Deb felt giddy, tired and hungry in equal portions and she could smell the blood that the two men sipped at occasionally. “Why do you mix whiskey with the blood?”
“There are several reasons,” Alix said. “Some of us enjoy the taste more, but the alcohol helps with the cravings and it warms our skin, gives us a tinge more color. Not to the same extent as a human, but it takes off the chill and we look less dead. Coffee has the same effect, but to a lesser degree.”
“Cravings?” Deb asked, but the sick feeling in her stomach told her she already knew.
This time it was Vincent who answered. “For blood. Rich, warm, thick blood pulsing down your throat as it is pushed from the vein by a still beating heart. I like the taste of cold blood from a glass, but in our natural environment we would drink it warm and from the vein. The urge to do so can be overwhelming especially when you are in vampire form and especially when you are young.”
Deb felt her jaw hit her chest. Would she crave blood from another person? That was just sick. “I don’t think I could do that, hurt someone.” Suddenly this was no longer thrilling, no longer romantic. She had craved blood when she saw the dead girl and it disgusted her.
Vincent let out a long sigh. “That is the problem. You will crave it and if you make a mistake. If you hurt or worse, kill someone, you will feel the guilt and regret. In fact, you will feel it more so because our emotions are heightened.”
As she sat in the chair, her shoulders weighed the world and her legs were dead lumps stuck out before her. “I could not live with myself if I killed someone.”
Alix was at her side, kneeling down, her tiny hand engulfed by his big ones. “We… I will not let that happen. We need to ensure that you have blood when you need it and that… well you can always do what Vincent does.”
Deb looked up into his big blue eyes and she felt safe, she trusted he would help her. But Vincent? His were like a cold gray sky, unwelcoming and they had haunted her dreams for so long now she did not believe she could trust him. “What does he do?”
A bark of laughter brought her head around till she could see the big man. He looked like a killer, finely honed and able to do anything.
“I like to drink from the vein,” Vincent said. “I do not kill but I take my blood from those I deem unworthy.”
“I don’t understand,” Deb said.
Vincent took a sip from his glass, his eyes were watching her reaction and she felt confused. The blood smelled good and made her mouth water but at the same time she was revolted.
“I drink from criminals, murderers, rapists and those repeat burglars that cannot control themselves and spread misery wherever they go.”
This time it was Alix who laughed. “Don’t go thinking he’s an angel, we all know Vincent has his dark days.”
Deb was deep in thought and the competition between the two men went over her head. Could she do this, if she had cravings… who are you kidding? She knew that she would crave blood; the smell was delicious and set her stomach rumbling yet at the same time it disgusted her down to her very core. Could she use her cravings… her bloodlust to right wrongs, to punish the evil that was in this world? If she could, then it would not be such a bad thing. “Is the blood you drink now, human?”
“Yes,” Vincent said.
“Sometimes,” Alix said. “I use beef blood that I get from the abattoir and I can survive on that. The problem is if I drink that exclusively I am weaker, so I mix it with human blood I get from a supplier. It is all humanely farmed.”
Farmed? They think of us as animals to do with as they please. “Will I have to drink blood?”
“We can only wait and see,” Vincent said. With a curl of his lip, he gave her a smile that said she could not hide from him. “But I think you already know the answer.”
“What about crosses, stakes, holy water, sunlight?” Deb asked.
“Crosses are purely decoration, they have no effect,” Vincent said. “Holy water is the same. Now sunlight can be a problem. A new vampire will burn and smoke in the sunlight, but they will not die, will not burst into flames. However, it can draw attention and it weakens and hurts them. As you get older you can cope with it a little easier, but it is still unpleasant. I can walk in the sunlight with little ill effect, but I prefer to keep covered. The sun is not our natural environment. Alix here needs more protection as he is still young.”
Deb turned to Alix. “How old are you?”
“One hundred and forty-two years old and I was turned when I was twenty-five.”
“And you Vincent… Wait I can’t call you that it is too stuffy how about, Vin or Vinny or Vince?”
Vincent’s eyes narrowed and looked as cold as ice. “I am five hundred and thirty-six years old and you may call me Vince.”
“You both must have seen so much.” Deb could not fathom the changes they would have lived through, the adventures they would have had.
“Let’s get back to training,” Vincent said. “There are several ways to kill us. A wooden stake through the heart will kill a vampire as it would a human. A stake through the lungs, kidneys, etc. won’t kill a vampire. Of course, decapitation will also kill us; if you lose your head it’s over.”
Deb giggled. “Yeah, I imagine that would work for a human too. What happens when you die?”
“Enough questions for now,” Vincent said. “The sun is up. If you will not come away with us, then you should go home. Remember, do not let anyone know what you are and do not invite anyone into your house.”
He turned away and Deb felt like she had been dismissed. It was a sinking, crushing feeling and it soured her stomach. There were so many questions she had to ask, so much more she needed to know but she would be best to just carry on, bide her time, learn what she could and make her own decision. “Alright, but I have one more question. Why am I in danger?”
“There is a…” Alix said.
Vincent turned and knocked Alix to the ground so quickly, Deb’s eyes could not keep up. One second he was facing away from her, the next he had pushed the other man over and all she had seen was a flash.
