Drawing Bloodlines (The Princeton Allegiant Series Book 1)

by Deborah Garland

  Her glib attitude perplexes me, but it’s welcome. She appears to be relaxed enough to realize I did not come here to attack.

  “Believe it or not advanced math is not my greatest strength.” My gaze locks on hers while I hope for a silent understanding between us, so maybe I don’t have to say the word. Vampire. Ever. “Perhaps you could observe my classes. They’re from six-thirty to eight every Wednesday. I could really use another set of eyes on how I apply the mathematical formulas.”

  Her stare is incredulous. “You scared me out of my wits all so you can ask if I’ll audit your class?”

  “I have been known to be . . . resourceful.” I’m really dripping with charm now.

  She blinks and some of the hostility eases from her posture. “Why do you need me? Aren’t there any grad students studying advanced math?”

  “Adjuncts have to share resources and the other professors have them overloaded at the moment.” I hand her my university business card; further proof of that version of myself. “I have a stipend, I could pay you.”

  She takes the card, but her head jerks at my offer of money like it offends her. “No, that’s not necessary. In fact, I’m applying for my Ph.D. at Princeton and the experience on my resume is more valuable to me, to be honest.”

  “It sounds like this could be mutually beneficial.” My words come out more seductive than I intend.

  “I . . .” She touches her neck, tempting me to react, but I stay focused or I will blow this. “I just have to secure coverage for my daughter. Finding someone to watch her on a weekly basis will be tricky.”

  “Her father’s not in the picture?” My words are a ploy to keep her talking and divulging information, while I stare at her.

  “Oh, so the good doctor doesn’t know everything about me.” She smirks. “He works at the Pentagon.”

  “Really?”

  Another surprise. I’m enjoying this conversation. The idea a high school teacher can outmaneuver someone like me is fascinating.

  “Yes. He gets up here whenever he can, but there’s no set schedule. Except for school holidays and summers. So, I would just need to arrange childcare. If I decide I want to do this. Six-thirty to eight p.m., you said?”

  “Yes, just until December. However, I’d like us to circle back after each class.” With those words, a flash flood of ideas of what I want to do to her in my office excites me enough to make me rock hard and alter the way I stand. “Stipends are entirely at my discretion so I could cover your childcare costs.”

  “I can pay for my own childcare. And as I said, I have to think about it. Goodnight.” She waves her keys at me like she thinks the metal will scare me away.

  It will take more than that, but I step aside so she can get in her car. I resist the urge to use one of my hidden powers to unlock the door. That will piss her off.

  I’m just not certain how much.

  Chapter 4

  I text Alex the following Tuesday and tell him I’m in.

  His request intrigues me. Though not as much as the man himself. If any other gorgeous doctor tracked me down at a bar, I would have agreed on the spot, probably while riding him in the back seat of my car.

  In the text, I mention again a stipend isn’t necessary. My father happily agreed to take Annie. My relationship with him was distant when I was young. I love you dads didn’t exist until years later. Now, he’s an amazing grandfather. It was an easy sell to give him Annie one night a week. When I proposed it be a sleepover he was even more thrilled. He loves to help her with homework and since he was also the cook in our family, I won’t worry it’ll be a fast food festival every week.

  On Wednesday afternoon, my heart settles into an easy rhythm when I drop Annie off. I smile as she merrily skips into my father’s house, but by the time I’m at the university, my jaw is so tense and tight, it throbs.

  This is an unfamiliar campus, so it’s a good thing I gave myself an extra few minutes to find my way around. Alexander’s classroom is a lecture hall that smells like fresh lacquer and new carpet. I walk in behind a group of students, so I’m neither the first nor the last person to enter. I peek over the shoulder of a tall, gangly Goth-looking young man to catch a glimpse of the beautiful doctor and part-time professor.

  His dark-blond hair glistens under the lights and flecks of auburn streak through the longer pieces brushed back behind his ears.

