once since he’d arrived at the hospital. He leaned forward and kissed her. “I have to collect my prisoner from the psych ward before I leave. Maybe I’ll see you on my way out?”
“That would be great.” Her lips curled upward, but her lips didn’t part into her normal full grin.
Roger had a bad feeling about her responses. Thank goodness they were meeting later. The more he’d been around Julie, the more he realized she was the girl for him. Usually, she was happy and smiling, a joy to be around and full of fun and laughter. His ex-wife had always complained about one thing or another, usually to do with him. Not Julie. Whatever was troubling her could be worked through. Together.
He liked the ring of that. For two years, he’d been just Roger. Not part of a couple and no desire to ever go that route again. Julie had changed all that and he wasn’t giving up on her without a fight.
As he passed the rooms along the hallway, he planned his methods of seduction for the night ahead. He couldn’t wait to try out the flavored whipped cream he’d found at the market.
Chase met him outside the door of Bob Marley’s room with a wheelchair. “You ready for this one?”
Roger shook his head. “Not really. But we’d better get him out of the hospital before he causes any more damage.”
“Still hard to believe the man shot a crossbow in the hospital, at your girlfriend, no less.”
Roger fought the surge of anger. If he’d been there when Marley shot at Julie, he’d have killed the man. The nut was lucky Roger had had time to cool off. He pushed through the swinging door into the room.
Bob Marley lay stretched out on a gurney, his arms strapped to his sides, an IV pumping sedatives into his veins. But he was awake. “Gotta cleanse the earth,” he muttered his words slurred like he’d had one too many.
“You aren’t cleansing anything tonight, but the inside of a jail cell.”
“Can’t do that. They’re all over the city. Must warn.” He tugged against the restraints.
Chase pulled handcuffs out of the case attached to his belt and clipped them on Marley’s wrists before unbuckling the restraints. “You have one call from the police station. You can call your lawyer and warn him.”
Chase and Roger hauled Bob Marley off the gurney and settled him into the wheelchair. As they rolled him out of the room, Julie and Kim passed by.
“She’s one of them.” Marley lunged from the wheelchair and fell flat on his face. He struggled to get his cuffed hands beneath him and pushed to his knees.
The two nurses hurried around the corner, out of sight.
“Gotta stop them. They’ll take over the entire city.” Bob swayed toward Roger. “Don’t you see? You’re a cop, do something.”
“Not in this life, buddy.” Roger waved toward the chair. “Take a seat, sir.”
“Oh, I get it, you’re in on it with them.” Bob lunged at Roger’s face.
Unprepared for the attack, Roger blocked the man’s hands.
“Vampire lover!” Marley yelled. “God will strike you down!”
Roger and Chase wrestled the man back into his seat and cuffed him to the arm of the wheelchair.
When they had him subdued, Chase chuckled. “So how does it feel to be a part of a vampire conspiracy?”
“Don’t encourage him.”
“That’s what it is,” Marley said. “A conspiracy to take over the city.”
“Yeah and the ER nurses are vampires.” Roger shook his head.
Standing in the side hallway leading to the radiology lab, Julie hovered, waiting for Marley to leave the hospital. She’d heard everything.
Kim appeared. “You can come out now. They’re gone.”
Julie stomped down the hall. “Jesus! Doesn’t that guy ever give up?”
“What I don’t get is how he can tell you’re a vampire.” Kim hurried to keep Julie’s angry pace.
“Maybe he is some kind of special vampire hunter. I need to talk to William. That’s just one of the questions I have for that guy.” She glanced at her wristwatch. “I get off in ten minutes. You’re on the same shift tonight aren’t you?”
“Yeah,” Kim replied.
“Could you give me a lift home?”
“Sure. If you promise me I get to meet your male vampire friend.” Kim’s eyes glowed. “Wow, I’ve never met a real male vampire before.”
“Hunh,” Julie grunted. “From what I understand, you probably have and don’t even realize it.”
“Wow. That’s just too cool.”
As Julie and Kim walked back toward the nurses station, Kim stared at everyone walking by as if trying to determine if any of the patients or staff were vampires. She studied some people so long, she made them frown.
Julie grabbed her arm. “Stop it or they’ll be sedating you next.”
The drive back to the apartment building was blissfully uneventful. Instead of going straight to her apartment, Julie knocked on the door across the hall. “Please be in.”
William opened the door with a smile, and his fangs weren’t showing.
“That’s my first question.” Julie shoved him through the door, Kim on her heels. “Kim’s a friend from work. She’s human and she knows what we are.”
“Nice introduction.” William held out his hand to Kim. “William Fagan and you are?”
“Yours.” Kim all but drooled all over William. “I mean, my name is Kim Erikson.”
“Enchanted.” William bent to kiss her knuckles, holding her hand longer than necessary.
Julie couldn’t remember William kissing her hand for that long when they’d first met. “If you’ll pick your jaw off the floor, Kim, I need this guy for a few.” Julie broke Kim’s handhold on William.
Twin flags of color lit her friend’s pale cheeks and she glanced away. “Of course. Don’t mind me. I’ll be as quiet as a mouse.”