“When you are ready to trust us we will trust you with this knowledge. For now, just know that you should keep this secret. The more people who know what you are, the more danger you will be in.”
Anger rose in Deb like a phoenix from the ashes. How dare he treat her like this, she was about to make a witty reply when she stopped. “Then, what am I?”
Vincent’s eyes seemed to look right through her. “I don’t know.”
Chapter Nineteen
Deb wheeled herself into the house. After her extended session moving, running, leaping and sparring with the two vampires she felt clumsy. It was as if she was out of control in her wheelchair, much like she had been when she first learned to use it. If she concentrated she could tell the men were still out there, watching her. Their scent was strong in the air, or maybe it was on her clothes. As she moved across the kitchen she noticed how quiet the house was. No one would be up for hours and suddenly she had the urge to run, to feel the wind in her face and her feet on the ground.
Silently she made her way to her room and sat in the dark. From the window, she could see the shadows that were Alix and Vincent. They were hidden behind an old sycamore tree, and its branches cloaked them in darkness. If felt good to have two men worrying about her, two men protecting her but should she trust them?
As the night gave way to dawn, she saw them leave. She knew that she should go to bed and get some sleep, but every nerve in her body was wide awake.
Sitting before the full-length mirror that hung on her wardrobe, she concentrated and changed. Her face was a little grotesque. Her eyes the black of a bottomless pit, her brow perturbed over them. Reaching up she touched it. It looked as if it would be hard, but her finger sunk into the flesh and it was cold. Her face was like a block of ice. She rubbed her fingers across her neck where her pulse should be. The engorged veins were raised above her skin and she expected
to feel a strong pulse in them but there was nothing. She searched and probed the cold skin, but she could not find a pounding rhythm that proved she had a heartbeat. They told her she had died that night of the accident and as a vampire they were dead, but what did that mean? Dead was dead, they do not move and walk, talk and breathe.
Deb sucked in some air and breathed out onto the mirror, nothing happened, there was no misting and she could not feel the breath on her hand.
At last she opened her mouth and looked at her fangs. They were neat and pointed and they looked deadly. The realization that she could bite into a human and suck the life from their body made her feel ill. Closing her mouth she stood. Pushing back the chair she spun around in a circle just for the joy of it. What was that?
There was movement in the hall outside, quickly she dropped back into the chair and willed her face back to normal just as Mace stumbled into the bedroom.
“I didn’t expect you home dear,” he said running a hand through his mussed up brown hair.
Deb turned to smile but as she did her eyes were drawn to the vein that pulsed in his neck. The jugular. It was full with luscious blood and she felt her mouth begin to water, felt the urge to leap across the room and sink her teeth deep into his artery. Horror filled her and she shook her head and turned from him.
“Are you alright, dear?” he asked as he hobbled across the distance between them.
Deb prayed that her face was normal, that the rumbling in her stomach was for food not blood and that she would be able to control herself. “I’m fine… I couldn’t sleep. I was thinking about going for a run.” She kept her head down and felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.
“It’s a bit early, are you sure?” Mace asked.
Deb reached up and touched her face. It was normal. She turned toward him. “Yes, I think it will do me good. You get back to sleep Uncle, I’m fine.”
He reached down and kissed her cheek and Deb could smell the blood as it surged through his artery. The urge to sink her teeth into it was overwhelming, but she bit it down and smiled sweetly. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, dear.”
***
Deb wheeled herself to a remote part of the woods. There she changed and left the chair and she ran. It was amazing to feel the dirt beneath her feet, the wind on her face and to just revel in the freedom. Every sense was heightened, she could see a rabbit hiding in the bushes, a deer through hundreds of yards of woodland and she could smell it all. She spun around and leaped over a gate, all the while feeling so alive, more alive than she had ever felt before.
The sun would soon be up; she had to make her way back in case she bumped into any other runners. As she flew across the ground, she thought of Alix. Had he dated her just because of what she was? Part of her did not think so; she wanted to believe that he liked her and that there would be something more between them. He excited her in a way she never believed she would feel again. Now that she could move and feel, they could have a much more exciting future.
As she ran, she thought about some of her old files. Things she had been investigating before her accident. There was a drug ring that was operating on the south side of town, corrupt politicians and an organized crime syndicate who acted as businessmen. Yes, there was plenty for her to look into and she would see that she used her new… powers, skills. Well, whatever they were, she would put them to good use. Maybe she could… what had they called it… compel. Maybe she could compel Nova’s dad a new job.
She turned the corner and there was her chair. A man stood with his back to her and a thrill ran through her leaving a warm feeling south of her stomach. Alix had come for a rendezvous. .
The man turned and it was Vincent. Thunder clouded his eyes and his face was drawn and angry. “What are you doing?”
“I went for a run. I was careful.” She didn’t mention that Mace had almost caught her earlier. “Why do you always have to be so mean?”
Vincent changed and charged towards her. He pushed her back into her chair and loomed into her face. All she could see were his fangs as they bore down towards her and fear froze her muscles and paralyzed her legs.