  Most students clustered in the front rows are girls. I’m not surprised, but it leaves a wide chunk of the hall empty. Preferring to blend in, and not draw attention to myself by sitting way in the back alone, I stop two rows up from the last occupied seat and put my things down on a desk on the aisle. Since I’m officially here on business and need to clock in, I stand until I have Alex’s attention. He’s occupied at the moment, by young girls in tight sweaters and ripped jeans. I’m not only happy I kept my teaching clothes on, I’m thrilled I chose a short skirt and high heels this morning.

  Thinking Alexander is deeply absorbed in his students, I smooth my skirt and prepare to sit, glancing casually back in his direction. My breath hitches sharply. He’s staring at me.

  The distance between Alex and me should smother my gasp and hide the blush spreading across my heated cheeks. My hammering heart should be my secret. No. All those hopes dissolve when his stare and ramrod posture suggest he already knows.

  To ease the tension, I toss a quick wave and bow my head. Why I did that, I have no idea.

  The class begins and Alex immediately takes control of the room. For days, I was curious how Alexander would use mathematics in this kind of science class, and thought I would be bored. The man is nothing short of mesmerizing. He glances my way every time he applies a calculus formula to his theories. It’s no surprise, he’s dead-on and I reward him with nods of assurance and approving smiles. Perhaps I don’t have to come back. He’s got everything under control and doesn’t need me.

  Damn!

  If only ninety minutes flew by as quickly while I run on the treadmill or sit in a detention class. Before I know it, Alex wraps up. His assignments appear on the Smart Board behind him and I cringe for the students when I see how lengthy and complicated they are. I’m pleased he challenges these kids and does not cater to the lowest common denominator.

  Time to break the news he doesn’t need me. I hold my step, however as a line of pretty young college girls forms at his desk. Sigh. I can’t compete with tight skin and perky boobs. It’s ridiculous to think Alexander wants me, when he has all that to choose from.

  With Alex thoroughly engaged, I pick up my notebook and turn to leave. I will email him my notes. A man of his intelligence can figure it out. My foot barely makes it onto the landing of my row when Alex calls out to me. Loudly.

  “Ms. Lockspier!” His voice spins me around. Before I speak, he gestures to an empty seat in the front. “Please, I’ll only be a few minutes.”

  A few turns into thirty and the line of girls barely moved. They all play with their phones while they wait. Some even twirl their hair and put on lip gloss.

  I stand again, drawing Alex’s immediate attention. He holds his hand up to me, his jaw tight with distress from taking up my time. I cast my chin in the direction of his long line of admirers and toss him a wave.

  The walk back to my car takes half the time it took to get to his class. Thankfully, I noted the section number on a nearby pole. My only concern is the late hour and the inky darkness. In my row, the butt of my car sticks out and I breathe a blessed sense of relief when my rear tail lights illuminate.

  “Thank you,” I whisper, but realize I hadn’t hit the fob yet.

  “You’re welcome.” Alex steps out from between two cars.

  Startled, I drop my keys, the notebook, and my bag. I must have paled like I saw a ghost. “Um . . .”

  Alex rushes to m
e and when he tenderly touches my hair, a sweet scent floats off his skin. “It’s okay, Elizabeth. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just didn’t want you to leave.”

  Fear freezes me in place. How did he get out here so fast?

  Alex crouches down to retrieve my spilled belongings, setting off a cool breeze from his sudden movement against my bare legs.

  Am I in over my head?

  ~ ~ ~

  I gently release Elizabeth’s notebook and purse into her arms.

  “I’m very sorry about that.” I find I say, ‘I’m sorry’, a lot to this woman. “Your time is valuable to me.”

  “I was going to text you. You were perfect. I don’t think you need me at all.” She says all this confidently, but shrinks back when I release a faint hiss.