William turned his attention to Julie. “What was it you wanted?”
“Answers.” Julie paced across the floor and back. “First.” She opened her mouth and pointed to the extended incisors. “If you’re a vampire, why don’t yours show?”
“They retract.” William bared his teeth and extended his fangs. After a few seconds, they receded into his gums. “Next question.”
“How did you do that?” Julie moved closer to stare into the vampire’s mouth.
“Yes, how do you do that?” Kim crowded closer as well.
“It comes natural. You think about feeding and your fangs extend. New vampires take a day or two to get used to them.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that last night while I fed on that pint of blood you brought me?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t think to. I’ve been doing it for over two hundred years. After that much time, you tend to forget the nuances.”
“You’re over two hundred years old?” Kim touched William’s arm. “You don’t look a day over twenty-nine.”
Was that a blush rising in William’s cheeks? “Thank you.”
“Excuse me? You mean to tell me I suffered all night on duty refusing to smile because of these damned fangs, and I could have retracted them?”
“Were you thinking about feeding all night?”
“Thinking about it?” Julie threw her hands in the air. “I was freakin’ obsessed! Everywhere I turned there was blood.”
“Kinda comes with the ER territory.” Kim smiled at William. “I’m a nurse.”
“An angel of mercy.”
“Could you two cut the mush long enough for me to get answers to my questions?” Julie cast a glance to the ceiling and prayed for patience. “There’s a guy called Bob Marley who swears he’s a vampire hunter.”
�
��I’ve heard of him.”
“He knows I’m a vampire. How? Can vampire hunters sniff us out or something? I sure didn’t tell him I was of the fanged variety. He found me at the restaurant, turned up at the hospital and took a shot at me with a crossbow.” Julie took a deep breath. “How does he know?”
“Calm down and let me research.” William pulled a worn leather-bound book from a shelf and flipped pages. “Does he have a tattoo on his neck?”
William’s seriousness was new to Julie. She’s always seen him as the nice guy next door, nothing more. This knowledgeable vampire had been hiding behind his retractable fangs all along. Kim seemed to notice everything about him from the get-go and she appeared to be completely smitten.
“I didn’t get a chance to look at the back of his neck,” Julie said.
“Oh, I did!” Kim the Goth, supercool chick, jumped up and down like the spring-butt everyone hated in school. “There was this blue crucifix symbol on the back of his neck, it started at the base of his skull and went down his neck to his shoulders.”
William held the book open to an ink drawing of an elaborate crucifix with scrolled edges and intricate embellishments.
Kim went so far as to squeal. “That’s it!”
William turned to face Julie. “We’ve got problems.”
“You’re telling me,” Julie muttered.
“Seriously, listen to him, Julie.” Kim ran her finger across the page. “These guys are relentless.”
“She’s right. They’re from a long line of vampire hunters, raised to believe vampires are evil.”
Julie snorted. “That’s ridiculous. I’m not any more evil now than before I was a vampire.” Memories of her intense sexual urges and the desire to bite surfaced. “Am I?”
“No, of course not. We can lead normal lives like any human, with the few limitations I outlined.”
“The daylight thing and the need to feed on blood.”
“Exactly. We do have a more heightened libido and bloodlust can be a concern. But with a little restraint, vampires are no different than humans.”
“Oh yeah?” Julie planted her fist on her hips. “What about Luke Hester?”
William snapped the book shut and replaced it on the shelf. “Compare him to a sociopath. He’s mentally out of control. Not all vampires are like him.”
“Yeah, but when you can hurl a man across a parking lot, that makes you a lot more dangerous than a mere mortal.”
“Yes, but he’s no more evil than a serial killer.”
“Good point. Then why can’t we convince Mr. Marley we’re the good guys?”
“He’s been brainwashed all his life to believe it’s his sacred duty to cleanse the earth of vampires.”
Kim gripped William’s arm. “That’s just what he said before he tried to shoot Julie with the crossbow.”
William only nodded, his gaze catching Julie’s.
“Great.” She flung her hands in the air. “I have a lovesick vampire claiming he owns me and a vampire hunter trying to kill me. Not to mention, I need to tell my boyfriend he made love to a vampire last night.” Julie walked to the window and stared out into the gray light of predawn. “I’m not usually a whiner, but I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed.”
William moved to stand behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’re a strong woman, I’m sure you will persevere.”
“I hope so. As long as Marley doesn’t dust me or Luke doesn’t haul me off to his secret lair.” She shivered at the thought of being with the crazed psychopath. The she straightened her shoulders and turned to face William and Kim. “First things first. Roger needs to know what he’s up against with Luke and Bob. If he doesn’t already know about vampires, tonight he gets a lesson in Vampire 101.”
Chapter Eight
Roger arrived five minutes late for his date with Julie. All the way over in his SUV, his mind churned. He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard at the police station.
When Julie answered the door, he pulled her in his arms and kissed her hard on the lips.
Her hands slid up around his neck and she deepened the kiss, her teeth parting to allow his tongue access to hers.