“Mean,” he growled. “I’m trying to keep you alive. Have been since the moment I met you. For once in your life why not show a little gratitude?”
Deb opened her mouth to protest, but he was gone. Just a flash of light across her retinae showed where he had been. How could he be so mean? She had every right to come out here, to enjoy her new found freedom. There was no way that some asshole ancient vampire was gonna tell her how to live.
But the joy had gone out of the morning and Deb found herself jumping at every little noise in the bushes as she made her way back to the house. There was a light on, Mace must be up. She stopped and sniffed the air, testing for any strange scent but everything was overwhelming and she could not separate them. With a sigh she went down to the house. No one was after her, why would they be?
***
Sitting in an old ash tree, half a mile from the house was Isaac Valhos. An attractive man with sun kissed blond hair and designer stubble on his square jaw. Piercing blue eyes stared down at the Coltrane residence as he watched Deb wheel herself into the house. She was a sprightly one and cunning too. Having left her chair deep in the woods where no one would see, while she ran like the wind. Now she returned to the house as the poor little-crippled girl. Well my dear, let’s see how long you keep that up.
Isaac didn’t mind waiting; it was part of the job. Keeping still and hidden while he checked out his victims’ movements was all a part of the fun. He liked to watch them go about their day believing all was right with the world while death watched them from afar. This was a tricky job. Was she faking her disability, her paralysis or was she...? No, he would not go down that route. If she were the one from the prophecy, then it would complicate things and he had already taken the job. She was just another vampire, trying to fit into a world that no longer wanted her. It would have been best for everyone if she had died in that accident but he would soon remedy that. Vampires disgusted him.
A vibration at his thigh alerted him to his phone ringing and in one fluid movement he retrieved it and answered. “Yes.”
“I have been given your number, told that you can solve a problem for me. Is that correct?”
Isaac recognized the voice of Dagmar Van Patten, but he would not let the older vampire know. “Yes.”
“Do you have details of the assignment?”
“Yes,” Isaac said.
Dagmar sounded impatient. “How long before we can start moving on this?”
“I’m already here, we can start straight away. In fact, I have a way in.” Isaac put down the phone and jumped from the tree. He landed lightly next to a cute girl with a blonde bob and a denim mini-skirt who lay dead beneath the tree. There was a vicious gash on the side of her throat. Isaac ran his fingers across the blood, ignoring the glazed eyes that seemed to accuse him as he flicked through the directory on his phone. Finding Summer’s number he dialed and licked the blood from his fingers as he waited for her to answer. This was going to be his easiest assignment yet.
I hope you enjoyed the Darker Side of Deb Green Wood Book One as much as I enjoyed writing it. It is a little different to my normal books. It contains less horror and more romance but it was a joy to write and I love all the characters already.
Book two Deadwood is available for pre-order here:
The Darker Side of Deb - Deadwood will be out very shortly. As a bonus please read on for the first chapter of book two:
Chapter One Deadwood –Darker Side of Deb Book 2
Deb sat at the kitchen table, her legs hanging uselessly onto the footplates of her wheelchair. She was feeling antsy and tired, excited and depressed and she wanted everyone to leave. She wanted the house to herself so she could practice, or maybe even call Alix. There had to be a problem she could discuss with him. Some excuse she could use to call, no maybe a text would be better.
Across the table, Brett stared at his toast, his eyes smudged dark from lack of sleep, his thick brown hair mussed up more than usual. He was purposefully ignoring her and Deb couldn’t blame him. Since her change, the nightmares had become even more frequent. Every night the peace was shattered as she woke screaming, soaked in sweat as terrors chased her through her dreams. Yet when she woke all she could remember was this feeling of terror. Even thinking about it gave her stomach that queasy, empty feeling and raised the hairs on her arms. She had to discuss it with Alix. A smile came unbidden to her face, she had her excuse and the mere thought of his name had heat flaming her cheeks. She dropped her head, allowing her long brown hair to tumble forward and cover her feelings for the handsome vampire. It would not do for her to look so delighted when the room was so tense.
Mace busied himself preparing breakfast, grumbling quietly having failed to engage either of them in conversation. It gave an oppressive feel to the room as if all three of them existed on a different plane and their paths couldn’t quite meet.
Deb sighed it had been two days since she had seen Alix and the last time she had been so cold. Finding out that he was a vampire that she was a vampire had taken some getting used to. Questions swam around her head like Mace’s Koi around the pond. Nibbling at her peace as the fish nibbled at a lettuce he hung in the water. Soon it was as ravaged as her brain and she ended up with as many questions as that lettuce had suitors. Had he used her? Why was she in danger? It was confusing. If he knew the prophecy then did he really like her or was he just getting close? There was also Vincent. The animosity he showed towards Alix was unnerving and Deb was not sure who to trust. She let out a bark of a laugh and Mace and Brett turned their eyes on her. Coughing to hide her mirth she gave Brett a slight smile and hid her head from Mace. Her Uncle was too wily and she must be careful around him. Still that was one question she could answer. Alix was much more trustworthy than the arrogant Vincent Fox. Damn it even his name was sneaky and he was rude.
Greenwood: Paranormal Vampire Romance (The Darker Side of Deb Book 1) Page 9