  “I still want you to come back. And my stipend offer stands. I could use your help coming up with mnemonics for memorizing the formulas I’m using. These kids are science majors not math geeks.” I fight an intense rush of desire from those dazzling blue eyes, until she narrows them and glares at me. “Oh, sorry.”

  “I don’t use mnemonics in my teaching,” she answers coolly.

  “I can appreciate that.” I inch closer and wait for her next move. “Is there another way you can help me make it easier for them? I don’t want my science lesson getting stuck behind a traffic jam of complicated formulas.”

  “Sometimes it’s not about making it easier. Too many people are lowering the bar.”

  I want to lower her.

  “And the whole phone thing is out of control, don’t you think?” I move the topic into neutral territory.

  “I wonder if Bell could have anticipated a bastardized version of his greatest invention would eventually destroy humanity as we know it?”

  “Very apropos since we are only a few miles away from the original Bell Labs. Have you taken your students to any of the old campuses?”

  She considers that. “No. But that’s a really great idea, thanks.”

  Silence becomes a wall between us. All the words we don’t say. The truth we both know but no one speaks. I shouldn’t think one visit to my class, one conversation after would ease the fear I sense from her.

  Since her car is unlocked—my sneaky trick—I open the driver’s side door for her and expect her to get in. And leave. She should leave.

  No. She leans across the seat and dumps everything in her arms on the passenger’s side. Watching her bend over sends a wave of arousal through me, powerful enough that I’m relieved when she straightens back up to face me.

  “Well, goodnight.” Her right hand stretches out to me, but when I don’t immediately reach for it, she yanks it back. “Oh, do you not shake hands? I noticed that the other day. Are you concerned over germs?”

  My hand snags her wrist, resulting in a sharp gasp. Whether it’s from my swift movement or the cool touch of my skin against hers, I’m not sure. Whatever the reason for her parted lips, she doesn’t pull her hand out of mine as I draw it closer to me.

  “No,” I say and trace her palm with my fingertips. “Not concerned about germs.”

  Her breath eases into a soft sigh and her eyes connect to mine. No fear. No revulsion. Only . . . desire.

  I edge her body up against the open car door until she’s caged against me. Her heart rate spikes and her breath goes raggedly off the charts. Yet she doesn’t struggle. I brush her cheek with my fingers and she leans into the touch.

  Her eyes are hazy with desire, as my own must surely be from the venom spilled into my mouth, the flow triggered by my lust for her.

  “What is that smell?” she whispers, leaning closer. “It’s sweet.”

  The almond and vanilla scent is a tempting treat to lure and attract prey. “It means I want you.”

  Her soft, pale lips part, and the lush lower rim curls upward. The wild pounding in her chest bangs like a bass drum in my ears. By a heart filled with blood. Still, it’s richer than any other I tasted. Elizabeth is alive and she wants me.

  I lower my chin to catch her lips with mine. A light teasing kiss to test her resistance, until her tongue slides past the seam of my mouth, reducing me to stillness. Her breath hitches and I worry that she’s put off by my tongue’s cool temperature, colder than she expected.

  Her lips tip into a smile against mine and she breathes, “Alexander.”

  I lose myself to the feel of her mouth against mine as her body softens into me. My hips tilt away to keep a respectable amount of space between her and my raging erection. I’m not sure I want her to feel how big and hard I get. Yet.

  With both arms around her, my fingers reach into her hair to touch the soft silk and knead it between my fingers like I did the other night when I broke into her house. Something else I have to keep to myself. For now.

  My tongue swirls around hers, slowly, sensually. I have to be gentle with her and I quickly figure out I want to be. Who and what I’m about is strength, speed, and danger. I don’t want Elizabeth afraid of me. I want to please her.

  Her hands wander down my chest. She clutches me tighter, inadvertently bringing my hips closer, causing my throbbing hardness to settle against her stomach. Her body twitches. Eyes fly open, meeting mine. All I see is excitement and longing and if it’s possible I’m blushing.