The kiss turned to heavy groping with Roger’s hands finding their way beneath Julie’s shirt. He wouldn’t have stopped there if not for a loud throat-clearing sound.
“Do you mind?” a voice said behind him.
Julie backed up a step, her face flaming. “Oh, hi William, this is Roger.”
“I hope so. I’d hate to think you were attacking a perfect stranger.” William held out a hand. “William Fagan.”
“Roger Decker. I’d shake your hand, but I’m otherwise occupied.” He resented the other man’s intrusion and he didn’t want to stand in the hallway talking to him when he could have Julie all to himself. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to talk to her.” Roger hustled Julie through the door, his hands still beneath her shirt. After he kicked the door shut behind him, he leaned forward to kiss her again.
Julie held a hand up to his mouth. “Wait.”
“Wait?” All he wanted to do was kiss her, as if by kissing her, all the things he’d heard in the station briefing that afternoon would go away.
Unfortunately, she was firm. “Yes, we need to talk.”
Of course. He had to tell her what he’d heard. Let her know of the present threat to the city. “You’re right. I need to tell you what’s been going on.”
“You need to tell me?” Her brow wrinkled. “Tell me what?”
“No, ladies first.”
Julie stepped back another step until Roger’s hands dropped from her waist. She wrapped her arms around herself. “Mine can wait. Yours sounds more important.”
“Okay.” Roger pushed a hand through his hair and stared into the far corner. “Whew. How do I say this?”
“I’m not liking it already.” She rubbed her arms as though she felt chilled.
“Just wait. You’re not going to believe this.”
“Then tell me.”
“The chief called every policeman in from off duty for a big debrief on what’s been going on with all the murders lately.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Yes. Go on.”
“You really aren’t going to believe this.”
Julie scowled and stomped her foot. “Tell me already.”
“Okay, okay. He told us that Houston has been invaded by vampires. That’s who’s been killing all those people.” He stopped, his brows raised. He’d expected her to laugh him out of her apartment. When she didn’t, it was his turn to scowl. “You don’t look shocked by the news.”
“I’m not.”
“But the chief said vampires.” Roger couldn’t believe how well she maintained a straight face. Was she just a really good actress, or what? “Aren’t you afraid our police chief has gone off the deep end?”
Julie shrugged, but didn’t respond.
“I thought it was a big hoax until they showed us the evidence. Every victim, and there have been eight so far in the past two weeks, had two puncture wounds somewhere on their bodies. Most of them were on the neck.”
“Go on.”
“I thought it was someone’s idea of a big joke, but then they brought in a couple of plainclothes policemen who’d been out on the beat when one of the attacks occurred. They gave the same description as our guy from the restaurant parking lot.”
“They did?” Again, her reaction was little more than lukewarm.
“Yeah. That’s when I started listening. He attacked them too and they confirmed what we already knew. He’s got superhuman strength and bullets didn’t faze him.”
“Damn.” Julie’s face paled. “Our friend Luke gets around.”
An uneasy feeling crept through Roger. Something wasn’t right with her reaction to his news. She acted as if vampires were an everyday occurrence to her. “Aren’t you just a little bit scared?”
“More than you can know.”
Okay, at least this response was more real
istic. “Well, that’s what I had to tell you. If what they told us is true, you can’t wander around at night without some kind of weapon. The chief suggested a wooden stake.”
Julie smiled. “Sorry, fresh out of stakes. I used the last one over a week ago.”
“You did?”
“No, silly.” She stepped close and ran her hand over his temple, threading her fingers into his hair. “I was just kidding about the stake.” Then she smiled for the first time since the night they’d made love. “What is it you wanted to talk about? You didn’t look very happy at work this morning? Is it something I did?”
She pressed a finger to his lips then followed it with a kiss. “No. You’re perfect. I just…well…” Julie broke contact and left the circle of his arms to pace her living room floor. “I…I am…I have this friend,” she finished in a rush.
“I imagine you have lots of friends.” He closed the distance between them and reached out to take her back into his arms. “I’m okay with that as long as they’re not all guys.”
Evading his grasp, she ducked past him and continued her pacing. “Since you’ve already been briefed that there are vampires in the city, maybe this will make more sense.” She glanced at him. When he met her gaze, she looked away again. “If this friend was what your chief said…”
“A vampire?” What was she talking about? Surely she didn’t believe all that nonsense about vampires. Although, Roger had to admit he was beginning to lean that direction.
“Let’s just say for the sake of argument, I have a friend who is a vampire.”
“I’d say you should share some of that wacky weed with me.” He smiled to soften his words. “I’m not ready to fall for all that garbage, as convincing as the chief was.”
“Okay, say you believe in all that garbage for the sake of my story.”
“But I don’t.”
She threw her hands in the air. “Just pretend, then.”
Roger held up his hands. “Okay. I’ll pretend I believe in vampires.”
“If my friend was a vampire and she seemed normal in every other way but that she was a vampire, would you hate her?”
Roger’s brows drew together. He could tell his answer meant a lot to her. “Are you telling me you have a vampire for a friend?”