  Her lips curl into a sweet smile. “That’s, uh . . .” She clears her throat. “Hmmm.”

  “Yes.” I touch her face. “You have quite a profound effect on me.”

  “I'm not entirely unaffected myself, but . . .” Her gaze wanders to her car.

  “I should probably let you go before I do something I shouldn’t.” I don’t want her to leave but a feral reaction zips up my spine again.

  Her eyes blink as her fingers glide along my chest, then snap back against her coat. “Yeah. Okay.”

  “So, next Wednesday?” Not wanting to completely let go, I gently lock my fingers under her chin.

  “Yes,” she replies, just above a whisper.

  A human man could hear the arousal in her voice, but I smell it on her skin. “Goodnight, Ms. Lockspier.” I force myself away from her.

  “Please call me Elizabeth.”

  “Okay. Elizabeth.” I jam my hands in my trouser pockets, or I might grab her and kiss her again. “Not Liz or Liza or Beth?”

  “Not if you want to live,” she says, getting into her car, but peers back at me. “Duh.”

  Chapter 5

  My skin tingled reading Alexander’s text on Thursday.

  Are you available Saturday afternoon?

  He must be as desperate as I am to figure out what the hell that kiss was about, the other night. Sooner rather than later. Or, he could want to meet to have a more thorough discussion of my review of his class. Something we technically never got to Wednesday night.

  Annie’s father picked her up from school on Friday and drove north to his parents’ house in Connecticut for an anniversary party, which freed up my weekend. In my reply to Alexander, I didn’t mention all those details; just that I would meet him in his office at the university Saturday afternoon. If that turned into dinner, or something else, well he would get a pleasant surprise.

  On Friday late afternoon however, I experienced flu symptoms that hit me like a wrecking ball. I barely made it through my last class and felt dizzy as I walked to my car. Thoughts of Alex kissing me flooded into my brain so often, I thought I brought on my own fever and chills. When I got home Friday after school, I placed a cold alcohol-soaked compress on my forehead. It reminded me of Alex’s lips when he kissed me a couple of days ago. In my flu-induced feverish sleep Friday night into Saturday, I dreamed of him touching me and more.

  I woke up this morning, and the fever has not broken. I have to cancel my meeting with Alex. I text my situation with an apology and add, that I’ll b
e at his class next Wednesday.

  He texts me back in a flash and his reply makes my jaw drop.

  I’m coming to your house. What’s your address?

  Stunned, I type my address into the phone and crawl to the shower. I’m pale and weak, but my hair will be clean.

  The several successive knocks on my front door suggest anxiety. As if I see him for the first time, Alexander’s beauty takes my breath away. Before I say hello, he hurries past me.

  “What is your temperature, Elizabeth?” he asks and places a shiny leather bag on my coffee table. He actually owns a little black doctor’s bag!

  “I don’t know, Annie’s thermometer got lost in the move and she hasn’t been—” I’m silenced by a digital thermometer he pulls out of his bag and wedges into my ear.

  “One hundred and two.” He shakes his head. “That’s pretty high. Have you taken anything?”

  “No, I figured I would ride it out.”

  Alexander sniffs the air and in a tone laced with concern, asks, “Where is your daughter?”

  “Annie is with her father this weekend.”

  “I have something I could give you.” He rakes over the entire lower floor of my house. “Where would you be more comfortable?”

  Before I can think of the impropriety, I say, “My bed.”

  His eyebrows inch upward. The kiss we shared created an intimacy between us and neither of us knows what to do with it.

  “Show me.” He keeps a cautious distance from me as we climb the stairs.

  At the top, I close the door to Annie’s room and when I turn toward my bedroom, Alex and I awkwardly collide.

  “Sorry,” he says softly. “After you.”

  I’m painfully aware, the presence of my bed might make me forget I have a fever. There’s so much I don’t know about this man, yet here he is. In my bedroom. Good thing I changed the sheets.